Environment « The Cost of Energy

Document alert: Forests and carbon storage

By Lou, on April 17th, 2009%

IUFRO press release:

The critical role of forests as massive “sinks” for absorbing greenhouse gases is “at risk of being lost entirely” to climate change-induced environmental stresses that threaten to damage and even decimate forests worldwide, according to a new report released today. The report will be formally presented at the next session of the United Nations . . . → Read More: Document alert: Forests and carbon storage

Coral reefs and public awareness

By Lou, on December 10th, 2008%

Some very bad news about the state of the world’s coral reefs:

A downward trend tied to warming seas has not reversed and the world has now lost nearly one-fifth of its coral reefs, according to a global survey released Wednesday.

Much of the rest could be destroyed within 40 years by increasingly acidic seas if warming continues . . . → Read More: Coral reefs and public awareness

It’s the water, stupid

By Lou, on November 20th, 2008%

Thanks to some ongoing research, mentioned below, the relationship between water and global warming is coming into sharper focus. Sadly for us, the picture we’re seeing as layers of uncertainty are peeled away is nothing to be cheerful about.

I’ve mentioned many times that the primary, near-term human impact of global warming will not be some . . . → Read More: It’s the water, stupid

The most important number

By Lou, on November 11th, 2008%

Frequent readers of TCOE know that whenever I talk about my personal short list of must-read authors, Bill McKibben is always right at the top. Well, he’s at it again, this time with a piece in Mother Jones, The Most Important Number on Earth:

Sooner or later, you have to draw a line. We’ve spent the . . . → Read More: The most important number

Document alert: Target Atmospheric CO2

By Lou, on November 10th, 2008%

Carbon Dioxide Levels Already In Danger Zone, Revised Theory Shows:

If climate disasters are to be averted, atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) must be reduced below the levels that already exist today, according to a study published in Open Atmospheric Science Journal by a group of 10 scientists from the United States, the United Kingdom and France.

The authors, . . . → Read More: Document alert: Target Atmospheric CO2