Danish photographer and filmmaker Jonathan Bjerg Moller recently spent nine months in Bangladesh, chronicling the lives of the people struggling to survive just a few feet above sea level.Danish photographer and filmmaker Jonathan Bjerg Moller recently spent nine months in... more
It is widely acknowledged that greenhouse gas emission-fueled climate change is having a profound and negative impact on fresh water systems around the world. Warmer weather causes more rapid evaporation of lakes and rivers, reduced snow and ice cover on open water systems, and melting glaciers.
What is less understood is that our collective abuse and displacement of fresh water is also a serious cause of climate change and global warming. If we are to successfully address climate change, it is time to include an analysis of how our abuse of water is an additional factor in the creation of global warming as well as solutions that protect water and watersheds.
There are two major factors. The first is the actual displacement of water from where it is sustaining a healthy ecosystem as well as healthy hydrologic cycles. Because humanity has polluted so much surface water on the planet, we are now mining the groundwater far faster than it can be replaced by nature. New Scientist reports of a “little-heralded crisis” all over Asia as a result of the exponential drilling of groundwater. Water is moved from where nature has put it in watershed and aquifers (where we can access it) to other place where it is used for flood irrigation and food production – where much of it lost to evaporation – or to supply the voracious thirst of mega cities, where it is usually dumped as waste into the ocean.
AUTHOR: Maude Barlow, former senior advisor to the UN on water issues, is co-author of the bestseller Blue Gold (New Press) and chairperson of the Council of Canadians.
Water is also lost to ecosystems through global trade – water used in the in the production of crops or manufactured goods that are then exported (known as virtual trade in water). Over 20% of daily water used for human purpose is exported out of watersheds in this way. Water is also piped across long distances for industry leaving behind parched landscapes.
The second factor is the removal of the vegetation needed for a healthy hydrologic cycle. Urbanization, deforestation and wetland destruction greatly destroy water-retentive landscapes and lead to the loss of precipitation over the affected area.
Slovakian scientist Michal Kravcik and his colleagues explain that the living world influences the climate mainly by regulating the water cycle and the huge energy flows linked to it. Transpiring plants, especially forests, work as a kind of biotic pump, causing humid air to be sucked out of the ocean and transferred to dry land. If the vegetation is removed from the land, this natural system of biosphere regulation is interrupted. Soil erodes, reducing the content of organic material in the ground, thus reducing its ability to hold water. Dry soil from lost vegetation traps solar heat, sharply increasing the local temperature and causing a reduction in precipitation over the affected area. This process also destroys the natural sequestration of carbon in the soil, leading to carbon loss.
Of course, these two factors are deeply related. Just as removing vegetation from an ecosystem will dry up the soil, so too will removing water from an ecosystem mean reduced or non-existent vegetation.
Taken together, these two factors are hastening the desertification of the planet, and intensifying global warming. Even if we successfully address and reverse greenhouse gas emissions and our dependence on fossil fuels, Kravcik says, we will not be able to stop climate change if we do not deal with the impact of our abuse of water on the planet.
Unless we collectively address the crisis of fresh water and our cavalier treatment of the world’s water systems, we will not restore the climate to health.It is widely acknowledged that greenhouse gas emission-fueled climate change is having... more
"The word 'sceptic' is in danger of becoming a term of abuse. A 'climate sceptic' is used to mean someone who rejects the evidence of global warming. But scepticism is actually a healthy instinct and should be celebrated."
In this article with BBC's Ethical Man, Justin Rowlatt, experts try to convince climate change sceptics that global warming is man made.
Personally I have been on board for some years now and I can't seem to understand how people doubt climate change being our fault. I urge readers to send this video to those who could use a simple and non-aggressive explanation to help get them in the know.
South Asian paradise Maldives is one of the main countries most immediately threatened by the effects of climate change. With roughly 80 percent of its 1,200 islands 1m above sea level, Maldives’ President, Mohamed Nasheed has become a spokesperson for lowering atmospheric carbon dioxide levels to 350 ppm.
Circle of blue speaks with 350.org founder Bill McKibben and catches Nasheed’s speech at the UN conference in Copenhagen about the movement that has spawned around the figure. Meanwhile the groups are fighting to keep the 350 figure in the negotiating text.
“The Maldives team is fighting to keep 350 in the negotiating texts.” Nasheed said, “Continue the protest, continue after Copenhagen, continue despite the odds, and eventually we will reach that crucial number – the most important number in the world.”
“3-5-0 ensures that our country survives, 3-5-0 makes a better world possible.”South Asian paradise Maldives is one of the main countries most immediately threatened... more
The first kind includes nations like the U.S. -- wealthy enough to help their citizens adapt to the temperature rise of 2 degrees Fahrenheit that scientists say is likely within 40 years, and almost inevitable.
The second kind of nation includes the world's poor countries, such as Bangladesh. They are likely, say scientists, to suffer far more than the rich nations, unable to help millions of climate refugees seeking food and water ... but they don't face the prospect of disappearing altogether.
The third kind, they say, may disappear entirely -- and quite possibly within the lifetime of today's teenagers. They are made up of islands, threatened by rising sea levels. They say it is not a future risk, but something that is happening now.
Take the vast island nation of Micronesia, with an ancient culture that includes 607 islands, scattered across a million square miles of the western Pacific.
These islands are already being eroded away by fast-rising sea level -- so fast that graveyards are disappearing.
Scientists are telling Micronesians there will probably be 3 more feet of sea-level rise in less than 90 years, with 6½ more feet as an estimated "upper bound" -- a distinct possibility.
"Even a small rise of 1 meter ... would already have a devastating effect," he said. "If it gets to a meter or higher, the islands would get uninhabitable."
A rising water table is already turning salty in the center of islands, killing staple food crops like taro, and many other kinds of plants.A third kind of nation is facing global warming.
The first kind includes nations... more
Three high school students from Kwigillingok, Alaska share their stories about how climate change is impacting their lives and futures. They are our future, and they deserve better.
This is what Copenhagen should be about. Climate change is real and is happening now.Three high school students from Kwigillingok, Alaska share their stories about how... more
Water policy and energy policy must be integrated, according to a message from the International Water Association to delegates at the Copenhagen climate summit.
Adaptation to climate change from the water and energy sectors must come from more efficient use of resources, technological innovation and policies that create incentives for this to happen, according to a declaration from the International Water Association.
“The IWA calls upon decision makers and the international community to recognize the relationship between water and energy and to create a policy environment that supports joint efforts in addressing global climate change,” the declaration states.
Water is used to produce hydroelectric power and cool thermoelectric plants, while energy is used to extract, treat and transport water. Meanwhile urbanization, population growth and climate change will put pressure on water and energy infrastructure in the coming decades, according to the statement.
The declaration is directed at policymakers both in Copenhagen and in governments around the world. The IWA argues that “legislators must adopt the right regulatory and economic incentives to stimulate efficiency and innovation and drive change.”
Though the declaration doesn’t recommend specific policies or regulations, the IWA cautions that climate change negotiations that address only a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions are insufficient. Negotiations must consider water and energy demands because low-carbon energy sources such as solar thermal plants will require substantial amounts of water.
The IWA statement is another call for climate negotiators to address water resources in Copenhagen. At a preparatory climate conference in Barcelona in November, all references to water were taken out of the draft negotiating text, causing an outcry from people in the water sector.
In response, the United Nations’ water division organized a ‘water day’ in Barcelona and issued a statement on the importance of connecting water and climate.
The Copenhagen summit begins on December 7.
Source: International Water Association
Circle of Blue will be on the ground in Copenhagen with multimedia coverage of the negotiations.Water policy and energy policy must be integrated, according to a message from the... more
This documentary explores the plight of those living in low lying areas of the South Pacific who are already feeling the effects of sea level rise and pollution. Water Tomorrow... It is today.This documentary explores the plight of those living in low lying areas of the South... more
The hole in the Earth's ozone layer has shielded Antarctica from the worst effects of global warming until now, according to the most comprehensive review to date of the state of the Antarctic climate. But scientists warned that as the hole closes up in the next few decades, temperatures on the continent could rise by around 3C on average, with melting ice contributing to a global sea-level increases of up to 1.4m.The hole in the Earth's ozone layer has shielded Antarctica from the worst... more
How sea level rise and climate change will occur, based on the newest predictions from scientists around the world.
Warmer oceans around Antarctica mean less krill - and since the Southern Ocean is such an important feeding grounds for baleen whales - that spells trouble for whales and other ocean grazers, and in turn, the entire ecology of the world oceans.How sea level rise and climate change will occur, based on the newest predictions from... more
Remember, it is the rapidity of the melting that indicates other forcings besides just natural processes. Forcings those responsible for want you to discount so they can keep their profits. And while they divert you with emails, distractionary "debates," and fake You Tube "lawsuits," glacier melt continues to threaten over 2 billion people globally. Now what do you really think is more important?Remember, it is the rapidity of the melting that indicates other forcings besides just... more
A possible rise in sea levels by 0.5 meters by 2050 could put at risk more than $28 trillion worth of assets in the world's largest coastal cities, according to a report compiled for the insurance industry.
The value of infrastructure exposed in so-called "port mega-cities," urban conurbations with more than 10 million people, is just $3 trillion at present.
The rise in potential losses would be a result of expected greater urbanization and increased exposure of this greater population to catastrophic surge events occurring once every 100 years caused by rising sea levels and higher temperatures.
The report, released on Monday by WWF and financial services Allianz, concludes that the world's diverse regions and ecosystems are close to temperature thresholds -- or "tipping points."
To not include water as part of these negotiations will prove the parties involved are not serious about addressing the climate crisis. Water policy is central to an effective treaty as sea level rise, drought, glacier melt, and wetlands loss are all key to protection from storms, agricultural diversity, and life itself.
Just what are they thinking?To not include water as part of these negotiations will prove the parties involved are... more
About a hundred houses float on a lake in the Amsterdam neighbourhood of Ijburg --a testament to how the Dutch are trying to turn their traditional enemy, water, into an ally against overcrowding.
"There is a lot of water in the Netherlands, it is used for navigation and recreation. We want to see if it can also be inhabited," Ton van Namen, director of real estate company Monteflore, told AFP.
Monteflore built more than half the floating homes off the western shore of the Ijmeer lake, a dozen kilometres from the Amsterdam city centre.
The homes are cubic, with walls of plastic and untreated wood in neutral colours, built entirely with non-polluting materials. They take a few months to construct.
The first inhabitants of Ijburg's floating houses arrived in 2008.
"We are in the experimental phase, but this may be the beginning of the solution to residential overcrowding," said Igor Roovers, director of a grouping created by the Amsterdam city council to manage the Ijburg development -- the biggest of its kind in Europe.
The Netherlands, with 16.5 million inhabitants, is the second most densely populated country in Europe with 400 people per square kilometre (0.4 square mile).
Roovers believes floating homes may also provide the solution to another growing problem: the risk of residential flooding from rising sea levels caused by global warming.
Nine million people in the Netherlands live in inland areas directly sheltered from the sea and rivers by dykes and dunes, and 65 percent of the national production capacity lies in flood-prone areas.
The Ijburg houses rest on floating, concrete bases fixed to two solidly planted pillars to keep them stable, all the while allowing them to adjust to the water level.
They are linked to dry land by wharfs, through which they receive gas, electricity and running water.
"To live in this house gives me a sense of freedom. I have the feeling of being permanently on holiday," 43-year-old pilot Rik Uijlenhoet said of his 175 square-metre (218 square-yard) dwelling, its large windows looking out on a vast expanse of greyish lake water.
-- 'The water is my garden' --About a hundred houses float on a lake in the Amsterdam neighbourhood of Ijburg --a... more
Ion-Propelled Gradiometer GOCE must remain in stable free fall at low orbit, so an electric ion propulsion engine constantly provides small bursts of thrusts to counteract any air resistance the craft encounters.
After six months of testing and very careful calibration, the European Space Agency’s GOCE satellite is sending back its first data sets as it now begins precisely mapping tiny variations in Earth’s magnetic field. How does one go about mapping the Earth’s fundamental force? As it turns out, very, very carefully.
The Gravity field and steady state Ocean Circulation Explorer launched from Russia in March with the aim of creating a better understanding of Earth’s gravity and in turn the natural processes of our planet. Though gravity obviously exists everywhere on the planet, it is not distributed evenly across the planet’s surface. Geological differences like mountains or ocean trenches, density variations within the Earth’s crust and mantle, and the rotation of the Earth can cause slight changes to gravitational force. Knowledge of these changes is crucial to accurately measuring ocean circulation and sea levels.
Gravity Map: GOCE's final map will look something like the one shown here, representing Earth's gravity distribution with unprecedented accuracy and spatial resolution. ESA
But precise maps call for precise measurements, and mapping the Earth’s gravitational fluctuations from nearly 160 miles up is more than challenging. Because gravity is stronger closer to Earth, GOCE needs to be as close to the surface as possible. However, because the instrumentation aboard GOCE needs to be as stable as possible to measure accurately, an environment with no aerial drag is ideal. The GOCE team compromised between these contrary conditions by creating a sleek, aerodynamic satellite boasting a unique propulsion system that orbits a mere 158 miles up, extremely low for an earth observation satellite but far enough up to eliminate most drag.
Because GOCE is so low, it’s actually riding along the fringes of the atmosphere. It’s aerodynamic design helps it cut through any remaining air there, but sleekness alone isn’t enough. The gravity measurements require the craft remain stable in free fall; any interference from air at this altitude could skew the gravity data and jeopardize the mission’s quality. So GOCE was fitted with an electric ion thruster that continuously offers tiny bursts of thrust to compensate for any drag the satellite encounters.
The calibration for such an undertaking took several months as the GOCE team commissioned the instruments and eased the satellite from its original orbit just over 170 miles up down to its current altitude of 158 miles. Both the space gradiometry and the drag reduction via ion propulsion are technologically unprecedented, and the timing couldn’t be better for GOCE’s next first: the precision mapping of the planet’s gravity. The lack of solar activity right now makes for perfect atmospheric conditions for gravity mapping, meaning the initial data coming down from GOCE is even more accurate than researchers were anticipating.
What do researchers get for all this painstaking precision? With an accurate map of Earth’s gravity in hand, scientists will be able to better measure ocean circulation and sea levels, which in turn will tell us more about climate change. In addition, data from the GOCE will hopefully shed light on some of Earth’s geological processes that take place deep within its interior, as well as for more pragmatic undertakings like surveying and leveling building projects.Ion-Propelled Gradiometer GOCE must remain in stable free fall at low orbit, so an... more
You know, at this point I say, SO WHAT? It isn't as if this Congress is even going to give us a bill that the Earth NEEDS. 17% reductions of GHGs by 2020 is PITIFUL. Dragging your feet on giving us REAL fuel emissions standards is PITIFUL when scientists have already stated we could be getting 80 miles to the gallon in our cars. And where are the subsidies for the AFFORDABLE hybrid plug- ins for the middle class? Ignoring Arctic melt because you want to secure sea routes for the resources there is PITIFUL. Ignoring the effects your cronyism in the agricultural sector are having on the environment is PITIFUL. Continuing to allow the practice of mountaintop removal is CRIMINAL.
So by all means, U.S. Congress, show the world your true colors and just how bought and sold to the coal and oil industries you really are even at a time of planetary crisis. Then go to Copenhagen hanging your heads in shame. Approving the Alberta Clipper pipeline to pipe in dirty bitumen tarsands while trying to tell the world the U.S Is ready to tackle climate change is also an insult to our intelligence. But go ahead, continue to think you can rickroll the American people with your doubletalk and ignorance. The day will come when your decades of inaction will have the full effect and your petty, selfish, politically partisan drivel will be seen for the irrelevance it is.
This also proves their level of consciousness about this is nil. It is not now a question of them having the luxury of a CHOICE as to whether they can pass this in time or not. This is a moral imperative that scientists state must be done and done right to stave off the worst effects of a crisis that will change our way of life. This in essence IS our healthcare bill, because without a sustainable planet we have nothing else, including health.
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Excerpt:
The fate of U.S. legislation capping carbon emissions weighed heavily on delegates at U.N. climate talks starting Monday in Bangkok, with the Americans saying delays in passing the bill could deter commitments from other nations.
Negotiations on a new U.N. climate pact have been bogged down by a broad unwillingness to commit to firm emissions targets, and a refusal by developing countries to sign a deal until the West guarantees tens of billions of dollars in financial assistance — something rich countries have so far refused to do.
"The more specific we can be, the easier it is to press others to be equally specific," Jonathan Pershing, the chief U.S. negotiator at the talks, told The Associated Press. "We have a lot of things we want from countries. ... The less we can put on the table, the harder it is to achieve that outcome."
The two weeks of U.N. climate talks in the Thai capital are drawing some 1,500 delegates from 180 countries to boil down a 200-page draft agreement to something more manageable, aiming for a new international climate pact this year.
In June, the U.S. House of Representatives passed its first bill to cap carbon emissions. The Senate, currently embroiled in debate on health care, is expected to take up the legislation as early as this week.
But Pershing said he doubted there's enough time to pass a climate bill in Congress before the year's biggest climate change negotiations in Copenhagen in December, which aims to reach a deal to replace the Kyoto Protocol expiring in 2012.
end of excerptYou know, at this point I say, SO WHAT? It isn't as if this Congress is even... more
Seen from space these new images show us how the future of sea levels MAY rise when we realise that the IPCC has not factored in these variables into there projections to 2100.Seen from space these new images show us how the future of sea levels MAY rise when we... more
The construction of mobile floodgates aims to safeguard the 1,300-year-old island city of Venice. It's an ambitious engineering project, but some scientists say it may not be sufficient to protect Venice from rising sea levels due to climate change.
Venice rose from mudflats in the middle of a lagoon which forms the largest wetland in the Mediterranean. One of the world's most endangered cities, it has been subject to increasing flooding due to sinking land — but also to rising sea levels.
It's known as "aqua alta" — high water — and it brings city life to a standstill for several hours. Big boats can't go under low-hanging bridges, and water seeps into buildings through the sewage system. Venetians have not lived on the ground floor for decades.
The project acronym is MOSE, which is also the Italian word for Moses, recalling the biblical parting of the sea.
Once completed in 2014, there will be 78 large, mobile flood gates at the three inlets. When not in use, they will sit on the lagoon bed. When a high tide is forecast, Zambardi says, the gates will rise and shut off the sea from the lagoon.
But the project, which is 54 percent completed, has been hounded by controversy and, critics say, may already be outdated.
PHOTO: The Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-E), a high-resolution passive microwave Instrument on NASA’s Aqua satellite, shows the state of Arctic sea ice on September 10 in this file image released September 16, 2008. Arctic nations are promising to avoid new “Cold War” scrambles linked to climate change, but a thaw may allow new shipping routes. REUTERS/NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio
Two German ships set off on Friday on the first commercial journey from Asia to western Europe via the Arctic through the fabled Northeast Passage – a trip made possible by climate change...PHOTO: The Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-E), a high-resolution passive... more
