Australia faces worse storms: Climate experts

SYDNEY: Australia will face storms of increasing intensity as a result of climate change, a respected think-tank said Friday as the nation reeled from the devastation wrought by Cyclone Yasi.

Yasi, a maximum-category five storm reportedly large enough to cover most of the United States and with winds stronger than Hurricane Katrina, hit Queensland on Thursday, packing winds of up to 290 kilometres (180 miles) per hour.

Researchers at the prestigious Climate Institute in Sydney said that warmer temperatures were expected to produce more intense torrential downpours like Yasi, particularly in the country's tropical north.

"For Queensland, this is likely to spell storms and floods of increasing ferocity over a greater part of the state," the Climate Institute said in a press release.

"Sadly, Australia must prepare for more of these types of catastrophic events and even greater extremes as climate change drives more frequent and more intense wild weather," said John Connor, the institute's head.

The biggest storm to hit Australia in a century wrought huge damage to small coastal communities, cutting some of them off completely. But while two men were reported missing, there were no confirmed deaths caused directly by Yasi.

Queensland is still recovering from a record deluge and floods that destroyed tens of thousands of homes and killed more than 30 people last month.

The Climate Institute is calling for urgent measures to arrest global warming as north Queensland recovers from the twin disasters.

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We expect leadership from India: UN climate chief

NEW DELHI: India played an "exceedingly helpful role" in the last climate summit and "we expect the same this year and beyond", UN climate chief Christiana Figueres said here Saturday.

"India represented its own interests and stood firm with other developing countries, and then was incredibly helpful in showing that it's mostly in the interest of developing countries to move forward" to combat global warming, said Figueres, executive secretary to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Speaking to a small group of reporters on the sidelines of the Feb 3-5 Delhi Sustainable Development Summit organised by The Energy and Resources Institute, Figueres praised India for having "brought forward new concepts to bridge the North-South divide".

The climate changes are already affecting farm output, making droughts, floods and storms more frequent and more intense, and also raising the sea level.

The UNFCCC head from Costa Rica gave examples.

"India's concept that all countries need equitable access to sustainable development was a very good contribution," she said. "So was the idea of international consultation and analysis (of actions by developing countries and aid by the developed nations). Minister (Jairam) Ramesh was incredibly helpful in putting down a 10-point concept note on this."

Ramesh has been criticized by some NGOs and former members of the Indian negotiating team for moving away from the country's earlier position that instead of asking the developing countries to do anything, industrialized countries must do much more to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases they release into the atmosphere.

With rich countries led by the US opposing this view, global climate negotiations have been stuck for many years.

The world is now looking at a scenario where the Kyoto Protocol -- the only global deal that obliges rich countries to reduce emissions -- may be lamed after 2012 because many industrialized nations are refusing to commit to such reductions after that.

Figueres said that while the world had to "resolve what we are going to do with the Kyoto Protocol, I hope India takes leadership in ensuring enhanced (emission reduction) commitments" from developed countries.

As for the developing countries including India, tFigueres said "they are doing it in their own interest because their first responsibility is poverty eradication, and they can use the international mechanisms from the Cancun agreement for their national programmes." Cancun, in Mexico, hosted the last climate summit.

On the agreement itself, the UN climate chief described it as "very important for the community of nations, but a very small step for the planet. It's the largest and most far-reaching effort ever for emission reductions and probably the most comprehensive package to support developing countries" to move towards a greener economy.

As examples of what the Cancun Agreement had achieved, Figueres referred to the setting up of the Green Climate Fund, under which rich countries are supposed to provide $100 billion from 2020 to combat global warming.

She also referred to the setting up of a mechanism to share green technologies, a process India has coordinated for years.

But she agreed that the emission reduction commitments from all countries would only go 60 percent of the way to restrict global temperature rise to two degrees Celsius, a key goal of the agreement.

"We expect industrialized countries to take on deeper (emission) cuts," she said.

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Wind, warmer water driving Antarctica ice loss

LOS ANGELES: West Antarctica has been losing ice and scientists now think they know why.

New satellite images and airborne data point to wind and water as the main culprits. Stronger winds lift warmer water onto the ice shelf, leading to the acceleration of ice loss.

Ted Scambos, a glaciologist at the University of Colorado, Boulder, says the phenomenon has led to major ice thinning in the Antarctic Peninsula and the Pine Island Glacier, the biggest of the western glaciers.

Understanding what's driving the Antarctic ice loss will help scientists better predict future sea level rise.

The findings were presented Wednesday at the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco
.

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Regulators OK major greenhouse gas rules

SACRAMENTO,Calif: Hoping other states will follow suit, California regulators overwhelmingly approved the nation's most extensive system giving owners of power plants, refineries and other major polluters financial incentives to emit fewer greenhouse gases.

The Air Resources Board voted 9-1 Thursday to pass the key piece of California's 2006 climate law - called AB32.

"We're inventing this," said Mary Nichols, chairwoman of the state's air quality board. "There is still going to be quite a bit of action needed before it becomes operational."

Officials said they hope that other states will follow the lead of the world's eighth largest economy. State officials also are discussing plans to link the new system with similar ones under way or being planned in Canada, Europe and Asia.California is trying to "fill the vacuum created by the failure of Congress to pass any kind of climate or energy legislation for many years now," said Nichols.

A standing-room only board chambers featured testimony from more than 170 witnesses Thursday. Outside the chambers, a few climate change skeptics held signs reading "Global Warming: Science by Homer Simpson."

Some businesses that would fall under the new rules say the system could dampen California's already flagging economy, complicate lawmakers' efforts to close a $28.1 billion revenue shortfall and lead to an increase in the price of electricity.The rate increases, however, would still need approval from the state.

Governer Arnold Schwarzenegger told the board he is sensitive to the recession, but argued that many of the new jobs being created under the system are in the clean technology industry."The real jobs we're creating right now are green jobs. Since 2006 or so green jobs have been created 10 times faster than in any other sector, so it's also an economic plus," he said.But he said reducing greenhouse gas pollution is not just about climate change, but about human health and national security.

"I despise the fact that we send $1 billion a year to foreign places for our oil and to places that hate us. We send this money to people that hate us and that are organizing terrorists and trying to blow up our country," he said.

Supporters say the system will help spur economic recovery and innovation, pushing business to invest in clean technologies.They say the billions of dollars the state collects in the system could help fund clean air programs and help offset any increases in utility rates. Details of the uses of these new funds is still uncertain.

California has already enacted the strictest climate-related regulations in the country involving renewable energy mandates for utilities, tighter fuel-efficiency standards for automobiles and low-carbon fuel standards.The state's landmark climate law had a Jan. 1, 2011, deadline for devising and enacting the so-called cap-and-trade system.

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Global waterways fuelling growth of greenhouse gas nitrous oxide

WASHINGTON: A new study has revealed that a potent greenhouse gas called nitrous oxide has increased by more than 20 percent over the last century - and human activities are driving that growth.

The source could be traced to the growth of nitrogen fertilizers and the cultivation of crops that return nitrogen to the soil naturally. Some of the nitrogen entering streams is converted to nitrous oxide.

According to Stephen Hamilton, a Michigan State University professor, nitrous oxide exists at low levels in the atmosphere, but is responsible for 6 percent of climate warming and also contributes to stratospheric ozone destruction.

"And on a per molecule basis, its global warming potential is 300-fold greater than carbon dioxide," he said.

Jake Beaulieu of the Environmental Protection Agency and team members conducted experiments on 72 U.S. rivers and streams. They studied the production of nitrous oxide from the process of denitrification, in which bacteria convert nitrates to nitrogen gases.

"Even with more than 99 percent of denitrified nitrogen in streams and rivers being converted to the inert gas, dinitrogen, river networks still contribute to at least 10 percent of global anthropogenic nitrous oxide emissions," Hamilton said.

The study concluded that the growth of this greenhouse gas can be cut short by reducing the use of fertilizer and other sources of nitrogen.

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Dry weather affects apple farming in Kullu

KULLU, (Himachal Pradesh): The apple farming and other fruits in Himachal Pradesh's Kullu district are deteriorating due to intense dry cold wave in the region.

The bad climatic change in Himalayan region due to global warming has resulted in less rain and snowfall.

The apple farmers and other fruit growers have suffered financial loss due to the dry weather.

Farmers fear if the weather remained dry for the next few days then it would severely affect the yield of apples and other fruits grown in the region.

S.S. Bhardwaj, associate director Regional Research Centre of Himachal Pradesh Horticulture University said the progressing dry season is having a severe effect on the production of fruit crops in the lower and higher regions of the province.

"Further the dry season which is progressing has created a disturbance in the sowing and growth of different crops and will also severely affect the fruit crops if this weather continues for another few days," said Bhardwaj.

The farmers have been praying for heavy snowfall, which would fulfill the chilling hours required for apple and other fruits grown in the region.

"This is a very dry season and all the fruit production has been severely affected. We pray to God that as the winter arrives there should be heavy snowfall and rainfall so that the chilling hours for the apples and other fruits and the moisture, needed in the fields, should be completed," said Dharambir Dhami, a farmer.

"This dry season is very hazardous for our crops and we pray that there should be snowfall and rainfall in our province at the earliest," he added.

The dry weather has also affected the production of other crops such as wheat as the growth of the crop is dependent on a good amount of rainfall.

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India takes steps to protect wheat from global warming

NEW DELHI: Although no major impact has been observed on wheat production due to global warming in India in the recent past, the government has taken preventive steps to safeguard the principal crop from rising temperature.

Data show there has been increasing trend since 2007-8 in wheat production, which alone contributes over 71 per cent of total foodgrain production of the country.

Wheat production increased from 78.51 million tonnes in 2007-8 to 80.71 million tonnes in 2009-10 (as per 4th advance estimates,2010), Minister of State for Agriculture K V Thomas had said in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha on Friday.

Studies have forecast adverse affect of global warming on wheat and other crops.

Research findings of ICAR ( Indian Council for Agricultural Research) on wheat crop has indicated that there is about 3 to 4 per cent decrease in grain yield with 1 degree celsius rise in temperature during grain filling stage.

Out of 28 million hectare area under wheat in India, about 9 million hectare in North Eastern plain zone, Central zone and penisular zone is prone to terminal heat stress.

Studies have revealed that the mean annual surface air temperature over India has risen by 0.56 degree celsius during 1901-2009, which is above normal since 1990 over a base period of 1961-1990.

Although no adverse affect of global warming has been noticed on wheat in India so far, the government has taken some timely precautionary steps.

Heat tolerant varieties like DBW 14, DBW 16, Raj 3765, Lok 1, GW 322 etc. have been popularised on larger scale under schemes like National Food Security Mission-wheat and Integrated Cereals Development Programme in Wheat.

This is based on cropping systems aimed at increasing production and productivity of wheat, Thomas had said.

In addition to this, crop advisories are issued to wheat growing farmers for adopting latest crop production/ protection technologies.

Advisories are also issued for timely sowing, resource conservation technology including zero seed drill and irrigation at critical stages to mitigate the sudden rise in temperature.

Besides, ICAR has also initiated networking projects for developing thermal and drought tolerant genotypes that are suitable for changing climatic scenario.

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'Climate friendly' crops can help fight global warming: Study Read more: 'Climate friendly' crops can help fight global warming: Study

LONDON: American scientists have found a new way to offset the effects of global warming -- by planting "climate friendly" crops like wheat that reflect some amount of sunlight back into space.

Researchers at the University of Bristol found that the environment friendly crops -- spread across large fertile regions of North America and Europe -- would send a small percentage of the sun's light and heat back into space, and reduce the effects of the rising temperatures.

Different strains of crops such as wheat have significantly different levels of reflectivity, or albedo, they said.

Selecting the crops that reflect the most could make summers in Europe more than one per cent cooler, said Dr Joy Singarayer who led the study.

"Our current studies on crop reflectivity are at an early stage, but our initial results are really encouraging, as they suggest that simply by choosing to plant specific strains of crops, we could alter the reflectivity of vast tracts of land and significantly reduce regional temperatures," Dr Singarayer was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.

"The concept of using increased reflectivity to manipulate our climate is, in fact, an ancient one -- humankind has for centuries painted settlements white to reflect the sun and keep cool.

"We could now realise the opportunities to do this on a much bigger scale via our agricultural plantations."

Arable land makes up more than 10 per cent of global land use, said the scientists. Particularly dense agricultural regions covered Europe, North America and Southern Asia.

The researchers used a global climate computer simulation to assess the potential for planting crops with high reflectivity.

It was found that a 20 per cent increase in crop albedo could provide Europe with an average summertime cooling of more than one per cent.

This was a fifth of the change needed to offset a doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide levels in the next century, they said.

Under a more moderate global warming scenario, the method could offset up to half of the predicted summer warming over Europe, they added.

The findings were outlined in London over the weekend at the Royal Society discussion meeting "Geoengineering - Taking Control of our Planet's Climate".

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As sea level rises, Chennai areas face submersion threat Read more: As sea level rises, Chennai areas face submersion threat

CHENNAI: Imagine a Chennai city where well-known, low-lying residential areas Velachery, Madipakkam and Kotturpuram may permanently be submerged by sea water. The Napier bridge may be seen rising directly out of the sea, while the mouth of the river Cooum is pushed inland to open into the sea before the Napier Bridge. Island Grounds may cease to exist. This is a picture painted by environmental experts on the grim scenario that might confront Chennai if the sea level rises by one metre.

With over 70% of the population living along the coast, the displacement of human population may be massive. Says Professor J S Mani of the Ocean Engineering department in IIT Madras: ''The only solution is that the government must plan well in advance and decongest the coastal areas.''

There is a general consensus among ocean scientists that the sea level may rise by as much as one metre in the next 50 years. While the reports vary in their projections of the speed of the rise, it is commonly concluded that a significant rise in the sea level would occur during the later years of the 21st century.

Experts point out that Chennai, as a low-lying area with an average height of 2 metres above mean sea level, is likely to face several changes. The Coromandel coast comprises a series of sand dunes along the shoreline after the beach. This area is of higher elevation. The elevation decreases further inland.

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‘Evil twin of global warming’ threatens world's oceans

Scientists have warned that ocean acidification, which is dubbed the ‘evil twin of global warming’, caused by a rise in human emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), threatens the world’s oceans.

“Ocean conditions are already more extreme than those experienced by marine organisms and ecosystems for millions of years,” researchers said in the latest issue of the journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution (TREE). “This emphasises the urgent need to adopt policies that drastically reduce CO2 emissions,” they added. Ocean acidification, which the researchers call the ‘evil twin of global warming’, is caused when the CO2 emitted by human activity, mainly burning fossil fuels, dissolves into the oceans. It is happening independently of, but in combination with, global warming.

“Evidence gathered by scientists around the world over the last few years suggests that ocean acidification could represent an equal -or perhaps even greater threat -to the biology of our planet than global warming,” said co-author Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and The University of Queensland. More than 30 percent of the CO2 released from burning fossil fuels, cement production, deforestation and other human activities goes straight into the oceans, turning them gradually more acidic.

“The resulting acidification will impact many forms of sea life, especially organisms whose shells or skeletons are made from calcium carbonate, like corals and shellfish. It may interfere with the reproduction of plankton species which are a vital part of the food web on which fish and all other sea life depend,” said Professor Hoegh-Guldberg.

The scientists say there is now persuasive evidence that mass extinctions in past Earth history, like the “Great Dying” of 251 million years ago and another wipeout 55 million years ago, were accompanied by ocean acidification, which may have delivered the deathblow to many species that were unable to cope with it.

According to lead author, Dr. Carles Pelejero, from ICREA and the Marine Science Institute of CSIC in Barcelona, Spain, “These past periods can serve as great lessons of what we can expect in the future, if we continue to push the acidity the ocean even further.” “Given the impacts we see in the fossil record, there is no question about the need to immediately reduce the rate at which we are emitting carbon dioxide in the atmosphere,” he added.

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Global warming helping trees grow faster

WASHINGTON: Global warming is helping trees to grow at a faster rate now than they have done in the past 200 years due to higher temperatures and more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, American researchers have claimed.

After studying the growth of 55 forests in the eastern United States for over 20 years, the scientists from the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Maryland found that the recent tree growth "greatly exceeded the expected growth".

They suggested that global warming is helping trees to grow faster as it brings higher temperatures, longer growing seasons and more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

In one forest, studied by the researchers, an extra 1.8 tonnes of timber per acre is appearing each year. "The trees, in Maryland, are sprouting up more quickly than at any time in the past 225 years," the scientists said.

Lead researcher Geoffrey Parker said: "We made a list of reasons why these forests could be growing faster and then ruled half of them out".

"The best explanation was a response to climate change, he was quotes as saying by the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

In the past 22 years, carbon dioxide levels where the study was conducted had risen 12 per cent, the average temperature had increased by nearly three tenths of a degree, and the growing season had lengthened by 7.8 days.

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