Lets fight Global Warming

Some disturbing news has been doing the rounds here in India about one of the biggest Himalayan glaciers, 'Gangotri' being rapidly disintegrating. Indians concerned about global warming have been sent into a tizzy after shocking reports about Gangotri crumbling at an alarming rate emerged in a leading newspaper, the Hindu, which is regarded as one of the most widely read newspapers in the country. A team from G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development, based in Almora, has come out with a report stating that the 'Gangotri' glacier has been rapidly disintegrating.

Gangotri, one of the largest Himalayan glaciers is the Uttarkashi district. Originating at about 7,100 meters(m) above sea level, the glacier is 30.2 km long and has a width that varies between 0.5 and 2.5 km. The Bhagirathi river, which is one of the main tributaries of the Ganga, originates from the glacier.

The beauty of Gangotri glacier is on the wane. (picture: indiamike)

Here are some takeaways from the report:


1) The team of the institute, which has been monitoring the Himalayan glaciers, especially the Gangotri, since 1999, visited the glacier between June and October this year.

2) Since the last 3 years, The Glacial Study Centre of the institute has been observing disintegration in the snout of the glacier. However, this time the disintegration on the right side of the snout has been taken place at a rapid rate,

3) As per Dr Kumar, a scientist at the institute, the reason behind this heavy disintegration can be attributed to the rapid melting of the Raktvarn, Chaturangi and Thelu - the tributory glaciers of the Gangotri, which are placed at a higher altitude than the Gangotri and are towards its right.


A 2008 research report published in the Current Science titled 'Estimation of retreat rate of Gangotri glacier using rapid static and kinematics GPS survey, stated, 'The Gangotri glacier is retreating like other glaciers in the Himalayas and its volume and size are shrinking as well.'

The glacier has retreated more than 1,500 m in the last 70 years. Post 1971, the rate of retreat of the glacier has declined. As per Dr Kumar, the latest data projects that post 2000, the average rate of retreat of the glacier per year has been about 12 to 13 m.

Dr Kumar said that global warming isn't not the only factor, but it is one of the major factors contributing to the glacial retreat.

Yet another slap on the face for the 'non-believers' and the sycophants.

We have already seen the extent to which the precarious menace called global warming can go to stake its claim on the world. It is like an epidemic which doesn't afflict humans alone, us humans, who are the perpetrators of this preposterous outbreak. Poor and hapless animals too aren't being spared as yet another species of animals faces an existential threat. Mountain Goats, who can give a new born child a run for its money when it comes to cuteness, are facing a severe threat of extinction if we don't act now. While some of our celebrities spew crap on their blogs and social network fan pages, exuding their ignorance about global warming and climate and encouraging their devotees to follow suit, the men who matter, the scientists, who have been studying this adorable class of animals have come out with a staggering find.


Let's look at the major findings:

1) Wild mountain goats in the Italian Alps have got significantly smaller over the past few decades in response to a warming climate, scientists reported on Tuesday.

2) The decrease in size is being attributed to the warming climate, which the scientists believe could have far reaching effects on the natural environment, animals in particular.

3) Young Alpine chamois mountain goats now weigh about 25% less than animals of the same age 30 years ago, as per scientists at Durham University in the U.K.

4) While it is believed decline in the availability of food or deteriorating of its quality is the reason behind shrinking of other species, that doesn't seem to be the reason in the case of mountain goats as satellite data shows no decline of vegetable in the Italian Alps in the last few decades.

5) Changes in the behavioral pattern has been observed among this species, who now spend more time resting than hunting during the summer which in turn reduces their weight.

6) While studies have shown that almost all species, right from mammals to birds tend to shrink as the climate warms, scientists are shocked at such a significant change among the Alpine goals in such a short period.

7) Reports show that temperatures where goats live have increased by 3 to 4 degree Celsius.

8) As per Stephen Willis, a study co-author and professor of biology at Durham University,
even though it is unclear as to how these animals are affected by extreme climates, continued warming could pose a threat to their survival in the future.



The graph below reflects how a similar species of sheep have been shrinking with time due to the warming planet.

Shrinking sheep(source: Phenomena/National Geographic)

This news which has even taken the scientists by surprise should come as an eye opener for animal rights activists and animal lovers alike. If care isn't taken to keep the temperatures at bay, we could very well lose this cute and adorable species for good. This might sound to be an overreaction but haven't we been reacting the same way since decades? Wake up!

Mr Coleman has made some startling claims.

Here are some of his shocking claims:


1) The theory of man-made climate change is no longer credible.

2) What 'little evidence' there is of rising global temperatures points to a 'natural phenomenon' within a developing eco-system.

3) The ocean level is not rising significantly.

4) The polar ice rising, not melting away. Polar bears are increasing in number.

5) Heat waves have diminished, not increased, so have the storms.


Let us now look at some compelling evidence for rapid climate change:


1) Rising Sea Level.

Global sea level rose about 17 centimeters(6.7 inches) in the last century. The rate in the last decade,however, is nearly double that of the last century. Greenland's rapid loss of ice means we are in for a rise of at least 1 metre by 2100 and possibly much more.

Rising sea level as per data collected by NASA.

2) Global Temperature Rise.

All three major global temperature reconstructions show that the Earth has warmed since 1880. Most of the warming has occurred since the 1970s, with the 20 warmest years having occurred since 1981 and with all 10 of the warmest years occurring in the last 12 years. Even though the 2000s witnessed a solar output decline, resulting in an unusually deep solar minimum in 2007-2009, surface temperature continues to increase.

The impact of rising temperature on the Earth.(source: iSGTW)

3) Warming Oceans.

The oceans have absorbed much of this increased heat, with the top 700 meters(about 2,300 feat) of ocean showing warming of 0.302 degrees Fahrenheit since 1969.

Chart showing the rise in temperature of oceans.(source: GO3 project)

 4) Shrinking Ice Sheets.


The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have decreased in mass. Data from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment show Greenland lost 150 to 250 kilometers of ice per year between 2002 and 2006, while Antarctica lost 152 cubic kilometers of ice between 2002 to 2005. As per latest IPCC reports in 2014, the thick Arctic ice was not expected to melt until the end of the century. However, if current trends continue, summer ice could be gone in a decade or two.

Estimation of melting Arctic ice. (source: ecology.com)

Arctic ice pack comparison (source: Wikipedia)

5) Glacial Retreat.

 Glaciers are retreating almost everywhere around the world including in the Alps, Himalayas, Andes, Rockies, Alaska and Africa.

Contrasting images of Grinnell Glacier over the years.

6)  Extreme events.

In recent times, the number of extreme events around the world has increased on account of climate change. Natural disasters such as storms, droughts, excessive rainfall, heat waves etc. don't pop out our eyeballs any more.

Pictures such as this one continue to perplex meteorologists.

7) Ocean Acidification.

Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the acidity of surface ocean waters has increased by about 30 percent. This increase is the result of humans emitting more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and hence more being absorbed into the oceans. The amount of carbon dioxide absorbed by the upper layers of the ocean is increasing by about 2 billion tonnes per year.

Ocean Acidification process. (source: UKOA)

After looking at this irrefutable evidence which nails the propaganda of the so called skeptics, let's go through some interesting news stories doing the rounds with regards to global warming and climate change.



Tens of thousands of walruses mass on Alaska beach due to climate change : Telegraph.


US greenhouse gas emissions rise despite Obama's new climate change push : Guardian.


Recommended: 7 industries at greatest risk from climate change  : CNBC


Just a small fact before closing this post : 97% of the climate scientists agree that climate change is caused due to human activities and most of the scientific organisations and issues statements endorsing the same, Take a look.: Consensus on climate change (source: NASA)

In yet another evidence of climate change wreaking havoc on marine life, it has been found that the Australian tropical fish are migrating southwards on account of rising temperature which has not spared any part of the world.

Compiled by over 80 of Australia's leading marine experts for the government science body CSIRO, the snapshot of global warming's effects on the island continent's oceans warned of "significant impacts".

"Climate change is already happening; widespread physical changes include rapid warming of the southeast and increasing flow of the east Australia current," the report said.

The report described southeast Australia as a 'global warming hotspot', with the contraction south and strengthening of southern hemisphere winds causing the eastern current to become more intense and also warmer, reports the Daily Mail.

"A range of species including plankton, fish and invertebrates are now found further south because of the enhanced transport of larvae and juveniles in the stronger current and the high rate of regional warming," it said.

Sea snakes were declining and warmer beaches were changing turtle breeding habits and seabird and marine mammal feeding and mating, it added.

In the past 30 years, coral reefs have experienced increasing thermal bleaching and it is projected to become more frequent and severe, "leading to chronic degradation of most coral reefs by the middle to late parts of the century", the report said.

Though the findings raise concerns, project leader Elvira Poloczanska pointed out some positives too. The research suggested that certain tropical fish species were better equipped to adapt to warming than previously thought, Poloczanska said.

This finding should come as a rude shock to those living in denial about this global menace of climate change and while some steps have already been initiated to fight this phenomenon, more needs to be done or else there would come a time when all our marine wealth will become a thing of the past.

According to 'TechNewsWorld', 'Fox News', one of the world's well known News corporation, has been underplaying the fact of global warming and climate change and been catering to the political class by not asserting that the planet has warmed or cooled in a bid to distort the global warming debate that has been raging worldwide. Critics believe such a view hampers fight against the menace of climate change and mis-characterizes the issue of global warming as an even-sided scientific debate when majority of the researchers accept it's presence.

While almost all of the scientific community accepts that the planet is warming, there are a few members who don't, and Fox uses that to warp the issue in the name of fairness, according to Eileen Claussen, president of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change.

In the name of being fair and balanced, she told TechNewsWorld, Fox "implies that there is an equal number of scientists on all sides of this issue, which is not the case. It's really distorting the facts."

"Fox seems unwilling to accept the facts," she maintained.

"Most media outlets try to have some factual basis," she added. "I think Fox prefers fantasy to facts."

Full article: TechNewsWorld

Bangladesh has been the most affected country by extreme weather conditions between 1990 and 2008. And globally, in the last 18 years, extreme weather conditions have killed 600,000 people and cost a loss of $1.7 trillion, according to Germanwatch's Global Climate Risk Index 2010.

India is ranked 7th worst-hit country in the Climate Risk Index. None of the developed countries figure in the ten most affected countries' list. Among the first 20, there are only four developed countries: Italy, Portugal, Spain and the United States.

Poorer developing countries are often hit much harder. These results underscore the vulnerability of poor countries to climatic risks, despite the fact that the absolute monetary damages are much higher in richer countries. Myanmar, Yemen and Vietnam were most severely affected in the year 2008.

The Climate Risk Index ranks nations that have been worst affected by climate change and are most vulnerable to global warming on the basis of a CRI score. The lower the score on the index, the higher the risk to that country.

Here is a list of top 10 countries worst hit by climate risks from 1990 to 2008.

1. Bangladesh

In all, 654 events were registered worldwide in 2008, which caused around 93,700 deaths and economic losses of more than $123 billion. Only around a third had been insured, primarily in developed countries.

The fact that no further peak catastrophe has happened in Bangladesh, like in 1991 when 140,000 people died, is partial proof that it is possible to better prepare for climate risks and prevent larger-scale disasters.

Climate Risk Index (CRI) score: 8.0
Annual death toll due to extreme climate: 8,241
Total losses: $2,198 million (purchasing power parity)
Losses per unit of Gross Domestic Product (GDP): 1.81%

Results (annual averages) in specific indicators: Number of deaths, sum of losses in US$ in purchasing power parity (PPP) and losses per unit of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

2. Myanmar

In Myanmar, more than 95 per cent of the damages and fatalities occurred in 2008 because of cyclone Nargis. Cyclone Nargis killed as many as 100,000 people. One million people were rendered homeless. Many towns and villages were been washed away.

Climate Risk Index (CRI) score: 8.25
Annual death toll due to extreme climate: 4,522
Total losses: $707 million
Losses per unit of Gross Domestic Product (GDP): 2.55%

3. Honduras

Honduras has been hit by severe tropical storms and hurricanes over the years. Hurricane Mitch, which hit the country in 1998 changed the landscape of Honduras. In 2008, abut 200,000 people were affected by severe flooding caused by heavy rains, and 20,000 people have been forced to flee their homes.

Climate Risk Index (CRI) score: 12.00
Annual death toll due to extreme climate: 340
Total losses: $660 million
Losses per unit of Gross Domestic Product (GDP): 3.37%

4. Vietnam

Over the last decade, the frequency and severity of droughts and floods have intensified, increasing their impact on living conditions. Many people have been affected by cyclones and hailstorms.

Climate Risk Index (CRI) score: 18.83
Annual death toll due to extreme climate: 466
Total losses: $1,525 million
Losses per unit of Gross Domestic Product (GDP): 1.31%

5. Nicaragua

Nicaragua has been often hit by earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and volcano eruptions.

Climate Risk Index (CRI) score: 21
Annual death toll due to extreme climate: 164
Total losses: $211million
Losses per unit of Gross Domestic Product (GDP): 2.03%

6. Haiti

Four storms -- Fay, Gustav, Hanna, and Ike -- devastated this poverty-struck nation. About 800,000 people were affected in 2008. Haiti's poverty, weak infrastructure, vulnerable environment and fiscal problems worsen the impact of a natural disaster.

Climate Risk Index (CRI) score: 22.83
Annual death toll due to extreme climate: 335
Total losses: $95 million
Losses per unit of Gross Domestic Product (GDP): 1.08%

7. India

Natural disasters have caused extensive damage to India over the years. Droughts, flash floods, cyclones, avalanches, landslides brought on by torrential rains, and snowstorms pose the greatest threats.

Floods are the most common natural disaster in India.China, India, Bangladesh and the Philippines belong to those countries that are most often hit by extremes which, of course, is partially due to their large size and/or specific exposure to extreme weather events, the study states.
Climate Risk Index (CRI) score: 25.83
Annual death toll due to extreme climate: 3,255
Total losses: $6,132 million
Losses per unit of Gross Domestic Product (GDP): 0.38%

8. Dominican Republic

The hurricane season in the Caribbeans frequently coincides with heavy rains, which leads to flash floods and landslides. Earthquakes are a potential threat and tremors are felt occasionally.

Climate Risk Index (CRI) score: 27.58
Annual death toll due to extreme climate: 222
Total losses: $191 million
Losses per unit of Gross Domestic Product (GDP): 0.45

9. The Philippines

A disaster-prone country, the Philippines is recurrently hit by natural disasters: typhoons, earthquakes. The Philippines faces on average 20 typhoons each year.

Climate Risk Index (CRI) score: 27.67
Annual death toll due to extreme climate: 799
Total losses: $544 million
Losses per unit of Gross Domestic Product (GDP): 0.30%

10. China

China is one of the countries most affected by natural disasters. It had 6 of the world's top 10 deadliest natural disasters, which include floods, droughts, ecological disasters, forest and grassland fires.

China had been hit badly hit by Typhoon Hagupit in 2008. About 70,000 people were killed and 18,000 people were reported missing after a 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck Sichuan, China in 2008.
Climate Risk Index (CRI) score: 28.58
Annual death toll due to extreme climate: 2,023
Total losses: $25,961 million
Losses per unit of Gross Domestic Product (GDP): 0.78%

The UK met office on Tuesday confirmed that 2000 to 2009 were the warmest of the last 160 years. Also, it's figures released at the UN climate summit in Copenhegen showed that 1998 was the warmest year on record. This official report will end the controversy which arised from a leaked e-mail over tweaked climate change data referred to as climategate-aimed at discrediting the phenomenon and the several thousands scientists that have been on work at it.

So here we are... as the world bears the brunt of the menace called Global Warming, the world fights back! It's time we fought this grave threat to our very existence with all the seriousness that it deserves and if things work out well in this very important summit comprising of almost all of the world, it would be a huge leap forward towards tackling this problem of Global Warming and Climate change. Here's a brief about this summit which is very much talked about all around the world:

"In 2012 the Kyoto Protocol to prevent climate changes and global warming runs out. To keep the process on the line there is an urgent need for a new climate protocol. At the conference in Copenhagen 2009 the parties of the UNFCCC meet for the last time on government level before the climate agreement need to be renewed.

Therefore the Climate Conference in Copenhagen is essential for the worlds climate and the Danish government and UNFCCC is putting hard effort in making the meeting in Copenhagen a success ending up with a Copenhagen Protocol to prevent global warming and climate changes.

The Climate Conference will take place in the Bella center. The conference centre is placed not far from Copenhagen and near the Copenhagen Airport, Kastrup in Denmark.

Governmental representatives from 170 countries are expected to be in Copenhagen in the days of the conference accompanied by other governmental representatives, NGO's, journalists and others. In total 8000 people are expected to Copenhagen in the days of the climate meeting."

source: ERANTIS

Major players:

1) United States of America(world's 2nd biggest CHG producer) :
U.S. President Barack Obama is the man under a lot of pressure. After his energy bill was stalled in the senate, he's left a tad embarrassed and unsure as to how to convince other nations of his nation's commitment to fight Global Warming will all honesty and seriousness. The United States could offer a cut in carbon emissions by 14-20% by 2020. They expect developing countries like China, India and Brazil to commit to slow growth of emissions.


2) China(world's biggest CHG producer):
China is a major player in this summit and the success of this summit depends a lot on what stand this communist Asian giant takes at Copenhegen. They are likely to commit a 40- 45% decrease in the "carbon intensity of the economy" – which actually equates to a 40% increase in emissions by 2020. They want rich countries to reduce emissions to 40% below 1990 level by 2020 and that the developed nations must assist developing nations by providing funds for cleaner technology.


3) The European Union(world's third biggest CHG producer):
It is likely to commit cut in emissions by 20% from 1990 levels by 2020, or 30% if other big emitters take tough action. It says the onus is on developing nations to come forward and help prevent a disaster that could rock them the most. It also wants rich nations to make 80-95% cut by 2050.


4) Japan(world's seventh biggest CHG producer):
They are offering a 25% cut on their 1990 emission levels by 2020 – much better than the 8% cut unveiled by the previous government in June. Lime-green, if not quite deep green. Their new PM Yukio Hatoyama is seen as a pro-environmentalist and wants his nation to do all it can to reduce this global threat.


5) India(world's sixth biggest CHG producer): Has committed to cut CO2 emissions per unit of
GDP by 20-25% from 2005 levels by 2020. India opposes any legally binding target for developing nations but want developed nations legally bound and do more than the developing nations as they contribute a lot more to Global Warming as compared to developing nations like itself. India's environment minister has pointed out that the most vulnerable country in the world to climate change is India.


6) Others
They include the African Union, Australia, Ethiopia, Maldives, Mexico and others.

The Copenhegen summit is an opportunity for the world to take some big decisions and more importantly implement those decisions with the aspiration of making this world more environment friendly and to prevent the deadly environmental hazards that would rock the world if not acted upon on time. Here's hoping that the participants would rise to the occasion and without giving too much importance to personal growth and development put the world first as the effects of climate change would not just affect one part of this world, but it would have far reaching effects. The developed countries led by the United States of America and the EU must take the lead in this fight for survival by taking bold decisions and paving the way for developing nations like China and India to follow suit.

Europe will next week start moves to help China and India develop technology to trap and bury carbon dioxide underground in the fight against global warming, according to a draft European Commission document.

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), a process of burying harmful gases, is seen by some as a potential silver bullet to curb emissions from coal-fired power plants, which are multiplying rapidly worldwide and threaten to heat the atmosphere to dangerous levels.

The European Union will start a consultation process on how finance and technology should be delivered to China and later India. This could be critical in securing their commitment to a new global deal on climate change at talks in Copenhagen in December.

"China builds, every year, as much coal-fired power plant as the entire UK generating capacity," said a report prepared for consultations with industry and seen by Reuters on Friday.

"Unless a way can be found of making this climate-compatible, we can never meet our climate objectives, regardless of what action we take in Europe," it added.

"We will seek to garner financial support from member states for this initiative, which in the first instance will affect China, then India, South Africa, OPEC and other emerging economies and developing countries," it added.

In 2050, almost 60 percent of CO2 emissions from the power sector are projected to be captured, compared to virtually none today and almost 30 percent in 2030, said the report.

Reuters

Well... one must say... this is a good initiative. China and India are amongst the elite nations that are growing rapidly and in the process emitting mammoth amounts of anti-climate constituents. While they lack efficient technology and means to tackle climate change, such steps to empower them would go a long way in reducing emissions... of course, if they are implemented properly.

London: Scientists at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in Livermore are attempting to create an artificial Sun on Earth – an achievement that

will provide answer to the world’s impending energy shortage.

For nearly 100 years the goal seemed impossible, but now scientists believe that they are on brink of cracking one of the biggest problems in physics by harnessing the power of nuclear fusion, the reaction that burns at the heart of the Sun.

The attempt will be made by the researchers this spring.

The team will try to ignite a tiny man-made star inside a laboratory and trigger a thermonuclear reaction.

Its goal is to generate temperatures of more than 100 million degrees Celsius and pressures billions of times higher than those found anywhere else on earth, from a speck of fuel little bigger than a pinhead.

source: The Times of India
Full article

By now, as an avid climate change tracker, you would be well aware of major innovations meant to be tackling this grave danger. Toyota's environment friendly cars, green packaging and so on. But here's another such innovation that intends to draw our attention to the issue of plastic waste.A noted scientist Helen Storey, along with Tony Ryans from the University of Sheffieldhave come together to create plastic dresses made out of similar materials to washing capsules which literally disappear on washing! It's meant to seek a solution to the large scale discarding of clothing and sending it to landfill sites. The plastic is made from polyvinyl alcohol.

Now here's another hugh leap in the field of fashion and glitz. This new kind of clothing does have a few problems, but if one looks at the aim at which it has been created, there's a lot to admire. More such innovations need to be worked upon especially with regards to stuff of daily use to keep our contribution to this serious problem at a minimum.

The year 2008 could be the 10th warmest year since 1850, ever since the introduction of instrumental climate records, with a temperature of 0.31°C above normal, according to the UN meteorological agency. In South Asia, including India, Pakistan and Vietnam, heavy monsoon rains and torrential downpours killed 2,600 people while in South America, above normal rainfall in Brazil and Colombia affect millions of people. Myanmar was devastated with cyclone Nargis which took lives of 78,000 people.16 tropical storms formed in the Atlantic including 8 hurricanes, 5 of which were major causing casualties and widespread destruction. The average temperature was moderated by La Nia, a weather phenomenon that shrinks the warm pool water in central and western pacific. Australia experienced a severe heat wave with Adelaide having to bear temperatures of above 35°C on record 15 consecutive days. Several heat waves also occurred across Europe, Middle-East and Asia.

source: PTI

The US space agency is set to launch a satellite that can map in detail where carbon dioxide is in the atmosphere.

Nasa's Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) will pinpoint the key locations on the Earth's surface where CO2 is being emitted and absorbed.

CO2 from human activities is thought to be driving climate changes, but important facts about its movement through the atmosphere remain elusive.

The agency believes the technology on OCO can end some of the mysteries.

source: BBC news
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