-------------------------------------
" ... it is likely that the future will be hotter than we think."
-------------------------------------------------------------

Torn, M. S., and J. Harte (2006), Missing feedbacks,asymmetric
uncertainties, and the underestimation of future warming.
Geophysical Research Letters, 33, L10703, doi:10.1029/2005GL025540.

Received 19 December 2005; revised 17 March 2006; accepted 24 March
2006; published 26 May 2006.

Abstract:
Historical evidence shows that atmospheric greenhouse gas (GhG)
concentrations increase during periods of warming, implying a
positive feedback to future climate change. We quantified this
feedback for CO2 and CH4 by combining the mathematics of feedback
with empirical ice core information and general circulation model
(GCM) climate sensitivity, finding that the warming of 1.5-4.5 C
associated with anthropogenic doubling of CO2 is amplified to 1.6-6.0
C warming, with the uncertainty range deriving from GCM simulations
and paleo temperature records. Thus, anthropogenic emissions result
in higher final GhG concentrations, and therefore more warming, than would be predicted
in the absence of this feedback. Moreover, a symmetrical uncertainty
in any component of feedback, whether positive or negative, produces
an asymmetrical distribution of expected temperatures skewed toward
higher temperature. For both reasons, the omission of key positive
feedbacks and asymmetrical uncertainty from feedbacks, it is likely
that the future will be hotter than we think.

=======================

"One study estimated that more than half (59 percent) of 1598 species
exhibited measurable changes in their phenologies and/or
distributions over the past 20 to 140 years .... high proportion of
species responding to recent, relatively mild climate change (global
average warming of 0.6 C)."

Parmesan, Camille. ' Ecological and Evolutionary Responses to Recent
Climate Change.' Annual Review of Evolution, Ecology, and
Systematics. 2006. 37: 637-69
=================================================

PLANKTOS: The Solution to Climate Change?

By Maya Face
A for-profit company named Planktos Inc. claims to “erase carbon footprints” by offsetting carbon emissions. Their promotional materials say, “Global Warming: Solved!” –offering a quick fix to the largest challenge of our times. While they are primarily concerned with “restoring” plankton in the oceans, they have a subsidiary that plants trees in the European Union. The carbon dioxide taken up by the plankton is sold as carbon credits to consumers, businesses and governments. Ocean fertilization is a quickly emerging threat to the oceans and better ways of dealing with climate change; the estimated future value of the market for ocean fertilization is $100 billion. Planktos is likely to make huge profits from the Kyoto Protocol, the market for carbon offsets, the huge carbon footprints of Western consumers, and industrial greenhouse gas emissions. Meanwhile, the world’s oceans and climate are paying the price, with widespread scientific uncertainty as to how they will be affected by iron fertilization. Continue Reading »

Focus on Trade, the publication of Walden Bello’s group Focus on the Global South, is entirely focused on climate politics for this issue…Some excellent writings in here, and illustration that the anti-globalization / Global Justice movement in getting increasingly tapped into the climate movement, and bringing it some much needed multi-issue, anti-technofix perspectives. Continue Reading »

URGENT ACTION ALERT!! DEADLINE APPROACHING! YUCCA MOUNTAIN, SACRED TO THE SHOSHONE & MAJOR FAULT ZONE, IN IMMINENT DANGER! DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY MOVES PLANS FORWARD TO TURN YUCCA MOUNTAIN INTO NUCLEAR WASTE REPOSITORY. PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD DEADLINE JANUARY 10, 2008.Public hearings have not been well attended, statements mostly in favor of the plan to put all of the nuclear waste in the country in this one sacred place. Activists were told that if we do not go on record with a statement, we will have no legal recourse later on. Local papers & media spin have recently stated that opposition to the nuke dump had dropped of since the passing of Corbin Harney. The nuclear reps are confident to the point of acting like it’s a done deal. WE KNOW THAT’S NOT TRUE! LETS PROVE THEM WRONG! TAKE ACTION & MAKE YOUR COMMENT NOW!! Continue Reading »

Continue Reading »

I’ve been meaning to write a post about New Orleans for weeks now. This month – in the midst of the bad news from Bali and congress – a new climate-provoked crisis, one in the works since just after Hurricane Katrina has hit New Orleans hard. It’s been called “Hurricane H.U.D.” [HUD is the government office of Housing and Urban Development].

What’s at stake is the bulldozing of 5000 homes, or what politicians and reporters euphemistically call “units”, of public housing. These units, some moderately damaged, some unimpacted by Katrina, have been neglected for decades, but nonetheless were homes for some of New Orleans neediest and most disenfranchised people before the storm. Since the storm, rent prices are up by 50% and the homeless population is far larger than pre-storm levels. After nearly 2 and half years of all types of neglect and abuse toward survivors of a global warming related disaster, this has become a hugely symbolic battle against the ethnic cleansing of New Orleans.

And it has been the last straw for many of New Orleans’s most oppressed people.

While I’ve been following the housing struggle as its gone from grave to worse for two years, I reached a breaking point of despair these last 2 days when it got personal. At least 2 people I know in New Orleans, including one close friend, were TASERed by police while loudly, but peacefully, demanding entry into their city council meeting where the approval of the demolitions of these homes. Despite (police initiated) physical strife both inside and outside the chambers, the council approved the demolitions. Dozens more people, public housing residents and supporters alike, were pepper sprayed and beaten by police. 4 people, including my friend, were hospitalized. Continue Reading »

Evolutionary biology and practical conservation: bridging a widening gap

GEORGINA M. MACE, ANDY PURVIS (2008)
Molecular Ecology, Volume 17 Issue 1 Page 9-19, January 2008
doi:10.1111/j.1365-294X.2007.03455.x

Full article online at :
<http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1365-294X.2007.03455.x>

Correspondence: Georgina M. Mace, Fax: 01344
873173; E-mail: g.mace@imperial.ac.uk

Keywords: biodiversity goals, conservation planning, evolution, policy

“Habitat conversion continues in most parts of the world, especially in areas of high species richness, and novel threats, especially climate change, will pose new challenges.”

“Not all populations or species are equally likely to become extinct. Vulnerability to local extinction is commonly associated with low abundance, high habitat specificity, large body size and slow reproductive rates. In cases where both body size and life history have been studied, life history has been shown to be more important in carnivores (Cardillo et al. 2004; Purvis et al. 2000b) and, interestingly, in the extinction of large mammals in the late Quaternary (Johnson 2002). …. Top predators also appear to be especially threatened in mammals (Purvis et al. 2000a; Cardillo et al. 2004). ”

” Similarly, among the mammalian carnivores high threat rates are found in species that inhabit areas of high human population density (Cardillo et al. 2004). …. For example, large body size is often associated with present-day vulnerability, but is only patchily linked with extinction rates in the prehuman past (Purvis et al. 2003)”

“While the major drivers of biodiversity loss (overexploitation, habitat loss, introduced species, climate change and pollution) remain there is little likelihood that the trends will be slowed or reversed in the near future, and every likelihood that further losses will result, unless major changes in policy and practice are implemented (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005a).”

“Developing species recovery plans

“This is the most obvious point at which evolutionary processes could and should be prioritized (Ashley et al. 2003). Opportunities for continued evolution and adaptive change can be encouraged by relatively simple mechanisms. For example, ensuring adequate genetic diversity by maintaining connectedness of related populations, starting with high levels of genetic diversity, avoiding inbreeding, and preserving the species across the range of habitats in which it is found, as well as at significant boundaries such as ecotones. These simple mechanisms will increase the adaptive nature of the landscape, and the potential for evolutionary change in response to it.

“One obstacle is the potential for over-emphasizing the differences between population subunits and attempting to conserve as separate units any population subunit for which evidence of reproductive isolation or genetic distinctiveness can be found. With the increasing precision and rigour of molecular genetic tools it is rare, given sufficient time and effort, for some genetic distinctiveness not to be found, albeit a result of recent genetic drift or random founder effects and having little consequence for adaptive distinctiveness. While the incorporation of molecular methods into the assessment of conservation units (such as ESUs; Moritz 1995) provided welcome rigour and clarity, uncritical application of these methods can be detrimental to the broader goal of preserving adaptive diversity.”

Full article online at :
<http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1365-294X.2007.03455.x>

This article is cited by:

* THOMAS B. SMITH and LOUIS BERNATCHEZ.
(2008) Evolutionary change in human-altered environments. Molecular Ecology 17:1, 1-8

Blackwell Publishing Blackwell Synergy® is a Blackwell Publishing, Inc. registered trademark Partner of CrossRef, COUNTER, AGORA, HINARI and OARE

Technology Partner – Atypon Systems, Inc.
=========================================

MSNBC.com
3,000 walruses die in stampedes
Shortage of sea ice on Russian side of Arctic led to crowded conditions
The Associated Press
updated 10:11 a.m. MT, Fri., Dec. 14, 2007

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Several thousand Pacific walruses above the Arctic Circle were killed in stampedes earlier this year after the disappearance of sea ice caused them to crowd onto the shoreline in extraordinary numbers, deaths some scientists see as another alarming consequence of global warming.

The deaths took place during the late summer and fall on the Russian side of the Bering Strait, which separates Alaska from Russia.

“It was a pretty sobering year – tough on walruses,” said Joel Garlach-Miller, a walrus expert for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Continue Reading »

News release
University of Florida
Monday, December 17, 2007.
http://news.ufl.edu/2007/12/17/golbal-warming/

Ancient global warming changed earth from ‘icehouse to greenhouse’

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Earth literally turned over a new leaf 15 million years ago when an earlier version of global warming changed large parts of the planet from lush forests to open grasslands, a new study by scientists at the University of Florida and other institutions shows.

In a portent of today’s global warming, fossilized leaves tell the story of a carbon dioxide induced warm-up at the end of the Miocene age that melted much of the polar icecaps and led to the spread of animals that thrive in the wide open spaces, such as horses, camels and other grazers, said David Dilcher, a UF paleobotanist and one of the study’s authors.

“Our findings clearly demonstrate that past climate changes were tied to carbon dioxide fluctuations in the atmosphere, which influenced the major vegetation patterns occurring on earth and in turn affected the evolution of major animal groups,” Dilcher said.

The work by Dilcher, Wolfram Kurschner, a paleobotanist at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, and Zlatko Kvacek, a paleobotanist at Charles University in the Czech Republic, appears in a paper published this week in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“The relevance for today is that the Antarctic ice sheets are reversing again,” said Dilcher, who works at the Florida Museum of Natural History. “As carbon dioxide and other gasses increase in the atmosphere, we’re emerging from a cooler or icehouse-type period into a greenhouse-type period with ice-free poles. The Earth is gradually going to undergo major changes just as we saw major changes in the upper Miocene Epoch.”

The Miocene Epoch is characterized by weather extremes, from the Earth plunging into its present “icehouse” state with glaciers at the north and south poles to periods of tropical temperatures.

While use of fossil fuels has been blamed for today’s global warming, the likely source of this ancient episode was carbon dioxide belched from widespread volcanic eruptions in the Columbia River Flood Basalt region of the United States and in Central Europe, Dilcher said.

The researchers were able to track the fluctuating levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by taking fossilized leaves and measuring the number of stoma or small pores, through which carbon dioxide is taken in and oxygen released during photosynthesis. The more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the fewer stomata there are on the undersides of leaves.

Using three different species of leaves from the Charles University collection, with most of the specimens collected from the brown-coal basins in the Czech Republic, the researchers found a correlation between the number of stoma in the leaves and carbon dioxide levels in the air with climate patterns over time. The carbon dioxide fluctuations coincided with temperature changes recorded in the ocean record – as measured by isotope concentrations in the shells of marine organisms – which, in turn, corresponded with drastic changes in plant and animal life, Dilcher said.

“It was at the very end of the Miocene Age that modern vegetation emerges in the world, and we find that atmospheric carbon dioxide was the forcing factor,” he said.

Fluctuating levels of carbon dioxide combined with reduced available moisture, in the rain shadow of the rising Rocky Mountains, pressured the forest vegetation and photosynthesis of some plants to be altered. As a result, the closed forests of palm and bamboo trees that had dominated interior North America gave way first to savannas and open woodlands and later to grasslands, which also sprouted up across the ocean around the eastern Mediterranean, Dilcher said. These changes occurred gradually, over a few thousand to millions of years, he said.

The Great Plains began to form, leading to a diverse mix of large hoofed herbivores such as extinct species of horses, camels, rhinoceroses and elephants that fed on the lush grasses, he said.

“Preliminary data suggest that this pattern of elevated ungulate diversity is a global phenomenon, and therefore a global driving force such as climate change is the most likely explanation,” he said.

While carbon dioxide levels fluctuated between 370 and 600 parts per million during the Miocene Epoch, today’s levels are at about 375 parts per million, Dilcher said.

“We are in a period of accelerated climate change that is quite unlike anything that we have seen in the fossil record,” he said. “When carbon dioxide levels go up to 400 and then on to 500 parts per million, we will be at the same point that we were in the Miocene age when the poles were ice-free.”

© University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611; (352) 392-3261.
=========================================

Telegraph (UK)       December 17, 2006

Italy’s woodlands dying due to climate change
<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2007/12/17/eaitaly117.xml>
By Michael Day in Milan

Italy’s woodlands are already dying as climate change starts to bite in southern Europe, experts warn.

A report represented to the Italian government said that eight out of 10 trees across Italy’s varied ecosystems were already suffering from the effects of rising temperatures and diminishing rainfall.

Professor Carlo Blasi of the Inter-university Centre for Bio-diversity at Rome’s La Sapienza University said the research showed that a third of the country’s woodland was seriously threatened, and that 60 per cent was likely to suffer permanent damage.

The warning echoes fears that the Mediterranean, and Italy in particular, is proving highly vulnerable to climate change.

Climatologist Dr Filippo Giorgi of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, told a major environment conference in Rome in September that the Mediterranean was warming up faster than the rest of the world.

“It’s a climate change hot spot, one of the areas where we actually see the change happening”.

Dr Giorgi said that in the next decades temperature rises in Europe during the summer months could be 40-50 per cent higher than elsewhere.

Of the six major droughts to occur in Italy in the last 60 years, four have occurred since 1990. The average temperature has increased by 0.4ºC in the north in 20 years and by 0.7ºC in the south. Earlier report have suggest that 10m hectares were “at risk of desertification”.

Prof Blasi noted that many of Italy’s tree species were ill-equipped to survive hotter, drier conditions.

“Despite its large Mediterranean coastline, Italy has a relatively low proportion – just 40 per cent – of the shrubby Mediterranean trees that are best adapted to resist the heat waves that are on their way,” he told La Repubblica newspaper.

“The other 60 per cent are particularly likely to suffer from increasingly hot and arid conditions.”

Most surprising, said Prof Blasi, was how widespread the threat was across Italy.

The regions of Tuscany, Umbria, Abruzzo, Puglia and also the islands of Sicily and Sardinia were being hard hit by rising temperatures, with several species of oak and beech tree in particular under threat.

Lack of rainfall was proving the biggest threat to woodland in the Alpine north of the country.

In Sicily and Sardinia, cork trees, the evergreen Holm-oak and even some compact Mediterranean tree species were threatened by the increasingly arid conditions.

In response to the report Environment minister Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio said: “Fewer woodlands mean, among other things, reduced capacity to absorb carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere.”

He said that to “break this vicious ciricle” his government had set aside £110m to tackle degradation of forests and woodlands.

Like other Southern European countries, Italy has also lost considerable areas of woodland to forest fires, which although fanned by hot winds, are often started deliberately.

Pecoraro Scanio lamented the failure of Italy’s fractious parliament to agree to fund a new body to investigate the cause of such blazes and “defend itself from the criminals that set fire to the forests”.

He predicted more woodland and forest would perish from such fires in the summers to come.

It is not not only Italy’s forests that are causing enviromentalists concern, however.

Scientists at Italy’s Agency for New technology, Energy and the Environment (ENEA), say that failing cold currents and rising water temperatures are exacerbating periodic flooding – and this is causing massive erosion along Italy’s Adriatic coast.

As a result they have drawn up a plan in which hundreds of miles of new sand dunes would be created to save it the country’s most endangered coastline and its wildlife from rising sea levels.

Dr Edi Valpreda, who led the project, told Telegraph Earth that it was currently being considered by the environment ministry.
=========================================

Science News Online
Week of Dec. 15, 2007; Vol. 172, No. 24

Prairie Revival ; Researchers Put Restoration to the Test
Leslie Allen

It took less than a century after John Deere unveiled his steel-bladed plow in 1837 for the North American prairie to all but disappear. For 20 million years, a nearly 1,000-mile-wide swath of unbroken grassland belted the continent’s midsection from northern Canada to Mexico. Now, only about 5 percent is left, mainly as mixed and shortgrass prairie in the Plains states. To the east, less than 1 percent of the original lush tallgrass remains, most of it as remnants in pioneer cemeteries and old railroad rights-of-way.

Plowed up, paved over, and little lamented, the vanishing prairie found few early champions. Among them were naturalists Aldo Leopold and John Curtis, who began using Civilian Conservation Corps enlistees in the 1930s to help restore more than 110 acres at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum. One of the earliest attempts at habitat restoration, the site today has hundreds of species of native plants, birds, and small mammals.

Now, prairie restoration is attracting widespread interest among environmental scientists, conservation groups, and even the U.S. government. The first federal grassland preserve, Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, opened 3 years ago on the grounds of the former Joliet Army Ammunition Plant near Chicago. Thousands of ordinary midwesterners are also rediscovering their long-spurned heritage, working to preserve or restore patches of prairie in fallow cornfields, quarter-acre backyard plots, and an expanding network of preserves. How-to Web sites instruct landowners in restoration techniques, and seed companies specializing in prairie species are thriving. Prairies now rank among the most popular ecosystems targeted for restoration anywhere, especially the tallgrass of the Midwest’s eastern third.

But researchers are left wondering how well the prairie renaissance is really succeeding and whether it’s actually possible to re-create a prairie. Until recently, little long-term monitoring had quantified the success rates of common restoration techniques, and few studies had compared even the most careful restorations with scarce remnant prairie habitat.

Broad-scale comparisons are complicated by the fact that restorations serve a range of different purposes. Beyond bringing back native plants, some restorations focus on conserving fresh water or creating habitat for birds. About 40 percent of North American bird species are native to prairie.

Because restoring prairies is both labor- and cost-intensive, some restorations are seeded with only a fraction of the plants that a remnant prairie holds. Seed mixes usually contain relatively few species and some of those species are difficult to grow from seed.

Measuring success

Real prairies are highly diverse. “In a remnant prairie, you can find 150 to 180 species of plants,” says Deborah Marr, a plant ecologist at Indiana University in Bloomington. In western Indiana, Marr and her colleagues have been comparing restored prairie with slices of the original in nature preserves and along railway rights-of-way. Across the board, the remnants have more native-plant species. Over a 4-year study period, plant diversity increased in the restored prairies, but the proportion of grasses and flowering broad-leaved plants diverged from that found in remnant prairies.

A study during the 1990s of sites around the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Ill., where restoration efforts began in 1975, also found that species richness declined over time in restored sites, but not in remnants. The Fermi restorations had never achieved the biodiversity of remnants to begin with. High diversity, a Holy Grail to prairie ecologists, so far eludes their restorations, but no one is sure why.

“A remnant is very complex,” notes Marr. Blazing wildflowers and rippling bluestems only hint at the complexity below ground. “It takes a long time for soils to build up,” she adds. Unlike cropland, prairie soils are rich in fungi, which appear to be an essential component of high diversity. In August, at a conference in San Jose, Calif., Indiana University researcher Peggy Schultz reported on field trials that suggest that adding soil from prairie remnants, or at least inoculating restorations with the kind of fungi found in remnants, can allow hard-to-establish plants to take hold.

Seed selections

Obtaining the variety of seed needed to start a restoration can be an arduous, months-long task involving painstaking hand picking by squads of volunteers. As a result, many restorations rely on mail-order seeds that typically include grass cultivars or wildflowers from various sources. The grass cultivars were originally bred by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to hold topsoil in place. They are now planted on millions of acres as part of the USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program, which pays farmers to plant erosion-taming native grasses on land removed from agriculture.

In the late 1990s, though, plant biologist Sara Baer, then a graduate student at Kansas State University in Manhattan, began noticing something unexpected while doing research at the 3,487-hectare Konza Prairie Biological Station in northeastern Kansas, part of the largest remnant tallgrass prairie in North America. The grass cultivars in her sites were germinating readily and growing fast and tall. In some situations, that would be desirable, but here, the robust grasses were crowding out slower-growing native flowering plants and disrupting the balance of species. Productivity was easy to restore in the prairie; diversity much less so.

At around the same time, plant ecologist David Gibson and his students at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC) began finding major genetic differences between cultivars and wild seeds. Their photosynthesis rates also differed. Furthermore, genetic differences existed between local and nonlocal wild seed.

Since then, some prairie enthusiasts, passionate about making restorations as faithful to the original undisturbed prairie as possible, have begun avoiding mail-order seed mixes, instead hand gathering wild seed only within 200 miles of their site. Gibson cautions that little research supports any particular approach.

With a 5-year grant from the National Science Foundation, Gibson and Baer (now also at SIUC) hope to tease out some guiding principles for restorations. At three sites in Kansas and Illinois, the scientists are planting wild seeds and cultivars of prairie grasses and wildflowers in multiple plots and in various proportions. “No one has ever put the same plant species, but from different seed sources, in a common environment before,” says Baer.

Cultivated seed will make up from 4 percent to 97 percent of each
plot’s mix. The idea, says Baer, is to see whether tinkering with
proportions can help establish and maintain a truly diverse prairie.

Burning questions

“Production of prairie seeds is a big business, and there are all these species that people can choose to put in,” Baer says. “Restorations are unique, in that by our decisions, we humans are an integral filter.”

Historically, bison grazing and fire were the two natural filters that shaped and maintained the prairie. Until they were nearly extirpated in the 19th century, along with the prairie itself, bison by the tens of millions ranged across North American grasslands, often in herds so big that observers compared them to roaring avalanches. Fires, set by lightning strikes and later by Native Americans, would attract bison and other herbivores, because the burned patches sprouted fresh green grasses that the animals prefer to graze on. At the same time, bison avoided the tender broad-leaved plants, or forbs. This kind of preferential grazing established a system of checks and balances, which kept grasses under control and allowed many plant species to flourish.

Researchers at Kansas’ Konza Prairie and elsewhere have begun to see how bison encourage habitat diversity by grazing very heavily on burned patches and avoiding other areas altogether. Heavily disturbed habitats, for example, attract some native birds. Other native birds prefer completely undisturbed habitats; and still others, such as prairie chickens, require a mix of habitats. The same holds true for insects and small mammals.

Over time, fire drove the bison’s behavior, which in turn shaped the prairie’s biodiversity. But fire by itself is not enough to restore diversity to the prairie, says ecologist Scott Collins of the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Various studies by Collins and his colleagues have shown that frequent burning by itself can reduce biodiversity. Collins’ work at Konza shows that species diversity rises in areas that are grazed and infrequently burned, and falls in frequently burned, ungrazed areas. “Diversity is much higher at all levels in the grazed areas,” he says.

“If I had a prairie to restore,” says Collins, “my recommendation would be that some kind of grazing, or at least mowing, to eliminate the big, thick grass canopy and create more light, take place.” Studies by other researchers indicate that bison and other native herbivores like to eat many nonnative, exotic plants, which helps suppress the invasions that plague grasslands.

Deron Burkepile of Yale University, who studies native herbivores in North American and South African grasslands, says, “I think that grazing is essential for restoration. More and more people are starting to adapt that mind-set.”

Those findings are borne out by the sight of newly installed bison herds silhouetted against the sky at a growing number of prairie preserves. Still, little is known, even now, about eons-old grazing patterns and fire frequencies. If annual burning causes plant diversity to fall, then how often should controlled burns occur? Studies indicate that burning every 4 years probably isn’t frequent enough to keep out trees and woody shrubs.

Adapting to the future

Ironically, figuring out historical fire frequency at Konza may not be relevant today, says Collins. Human-driven environmental change imposes new conditions on prairies that could make restoration more challenging than ever. Already, encroachment by nonnative shrubs, bushes, and other woody plants is afflicting grasslands around the world, with or without controlled burning.

And the past itself is a moving target, points out Alan Knapp, a plant ecologist at Colorado State University in Fort Collins who is also doing studies at Konza Prairie. “We have a romantic, snapshot view of the prairie when Europeans settled it,” he says. “But ecological systems are always dynamic, always changing.”

Prairies evolved under blazing summers, harsh winters, and extreme fluctuations of temperature and rainfall from year to year and within growing seasons. To adapt, prairie plants developed underground-storage structures and extensive root systems. Scientists have recently discovered that prairie species grow more variably from year to year, depending on rainfall variations, than do plants in any other North American biome. That variability makes remnant prairies, such as Konza, good natural laboratories for studying the likely effects of future climate change.

Most climate models predict extreme and variable rainfall patterns and future temperature increases. To study those hypothetical effects, scientists at Konza Prairie are manipulating rainfall and temperature under canopied shelters where native prairie grasses, such as big bluestem and Indian grass, grow. Altering the timing of rainfall from current norms can lead to significant declines in the plants’ productivity. “It’s surprising how rapid the changes have been,” says researcher Melinda Smith of Yale University.

In a new, related study at Konza Prairie, Smith is profiling the genetic activity of two grasses under simulated climate-change conditions. Some regulatory genes may become less active when the grasses are stressed by alterations in precipitation. Smith and colleagues hope to identify specific genetic changes linked to the plants’ responses to environmental changes. That should, in turn, reveal implications for large-scale ecosystem processes.

One early surprise is the large amount of genetic diversity that already exists within populations of native dominant species. “You can find 14 genotypes of big bluestem in 1 square meter,” says Smith. “Diversity within dominant species is often ignored.”

Tapping that genetic diversity may in time offer the best shot for keeping grasslands vibrant under future conditions that will be vastly different from those of today.

If you have a comment on this article that you would like considered for publication in Science News, send it to editors@sciencenews.org. Please include your name and location.

References:

Dolan, R.W., D.L. Marr, and A. Schnabel. In press. Capturing genetic variation during ecological restorations: An example from Kankakee Sands in Indiana. Restoration Ecology. Abstract available at
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1526-100X.2007.00318.x.

Klopf, R.P., and S.G. Baer. 2007. COS 36-2: Patterns of root production among native and cultivar populations of dominant warm-season grasses in a first-year tallgrass prairie restoration. ESA/SER Joint Meeting. San Jose, Calif. Aug. 5-10. Abstract available at
http://eco.confex.com/eco/2007/techprogram/P6156.HTM.

Further Readings:

Cunningham, A. 2006. Going native: diverse grassland plants edge out crops as biofuel. Science News 170(Dec. 9):372. Available at
http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20061209/fob4.asp.

Gustafson, D.J., D.J. Gibson, and D.L. Nickrent. 2005. Using local seeds in prairie restoration. Native Plants (Spring):25. Available at
http://nativeplants.for.uidaho.edu/Content/
Articles/6-1NPJ25-28.pdf.

Knapp, A.K. . . . S. Collins, et al. 1999. The keystone role of bison in the North American tallgrass prairie. Bioscience 49(January):39-50.

Konza Prairie Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) program and other research at the Konza Prairie Biological Station, can be found at
http://www.konza.ksu.edu.

Sluis, W.J. 2002. Patterns of species richness and composition in recreated grassland. Restoration Ecology 10(December):677-684.
Abstract available at
http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1526-100X.2002.01048.x.

The Tallgrass Prairie:
http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/~kenr/tallgrass.html.

Sources:

Sara Baer
Department of Plant Biology
Mail Code 6509
Southern Illinois University
Carbondale, IL 62901-6509

Deron Burkepile
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Yale University
165 Prospect Street
New Haven, CT 06520

Scott L. Collins
Department of Biology
Casteter Hall
University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131

David Gibson
Department of Plant Biology
Mail Code 6509
Southern Illinois University
Carbondale, IL 62901-6509

Alan K. Knapp
Department of Biology
Colorado State University
Ft. Collins, CO 80523

Deborah Marr
1700 Mishawaka Avenue
Indiana University, South Bend
South Bend, IN 46634

Peggy A. Schultz
Department of Biology
Indiana University
Jordan Hall
1001 East Third Street
Bloomington, IN 47405-7000

William J. Sluis
Department of Biology
Tri-State University
1 University Avenue
Angola, IN 46703

Melinda D. Smith
Yale University
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
P.O. Box 208106
New Haven, CT 06520-8106

http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20071215/bob8.asp

From Science News, Vol. 172, No. 24, Dec. 15, 2007, p. 376.
Copyright (c) 2007 Science Service. All rights reserved.
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” …  the voracious power of today’s global economy, which has created a situation in which the world is not just getting hot, it’s getting raped.”
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NEW YORK TIMES
It’s Too Late for Later
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
Published: December 16, 2007

Bali, Indonesia – The negotiators at the United Nations climate conference here in Bali came from almost 200 countries and spoke almost as many languages, but driving them all to find a better way to address climate change was one widely shared, if unspoken, sentiment: that “later” is over for our generation.

“Later” was a luxury for previous generations and civilizations. It meant that you could paint the same landscape, see the same animals, eat the same fruit, climb the same trees, fish the same rivers, enjoy the same weather or rescue the same endangered species that you did when you were a kid – but just do it later, whenever you got around to it.

If there is one change in global consciousness that seems to have settled in over just the past couple of years, it is the notion that later is over. Later is no longer when you get to do all those same things – just on your time schedule. Later is now when they’re gone – when you won’t get to do any of them ever again, unless there is some radical collective action to mitigate climate change, and maybe even if there is.

Continue Reading »

Kenneth J. Feeley, S. Joseph Wright, M. N. Nur Supardi, Abd Rahman Kassim and Stuart J. Davies. Decelerating growth in tropical forest trees. Ecology Letters (2007) 10: 461-469

Abstract
The impacts of global change on tropical forests remain poorly understood. We examined changes in tree growth rates over the past two decades for all species occurring in large (50-ha) forest dynamics plots in Panama and Malaysia. Stem growth rates declined significantly at both forests regardless of initial size or organizational level (species, community or stand). Decreasing growth rates were widespread, occurring in 24-71% of species at Barro Colorado Island, Panama (BCI) and in 58-95% of species at Pasoh, Malaysia (depending on the sizes of stems included). Changes in growth were not consistently associated with initial growth rate, adult stature, or wood density. Changes in growth were significantly associated with regional climate changes: at both sites growth was negatively correlated with annual mean daily minimum temperatures, and at BCI  growth was positively correlated with annual precipitation and number of rainfree days (a measure of relative insolation). While the underlying cause(s) of decelerating growth is still unresolved, these patterns strongly contradict the hypothesized pantropical increase  in tree growth rates caused by carbon fertilization. Decelerating tree growth will have important economic and environmental implications.
=========================================

Science News

Top 11 Warmest Years On Record Have All Been In Last 13 Years

ScienceDaily (Dec. 13, 2007) – The decade of 1998-2007 is the warmest on record, according to data sources obtained by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The global mean surface temperature for 2007 is currently estimated at 0.41°C/0.74°F above the 1961-1990 annual average of 14.00°C/57.20°F.

The University of East Anglia and the Met Office’s Hadley Centre have released preliminary global temperature figures for 2007, which show the top 11 warmest years all occurring in the last 13 years. The provisional global figure for 2007 using data from January to November, currently places the year as the seventh warmest on records dating back to 1850.

Other remarkable global climatic events recorded so far in 2007 include record-low Arctic sea ice extent, which led to first recorded opening of the Canadian Northwest Passage; the relatively small Antarctic Ozone Hole; development of La Niña in the central and eastern Equatorial Pacific; and devastating floods, drought and storms in many places around the world.

Continue Reading »

Carnegie Institution
Public release date: 14-Dec-2007

Coral reefs unlikely to survive in acid oceans

Stanford, CA – Carbon emissions from human activities are not just heating up the globe, they are changing the ocean’s chemistry. This could soon be fatal to coral reefs, which are havens for marine biodiversity and underpin the economies of many coastal communities. Scientists from the Carnegie Institution’s Department of Global Ecology have calculated that if current carbon dioxide emission trends continue, by mid-century 98% of present-day reef habitats will be bathed in water too acidic for reef growth. Among the first victims will be Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest organic structure.

Chemical oceanographers Ken Caldeira and Long Cao are presenting their results in a multi-author paper in the December 14 issue of Science* and at the annual meeting of American Geophysical Union in San Francisco on the same date. The work is based on computer simulations of ocean chemistry under levels of atmospheric CO2 ranging from 280 parts per million (pre-industrial levels) to 5000 ppm. Present levels are 380 ppm and rapidly rising due to accelerating emissions from human activities, primarily the burning of fossil fuels.

Continue Reading »

—————————- Original Message —————————-
Subject: FW: [FOL] : Action Alert!!  Lubicon Cree
From:    “wsdp” <wsdp@igc.org>
Date:    Fri, December 14, 2007 10:30 am
To:      wsdp@igc.org
————————————————————————–

FYI.

—–Original Message—–
From: fol-bounces@masses.tao.ca [mailto:fol-bounces@masses.tao.ca] On Behalf

ACTION ALERT!

Phone or email TransCanada and tell them no pipeline without Lubicon agreement!

This is an easy five minute action that can make a big difference-not only to the Lubicon Cree but for the rest of the planet as well.

STEPS FOR THE ACTION:

By Phone:

1. Starting today, phone TransCanada Pipelines  — toll free
1.800.661.3805 (or in Calgary at 403-920-2000)

2. Let them know:
1. you are a concerned citizen
2. tell the company you strongly oppose any pipeline through Lubicon territory without Lubicon agreement,
3. that the company must obtain that agreement before approaching the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board.

A sample script is below but always remember that a similar message in your own words has a much stronger impact.

Hi, my name is _____ and I am calling to express my strong opposition to TransCanada Pipelines announced plans to seek Alberta Energy and Utilities Board (or AEUB) approval to build the North Central Corridor pipeline. This pipelines runs through the middle of unceded Lubicon territory and your company does not have Lubicon agreement to use their land in this way. I demand that you seek this agreement before going any further. Thank you.

By Email:

Compose your own message or simply copy and paste the above message (but write your name on the blank and change ‘calling’ to ‘writing’ of course) into your own email browser and send to the CEO of TransCanada, Harold Kvisle, c/o his “Associate” Janna Laberge at:

janna_laberge@transcanada.com

If you like you can also cc a copy to Stelmach at:

fortsaskatchewan.vegreville@assembly.ca

and the Alberta EUB at:

bill.tilleman@eub.ca

Thanks!!

Friends of the Lubicon Alberta

Jacob O. Sewall and Lisa Cirbus Sloan. “Disappearing Arctic sea ice reduces available water in the American west.”  GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH
LETTERS, VOL. 31, 2004

In the climate science community, long-distance connections like the one described by Sewall and Sloan,  above,  are called “teleconnections” and there’s plenty of need for more wake-up calls about them. So remember the Sewall and Sloan article when reading the University of Washington news release below.
Lance

University of Washington       Public release date: 12-Dec-2007

Contact: Sandra Hines
shines@u.washington.edu
206-543-1580

Without its insulating ice cap,  Arctic surface waters warm to as much as 5 C above average

Record-breaking amounts of ice-free water have deprived the Arctic of more of its natural “sunscreen” than ever in recent summers. The effect is so pronounced that sea surface temperatures rose to 5 C above average in one place this year, a high never before observed, says the oceanographer who has compiled the first-ever look at average sea surface temperatures for the region.

Such superwarming of surface waters can affect how thick ice grows back in the winter, as well as its ability to withstand melting the next summer, according to Michael Steele, an oceanographer with the University of Washington’s Applied Physics Laboratory. Indeed, since September, the end of summer in the Arctic, winter freeze-up in some areas is two months later than usual.

The extra ocean warming also might be contributing to some changes on land, such as previously unseen plant growth in the coastal Arctic tundra, if heat coming off the ocean during freeze-up is making its way over land, says Steele, who is speaking Wednesday at the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco.

He is lead author of “Arctic Ocean surface warming trends over the past 100 years,” accepted for publication in AGU’s Geophysical Research Letters. Co-authors are physicist Wendy Ermold and research scientist Jinlun Zhang, both of the UW Applied Physics Laboratory. The work is funded by the National Science Foundation.

“Warming is particularly pronounced since 1995, and especially since 2000,” the authors write. The spot where waters were 5 C above average was in the region just north of the Chakchi Sea. The historical average temperature there is -1 C – remember that the salt in ocean water keeps it liquid at temperatures that would cause fresh water to freeze. This year water in that area warmed to 4 C, for a 5-degree change from the average.

That general area, the part of the ocean north of Alaska and Eastern Siberia that includes the Bering Strait and Chukchi Sea, experienced the greatest summer warming. Temperatures for that region were generally 3.5 C warmer than historical averages and 1.5 C warmer than the historical maximum.

Such widespread warming in those areas and elsewhere in the Arctic is probably the result of having increasing amounts of open water in the summer that readily absorb the sun’s rays, Steele says. Hard, white ice, on the other hand, can work as a kind of sunscreen for the waters below, reflecting rather than absorbing sunlight. The warming also may be partly caused by increasing amounts of warmer water coming from the Pacific Ocean, something scientists have noted in recent years.

The Arctic was primed for more open water since the early 1990s as the sea-ice cover has thinned, due to a warming atmosphere and more frequent strong winds sweeping ice out of the Arctic Ocean via Fram Strait into the Atlantic Ocean where the ice melts. The wind effect was particularly strong in the summer of 2007.

Now the situation could be self-perpetuating, Steele says. For example, he calculates that having more heat in surface waters in recent years means 23 to 30 inches less ice will grow in the winter than formed in 1965. Since sea ice typically grows about 80 inches in a winter, that is a significant fraction of ice that’s going missing, he says.

Then too, higher sea surface temperatures can delay the start of freeze-up because the extra heat must be discharged from the upper ocean before ice can form. “The effect on net winter growth would probably be negligible for a delay of several weeks, but could be substantial for delays of several months,” the authors write.

=================================================

Jacob O. Sewall and Lisa Cirbus Sloan. “Disappearing Arctic sea ice reduces available water in the American west.”  GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH
LETTERS, VOL. 31, 2004

In the climate science community, long-distance connections like the one described by Sewall and Sloan,  above,  are called “teleconnections” and there’s plenty of need for more wake-up calls about them. So remember the Sewall and Sloan article when reading the University of Washington news release below.
Lance

University of Washington       Public release date: 12-Dec-2007

Contact: Sandra Hines
shines@u.washington.edu
206-543-1580

Without its insulating ice cap,  Arctic surface waters warm to as much as 5 C above average

Record-breaking amounts of ice-free water have deprived the Arctic of more of its natural “sunscreen” than ever in recent summers. The effect is so pronounced that sea surface temperatures rose to 5 C above average in one place this year, a high never before observed, says the oceanographer who has compiled the first-ever look at average sea surface temperatures for the region.

Such superwarming of surface waters can affect how thick ice grows back in the winter, as well as its ability to withstand melting the next summer, according to Michael Steele, an oceanographer with the University of Washington’s Applied Physics Laboratory. Indeed, since September, the end of summer in the Arctic, winter freeze-up in some areas is two months later than usual.

The extra ocean warming also might be contributing to some changes on land, such as previously unseen plant growth in the coastal Arctic tundra, if heat coming off the ocean during freeze-up is making its way over land, says Steele, who is speaking Wednesday at the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco.

He is lead author of “Arctic Ocean surface warming trends over the past 100 years,” accepted for publication in AGU’s Geophysical Research Letters. Co-authors are physicist Wendy Ermold and research scientist Jinlun Zhang, both of the UW Applied Physics Laboratory. The work is funded by the National Science Foundation.

“Warming is particularly pronounced since 1995, and especially since 2000,” the authors write. The spot where waters were 5 C above average was in the region just north of the Chakchi Sea. The historical average temperature there is -1 C – remember that the salt in ocean water keeps it liquid at temperatures that would cause fresh water to freeze. This year water in that area warmed to 4 C, for a 5-degree change from the average.

That general area, the part of the ocean north of Alaska and Eastern Siberia that includes the Bering Strait and Chukchi Sea, experienced the greatest summer warming. Temperatures for that region were generally 3.5 C warmer than historical averages and 1.5 C warmer than the historical maximum.

Such widespread warming in those areas and elsewhere in the Arctic is probably the result of having increasing amounts of open water in the summer that readily absorb the sun’s rays, Steele says. Hard, white ice, on the other hand, can work as a kind of sunscreen for the waters below, reflecting rather than absorbing sunlight. The warming also may be partly caused by increasing amounts of warmer water coming from the Pacific Ocean, something scientists have noted in recent years.

The Arctic was primed for more open water since the early 1990s as the sea-ice cover has thinned, due to a warming atmosphere and more frequent strong winds sweeping ice out of the Arctic Ocean via Fram Strait into the Atlantic Ocean where the ice melts. The wind effect was particularly strong in the summer of 2007.

Now the situation could be self-perpetuating, Steele says. For example, he calculates that having more heat in surface waters in recent years means 23 to 30 inches less ice will grow in the winter than formed in 1965. Since sea ice typically grows about 80 inches in a winter, that is a significant fraction of ice that’s going missing, he says.

Then too, higher sea surface temperatures can delay the start of freeze-up because the extra heat must be discharged from the upper ocean before ice can form. “The effect on net winter growth would probably be negligible for a delay of several weeks, but could be substantial for delays of several months,” the authors write.

=================================================

Continue Reading »

Continue Reading »

Alter-Eco is published by a group of non-governmental organizations, indigenous people’s organizations and social movements at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change COP-13. The groups came together to make a unified call in support of real solutions to climate change and against the false market-based solutions to climate change that are being implemented under the Kyoto Protocol.

Alter-Eco is an instrument to project the collective voices of groups reflecting the views and concerns of grassroots constituencies and impacted communities all over the world.

Contributing organizations include: Global Justice Ecology Project, Global Forest Coalition, Carbon Trade Watch/ Transnational Institute, CORE (Center for Organizational Research and Education), PIPEC, The Corner House, SEEN (Sustainably Energy and Economy Network), BiofuelWatch, World Rainforest Movement.

Check it out at www.altereconews.org

by Haider Rizvi

Published on Wednesday, December 12, 2007 by One World.net

UNITED NATIONS – Global initiatives to reduce carbon emissions are bound to fail if the interests of indigenous communities are not taken into account, leaders of the world’s 370 million indigenous peoples are warning.

“The success of efforts to lower carbon emissions from deforestation hinges primarily on whether indigenous peoples will throw their support behind proposed mechanisms,” said indigenous leader Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, chair of the UN Permanent Forum.

Tauli-Corpuz told the UN Summit on Climate Change in Bali, Indonesia, this week that indigenous communities are increasingly worried about plans by governments and international financial institutions to control forest degradation. Continue Reading »

What does Food Sovereignty have to do with Climate Change?

Industrial Agriculture, Climate Change and the Necessity for Food Sovereignty

By Jessie
Rising Tide North America

Before we let the energy companies colonize our agricultural land touting questionably climate friendly solutions like agrofuels, lets look a little at some of the deep seeded issues within our current food system that are not only perpetuating climate change but will be impacted and taxed greatly as the climate changes.

Our current food system relies heavily on fossil fuel derived fertilizers and pesticides, gas guzzling farm machinery, and transporting farm inputs and products over long distances. The average food item bought at a supermarket has traveled on average over 1,500 miles. The modern agricultural system is completely unsustainable as the climate continues to change due to the excessive burning of fossil fuels by humans.

No one knows exactly what will happen as climate change takes shape, but we can predict that climate change will have an affect on how, what, and where we grow food. Many areas will be plagued by drought or floods or both and the acreage of the earth suitable for agriculture will shift, perhaps dramatically.

Industrial agricultural is reliant on very few crops with very little genetic diversity within each crop such as corn, wheat, rice and soybeans. Industrial agriculture also relies on infrastructure that is completely reliant on fossil fuels to transport food from farms, processing plants, supermarkets, and eaters.

One of the simplest things we all can do to reduce our own contribution to climate change and to prepare for the impending climatic changes yet to come is to eat local food. Saving heirloom seeds and diverse varieties of crops will prepare us for growing food in different conditions. One of the reasons that caused the Irish potato famine in the 18th century was growing only one type of potato. There are thousands of varieties of potatoes that have been developed over centuries to withstand different kinds of blights as well as different growing conditions from droughts to flood.

We must also lower the amount of energy we use in preparing and refrigerating our food as 31% of the energy used in the food system is from home refrigeration and cooking. Going back to our roots, literally with learning about how to preserve our food in root cellars and other forms of non-electric food storage such as drying, canning, salting, and fermenting will help us transition to a sustainable food system that will be less vulnerable to changes in climate and global food supply and transport.

We can no longer rely on super highways, airplanes and ocean-liners to bring food to us. We need to grow food in our communities and support small local farmers growing food sustainably. We need to build up our topsoil by using sustainable agricultural practices and composting biomass and food waste. Improving the quality of our soil will help us grow food for generations to come.

Given the severity of climate change we must ask ourselves what is an appropriate response to climate change? In terms of climate change and how we feed ourselves the appropriate response is a complete overhaul of our food system from a centralized fossil-fuel dependent framework to a decentralized local food system where there are many people growing a wide variety of food everywhere, spanning urban and rural areas.

How do we do this??
Currently our food system is controlled by agri-biz giants such as Monsanto and Cargill whose aim is to control all aspects of our food system. Fortunately, this corporate power is countered by a growing resistance of grassroots groups that is emerging as a world-wide social movement demanding food sovereignty. The term “food sovereignty” was coined by the international peasant movement Via Campesina in the mid 1990s to assert the right for people to determine their own food and agricultural policies. This includes the right to grow food, access to land, natural resources, biological diversity and access to local markets. No one should be able to own the air, water or biological diversity of the planet. It is our life support system and it belongs to all life on earth, present and future!!!

Demanding food sovereignty means that we must challenge the large agribusiness who control our food supply. In the shadow if impending climatic doom we must take our food system and agricultural lands back from the grain cartels like Cargill, Archer Daniels Midland and Bunge, the seed snatchers like Monsanto and Delta-Pineland, the processed food gluttons like Coca-cola, Kraft and Unilever and the bottle-neck control of retailers like, WalMart and other supermarket chains.

We need more action in solidarity with the global movement for food sovereignty. This can take shape in international days of action, as well as other strategic actions consisting of a wide variety of direct actions, civil disobedience, creative street theater, workshops, education, banner hangs and much more!

So what does food sovereignty looks like??
Food Sovereignty looks different everywhere. Solutions come from indigenous knowledge of how to live and grow food sustainably in a particular bioregion as so many communities have been doing for thousands of years. It looks like seed saving and preserving food for the winter in a variety of ways that are culturally and locally appropriate. It looks like farmer’s markets, farm stands, and direct farmer to eater transactions. It looks like urban gardens and community supported agriculture programs. It’s linking urban and rural communities and it’s shortening the distance of production and consumption.

There are some very challenging obstacles that we need to overcome to actualize food sovereignty. We need more farmers, and more support for new farmers. We need access to more farmland.

Responding to climate change means reacquainting our diet with the seasons, delving into the rich agricultural history that exists everywhere and celebrating the cornucopia of food grown where you are. Every time we bypass the supermarket and shop instead at the farmer’s market, road-side farm-stand or pick up a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) box we are helping to build a stronger local food economy that is preparing and responding to the burgeoning threat of climate change and we are also connecting to the global movement for food sovereignty. And even better is when we begin to grow our own food and share the surplus with our family, friends, and community.

For more information email jessie@risingtidenorthamerica.org

Call to action
International Day of Action January 26 2008

Join Via Campesina and other organizations worldwide in demanding Food Sovereignty and an end to the corporate control of our food system by global agribusiness

On January 26 self-organized groups from all around the world will take creative action in their community. This will manifest in many ways, from nonviolent direct action, civil disobedience, street theater, convergences, teach-ins and other activities and events. Grassroots movements around the world are making their voices heard and saying “Another World is Possible” in coordination with the World Social Forum.

In solidarity with global farmer’s movement Via Campesina who has called for action on this day, Rainforest Action Network, Rising Tide North America, and the Student Trade Justice Campaign are calling for individuals and grassroots groups to take action to demand food sovereignty by rejecting the industrialized food system controlled by international institutions and global agribusinesses and promoting the transition to sustainable, small-scale, decentralized local food systems.

Continue Reading »

——– Original Message ——–
Subject: a reminder of the stakes
Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2007 01:31:45 GMT
From: Fred Heutte <phred@SUNLIGHTDATA.COM>
Reply-To: Fred Heutte <phred@SUNLIGHTDATA.COM>
To: OREGON-LEADERS@LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG

(posted to Climate Action Network)

I’m not as good at oratory as Stefan Singer, so perhaps some pictures will drive home the point.

Last week a major storm hit my home state, Oregon, in the US. Oregon has about 3.3 million citizens, just the same as Bali, although the two are at opposite ends of the Pacific Ocean.

We are currently in a moderately strong La Nina phase of the ENSO (El Nino/Southern Oscillation) cycle, and weather seems to have reversed polarity somewhat.  In Bali it has been hot and dry during the normal rainy season.  In Oregon, which has its share of winter storms usually, it has rained too much.

In fact, this is the second year in a row we have been hit dead-on by a major storm with a characteristic eyewall-and-spiral-bands appearance.  Last year, the storm was called a “thingamabobbercane” at Weather Underground:

http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html entrynum=574&tstamp=200611

I don’t know what this year’s will be designated, but some are already calling it a northeast Pacific subtropical cyclone.  Except there are no such things as “northeast Pacific cylones,” it’s considered too far north and too cold for such events.

Is this due to global warming?  Well, as my friend Chris Mooney, who grew up in New Orleans, says in his excellent book Storm World, a single weather event is not climate . . . but it makes you wonder.

In due course, our local newspaper The Oregonian provided a time-lapsed satellite view that shows this year’s storm:

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/multimedia/wide.ssf?storm

The eyewall veered northward toward the Queen Charlotte Islands in Canada, exposing our coast to the stronger winds southward. The results on the ground can be seen in the remarkable series of photos here:

http://hotfreshnow.blogspot.com/2007/12/pictures-northwest-stome-aftermath.html

About one-third down you’ll see a picture of a guy riding a bike in water up to the handlebars.  That’s about two miles from my house, though to be truthful it’s in a low-lying area.

The storm caused immense damage and closed Interstate 5, the main north-south route, between Portland and Seattle for four days.

Now, we are wealthy in the US and in the Northwest we are used to big storms and will clean up and move forward with our own resources. And this doesn’t even compare with the incessant series of Asian cyclones over the last several years, the most recent of which a couple weeks ago cost the life of thousands in Bangladesh.  But I must say, this is a major struggle even for my home state, and throws into sharp relief the mitigation and adaptation challenges ahead.

All of this has provided personal context for our effort in Bali. As we enter the high-level segment for COP13/CMP3, let’s keep our nerve and aim for the best result and the most progress we can over the next three days.  The conference process is busy and exhausting, but we have momentum and I’m optimistic.

cheers

Fred-chair, Global Warming & Energy Committee, Sierra Club (US)

To unsubscribe from the OREGON-LEADERS list, send any message to:
OREGON-LEADERS-signoff-request@LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG

Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information:
http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp
———————————————————————————————————–

U of California at San Diego December 10, 2007

http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/newsrel/science/12-07ThreatenedBirds.asp

Two concluding paragraphs:

Jetz added that range maps are becoming especially important for ecologists making projections of the impact of climate change on the health of specific populations and that these two studies demonstrate that conservationists need to be especially careful when making predictions about future risks to species during rapid climate change.

“If we’re starting with a range estimate for a population that is much larger than it truly is, then we have started with the wrong parameter for our future projections of climate change,” he said. “If you’ve already started with an overestimate of the range, then there’s a real danger in understimating the risks of extinction in future projections of climate change.”

http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/newsrel/science/12-07ThreatenedBirds.asp
=================================================

University of Illinois News Bureau

NEWS INDEX Archives 2007 December    12/10/07

New model revises estimates of terrestrial carbon dioxide uptake

Diana Yates, LIfe Sciences Editor
217-333-5802; diya@uiuc.edu

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a new model of global carbon and nitrogen cycling that will fundamentally transform the understanding of how plants and soils interact with a changing atmosphere and climate.

The new model takes into account the role of nitrogen dynamics in influencing the response of terrestrial ecosystems to climate change and rising atmospheric carbon dioxide.

Current models used in the assessment reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change do not account for nitrogen processing, and probably exaggerate the terrestrial ecosystem’s potential to slow atmospheric carbon dioxide rise, the researchers say. They will present their findings this week at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco.

Continue Reading »

News From Via Campesina:

Sustainable Agriculture as a Way of Struggling Against Climate Change
11/12/2007

Members of La Via Campesina from Japan, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Cambodia, Norway, Canada, Mozambique and Brazil visited the Jatiluwih village in Bali to see rice cultivation in terraces and to analyze ways to practice peasant farming with local producers.

The meeting aims to exchange experiences between peasants, in order to take advantage of the presence of farmers from 20 countries in Indonesia who are taking part in the parallel activities to the UN Conference on Climate Change (COP 13).

La Vía Campesina had participated in a march on Saturday in the region of Kuta, in Bali, to demand climate justice and responsible measures of the industrialized countries governments to tackle climate change. Real World Radio was there and interviewed a member of La Via CampesinaCelso Rivero, who is also state leader of the Rural Landless Workers’ Movement (MST) in the west of Parana.

Continue Reading »

by Cahal Milmo

BP, the British oil giant that pledged to move “Beyond Petroleum” by finding cleaner ways to produce fossil fuels, is being accused of abandoning its “green sheen” by investing nearly £1.5bn to extract oil from the Canadian wilderness using methods which environmentalists say are part of the “biggest global warming crime” in history.

The multinational oil and gas producer, which last year made a profit of £11bn, is facing a head-on confrontation with the green lobby in the pristine forests of North America after Greenpeace pledged a direct action campaign against BP following its decision to reverse a long-standing policy and invest heavily in extracting so-called “oil sands” that lie beneath the Canadian province of Alberta and form the world’s second-largest proven oil reserves after Saudi Arabia.

Producing crude oil from the tar sands – a heavy mixture of bitumen, water, sand and clay – found beneath more than 54,000 square miles of prime forest in northern Alberta – an area the size of England and Wales combined – generates up to four times more carbon dioxide, the principal global warming gas, than conventional drilling. The booming oil sands industry will produce 100 million tonnes of CO2 (equivalent to a fifth of the UK’s entire annual emissions) a year by 2012, ensuring that Canada will miss its emission targets under the Kyoto treaty, according to environmentalist activists.

The oil rush is also scarring a wilderness landscape: millions of tonnes of plant life and top soil is scooped away in vast open-pit mines and millions of litres of water are diverted from rivers – up to five barrels of water are needed to produce a single barrel of crude and the process requires huge amounts of natural gas. The industry, which now includes all the major oil multinationals, including the Anglo-Dutch Shell and American combine Exxon-Mobil, boasts that it takes two tonnes of the raw sands to produce a single barrel of oil. BP insists it will use a less damaging extraction method, but it accepts that its investment will increase its carbon footprint. Continue Reading »

GJEP is the North American Focal Point of the Global Forest Coalition

PRESS RELEASE

Friends of the Earth International
World Rainforest Movement
Global Forest Coalition

WORLD BANK HANDS OFF FORESTS          December 10, 2007

BALI (INDONESIA), Dec. 10, 2007  Environmental groups at the United Nations climate talks in Bali today urged governments to reject a new World Bank initiative promoting the inclusion of forests in carbon markets.

The World Bank initiative, known as the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) is set to be launched on Tuesday 11th December in Bali as part of the discussions on Reducing Emissions through Deforestation in Developing countries’ (REDD).

The initiative, which would allow tropical forests to be included in carbon offsetting schemes, fails to combat climate change, the groups said, because it allows industrialised countries and companies to buy their way out of emissions’ reductions.

Continue Reading »

WildSource E-News – December 2007

New Forest Restoration Collaborative Hatches in Montana

Once a dirty word amongst both committed conservationists and forest product
enthusiasts, collaboration is steadily emerging as a way of solving long standing
problems over how our public forestlands are managed and how they will be sustained.

This new collaborative, the Montana Forest Restoration Working Group, spans a wide spectrum of interests ranging from conservationists and motorized users to outfitters, loggers and employees of forest products companies to representatives
from state and federal agencies.  The group developed 13 restoration principles
designed to bolster the recovery of ecological processes and to enhance societal and economic well-being.  Read the rest of this update at:

http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizations/WildWest/blog/comments.jsp?blog_entry_KEY=23023&t=.

Keep Debate about Wildfires and Forest Policy Bracketed by Reality

Now that western Montana has been covered with a deep blanket of snow it’s a good time to look back on the wildfire season and examine some of the myths and facts associated with wildfires and federal forest policy.  You see, around here,
rationally talking about these issues during the summer  months is akin to talking
politics or religion around the Thanksgiving table…it just doesn’t work.  To read
the rest of this commentary by Matthew Koehler, please visit:

http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizations/WildWest/blog/comments.jsp?blog_entry_KEY=22985&t=,

OR listen to a podcast of this piece by downloading it at this link:
http://archive.org/download/WildWestInstitute 2007-12-06_WWI_FireAndForestPolicy.mp3.

New Deforestation and Climate Change Video by 41 Pounds.org!

This exciting new video brings alive the connection between deforestation and
climate change!

Help keep the trees in the forest by stopping your junk mail.  More trees help to
keep the planet cooler and heathier.  By taking this simple step you can take to
help reduce global warming!

To watch the video or find out more about 41 Pounds.org, please visit
http://www.41pounds.org/savetreesvideo/.

Science Spotlight

Every month we’ll highlight new scientific research and findings as part of the
WildWest Institute’s on-going efforts to ensure that science guides the management
of our public lands.

December Spotlight:  The legacy of harvest and fire on ecosystem carbon storage in a north temperate forest – read the full report at
http://www.wildwestinstitute.org/programs/science_spotlight.html.

WildWest Institute
P.O Box 7998, Missoula, MT 59807
406.542.7343
info@wildwestinstitute.org
http://www.wildwestinstitute.org

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NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
Public release date: 10-Dec-2007

Contact: Steve Cole
stephen.e.cole@nasa.gov
415-348-4440

NASA at American Geophysical Union Meeting

NASA researchers will present new findings to the media on a wide range of Earth and space science topics during the 2007 Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU). The meeting runs Mon., Dec. 10 through Fri., Dec. 14 at the Moscone Convention Center, San Francisco. All press briefings will take place in the AGU Press Room, Moscone West, Room 2010.

For a complete list of NASA-related press briefings, with links to supporting materials, and other noteworthy presentations by NASA scientists, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/agu2007.html

EARTH’S “TIPPING POINTS”: HOW CLOSE ARE WE?

Abrupt changes in climate are now an established phenomenon in Earth’s history and there is growing concern that our planet may be at a “tipping point” of dramatic climate change due this time to anthropogenic influences. Scientists from across different disciplines are now looking at many parts of the Earth system for signs of such pivotal shifts either already underway or likely to happen in this century. Researchers will present the latest results from the perspective of global climate as well as potential impacts on three key regions of the globe. James Hansen discusses the “unrealized” global warming of Earth’s climate system and the resulting need for urgent action to cut emissions beyond carbon dioxide. Richard Alley discusses the possibility that sustained warming of a few decades could produce major ice sheet losses that would last centuries. Peter Webster reports on a societal tipping point along three heavily populated Asian river basins when climate-induced changes to river flows collide with population growth. Joey Comiso reports that this year’s large Arctic sea ice decline may be the tipping point for perennial ice and a recovery may not be possible in the foreseeable future.

* James Hansen, director, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies,; adjunct professor of earth and environmental sciences, Columbia University, New York
* Peter Webster, professor, School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta
* Joey Comiso, senior research scientist for polar oceanography, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
* Richard Alley, Evan Pugh professor of geosciences, associate of the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute, Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pa

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/tipping_points.html

=================================================

Check out our new publications and multimedia web page for some readings on the issues.

Continue Reading »

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071129132753.htm [input]

Ocean Fertilization ‘Fix’ For Global Warming Discredited By New Research ScienceDaily (Nov. 30, 2007) —

Scientists have revealed an important discovery that raises doubts concerning the viability of plans to fertilize the ocean to solve global warming, a projected $100 billion venture.

Research performed at Stanford and Oregon State Universities suggests that ocean fertilization may not be an effective method of reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, a major contributor to global warming. Ocean fertilization, the
process of adding iron or other nutrients to the ocean to cause large algal blooms, has been proposed as a possible solution to global warming because the growing algae absorb carbon dioxide as they grow.

However, this process, which is analogous to adding fertilizer to a lawn to help the grass grow, only reduces carbon dioxide in the atmosphere if the carbon incorporated into the algae sinks to deeper waters. This process, which scientists call the “Biological Pump”, has been thought to be dependent on the abundance of algae in the top layers of the ocean. The more algae in a bloom, the more carbon is transported, or “pumped”, from the atmosphere to the deep ocean. Continue Reading »

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This is the first case i know of where researchers publicly sidestep the Precautionary Principle. That is scary-especially for something like this.

ASW

For some time now, deniers/debunkers have claimed that climate change is not caused by consumption of forests and fossil fuels. They have claimed that it is caused by normal variations — including tilting of Earth’s axis.

But even the tilting of Earth’s axis may have human causes.

I don’t have references available, but many on this list have seen studies indicating that the world’s hydroelectric and irrigation dams have measurably changed the planet’s tilt on its axis. So a huge dam like the one described below may have worldwide impact for that reason.
Lance Olsen
————————————————-
Public release date: 6-Dec-2007
Inderscience Publishers

Contact: Roelof Dirk Schuiling
schuiling@geo.uu.nl

Dam the Red Sea and release gigawatts
50 gigawatts of electrical power could be released by damming the Red Sea

Damming the Red Sea could solve the growing energy demands of millions of people in the Middle East and alleviate some of the region’s tensions pertaining to oil supplies through hydroelectric power. Equally, such a massive engineering project may cause untold ecological harm and displace countless people from their homes.

In the Inderscience publication International Journal of Global Environmental Issues, Roelof Dirk Schuiling of Utrecht University in The Netherlands and his colleagues discuss the costs and benefits of one of the potentially most ambitious engineering projects ever.

Continue Reading »

—————————- Original Message —————————-
Subject: [global-justice-ecology] Indigenous Peoples Protest UNFCCC From:
phiona@globaljusticeecology.org
Date: Fri, December 7, 2007 6:04 am
To: global-justice-ecology@lists.riseup.net
————————————————————————–

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 7 December 2007

Indigenous Peoples Protest UNFCCC
Indigenous Peoples shut out of Climate Change Negotiations

Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia- Indigenous peoples representing regions from around the world protested outside the climate negotiations today wearing symbolic gags that read UNFCCC, the acronym of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, symbolizing their systematic exclusion from the UN meeting.

Yesterday a delegation of indigenous peoples was forcibly barred from entering the meeting between UNFCCC Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer and civil society representatives, despite the fact that the indigenous delegation was invited to attend. This act is representative of the systematic exclusion of indigenous peoples in the UNFCCC process.

Continue Reading »

—————————- Original Message —————————-
Subject: Deforestation and political corruption
From: “Lance Olsen”
Date: Fri, December 7, 2007 7:50 am
To: “cmcr-outreach”
————————————————————————–

—————————————————————————
” ‘… payment for carbon services could end up providing incentives for corrupt officials or local elites to appropriate this new forest value from local communities,’ she said. ‘We’ve seen this happen before in similar situations, and there’s every reason to believe, given the kind of money now being paid for carbon credits, that it could happen again.’”
—————————————————————————————

Public release date: 7-Dec-2007
Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research

Contact: Greg Clough
g.clough@cgiar.org
62-812-864-6613

Jeff Haskins
jhaskins@burnesscommunications.com
86-136-93176573

New report on deforestation reveals problems of forest carbon payment schemes
New report outlines underlying causes of deforestation based on 10-year analysis

BALI, INDONESIA (7 December 2007)-A new study by one of the world’s leading forestry research institutes warns that the new push to “reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation,” known by the acronym REDD, is imperiled by a routine failure to grasp the root causes of deforestation. The study sought to link what is known about the underlying causes of the loss of 13 million hectares of forest each year to the promise-and potential pitfalls-of REDD schemes.

Based on more than a decade of in-depth research on the forces driving deforestation worldwide, the report by researchers at the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) found that there is ample opportunity to reduce carbon emissions if financial incentives will be sufficient enough to flip political and economic realities that cause deforestation.

The report was released today at the United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP-13) in Bali, where environment ministers from 190 countries are meeting to plot a long-term strategy for combating global warming. High on the agenda is reducing the 1.6 billion tons of carbon emissions caused each year by deforestation, which amounts to one-fifth of global carbon emissions and more than the combined total contributed by the world’s energy-intensive transport sectors.

“After being left out of the Kyoto agreement, it’s promising that deforestation is commanding center-stage at the Bali climate talks,” said CIFOR’s Director General, Frances Seymour. “But the danger is that policy-makers will fail to appreciate that forest destruction is caused by an incredibly wide variety of political, economic, and other factors that originate outside the forestry sector, and require different solutions.”

In other words, Seymour said, stopping deforestation in Indonesia caused by overcapacity in the wood processing industry is a completely different challenge from dealing with deforestation stemming from a road project in the Amazon or forest degradation caused by charcoal production in sub-Saharan Africa.

According to CIFOR, careful examination reveals that complex, indirect forces are often more important than the logging and slash and burn activities popularly understood as the main causes of deforestation. Forces such as fluctuations in international commodity prices; agricultural and, more recently, biofuel subsidies; and roads and other infrastructure projects can encourage forest clearing. Deeply ingrained and routinely corrupt government practices often favor large corporate interests over community rights to forest resources.

Seymour said the CIFOR analysis, which draws on a range of studies of the economic, social and political conditions affecting the world’s most vulnerable forests, seeks to ensure that any initiatives to stem deforestation that might emerge in future climate change agreements are firmly grounded in reality.

Most importantly, CIFOR advises decision makers to learn from the past and look beyond the confines of the forestry sector to the array of market failures and governance failures that spark a chain of events culminating in deforestation.

For example, according to the study, Indonesia, which is estimated to lose 1.9 million hectares of forest each year, has emerged as one of the world’s leading sources of carbon emissions in part due to a global spike in prices for palm oil and a surge in China’s demand for wood pulp. Together, these forces have pushed deforestation into carbon-rich peatlands that are being cleared and drained to make way for oil palm and pulpwood plantations. Limiting deforestation in Indonesia’s peatlands should be a high priority because the carbon losses per hectare are substantial.

Meanwhile, CIFOR notes that in South America, the loss of 4.3 million hectares a year is driven in part by meat consumption that encourages conversion of forests to pasture lands throughout the region. In Ecuador, road building has been a major cause of deforestation. In sub-Saharan Africa, fuelwood extraction and charcoal production are factors behind the continent’s loss of 4 million hectares a year.

Markku Kanninen, one of the authors of the report, said that “Policies that seek to halt deforestation will need to be crafted to address diverse local situations and target activities in areas such as agriculture, transportation and finance that lie well beyond the boundaries of the forest sector.”

“The perverse subsidies that provide incentives for clearing forest must be removed and efforts to secure property rights for local forest communities should be encouraged,” Kanninen said.

The report also sees promise in the increasingly popular notion that deforestation can be addressed with financial incentives that compensate landowners for “environmental services.” Seymour said discussions in Bali to fight deforestation by compensating forest stewards for protecting the carbon-storage capacity of forests through what is now a multi-billion dollar global market for carbon credit are potentially powerful.

“Such payments to individual land-users have the potential to “flip” financial incentives from favoring forest destruction, as they now do, to favoring conservation,” Seymour said. “But the key question is whether or not REDD incentives will be sufficient to flip political and economic decisions at the national level that drive deforestation.”

Appealing as they are, Seymour said it’s critical to understand that, due to decades of inattention to the rights of forest dwellers, new payment streams tied to conservation could intensify the severe poverty that now afflicts the majority of rural forest communities in the developing world.

“Since forest property rights are often very unclear, payment for carbon services could end up providing incentives for corrupt officials or local elites to appropriate this new forest value from local communities,” she said. “We’ve seen this happen before in similar situations, and there’s every reason to believe, given the kind of money now being paid for carbon credits, that it could happen again.”

Seymour said such problems can be avoided if policy makers enter the process of designing REDD strategies with a clear understanding of potential pitfalls and what can be done to avoid them. The report advises that reducing carbon emissions from forests will require strengthening the weak governance mechanisms that have long proven unable to enforce many existing prohibitions on forest clearing.

Finally, the report calls for ensuring that the REDD process is fair to poor forest communities.

“We need to temper the desire for maximum reduction in forest-based carbon emissions with regard for the legitimate rights of forest communities to realize the income potential of their forestlands,” Seymour said. “At times there will be trade-offs between reducing carbon emissions and reducing poverty.”

###

About the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR)

Headquartered in Indonesia and with offices in Latin America and Africa, the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR)
(http://www.cifor.cgiar.org) is a leading international forestry research organization established in response to global concerns about the social, environmental, and economic consequences of forest loss and degradation. CIFOR is one of 15 research centers within the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)
(http://www.cgiar.org)
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—————————- Original Message —————————-
Subject: FW: Lipan Apache Women Defense–need your attention!
From: “wsdp”
Date: Thu, December 6, 2007 4:12 pm
To: wsdp@igc.org
————————————————————————–

FY – Please do what you can to support the Lipan Apache – - links are posted
on the bottom. Forward this on..

Western Shoshone Defense Project
So-Ho-Bi (South Fork) office:
775-744-2565 (fax and phone)

Main office:
P.O. Box 211308
Crescent Valley, NV 89821
Newe Sogobi
775-468-0230
775-468-0237 (fax)

—–Original Message—–
From: Tamez, Margo [mailto:mtamez@wsu.edu]
Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2007 1:43 PM
To

Press Release: For Wide Distribution
From: Margo Tamez (Lipan Apache, Jumano Apache) December 6, 2007
RE: Chertoff Announces Eminent Occupation of Land Title Holders Refusing to
Sign NSA Waivers

Dear supporters of the Lipan Apache Women Title Holder Defenders:

Ahi’i'e for all your wonderful outpouring of support to our elders of El Calaboz. We need your help on our continuing efforts to protect and keep safe the elders of our struggle against U.S. tyranny.

Today we have serious news to share and to update on the situation unfolding in the traditional lands of the Lipan Apache communities of the Mexico-US militarized border region.

Continue Reading »

—————————- Original Message —————————-
Subject: FW: Comments to be delivered today in Las Vegas on the DOE SEIS for Yucca Mountain.
From: “wsdp”
Date: Thu, December 6, 2007 1:05 pm
To: wsdp@igc.org
————————————————————————–

—–Original Message—–
From: Mr. I. Zabarte [mailto:mrizabarte@bigfoot.com]
Sent: Monday, December 03, 2007 12:23 PM
To:
Subject: Comments to be delivered today in Las Vegas on the DOE SEIS for
Yucca Mountain.

Comments of the Western Shoshone National Council on the United States Department of Energy Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for a
Geologic Repository for the Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level
Radioactive Waste at Yucca Mountain

Las Vegas, Nevada December 3, 2007

Western Shoshone National Council
7231 S. Eastern Avenue, Box 107
Las Vegas, NV 89119

Continue Reading »

Stanford University
Public release date: 5-Dec-2007

Contact: Louis Bergeron
louisb3@stanford.edu
650-725-1944

Stanford researchers say climate change will significantly increase impending bird extinctions

Where do you go when you’ve reached the top of a mountain and you can’t go back down?

It’s a question increasingly relevant to plants and animals, as their habitats slowly shift to higher elevations, driven by rising temperatures worldwide. The answer, unfortunately, is you can’t go anywhere. Habitats shrink to the vanishing point, and species go extinct.

That scenario is likely to be played out repeatedly and at an accelerating rate as the world continues to warm, Stanford researchers say.

By 2100, climate change could cause up to 30 percent of land-bird species to go extinct worldwide, if the worst-case scenario comes to pass. Land birds constitute the vast majority of all bird species.

”Of the land-bird species predicted to go extinct, 79 percent of them are not currently considered threatened with extinction, but many will be if we cannot stop climate change,” said Cagan Sekercioglu, a senior research scientist at Stanford and the lead author of a paper detailing the research, which is scheduled to be published online this week in Conservation Biology.

The study is one of the first analyses of extinction rates to incorporate the most recent climate change scenarios set forth earlier this year in the reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which shared the Nobel Peace Price with Al Gore.

The researchers modeled changes to the elevational limits of the ranges of more than 8,400 species of land birds using 60 scenarios. The scenarios consisted of various combinations of surface warming projections from the 2007 IPCC report, habitat loss estimates from the 2005 Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (an evaluation of the planet’s ecosystems by 1,360 experts around the world), and several possibilities of shifts in elevational range limits.

The worst-case scenario of 6.4 degrees Celsius surface warming combined with extensive habitat loss produced the estimate of 30 percent of land bird species going extinct by 2100. Increasing habitat loss exacerbates the effects of climate change because organisms seeking more suitable conditions will be less likely to find intact habitats. Even with an intermediate 2.8 C warming, 400 to 550 land-bird extinctions are expected.

”Vegetational shift is the key issue here,” Sekercioglu said. ”Birds will follow the shift in habitat.”

All plants have certain temperature and precipitation requirements they need to flourish. As lowlands become too warm for some species, higher slopes that were formerly too cool become better suited to their needs, and the distributions of plants slowly move upward. That shifting of populations renders bird species vulnerable to a host of complications.

Topography itself is a major issue. Each bird species is only found between specific elevations, limits based mainly on the temperatures at which it can survive and the presence of the plants, insects and other animals on which it feeds. Temperature decreases as one goes up a mountain, so as the lowlands become warmer, plant and animal communities need to move higher in order to remain in their required microclimates. Most bird species live in the tropics, mostly in lowland environments. In many of these areas, there may be no significantly higher slopes to which they can retreat. But even the presence of hills or mountains does not guarantee the survival of a species.

As one moves upslope, the extent of the area encompassed by a given elevational range almost always decreases. It’s a matter of simple geometry. The circumference of a mountain is typically smaller near the summit than at its base, so a range of, say, a hundred vertical meters occupies a far smaller band of area near the top than it does down at the base.

And once the summit of a mountain becomes too hot for a species or its preferred vegetation type, the habitable area is reduced to nothing.

”It’s like an escalator to extinction. As a species is forced upwards and its elevational range narrows, the species moves closer to extinction,” Sekercioglu said.

In some instances, species can expand their ranges, which the authors also considered in their models. If warming is limited and a species adapts, only the upper limit of a species’ elevational range might rise. As warming continues, however, the lower bound is likely to rise, as well.

Additional threats include interactions between the rising temperatures and other environmental factors. For example, as Hawaiian mountains get warmer, mosquitoes carrying avian malaria, to which most native bird species have no immunity, are moving upslope, invading the last refuges of birds already on the brink of extinction. In Costa Rica, toucans normally confined to lower elevations are colonizing mountain forests, where they compete with resident species for food and nesting holes, and prey on the eggs and nestlings of other bird species.

In addition, plant species that currently share a habitat may not all react the same way to temperature and moisture changes. Some species may be forced upslope while others are able to linger behind, tearing apart plant and animal communities even if all the species survive. Differences in soil composition can further disrupt plant communities. If soils at higher elevations are inhospitable to some plant species, those species will be wedged between a fixed upper bound and a rising lower bound until they are squeezed out of existence.

Until now, highland species have been less threatened by habitat loss and hunting, simply because most people live in flat lowlands instead of the steeper highlands. Compared to lowland birds, however, highland species are not only more sensitive to temperature changes, but their populations also are more isolated from each other, as mountains effectively constitute habitat islands surrounded by a sea of hotter lowlands.

The study also has shown that sedentary birds, which comprise over 80 percent of all bird species, are much more likely to go extinct from climate change than are migratory birds. That suggests that many sedentary mountain species currently thought to be safe are actually jeopardized by global warming. All in all, climate change is likely to be especially hard on the hundreds of bird species endemic to tropical mountains.

But in part because of the remoteness of the mountains and in part due to a lack funding for ornithological studies in most tropical countries, there are few data on these birds’ responses to climate change. Crucial remote sensing data are also becoming less available, as government satellites like Landsat age and as image distribution moves increasingly to the relatively expensive private sector.

”To effectively monitor the rate of change as warming progresses, especially in the species-rich tropics, we need a lot more data on birds’ distributions and on the speed and extent of birds’ elevational shifts in response to climate change,” Sekercioglu said.

Perhaps the most worrisome finding is that each additional degree of warming will have increasingly devastating effects. The authors estimate that an increase of 1 C from present temperatures will trigger roughly 100 bird extinctions. But if the global average temperature were to rise 5 C, from that point on an additional degree of warming, to 6 C, would be expected to cause 300 to 500 more bird extinctions.

”This emphasizes the importance of any measure that reduces surface warming, even if we cannot stop it altogether,” Sekercioglu said. ”Even a reduction of 1 degree can make a huge difference.”

”Giving up the fight against global warming would be the true disaster,” he added.

###

Stephen Schneider, the Melvin and Joan Lane Professor for
Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies, a senior fellow at
Stanford’s Woods Institute and a major contributor to the IPCC
reports, also was a co-author, along with John Fay and Scott Loarie
of Duke University.

The research was funded by the Christensen Fund, the Koret
Foundation, the Edward S. Moore Family Foundation and the Winslow
Foundation.
=================================================

Continue Reading »

Continue Reading »

EurekAlert!

American Institute of Biological Sciences
Public release date: 3-Dec-2007

Contact: Jennifer Williams
jwilliams@aibs.org
202-628-1500

Climate change predicted to drive trees northward
Ranges may decrease sharply if trees cannot disperse in altered conditions

The most extensive and detailed study to date of 130 North American tree species concludes that expected climate change this century could shift their ranges northward by hundreds of kilometers and shrink the ranges by more than half. The study, by Daniel W. McKenney of the Canadian Forest Service and his colleagues, is reported in the December issue of BioScience.

McKenney’s study is based on an extensive data-gathering effort and thus more comprehensive than studies based on published range maps. It includes data from Canada as well as from the United States. Observations of where trees are found are used to define the “climate envelope” of each species.

If the trees were assumed to respond to climate change by dispersing their progeny to more favorable locations, McKenney and colleagues found, ranges of the studied species would move northward by some 700 kilometers and decrease in size by an average of 12 percent (with some increasing while others decreased). If the species were assumed unable to disperse, the average expected range shift was 320 kilometers, and “drastic” range reductions of 58 percent were projected. The authors believe that most species will probably fall somewhere between these two extremes of ability to disperse.

The climate measures studied were chosen to represent important gradients for plants: heat and moisture. Two climate change scenarios were modeled. One assumed that carbon dioxide emissions would start to decrease during the coming century, the other that they would continue to increase. Each scenario was investigated with three well-known models of global climate, with broadly similar results. The authors note that their study investigated only a sample of the 700 or so tree species in North America, and that under climate change, new species might colonize the southern part of the continent from tropical regions. A companion article by the same authors provides more detail about their climate envelope method as applied to one species, the sugar maple.

###

BioScience is the monthly journal of the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS). BioScience publishes commentary and peer-reviewed articles covering a wide range of biological fields, with a focus on “Organisms from Molecules to the Environment.” The journal has been published since 1964. AIBS is an umbrella organization for professional scientific societies and organizations that are involved with biology. It represents some 200 member societies and organizations with a combined membership of about 250,000.

The complete list of research articles in the December 2007 issue of BioScience is as follows:

Beyond Traditional Hardiness Zones: Using Climate Envelopes to Map Plant Range Limits. Daniel W. McKenney, John H. Pedlar, Kevin Lawrence, Kathy Campbell, and Michael F. Hutchinson

Potential Impacts of Climate Change on the Distribution of North American Trees. Daniel W. McKenney, John H. Pedlar, Kevin Lawrence, Kathy Campbell, and Michael F. Hutchinson

The Role of Animal-derived Remedies as Complementary Medicines in Brazil. Rômulo R. N. Alves, Ierecê L. Rosa, and Gindomar G. Santana

The Beginning of a New Invasive Plant: A History of the Ornamental Callery Pear in the United States. Theresa M. Culley and Nicole A. Hardiman

Evaluating Existing and Emerging Connections among Interdisciplinary Researchers. Pamela Sankar, Nora L. Jones, and Jason Karlawish

Biodiversity Studies and Their Foundation in Taxonomic Scholarship. Joseph M. Raczkowski and John W. Wenzel

*
*
*Navajo Nation Council – Office of the Speaker** *
Contact: Joshua Lavar Butler, Public Information Officer
Phone: (928) 871-7160

joshualavarbutler@navajo.org
joshualavarbutler@yahoo.com
www.navajonationcouncil.org

November 30, 2007
*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:* * *
*Navajo Nation calls for ‘National and International Day of Prayer’ for San
Francisco Peaks on Dec. 11, 2007 ** *
*U.S. Court of Appeals to hear case in Pasadena, CA ** *
*WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. – *The Honorable Speaker Lawrence T. Morgan
(Iyanbito/Pinedale) is calling upon all people of the Navajo Nation, tribal
members of various tribes, and individuals who deeply respect our Mother
Earth to join us in a ‘National and International Day of Prayer’ for our
sacred mountain of the west, Doko’oosliid (The San Francisco Peaks), at 3:00
p.m. on Dec. 11, 2007.
The U.S. Court of Appeals will hold a legal review on behalf of the U.S.
Forest Service and ski resort in Pasadena, CA. The U.S. Court of Appeals
will reconsider the case and this means that they are being allowed to
continue to challenge our religious freedom, our environmental justice, and
our cultural survival as the First Americans.
It is very unfortunate that this case is being reconsidered. We will
continue to stand strong and unified to protect our religious and cultural
convictions to protect our sacred mountain of the west.
We will continue to practice what has sustained our ancestors from the past,
despite the many challenges that we face. We have been able to continue to
remain here as a people, because of the spiritual prayers of our ancestors.
Our prayers will assist us in this new challenge that is forth coming on
Dec. 11, 2007.
As leaders of the Navajo Nation, we understand that many of you are unable
to travel to this distant location. Therefore, we encourage you to remember
to pray for the continued protection of our sacred mountain to the west. We
must stand side-by-side like the ponderosa pines on Doko’oosliid, in prayer
to let others know that it is our right to advocate for the protection of
our sacred sites.
The Navajo Nation needs your support. We must continue to stand in
solidarity to address our sacred sites.
Our prayers will be heard as we unite in our continued efforts to protect
our Mother Earth. We thank you in advance for your participation in the
‘National and International Day of Prayer’ on behalf of our sacred mountain
to the west, Doko’oosliid.
For more information, contact Joshua Lavar Butler with the Office of the
Speaker at 928-871-6384.
- ### -

For more information on the issue visit www.savethepeaks.org

Prince Charles on deforestation & climate change:

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/10/prince_charles.php

Go figure!

American Institute of Physics www.aip.org

Physics Today
August 2003, page 30
http://www.aip.org/pt/vol-56/iss-8/p30.html

The Discovery of Rapid Climate Change

Only within the past decade have researchers warmed to the possibility of abrupt shifts in Earth’s climate. Sometimes, it takes a while to see what one is not prepared to look for.

Spencer Weart

How fast can our planet’s climate change? Too slowly for humans to notice, according to the firm belief of most scientists through much of the 20th century. Any shift of weather patterns, even the Dust Bowl droughts that devastated the Great Plains in the 1930s, was seen as a temporary local excursion. To be sure, the entire world climate could change radically: The ice ages proved that. But common sense held that such transformations could only creep in over tens of thousands of years.

In the 1950s, a few scientists found evidence that some of the great climate shifts in the past had taken only a few thousand years. During the 1960s and 1970s, other lines of research made it plausible that the global climate could shift radically within a few hundred years. In the 1980s and 1990s, further studies reduced the scale to the span of a single century. Today, there is evidence that severe change can take less than a decade. A committee of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) has called this reorientation in the thinking of scientists a veritable “paradigm shift.” The new paradigm of abrupt global climate change, the committee reported in 2002, “has been well established by research over the last decade, but this new thinking is little known and scarcely appreciated in the wider community of natural and social scientists and policymakers.”1

End of excerpts. For the full article,
http://www.aip.org/pt/vol-56/iss-8/p30.html
—————————————————————————————————

————————————————————————————
“Fueled by warm weather, ‘this infection kills steadily and slowly
over the course of summer,’ Green says.”

” ‘… this wicked-looking organism is very primitive’ and appears
to ‘phylogenetically sit at the spot where animals and fungi diverged.’ ”
—————————————————————————————–
Science News Online
Week of Nov. 24, 2007; Vol. 172, No. 21

Tadpole Slayer: Mystery epidemic imperils frogs
http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20071124/fob7.asp
Janet Raloff

From Alaska to Florida, a novel and yet-unnamed protozoan is knocking off tadpoles. Species vulnerable to “the beast” belong to the genus Rana, which includes leopard frogs, green frogs, and bullfrogs, says ecologist John C. Maerz.

His team at the University of Georgia in Athens stumbled across mass die-offs of southern leopard frog tadpoles in nearby ponds last year. Dissection showed the animals’ innards peppered with spherical, one-celled parasites. Genetic testing confirmed these are loosely related to Perkinsus, a disease-causing organism that affects marine shellfish.

Maerz’ group now offers the first published photos of the pathogen and descriptions of its effects in the September EcoHealth. Infected tadpoles become lethargic and developmentally stunted, the Georgia scientists report. Although the mystery parasite infects all organs, it clusters in the liver, sometimes tripling that organ’s size and giving the false impression that an animal is fat and robust. So many protozoa swamped and killed tissue in the liver of one sick tadpole, Maerz recalls, that throughout most of the organ “we could find no identifiable liver cells.”

He notes that his team did not discover the pathogen. It was first found by veterinary pathologist D. Earl Green of the National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wisc., part of the U.S. Geological Survey.

Since 1999, Green has quietly been recording a steady and growing incidence of the novel infection in frogs sent to his lab. All came from east of the Mississippi except for two outliers: frogs from Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula, several years ago, and one sample that he ran across 3 weeks ago from the West Coast.

Fueled by warm weather, “this infection kills steadily and slowly over the course of summer,” Green says. Although it targets tadpoles, there’s a chance that adults could also carry it and serve as amphibian Typhoid Marys.

When Green can steal a moment, he intends to publish his experiences with the pathogen-and name it. But that may require yet a bit more information on the shape of its mitochondria, explains Sanford H. Feldman of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, a collaborator on Green’s studies. Feldman says his work indicates that “this wicked-looking organism is very primitive” and appears to “phylogenetically sit at the spot where animals and fungi diverged.”

It’s one of only three infectious agents capable of causing large die-offs of amphibians-almost all of which are in decline the world over. To date, the new protozoan has been reported only in the United States, Green says, where it has emerged as the “principal threat” that could lead to extinction of the Mississippi gopher frog. This amphibian’s sole wild population breeds in only one infected pond, where for at least 4 years virtually all tadpoles have died.

If you have a comment on this article that you would like considered for publication in Science News, send it to editors@sciencenews.org. Please include your name and location.

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References:

Davis, A.K. . . . and J.C. Maerz. 2007. Discovery of a novel alveolate pathogen affecting southern leopard frogs in Georgia: Description of the disease and host effects. EcoHealth 4(September):310-317. Abstract available at
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10393-007-0115-3.

Green, D.E., S.H. Feldman, and J. Wimsatt. 2003. Emergence of a Perkinsus-like agent in anuran liver during die-offs of local populations: PCR detection and phylogenetic characterization. Proceedings of the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians 2003:120-121.

Further Readings:

Milius, S. 2000. Colossal study shows amphibian
woes. Science News 157(April 15):247. Available
at
http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20000415/fob8.asp.

______. 2000. New frog-killing disease may not be
so new. Science News 157(Feb. 26):247. Available
at
http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20000226/fob3.asp.

Raloff, J. 2005. Save the frogs. Science News
168(Oct. 1):222. Available to subscribers at
http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20051001/note16.asp.

______. 2005. Ozone saps toads’ immune systems.
Science News 167(Feb. 5):94. Available to
subscribers at
http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20050205/note15.asp.

______. 2002. More frog trouble: Herbicide may
emasculate wild males. Science News 162(Nov.
2):275. Available at
http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20021102/fob1.asp.

______. 1998. Common pesticide clobbers
amphibians. Science News 154(Sept. 5):150.
Available at
http://www.sciencenews.org/pages/sn_arc98/9_5_98/fob5.htm.

Sources:

Declining Amphibian Populations TaskForce
Web site: http://www.mnh.si.edu/biodiversity/daptf.htm

Sanford H. Feldman
Center for Comparative Medicine
University of Virginia
Information Technology and Communication
Box 800737
Charlottesville, VA 22908

D. Earl Green
Natinal Wildlife Health Center
U.S. Geological Survey
6006 Schroeder Road
Madison, WI 53711

John C. Maerz
D.B. Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources
University of Georgia
Athens, GA

http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20071124/fob7.asp

From Science News, Vol. 172, No. 21, Nov. 24, 2007, p. 325.

Copyright (c) 2007 Science Service. All rights reserved.

========================================

2004
“Montana is the most sensitive, with the models predicting a 5-fold increase in mean area burned over the observed range in climate, the authors write.”

“More frequent, more extensive fires in forest ecosystems will likely reduce the number and size of patches of older forests, the authors say. Corridors of wild areas between forests, through which species might migrate if their home territory goes up in flames, also could be affected, possibly eliminated.”

Science Daily Web address:

Modest Climate Change Could Lead To Substantially
More And Larger Fires ScienceDaily (Sep. 1, 2004)
——–
2006
“The increases in fire extent and frequency are…most pronounced for mid-elevation forests in the northern Rocky Mountains.”

“Lots of people think climate change and the ecological responses are 50 to 100 years away. But it’s not 50 to 100 years away–it’s happening now in forest ecosystems through fire.”

“The researchers found that 56 percent of the wildfires and 72 percent of the total area burned occurred in early snowmelt years. By contrast, years when snowmelt happened much later than average had only 11 percent of the wildfires and 4 percent of the total area burned.”

ScienceDaily Web address:
060710084004.htm>
More Large Forest Fires Linked To Climate Change ScienceDaily (Jul. 10, 2006)

========================================

Tuesday, November 20, 2007
WILDLIFE: Warm weather causing conflicts between bears and people (11/20/2007)

Higher-than-normal temperatures in the Western states are being blamed for increased bear activity and conflicts with people. Wildlife managers say 59 bears in Colorado alone have been put down this year due to a berry-killing drought and a late spring freeze that has forced bears into increased confrontations with humans. The previous record number of nuisance bears killed in Colorado was 55, in 2002.

Other Western states like Alaska, Idaho, Montana and Nevada also have experienced increased conflicts. An 11-year-old boy was killed by a bear at a Utah campground in June.

With temperatures as high as 10 degrees above normal, many bears are trolling cities for food rather than settling into their winter dens. “If we get a good blast of snow here it would put an end to it for this year,” said Tyler Baskfield, spokesman for the Colorado Division of Wildlife, who added that most bears already have entered hibernation. Wildlife managers in Colorado will meet in January to examine areas where the most confrontations occur and determine whether specific measures need to be taken to reduce conflicts, including an increase of fall hunting licenses for bears.

The Colorado Wildlife Commission will decide what to do in March (Robert Weller,
AP/Anchorage
Daily News, Nov. 19). –
========================================

———————-
“If the Forest Service wants to retool regional wildlife rules, it
must initiate a formal environmental and public review process,” said
McKinnon. “The law simply doesn’t allow the agency to make unilateral
changes.”
——————————–

For Immediate Release, November 27, 2007

Contact: Taylor McKinnon, Center for Biological Diversity, (928) 310-6713

Forest Service Weakens Wildlife Rules Behind Closed Doors;
Rare Goshawk, Millions of Acres in Arizona and New Mexico Forests Threatened

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.- Records obtained by the Center for Biological Diversity confirm that the U.S. Forest Service excluded wildlife agencies from the development of controversial new wildlife rules and ignored feedback from non-Forest Service biologists.

“The Forest Service actively ignored criticisms from state biologists and unilaterally changed the rules behind closed doors,” said Taylor McKinnon of the Center for Biological Diversity. “It failed to disclose those criticisms in Freedom of Information Act requests.”

Responding to two Freedom of Information Act requests by the Center, the Forest Service claims that it neither offered nor received feedback on draft copies of the rule from state and federal wildlife agencies. But records obtained through requests to Arizona’s Game and Fish Department contradict Forest Service claims. Those records show that state biologists repeatedly expressed concerns to the Forest Service over the new rules’ impact on wildlife.

The new rules substantially change a 1996 rule governing forest management in all Arizona and New Mexico national forests – a rule that protects northern goshawks and their prey from logging. The previous rules, known as the Goshawk Guidelines, were developed in response to Center litigation and affect the vast majority of ponderosa pine and mixed-conifer forest in the Southwest.

The new guidelines would reduce the overall amount of forest cover retained and would increase the amount of large trees and mature forest that can be logged. The new guidelines can reduce forest-cover requirements to as little as 10 percent when measured according to the previous rules’ methods.

“We have grave concerns about the consequences of the new rules for forest wildlife on a regional scale,” said McKinnon.

Pointing to the 1996 rule, which resulted from an extensive public and environmental review, conservationists assert that the Forest Service violated the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Forest Management Act when it modified the old rules without a similar analysis.

“If the Forest Service wants to retool regional wildlife rules, it must initiate a formal environmental and public review process,” said McKinnon. “The law simply doesn’t allow the agency to make unilateral changes.”

The Forest Service’s dictatorial approach marks a sharp departure in regional forest politics, where collaboration and cooperation have replaced animosity and stalemate in efforts to restore the region’s degraded forests – as evidenced by broad participation in, and support for, the White Mountains Stewardship Contract, New Mexico’s Collaborative Forest Restoration Program, the Arizona Forest Restoration Strategy, and New Mexico’s Watershed Restoration Plan.

“By altering the entire forest management framework in Arizona and New Mexico behind closed doors, the Forest Service threatens the delicate agreement that has emerged for restoring the region’s degraded ponderosa pine forests,” said McKinnon. “The new rules deliver a big hit to that spirit of cooperation.”

“Careful efforts that thin small trees and safely restore natural fire in ponderosa forests will continue to enjoy active support from the conservation community,” said McKinnon, “but increasing large-tree logging at the cost of wildlife, as the new guidelines do, will meet with staunch opposition.”

Following their finalization, the Forest Service unveiled the new rules to the public and sister agencies at a workshop in June.

Last week the Center for Biological Diversity won several objection counts against the Southwest’s first forest-management project to explicitly implement the new guidelines, the Jack Smith/Schultz project northeast of Flagstaff. See that press release here.

——————————————————————————————-

—————————————————————————————————
” … they showed that when grain prices reached
a certain level, wars erupted.”
—————————————-

Georgia Institute of Technology Research News
Public release date: 21-Nov-2007

Contact: Abby Vogel
avogel@gatech.edu
404-385-3364

New research shows climate change triggers wars and population decline
Reduced agricultural productivity seems to initiate conflict

Climate change may be one of the most significant threats facing humankind. A new study shows that long-term climate change may ultimately lead to wars and population decline.

The study, published November 19 in the early edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), revealed that as temperatures decreased centuries ago during a period called the Little Ice Age, the number of wars increased, famine occurred and the population declined.

Data on past climates may help accurately predict and design strategies for future large and persistent climate changes, but acknowledging the historic social impact of these severe events is an important step toward that goal, according to the study’s authors.

“Even though temperatures are increasing now, the same resulting conflicts may occur since we still greatly depend on the land as our food source,” said Peter Brecke, associate professor in the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Sam Nunn School of International Affairs and co-author of the study.

This new study expands previous work by David Zhang of the University of Hong Kong and lead author of the study.

“My previous research just focused on Eastern China. This current study covers a much larger spatial area and the conclusions from the current research could be considered general principles,” said Zhang.

Brecke, Zhang and colleagues in Hong Kong, China and the United Kingdom perceived a possible connection between temperature change and wars because changes in climate affect water supplies, growing seasons and land fertility, prompting food shortages. These shortages could lead to conflict – local uprisings, government destabilization and invasions from neighboring regions – and population decline due to bloodshed during the wars and starvation.

To study whether changes in temperature affected the number of wars, the researchers examined the time period between 1400 and 1900. This period recorded the lowest average global temperatures around 1450, 1650 and 1820, each separated by slight warming intervals.

The researchers collected war data from multiple sources, including a database of 4,500 wars worldwide that Brecke began developing in 1995 with funding from the U.S. Institute of Peace. They also used climate change records that paleoclimatologists reconstructed by consulting historical documents and examining indicators of temperature change like tree rings, as well as oxygen isotopes in ice cores and coral skeletons.

Results showed a cyclic pattern of turbulent periods when temperatures were low followed by tranquil ones when temperatures were higher. The number of wars per year worldwide during cold centuries was almost twice that of the mild 18th century.

The study also showed population declines following each high war peak, according to population data Brecke assembled. The population growth rate of the Northern Hemisphere was elevated from 1400-1600, despite a short cooling period beginning in the middle of the 15th century. However, during the colder 17th century, Europe and Asia experienced more wars of great magnitude and population declines.

In China, the population plummeted 43 percent between 1620 and 1650. Then, a dramatic increase in population occurred from 1650 until a cooling period beginning in 1800 caused a worldwide demographic shock.

The researchers examined whether these average temperature differences of less than one degree Celsius were enough to cause food shortages. By assuming that agricultural production decreases triggered price increases, they showed that when grain prices reached a certain level, wars erupted. The ecological stress on agricultural production triggered by climate change did in fact induce population shrinkages, according to Brecke.

Global temperatures are expected to rise in the future and the world’s growing population may be unable to adequately adapt to the ecological changes, according to Brecke.

“The warmer temperatures are probably good for a while, but beyond some level plants will be stressed,” explained Brecke. “With more droughts and a rapidly growing population, it is going to get harder and harder to provide food for everyone and thus we should not be surprised to see more instances of starvation and probably more cases of hungry people clashing over scarce food and water.”

————————————————————————————————–

THE LONGEST WALK 30TH ANNIVERSARY.
FEBRUARY 11- JUNE 11, 2008.
TWO ROUTES TO GO FROM S.F. ­ D.C.
ALL ARE WELCOME!
HEALERS ARE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE FIRST AID STATION TO SUPPORT
THE WALKERS OVER 4,000 MILES ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
DONATIONS ARE NEEDED.

GREETINGS FROM THE LONGEST WALK II MEDICAL COMMITTEE. We take this opportunity to invite you to be part of an historic event. The Longest Walk 2008 will commemorate the 30th anniversary of the original The Longest Walk 1978, which resulted in historic changes for Native America and for our environment. To honor that achievement, TWO great walks are taking place ­a central and a southern route across the country. The purpose of The Longest Walk of 2008 is to raise awareness of the current state of global warming and it’s effects on our world environment & to protect sacred sites. We shall walk for the Seventh Generation, for our youth, for peace, for justice, for healing of Mother Earth, for the healing of our people suffering from diabetes, heart conditions, alcoholism, drug addiction, and other diseases.

THIS TIME AROUND ORGANIZERS ARE PUTTING TOGETHER WELLNESS & FIRST AID STATIONS to support the walkers along the entire route. Our mission for the wellness & first aid station is simply to provide preventative care tips and medical support to the walkers along the way. The first aid station will have a rotating group of volunteers, coordinated by an experienced health care practitioner. We will use a vehicle & other improvised space to provide care to walkers along the five-month journey.

HEALERS WELCOME! The mobile first aid & wellness center invites all kinds of healers & health-care providers to join the walk to share their healing skills with other walkers: those with first aid training, massage therapists, acupuncturists, traditional practitioners, herbalists, EMTs, physical therapists, nurses, doctors, mental health practitioners and more. All people working with the wellness & first aid station are asked to follow a code of ethics: Do no harm; Respect every individuals right to self determination; Work to learn how to share your healing skill in a non-oppressive manner; and Commit to the stated goals of the Longest Walk 2 with respect for Native American leadership. If you have medical skills please tell us a little bit about who you are, your experience and what skill you would feel comfortable sharing.

THE WALKERS NEED FOOD, MEDICAL AND OTHER SUPPLIES FOR THE 4,400 WALK ACROSS THE COUNTRY. Medical supplies that are needed range from herbal medicines, an assortment of bandages, blankets, pillows with waterproof covers, sheets, and other various supplies. The first aid stations also need the use of vehicles, preferably for the entire walk but any portion of the walk will be helpful. Although a hatch-back vehicle would do, a van or bus is ideal for a wonderful mobile first aid station to store supplies at least. Other donations besides medical are needed, such as food and gas money. See our wish list at www.longestwalk.org & contact us for further details.

DONATIONS ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE. It is a monumental undertaking to move
as many as 1,500 dedicated people across the country. Nightly we will be holding community events, sharing our message and our knowledge. The Longest Walk is funded 100% by financial contributions that come from benefits, and from sponsors who encourage our work and believe in our message. In order For The Longest Walk 2008 to be a success, we encourage you to lend your support.

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT US with any question, large or small or for any additional info at LW08MEDICAL@gmail.com by phone at (831) 295-2555 for Aislyn Colgan or (510)-390-5017 for Dixie Block. For further info:

www.longestwalk.org

“Let those who doubt, hear our pledge. Let those who believe, join our ranks. As we walk the final miles, by our side will be elders, families, children, people of all races, from many walks of life, the old and the new America. All Life is Sacred, Clean Up Mother Earth!”
~Longest Walk II Organizers.

Sincerely, The Longest Walk II Medical Team
~ Aislyn Colgan, Greta Montagne, Dixie Block, & Pam Richards

Alert! Alert! Alert!

We need to take a stand against U.S. and corporate destruction of indigenous
lands and spiritual areas NOW. Using laws which continue to stem from the
“doctrine of discovery” – where indigenous peoples were claimed to be
“savages”, “pagans”, and “childlike” in nature, the United States continues
to claim vast areas of native lands as “federal” or “public” lands – denying
Indigenous Nations, like the Western Shoshone, the right to make decisions
about the types of activities allowed in their traditional territories.
Since the days of Columbus, the companies and a pack of elites have been
profiting immensely from this fundamental discrimination against the
original peoples of this land we call the United States.

The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has
told the United States to stop any new mine permitting on Shoshone lands -
and the corporate entities – in particular Canadian-based Barrick and
U.S.-based Newmont Mining have been told to respect Western Shoshone rights
and stay away from mining in spiritual areas. Have they listened? No -
mining expansions on Shoshone lands are on the rise again affecting burial
areas, spiritual sites, cultural resources, water, wildlife and the natural
environment. When will the greed for gold end – and what is the cost of
this insatiable hunger to all of us? The latest expansion proposal by
Barrick Gold and Kennecott (Australian-based) – ironically named the
“Cortez” project targets an area which is the home of local Shoshone
creation stories and extreme spiritual and cultural significance, Mt.
Tenabo. Coincidentally, the mining industry has also discovered an immense
deposit of gold in the area.

We need to say no – Help us protect this area on Western Shoshone lands from
gold mining! The deadline for comments is coming quickly, please do one of
three things:

1. Sign the online e petition with Oxfam America (Please
sign
the petition today!)
2. Send in your own letter by email, fax or mail- key talking points
below
3. Sign and send in a postcard – attached.

If you want to do more, forward this email to others to take action now AND
take the postcards or the information to meetings, events, etc. to
distribute to your friends, colleagues and others.

PLEASE TAKE ACTION TODAY – What do we have to give thanks for in this
“Holiday” season if we don’t stand alongside the first peoples of the land
in their struggle to protect traditional territories???

Questions – need more info? Contact the Western Shoshone Defense Project at
wsdp@igc.org – 775-744-2565.

Action Alert – Mt. Tenabo in Jeopardy
December 21st deadline for comments

Mt. Tenabo and the surrounding environs are again under attack from gold
mining. It is critical now for the Bureau of Land Management to hear the
strength of opposition for this mine; see talking points and how to send
your comments and concerns below.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has released a draft Environmental Impact
Statement, dEIS, which reviews the proposal by Cortez Gold Mines, a
subsidiary of Barrrick Gold Mining Co., to conduct new gold mining
operations at the south end of Crescent Valley in central Nevada. The
Project, although termed as an “expansion” of the existing Pipeline and
Cortez mines, is really a new gold mine complex. It would be located on the
slopes of Mt. Tenabo, a mountain sacred to the Western Shoshone Indians, who
have lived in the area since time immemorial. This mine would:

* Disturb (devastate) 6,792 acres of land, including a heap leach and
waste rock facilities covering much of the Horse Canyon pass just south of
Tenabo, and extending east into Grass Valley
* Blast the new Cortez Hills mine pit approximately 8,900 feet in
length, 6,400 feet in width, and a maximun depth of 2,200 feet
* The pit would be within a few hundred feet of the White Cliffs at
the base of Mt. Tenabo
* Expand an underground mine with a horizontal extent of 1,000 feet
wide by 5,000 feet long
* Pump groundwater from around the pit with an average dewatering rate
of approximately 1.8 billion gallons per year for ten years to keep it dry
for mining
* Create a drop in the water table of 1,600 feet surrounding the pit,
decreasing to 10 feet at 3-4 mile radius of the pit
* Potentially impact the 50 springs and seeps in the project area with
28 in the Horse Canyon area; however, according to the BLM draft analysis
none of the 28 springs are expected to be impacted
* A pit lake will result after mining is completed with an eventual
depth of about 1,000 feet, and according to the BLM draft analysis of
acceptable water quality
* Of the 11 non-Cortex Gold Mine water rights, only one is expected to
recover fully within 100 years after dewatering ceases

It is important to keep in mind that the results of the environmental
analysis presented by the BLM are only estimates. In many mines across
Nevada and elsewhere predicted and actual impacts have varied substantially.
Thus, being critical and skeptical of anticipated impacts is essential to a
good review of this project.

The permanent impact to the cultural and spiritual practices of the Western
Shoshone is undeniable. Mt. Tenabo has been, and continues to be, used by
Western Shoshone people as a central part of their religious practices and
world view. Western Shoshone visit the mountain and the valley below (the
location of the mine pit) for prayer ceremonies, gathering of sacred plants,
fasting, and vision quests, among other uses. The Mountain also contains
Western Shoshone gravesites. All of these values and uses will be destroyed
by the Project. In addition, the massive pumping of groundwater will
dewater sacred springs and streams on and around Mt. Tenabo.

From the draft EIS, “Although not quantifiable, the project area and the
region surrounding the project area have been home to local Indian groups
for centuries, and the resources in the area, the value placed on those
resources, and potential effects to those resources are intertwined with the
culture of local Indian tribes more so than any other population in close
proximity to the project area.”

There is no need for another gold mine in Nevada, especially one that will
destroy such invaluable resources. The BLM has never denied a big mining
project in Nevada. This is one BLM must deny.

In Summary:

* The BLM has ample authority to deny this Project, as it will cause
“undue degradation” of religious, cultural and environmental values.
* The Project will permanently and irreparably destroy current and
future religious practices and values of Western Shoshone people.
* The BLM should prevent any impacts to area springs, waterholes and
streams from dewatering.
* The Draft EIS fails to fully review impacts to these and other
critical resources and should be re-done.

How to take action

The BLM’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement is online at:
http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/battle_mountain_field/blm_information/nationa
l_environmental/cortez_hills_expansion.html.

If you write a postcard or letter to BLM, mail it to:

U.S. Bureau of Land Management
Battle Mountain Field Office
Attn: Steve Drummond, Cortez Hills Project Manager
50 Bastian Road
Battle Mountain, NV 89820

If you send an email, it must be emailed before December 21st – email it
today!

stephen_drummond@nv.blm.gov

Sign the online petition with Oxfam America – (see below)

Background on Mt. Tenabo

Mt. Tenabo is located in central Nevada, approximately 20 miles south and a
little west of the town of Crescent Valley. It stands at the intersection
of three valleys, a familiar land mark along major Newe trails, one coming
up Grass Valley from the south and another coming from the west through
Carico Lake Valley and Reese River Valley.

It is an area is an enormously rich cultural and spiritual locus for the
Western Shoshone people since time immemorial. Mt Tenabo Is a significant
landmark on an important north south trail, Dinabo is a place of food and
medicine gathering, a place for refuge and spiritual guidance, a place whose
springs feed the wildlife that feed the people.

Mt. Tenabo is located in central Nevada, approximately 20 miles south and a
little west of the town of Crescent Valley. It stands at the intersection
of three valleys, a familiar land mark along major Newe trails, one coming
up Grass Valley from the south and another coming from the west through
Carico Lake Valley and Reese River Valley.

There is abundant archaeological evidence of Newe occupation since
“prehistoric” times, this evidence of Newe occupation extends through the
historic mining period from 1863 to the 1940’s, with several historic camps
documented containing both grinding stones and more modern “trash.” A map
of Nevada from the late 1860’s identifies the area of Cortez as Shoshone
wells, and the natural spring at this site was later developed by Chinese
workers, whose camp was adjacent to this area. Another Chinese camp is
buried beneath arsenic laden tailings near the Cortez ghost town.

Like all mountains it catches the clouds whose snow and rain feed the
groundwater table and various creeks and streams. The sole spring at
Shoshone wells is the only water source on the west side but several creeks
flow off of its east side into Pine Valley including Horse Canyon creek,
Willow Creek and Four Mile Canyon Creek (flowing off of Mt Tenabo’s unnamed
neighbor to the east). Medicine and food plants are found around the
mountain and include doza, Indian tobacco, water cress, and yomba. Plants
also provide for abundant wildlife including mule dear (over a dozen of
which came within a 1/4 mile of the Shoshone camp during the April 2003
Spring Gathering.) ya-ha, rabbits, bobcats, mountain lions, and many species
of hawks, eagles and birds. An active sage hen (hucha) dancing ground (lek)
is on the eastern flank of the mountain and I believe there is another in
Grass Valley towards Mt Tenabo’s southern end.

Pinion trees and juniper have long been sources of food, fuel and medicine
for the Newe. Pine trees close to the “Shoshone well” are known to local
Shoshone as a place where pitch was gathered to waterproof baskets and for
other uses. Gathering of these things by local Newe continues to the
present day. Hunting, trapping, and gathering of food and medicine occur
throughout the area of Mt Tenabo. Pine forests around the mountain were
almost entirely cut down in the 1870’s to make charcoal for the mine
smelters, but historic miners burrowed underground with shafts, leaving the
soil covering the ground intact. Over time mother earth healed the damage
and the pinion forest has grown back and matured. What will the trees grow
on if the new mine is created?

When Cortez proposed a new mine in the early 1990’s, the Danns and the
Western Shoshone Defense Project (WSDP) opposed this because of both the
unresolved land title issue and the fact that this mine would require
dewatering, threatening the most precious resource out there, the water. In
order to operate, the Pipeline mine must drop the water table over 800 ft at
the mine site, pumping anywhere from 20,000 to 30,000 gallons of water per
minute, 24 hours a day from wells over 1000 feet deep. This deep groundwater
meets drinking water quality standards, with slightly elevated levels of
fluoride as it is warm geothermal water. The mine then pumps it to a series
of shallow ponds and trenches laid out in an arc several miles from the mine
where it soaks this water back into the valley floor. Unfortunately the
soil in the valley floor is full of salts, leftover from the evaporation of
inland lakes and seas. When the clean water is filtered through the salty
soils it is contaminated and no longer meets drinking water standards when
it reaches the water table. The WSDP and its allies in Great Basin Mine
Watch predicted this would happen, but the State and the BLM have allowed it
to continue to this very day.

In addition to water contamination as a result of dewatering, we continue to
be concerned that pumping at the Pipeline mine is affecting groundwater in
the Cortez mountains. Computer modeling done by Cortez indicated that there
would be no waters affected by the pumping farther then a few miles from the
mine site, no surface springs of creeks were predicted to be affected.
However as soon as the pumps were turned on at Pipeline in September 1996,
the old pit lake 7 miles across the valley at the older Cortez mine began to
dry out until finally disappearing after remaining at a static level for a
decade. Initial studies indicated the water table in the bedrock around
Cortez was dropping. The WSDP and Minewatch pressured the BLM and mine to
look into this. Cortez commissioned a study in 1998 to study this. Its
conclusion was that pumping at Pipeline might be affecting the water table
but it was one of several different scenarios the report discussed. Its
final conclusion was that they needed a lot more data to understand what was
going on. A followup study conducted in 1999 reached the same conclusion
that they needed more information. Unfortunately we know of no additional
studies after 1999. This is especially important because in analyzing the
impacts of the Pipeline Mine, the BLM relied upon these models to state that
no surface waters and especially the springs around the flanks of Mt Tenabo
and its adjacent mountains would not be affected by the pumping. If indeed
the pumping is draining the bedrock in the Cortez mountains, that means many
springs and creeks are at risk and that their computer model was fatally
flawed. Of course this would be inconvenient information for Cortez so it
is no surprise that aren’t looking for the answers.

Western Shoshone Defense Project

So-Ho-Bi (South Fork) office:
775-744-2565 (fax and phone)

Main office:
P.O. Box 211308
Crescent Valley, NV 89821
Newe Sogobi
775-468-0230
775-468-0237 (fax)

November 28, 2007

Dear ,

Help
Protect Native American Lands!

The US Bureau of Land Management is currently reviewing a proposal to expand
the Cortez Hills Project. If approved, it would be one of the country’s
largest gold mines. The project would disturb over 6,500 acres of public
land-all of which are considered traditional lands by the Western Shoshone.
We urgently need your help to convince the US government to deny this
proposal.

Click
here to sign our petition calling on the US government to deny further
mining on traditional lands.

The entire area lies within Western Shoshone boundaries of the 1863 Treaty
of Ruby Valley, which recognized Shoshone rights to this land. The area
includes Mount Tenabo, an extremely significant spiritual and cultural area
to the Western Shoshone. Many Shoshone have long expressed deep concerns and
outright opposition to any further exploration on their lands, without their
free, prior, and informed consent. The US Bureau of Land Management is
currently taking comments on this proposal until Dec. 4. We are calling on
our supporters to join with us in signing the petition urging the bureau to
reject this proposal.

Please sign the petition today!

Thank you for standing with Oxfam and the Western Shoshone.

Sincerely,

gif>

Tim Fullerton
Oxfam America
Please Forward Widely~
—————————————————————————————————-

From: Les Malezer [mailto:les.malezer@gmail.com]
Sent: Saturday, November 24, 2007 3:47 AM
To:
Subject: Australia’s racist government is ousted!!!!

I am pleased to inform you of good news in Australia.

There has been a change of government with the incoming government pledging
to support the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

We are devising a proposal for the most effective way for government to
announce the change in position at the national and international level. We
hope to have action on 10 December, the International Day for Human Rights.

I will update you on developments as soon as concrete plans are made.

In the meantime please consider these two matters:

(1) Writing to the Prime Minister of Australia, urging that the government
play a leadership role in promoting the rights of Indigenous Peoples at the
international level. The address would be:

The Rt Hon Kevin Rudd
Prime Minister of Australia
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Australia

[If you send copies of your correspondence to me, via email, we will be able
to keep account of the representations, and take follow-up action.]

(2) Seeking support from the Australian Ambassadors to UN, by sponsoring and
otherwise supporting resolutions on Indigenous Rights.

I will keep you informed of developments in the policies of the Australian
Government. We have our own plans at the domestic level to raise the levels
of understanding and commitment to Indigenous rights.

In the meantime we are celebrating the end of 11 years of extreme racist and
facist government. The historical element of this election is that the
former Prime Minister, John Howard, is likely to lose his seat in the
parliament, thus making him only the second Prime Minister in Australia to
lose his seat whilst in office. The first was Stanley Bruce in 1929.

regards,

Les Malezer
———————-

Les Malezer
Chairman
FAIRA
PO Box 8402
Woolloongabba Qld 4102
AUSTRALIA

Mobile: +61 419 710 720
Tel: +61 7 33914677
Skype: +61 7 31030383
Fax: +61 7 33914551

Email: les.malezer@faira.org.au
http://www.faira.org.au
http://homepage.mac.com/les.malezer/
————————————————————————————

Don’t worry about global “warming,” rapid climate change is all the buzz
now.

——– Original Message ——–
** Experts warn of ‘abrupt’ warming **
A UN panel agrees a landmark report on tackling climate change, warning
of “abrupt and irreversible” impacts.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/2/hi/science/nature/7098902.stm

Continue Reading »

National Day of Action Against Coal Report
Cascadia Rising Tide
Contact: stephanie@RisingTideNorthAmerica.org
From: http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2007/11/369033.shtml

Cascadia Rising Tide Hosted an Anti-Coal Dance Party In Downtown Portland for the National Day of Action Against Coal On November 17th, local climate activists participated in a National Day of Action against coal by calling on Bank of America to stop funding the leading cause of global warming in the United States: coal.

“Coal has got to go if we’re going to solve the climate crisis,” said Elliot Cheifetz of Cascadia Rising Tide. “Citi and Bank of America talk a good game about environmental responsibility, but they’re
contributing billions of dollars to the single worst thing we could be doing.”

Approximately 30 people came out to get down and funky while hanging banners, convincing customers to cancel their accounts, and educate passer-bys about these atrocities. They held a dance party/rally to oppose the funding and building of new coal-fired power plants, and to raise awareness about the extremely destructive effects of the coal industry which include: Continue Reading »

By Skyler Simmons

Yep, for any of you who were still under the illusion that the Democrats might actually do something useful in regards to climate change, don’t get your hopes up. The most recent Democratic presidential debate on Nov 15 was sponsored by, among other climate criminals, our wonderful friends in the coal industry. Americas Power a new front group for the dirty coal industry had its logo prominently displayed on a full page ad in the New York Times for the most recent round of Democratic debates.

Using the slogan “Clean Coal, Americas Power” this corporate greenwash group counts among it members a laundry list of the worst polluters in the US including Duke Energy, Peabody Coal, and American Electric Power, all of whom are currently attempting to build new coal plants using old dirty technology. Not to mention Arch Coal and Massey Energy two of the largest coal companies responsible for the destructive practice known as mountaintop removal mining. Americas Power’s goals appear to be:

- Expand coal production by using government-funded technology to convert coal to vehicle fuels, thereby producing twice as much global warming pollution as gas production, and consuming huge amounts of water to boot.
- Crank out as many new power plants as possible before limits on greenhouse gas pollution take effect. Nearly 150 coal-fired power plants are already on the drawing board.
- Delay and weaken any limits on CO2 pollution, even though scientists tell us we need a 90% reduction by 2050.
- Maintain the destructive practice of mountaintop removal coal mining.

Once again the coal industry is trying to paint itself as a clean industry, while continuing business as usual. Clean coal is an oxymoron. From mining to burning the coal industry is responsible for countless environmental and human rights atrocities. In the meantime the Democratic Party appears to be embracing the coal industry, which if not curtailed will surely push us passed the tipping point of catastrophic climate change.

The sponsorship of the Democratic Party by the coal industry is yet another reason why we must look beyond electoral politics to solve the climate crisis. It is clear that both parties are in the pockets of corporations and only a grassroots movement organizing for people’s power, not corrupt political organizations, will be effective in bringing about the changes we need in the face of climate change.

Continue Reading »

Continue Reading »

EurekAlert! AAAS

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
Public release date: 15-Nov-2007

Contact: Lynn Chandler
lynn.chandler-1@nasa.gov
301-286-2806

Forests damaged by Hurricane Katrina become major carbon source

With the help of NASA satellite data, a research team has estimated that Hurricane Katrina killed or severely damaged 320 million large trees in Gulf Coast forests, which weakened the role the forests play in storing carbon from the atmosphere. The damage has led to these forests releasing large quantities of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.

The August 2005 hurricane affected five million acres of forest across Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama, with damage ranging from downed trees, snapped trunks and broken limbs to stripped leaves.

Young growing forests play a vital role in removing carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, from the atmosphere by photosynthesis, and are thus important in slowing a warming climate. An event that kills a great number of trees can temporarily reduce photosynthesis, the process by which carbon is stored in plants. More importantly, all the dead wood will be consumed by decomposers, resulting in a large carbon dioxide release to the atmosphere as the ecosystem exhales it as forest waste product. The team’s findings were published Nov. 15 in the journal Science.

“The loss of so many trees will cause these forests to be a net source of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere for years to come,” said the study’s lead author Jeffrey Chambers, a biologist at Tulane University in New Orleans, La. “If, as many believe, a warming climate causes a rise in the intensity of extreme events like Hurricane Katrina, we’re likely to see an increase in tree mortality, resulting in an elevated release of carbon by impacted forest ecosystems.”

Young forests are valued as carbon sinks, which remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in growing vegetation and soils. In the aftermath of a storm as intense as Katrina, vegetation killed by the storm decomposes over time, reversing the carbon storage process, making the forest a carbon source.

“The carbon cycle is intimately linked to just about everything we do, from energy use to food and timber production and consumption,” said Chambers. “As more and more carbon is released to the atmosphere by human activities, the climate warms, triggering an intensification of the global water cycle that produces more powerful storms, leading to destruction of more trees, which then act to amplify climate warming.”

Chambers and colleagues from the University of New Hampshire in Durham, N.H., studied Landsat 5 satellite data captured before and after Hurricane Katrina to pull together a reliable field sampling of tree deaths across the entire range of forests affected by Katrina. They found that some forests were heavily damaged while others like the cypress-tupelo swamp forests fared remarkably well.

The NASA-built Landsat 5, part of the Landsat series of Earth-observing satellites, takes detailed images of the Earth’s surface. Chambers combined results from the Landsat image sampling with data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer instrument on NASA’s Terra satellite to estimate the size of the entire forested area affected by Katrina. The instrument can detect minute changes in the color spectrum on the land below, enabling it to measure differences in the percentage of live and dead vegetation. This helps researchers improve their estimates of changes in carbon storage and improves their ability to track the location of carbon sinks and sources.

The field samples and satellite images, along with results from computer models that simulate the kind of vegetation and other traits that make up the forests, were used to measure the total tree loss the hurricane inflicted. The scientists then calculated total carbon losses to be equivalent to 60-100 percent of the net annual carbon sink in U.S. forest trees.

“It is surprising to learn that one extreme event can release nearly as much carbon to the atmosphere as all U.S. forests can store in an average year,” said Diane Wickland, manager of the Terrestrial Ecology Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Satellite data enabled Chambers’ research team to pin down the extent of tree damage so that we now know how these kinds of severe storms affect the carbon cycle and our atmosphere. Satellite technology has really proven its worth in helping researchers like Chambers assess important changes in our planet’s carbon cycle.”

###

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hurricanes/archives/2007/katrina_carbon.html

Written by:
Gretchen Cook-Anderson
Goddard Space Flight Center
========================================

Continue Reading »

13/11/2007

Primary rain forest is irreplaceable

As world leaders prepare to discuss conservation-friendly carbon credits in Bali and a regional initiative threatens a new wave of deforestation in the South American tropics, new research from the University of East Anglia and Brazil’s Goeldi Museum highlights once again the irreplaceable importance of primary rain forest.

Working in the north-eastern Brazilian Amazon the international team of scientists undertook the single-largest assessment of the biodiversity conservation value of primary, secondary and plantation forests ever conducted in the humid tropics. The study was partly funded by the UK Government’s Darwin Initiative and their findings are reported in the latest edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Over an area larger than Wales, the UEA and museum researchers surveyed five primary rain forest sites, five areas of natural secondary forest and five areas planted with fast-growing exotic trees (Eucalyptus), to evaluate patterns of biodiversity.

Following an intensive effort of more than 20,000 scientist hours in the field and laboratory, they collected data on the distribution of 15 different groups of animals (vertebrates and invertebrates) and woody plants, including well-studied groups such as monkeys, butterflies and amphibians and also more obscure species such as fruit flies, orchid bees and grasshoppers.

“We know that different species often exhibit different responses to deforestation and so we sought to understand the consequences of land-use change for as many species as possible,” said Dr Jos Barlow, a former post-doctoral researcher at UEA.

At least a quarter of all species were never found outside native primary forest habitat – and the team acknowledges that this is an underestimate. “Our study should be seen as a best-case scenario, as all our forests were relatively close to large areas of primary forests, providing ample sources for recolonisation,” said Dr Barlow.

“Many plantations and regenerating forests along the deforestation frontiers in South America and south-east Asia are much further from primary forests, and wildlife may be unable to recolonise in these areas.

“Furthermore, the percentage of species restricted to primary forest habitat was much higher (40-60%) for groups such as birds and trees, where we were able to sample the canopy species as well as those that live in the forest under-storey.”

These results clearly demonstrate the unique value of undisturbed tropical forests for wildlife conservation. However, they also show that secondary forests and plantations offer some wildlife benefits and can host many species that would be unable to survive in intensive agricultural landscapes such as cattle ranching or soybean plantations.

“Although the protection of large areas of primary forest is vital for native biodiversity conservation, reforestation projects can play an important supplementary role in efforts to boost population sizes of forest species and manage vast working landscapes that have already been heavily modified by human-use” explained Dr Carlos Peres, who leads the UEA team.

But, when carbon-credits from Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDDS) are tabled for the first time at the Bali meeting next month, decision makers should beware of seeing fast-growing exotics such as eucalyptus as a carbon sink solution to the world’s emissions problems. If agreed upon by world leaders REDDs offer an extraordinary opportunity to generate funds to support the long-term protection of large areas of intact forest habitat

Pristine forests are home to over half of all terrestrial species in the world and their loss would impoverish the planet. Far better to save primary forest from deforestation in the first place,” added Dr Peres. “That way we maximize both the biodiversity and carbon value of whole landscapes.”

For years now, skeptics have tried to blame all global heating on variations in solar output. And, yes, fluctuations of solar output can make a real difference.

But the real story here is that we’ve made increases in solar output more dangerous than ever before because, now, they will come in addition to heating that we’ve forced upon ourselves by our consumption of fossil fuels and forests.

Lance Olsen

——————————————
University of Colorado at Boulder
Public release date: 13-Nov-2007

Satellite shows regional variation in warming from sun during solar cycle

SORCE satellite.

A NASA satellite designed, built and controlled by the University of Colorado at Boulder is expected to help scientists resolve wide-ranging predictions about the coming solar cycle peak in 2012 and its influence on Earth’s warming climate, according to the chief scientist on the project.

Senior Research Associate Tom Woods of CU-Boulder’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics said the brightening of the sun as it approaches its next solar cycle maximum will have regional climatic impacts on Earth. While some scientists predict the next solar cycle–expected to start in 2008–will be significantly weaker than the present one, others are forecasting an increase of up to 40 percent in the sun’s activity, said Woods.

Woods is the principal investigator on NASA’s $88 million Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment, or SORCE, mission, launched in 2003 to study how and why variations in the sun affect Earth’s atmosphere and climate. In August, NASA extended the SORCE mission through 2012. The extension provides roughly $18 million to LASP, which controls SORCE from campus by uploading commands and downloading data three times daily to the Space Technology Building in the CU Research Park.

Solar cycles, which span an average of 11 years, are driven by the amount and size of sunspots present on the sun’s surface, which modulate brightness from the X-ray to infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. The current solar cycle peaked in 2002.

Solar activity alters interactions between Earth’s surface and its atmosphere, which drive global circulation patterns, said Woods. While warming on Earth from increased solar brightness is modest compared to the natural effects of volcanic eruptions, cyclical weather patterns like El Nino or human emissions of greenhouse gases, regional temperature changes can vary by a factor of eight.

During the most recent solar maximum, for example, the global mean temperature rise on Earth due to solar-brightness increases was only about 0.2 degrees Fahrenheit, said Woods. But parts of the central United States warmed by 0.7 degrees F, and a region off the coast of California even cooled slightly. A paper on the coming decade of solar activity by Woods and Judith Lean of the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., was published online Oct. 30 in the scientific newsletter, Eos.

“It was very important to the climate change community that SORCE was extended, because it allows us to continue charting the solar irradiance record in a number of wavelengths without interruption,” Woods said. “Even relatively small changes in solar output can significantly affect Earth because of the amplifying affect in how the atmosphere responds to solar changes.”

With mounting concern over the alteration of Earth’s surface and atmosphere by humans, it is increasingly important to understand natural “forcings” on the sun-Earth system that impact both climate and space weather, said Woods. Such natural forcing includes heat from the sun’s radiation that causes saltwater and freshwater evaporation and drives Earth’s water cycle.

Increases in UV radiation from the sun also heat up the stratosphere–located from 10 miles to 30 miles above Earth–which can cause significant changes in atmospheric circulation patterns over the planet, affecting Earth’s weather and climate, he said. “We will never fully understand the human impact on Earth and its atmosphere unless we first establish the natural effects of solar variability.”

SORCE also is helping scientists better understand violent space weather episodes triggered by solar flares and coronal mass ejections that affect the upper atmosphere and are more prevalent in solar maximum and declining solar cycle phases, said Woods. The severe “Halloween Storms” in October and November 2003 disrupted GPS navigation and communications, causing extensive and costly rerouting of commercial “over-the-poles” jet flights to lower latitudes, he said.

Woods also is the principal investigator on a $30 million instrument known as the Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment, or EVE, one of three solar instruments slated for launch on NASA’s Solar Dynamic Observatory in December 2008. Designed and built at LASP and delivered to NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland last September, EVE will measure precise changes in the sun’s UV brightness, providing space weather forecasters with early warnings of potential communications and navigation outages.

About one-third of the annual SORCE budget goes for commanding and controlling the satellite, roughly one-third for producing public data sets and one-third for analyzing how and why the sun is changing, he said. “CU-Boulder students are our lifeblood,” said Woods. “They are involved in all aspects of the SORCE mission, from uploading commands to the spacecraft to analyzing data.”

###

A podcast on SORCE featuring Woods can be accessed on the Web at:

http://www.colorado.edu/news/podcasts/.

For more information on SORCE, visit the Web at:

http://lasp.colorado.edu/sorce/news_letter.html.
========================================

Scientific American
October 26, 2007

The World Is Not Enough for Humans

Humanity’s environmental impact has reached an unprecedented scope,
and it’s getting worse.

Since 1987 annual emissions of carbon dioxide-the leading greenhouse
gas warming the globe-have risen by a third, global fishing yields
have declined by 10.6 million metric tons and the amount of land
required to sustain humanity has swelled to more than 54 acres (22
hectares) per person. Yet, Earth can provide only roughly 39 acres
(15 hectares) for every person living today, according to the United
Nation’s Environmental Program’s (UNEP) Global Environment Outlook,
released this week. “There are no major issues,” the report’s authors
write of the period since their first report in 1987, “for which the
foreseeable trends are favorable.”

Despite some successes-such as the Montreal Protocol’s 95 percent
reduction in chemicals that damage the atmosphere’s ozone layer and a
rise in protected reserves of habitat to cover 12 percent of the
planet-humanity’s impact continues to grow. For example:

Biodiversity-The planet is in the grips of the sixth great extinction
in its 4.5-billion-year history, this one largely man-made. Species
are becoming extinct 100 times faster than the average rate in the
fossil record. More than 30 percent of amphibians, 12 percent of
birds and 23 percent of our own class, mammals, are threatened.

Climate-Average temperatures have climbed 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit
(0.76 degree Celsius) over the past century and could increase as
much as 8.1 degrees F (4.5 degrees C) over the next unless “drastic”
steps are taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from, primarily,
burning fossil fuels. Developed countries will need to reduce this
globe-warming pollution by 60 to 80 percent by mid-century to stave
off dire consequences, the report warns. “Fundamental changes in
social and economic structures, including lifestyle changes, are
crucial if rapid progress is to be achieved.”

Food-The amount of food grown per acre has reached one metric ton,
but such increasing intensity is also driving rapid desertification
of formerly arable land as well as reliance on chemical pesticides
and fertilizers. In fact, four billion out of the world’s 6.5 billion
people could not get enough food to eat without such fertilization.
Continuing population growth paired with a shift toward eating more
meat leads the UNEP to predict that food demand may more than triple.

Water-One in 10 of the world’s major rivers, including the Colorado
and the Rio Grande in the U.S., fail to reach the sea for at least
part of the year, due to demand for water. And that demand is rising;
by 2025, the report predicts, demand for fresh water will rise by 50
percent in the developing world and 18 percent in industrialized
countries. At the same time, human activity is polluting existing
fresh waters with everything from fertilizer runoff to
pharmaceuticals and climate change is shrinking the glaciers that
provide drinking water for nearly one third of humanity. “The
escalating burden of water demand,” the report says, “will become
intolerable in water-scarce countries.”

The authors-388 scientists reviewed by roughly 1,000 of their
peers-view the report as “an urgent call for action” and decry the
“woefully inadequate” global response to problems such as climate
change. “The amount of resources needed to sustain [humanity] exceeds
what is available,” the report declares.

“The systematic destruction of the earth’s natural and nature-based
resources has reached a point where the economic viability of
economies is being challenged,” Achim Steiner, UNEP’s executive
director, said in a statement. “The bill we hand our children may
prove impossible to pay.”

========================================

The Age (Melbourne, Australia)
November 14, 2007

Vital facts ‘deleted’ from UN report on climate change
By Charles Clover, London

A MAJOR United Nations report on climate change has been watered down
as a result of influence from government officials from countries
opposed to taking radical action, conservation group WWF claims.

It says “vital facts” have been cut from the report’s summary,
including a warning of more destructive hurricanes, the warming of
the upper Pacific Ocean and the loss of glaciers in the European Alps.

The group fears that the report will play down the need for deep cuts
in emissions.

The report, which will be released on Saturday, will say that almost
a third of the world’s species will face extinction if greenhouse gas
emissions continue to rise.

A draft copy of the report by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) also warns that if temperatures rise by more
than two degrees – now expected before 2050 – 20 per cent of the
world’s population will face a great risk of drought.

With that level of temperature rise, other parts of the world will
face increased flood risk from rainfall and there will be a decrease
in cereal harvests in some regions.

There will also be a rise in flooding, particularly around deltas in
China and Bangladesh and low Pacific islands.

The report is the focus of talks between the UN panel and government
delegations at a meeting in Valencia, Spain, before next month’s
UN-sponsored meeting in Bali that will start negotiations on a new
climate change treaty.

It was compiled by the UN panel of 2500 climate change scientists,
which this year won the Nobel peace prize with the former US
vice-president Al Gore.

It says that most of the increase in global average temperatures
since the mid-20th century is “very likely” to be the result of
greenhouse gas emissions.

Otherwise, global temperatures might have been expected to decrease.

The scientists will say it is possible to halt global warming if the
world’s greenhouse gas emissions start to decline before 2015.

This is highly unlikely. Emissions are projected to increase by up to
90 per cent by 2030 on present estimates, according to the report.

The study will warn that if emissions continue to rise without action
being taken until 2050, then global average temperatures would rise
by up to five degrees.

Such an average rise would cause “significant extinctions” around the
world, a decrease in cereal harvests everywhere and the flooding of
about 30 per cent of coastal wetlands.

The chairman of the Nobel prize-winning IPCC, Rajendra Pachauri,
called the Valencia meeting a watershed for the group.

Mr Pachauri said the UN panel scientists were determined to “adhere
to standards of quality” in the fourth and final report to be issued
this year.

The comment was an indirect barb at the political delegations, which
environmentalists have accused of watering down and excluding vital
information from the summaries of earlier reports to fit their own
domestic agendas.

The WWF claims that the report will also not contain worrying
evidence published in the past year that the Southern Ocean has
started to take up less carbon dioxide from the atmosphere,
accelerating the pace of global warming.

TELEGRAPH, AP
========================================

Continue Reading »

MASSIVE FOREST DIEBACK

ALLEN, CRAIG D.
U.S. Geological Survey, Jemez Mountains Field Station, Los Alamos, NM 87544

In coming decades, climate changes are expected to produce large shifts in vegetation distributions, largely due to mortality. However, most field studies and model-based assessments of vegetation responses to climate have focused on changes associated with natality and growth, which are inherently slow processes for woody plants-even though the most rapid changes in vegetation are caused by mortality rather than natality. This talk reviews the sensitivity of western montane forests to massive dieback, including drought-induced tree mortality and related insect outbreaks. This overview illustrates the potential for widespread and rapid forest dieback, and associated ecosystem effects, due to anticipated global climate change.

Climate is a key determinant of vegetation patterns at landscape and regional spatial scales. Precipitation variability, including recurrent drought conditions, has typified the climate of the Mountain West for at least thousands of years (Sheppard et al. 2002).

Dendrochronological studies and historical reports show that past droughts have caused extensive vegetation mortality across this region, e.g., as documented in the American Southwest for severe droughts in the 1580s, 1890s to early 1900s, 1950s, and the current drought since 1996 (Swetnam and Betancourt 1998, Allen and Breshears 1998 and in press). Drought stress is documented to lead to dieback in many woody plant species in the West, including spruce (Picea spp.), fir (Abies spp.), Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii.), pines (Pinus spp.), junipers (Juniperus spp.), oaks (Quercus spp.), mesquite (Prosopis spp.), manzanitas (Arctostaphylos spp.), and paloverdes (Cercidium spp.).

Drought-induced tree mortality exhibits a variety of nonlinear ecological dynamics. Tree mortality occurs when drought conditions cause threshold levels of plant water stress to be exceeded, which can result in tree death by loss of within-stem hydraulic conductivity (Allen and Breshears-in press). Also, herbivorous insect populations can rapidly build up to outbreak levels in response to increased food availability from drought-weakened host trees, such as the various bark beetle species (e.g. Dendroctonus, Ips, and Scolytus spp.) that attack forest trees (Furniss and Carolin 1977). As bark beetle populations build up they become increasingly successful in killing drought-weakened trees through mass attacks (Figure 1), with positive feedbacks for further explosive growth in beetle numbers which can result in nonlinear ecological interactions and complex spatial dynamics (cf. Logan and Powell 2001, Bjornstad et al. 2002). Bark beetles also selectively kill larger and low-vigor trees, truncating the size and age distributions of host species (Swetnam and Betancourt 1998).

The temporal and spatial patterns of drought-induced tree mortality also reflect non-linear dynamics. Through time mortality is usually at lower background levels, punctuated by large pulses of high tree death when threshold drought conditions are exceeded (Swetnam and Betancourt 1998, Allen and Breshears-in press). The spatial pattern of drought-induced dieback often reveals preferential mortality along the drier, lower fringes of tree species distributions in western mountain ranges. For example, the 1950s drought caused a rapid, drought-induced ecotone shift on the east flank of the Jemez Mountains in northern New Mexico, USA (Allen and Breshears 1998). A time sequence of aerial photographs shows that the ecotone between semiarid ponderosa pine forest and piñon-juniper woodland shifted upslope extensively (2 km or more) and rapidly (< 5 years) due to the death of most ponderosa pine across the lower fringes of that forest type (Figure 1). This vegetation shift has been persistent since the 1950s, as little ponderosa pine reestablishment has occurred in the ecotone shift zone.

Severe droughts also markedly reduce the productivity and cover of herbaceous plants like grasses. Such reductions in ground cover can trigger nonlinear increases in erosion rates once bare soil cover exceeds critical threshold values (Davenport et al. 1998, Wilcox et al. 2003). For example, in concert with historic land use practices (livestock grazing and fire suppression), the 1950s drought apparently initiated persistent increases in soil erosion in piñon-juniper woodland sites in the eastern Jemez Mountains that require management intervention to reverse (Sydoriak et al. 2000). Thus, a short- duration climatic event apparently brought about persistent changes in multiple ecosystem properties. Over the past decade, many portions of the Western US have been subject to significant drought, with associated increases in tree mortality evident. GIS compilations of US Forest Service aerial surveys of insect-related forest dieback since 1997 show widespread mortality in many areas. For example the cumulative effect of multi-year drought since 1996 in the Southwest has resulted in the emergence of extensive bark beetle outbreaks and tree mortality across the region. In the Four Corners area piñon (Pinus edulis) has been particularly hard hit since 2002, with mortality exceeding 90% of mature individuals across broad areas (Figure 1), shifting stand compositions strongly toward juniper dominance. Across the montane forests of the West substantial dieback has been recently observed in many tree species, including Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmanni), Douglas-fir, lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), ponderosa pine, piñon, junipers, and even aspen (Populus tremuloides).

A number of major scientific uncertainties are associated with forest dieback phenomena. Quantitative knowledge of the thresholds of mortality for various tree species is a key knowledge gap-we basically don’t know how much climatic stress forests can withstand before massive dieback kicks in. Thus the scientific community currently cannot accurately model forest dieback in response to projected climate changes, nor assess associated ecological and societal effects. More research is needed to determine if warm minimum temperatures over the past decade+ are exacerbating the effects of droughts and insects on tree mortality, as: 1) warmer temperatures result in greater plant water stress for a given amount of water availability; and 2) relaxation of low temperature constraints on insect population distributions and generation times may be allowing more extensive and rapid buildup of outbreak population levels. It is thought that substantial and widespread increases in tree densities in many forests and woodlands as a result of more than 100 years of fire suppression also contributes to current patterns of mortality, due to competitive increases in tree water stress and susceptibility to beetle attacks; however, more research is needed on the effectiveness of mechanical thinning and prescribed burning as protective management approaches.

Substantial uncertainties exist about the relationship between massive forest dieback and fire behavior. Although severe (crown) fire activity has apparently increased in some overdense forest types in the West, in some areas forest dieback is reducing the vertical and horizontal continuity of a key crown fire fuel component (live needles in tree crowns) as needles drop from dead tress, and that reductions in the spatial extent of uncontrollable crown fires may result. Feedbacks between forest dieback and fire activity (ignition probabilities, rate of spread, severity, controllability) need more work.

Recent examples of massive forest dieback illustrate that even relatively brief climatic events (e.g., droughts) associated with natural climate variability can have profound and persistent ecosystem effects. The unprecedentedly rapid climate changes expected in coming decades could produce rapid and extensive contractions in the geographic distributions of long-lived woody species in association with changes in patterns of disturbance (fire, insect outbreaks, soil erosion) (IPCC 2001, Allen and Breshears 1998). Because regional droughts of even greater magnitude and longer duration than the 1950s drought are expected as global warming progresses (Easterling et al. 2001, IPCC 2001), the scale of forest dieback associated with global climate change (Figure 3) could become even greater than what has been observed in recent years (National Research Council 2001). Since mortality-induced vegetation shifts take place more rapidly than do natality-induced shifts associated with plant establishment and migration (Allen and Breshears-in review), dieback could easily outpace new forest growth for a period of years to decades in many areas. Further, as woody vegetation contains the bulk of the world’s terrestrial carbon, an improved understanding of mortality-induced responses of woody vegetation to climate is essential for addressing some key environmental and policy implications of climate variability and global change (Breshears and Allen 2002). Thus it is important to more accurately incorporate climate-induced vegetation mortality and the complexity of associated ecosystem responses (e.g., insect outbreaks, fires, soil erosion, and changes in carbon pools) into models that predict vegetation dynamics.

References Cited

Allen, C.D., and D.D. Breshears. 1998. Drought-induced shift of a forest/woodland ecotone: rapid landscape response to climate variation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 95:14839-14842.

Allen, C.D., and D.D. Breshears. (In press). Drought, tree mortality, and landscape change in the Southwestern United States: Historical dynamics, plant-water relations, and global change implications. In J.L. Betancourt and H.F. Diaz (eds.), The 1950’s Drought in the American Southwest: Hydrological, Ecological, and Socioeconomic Impacts. University of Arizona Press, Tucson.

Bjornstad, O.N., M. Peltonen, A.M. Liebhold, and W. Baltensweiler. 2002. Waves of larch budmoth outbreaks in the European Alps. Science 298:1020-1023.

Breshears, D.D., and C.D. Allen. 2002. The importance of rapid, disturbance-induced losses in carbon management and sequestration. Global Ecology and Biogeography Letters 11:1-15.

Davenport, D.W., D.D. Breshears, B.P. Wilcox, and C.D. Allen.1998. Viewpoint: Sustainability of piñon- juniper ecosystems-A unifying perspective of soil erosion thresholds. J. Range Management 51(2):229-238.

Easterling, D.R., G.A. Meehl, C. Parmesan, S.A. Changnon, T.R. Karl, and L.O. Mearns. 2000. Climate extremes: observations, modeling, and impacts. Science, 289, 2068-2074.

Furniss, R.L., and V.M. Carolin. 1980. Western Forest Insects. USDA For. Serv. Misc. Publ. No. 1339. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.

IPCC 2001-a. Climate Change 2001: Synthesis Report. A Contribution of Working Groups I, II, and III to the Third Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Watson, R.R. and the Core Writing Team (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 398 pp.

Logan, J. A., and J. A. Powell. 2001. Ghost forests, global warming, and the mountain pine beetle. American Entomologist. 47: 160-173

National Research Council. 2001. Chapter 5-Economic and Ecological Impacts of Abrupt Climate Change, pp. 90-117 In: Abrupt Climate Change: Inevitable Surprises. Committee on Abrupt Climate Change, Ocean Studies Board, Polar Research Board, Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, National Research Council. Washington, D.C.

Sheppard, P.R., A.C. Comrie, G.C. Packin, K Angersbach, and M.K. Hughes. 2002. The climate of the US Southwest. Climate Research 21:219-238.

Swetnam, T.W. and J.L. Betancourt. 1998. Mesoscale disturbance and ecological response to decadal climatic variability in the American Southwest. Journal of Climate 11: 3128-3147.

Sydoriak, C.A., C.D. Allen, and B.F. Jacobs. 2000. Would ecological landscape restoration make the Bandelier Wilderness more or less of a wilderness? Pp. 209-215 In: D.N. Cole, S.F. McCool, W.T. Borrie, and F. O’Loughlin (comps.). Proceedings: Wilderness Science in a Time of Change Conference-Volume 5: Wilderness Ecosystems, Threats, and Management; 1999 May 23-27; Missoula, MT. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Proceedings RMRS-P-15-VOL-5. Ogden, UT.

Wilcox, B.P., D.D. Breshears, and C.D. Allen. 2003. Ecohydrology of a resource-conserving semiarid woodland: Temporal and spatial scaling and disturbance. Ecological Monographs 73(2):223-239.

————————————————————————-

1) “The ability to move, at some stage in the life cycle, is fundamental to success in life.”

Andrew Sugden and Elizabeth Pennisi
SCIENCE VOL 313 11 AUGUST 2006

2) “Animals have no choice but to move, since their survival is at stake. Studies of more than 1,000 species of plants, animals, and insects, found an average migration rate toward the North and South Poles of about four miles per decade in the second half of the 20th century. That is not fast enough. During the past 30 years the lines marking the regions in which a given average temperature prevails, or isotherms, have moved poleward at a rate of about 35 miles per decade.

“As long as the total movement of isotherms toward the poles is much smaller than the size of the habitat, or the ranges in which the animals live, the effect on species is limited. But now the movement is inexorably toward the poles, totaling more than 100 miles in recent decades. If emissions of greenhouse gases continue to increase at the current rate — “business as usual” — then the rate of isotherm movement will double during this century to at least 70 miles per decade. If we continue on this path, a large fraction of the species on Earth, as many as 50 percent or more, may become extinct.”

James Hansen 19 October 2006
The Planet in Peril – Part I
http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/display.article?id=8305

3) “Each 1 degree C of global warming will shift temperature zones by about 160 km (100 miles). In the northern hemisphere this means that if the climate warms 3°C, species may have to shift northward as much as 500 km (300 miles) in order to find suitable habitat under the new climatic regime.”

“Global warming may make a mockery of our attempts in all nature reserves, including Glacier National Park, to preserve natural communities and rare, threatened, and endangered native species.”

“Perhaps many of Glacier’s species will be able to survive farther north, in the Banff-Jasper area. Protection of corridors linking the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem, and parks in the Canadian Rockies may provide critical avenues for species dispersal.”

Glacier National Park Biodiversity Paper #7
http://www.nps.gov/glac/resources/bio7.htm

4) In its “Managing Mountain Parks,” the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization says, “The major challenges for the twenty-first century” include this one:

“To link together the isolated existing mountain protected areas by conservation corridors along the mountain ranges. This not only increases effective size, but provides migration corridors for gene flow and species movement. As the climate changes, poleward migration corridors in north-south ranges (e.g. the Andes) will better accommodate temperature change, and migration along the east-west ranges (e.g. the Western Tien Shan) will be a response to rainfall changes.

full FAO report at:
http://www.fao.org/documents/show_cdr.asp?url_file=/docrep/x0963E/x0963e06.htm

5) The United Nations Environmental Programme stresses the same basic point:

“Forest management responses to climate change should focus on maintaining species diversity on national or continental scales through facilitating the processes of species migration, rather than by solely preserving specific reserves.”

full UNEP report at:
http://www.unep-wcmc.org/forest/flux/executive_summary.htm

Good News!  Uranium Company ordered to vacate Lakota lands in South Dakota.

-----Original Message-----
From: Kent Lebsock [mailto:iamkent@verizon.net]
Sent: Friday, November 09, 2007 6:34 AM
To: Kent Lebsock
Subject: Lakota Land Victory

OWE AKU & BLACK HILLS SIOUX NATION TREATY COUNCIL DEFEAT URANIUM CORPORATION

(From Owe Aku International Human Rights and Justice Program, New York City)
As explained in the following article, Owe Aku, a grass roots Lakota
organization, just utilized the principle of free, prior and informed
consent as set forth in the recently passed United Nations Declaration on
the Rights of the World's Indigenous Peoples.  Plaintiffs, including Owe Aku
and the Black Hills Sioux Nation Treaty Council, argued that a third-party
corporation could not come to the reservation for the purpose of uranium
exploration without following established procedure and without providing
adequate information thereby violating the principle of "free, prior and
informed consent" as set forth in the Declaration on Indigenous rights.
Does this mean that the Declaration may now be used as defacto precedence in
Oglala Lakota tribal court?

Two weeks ago, members of Owe Aku's leadership team were in New York
presenting a documentary film called Standing Silent Nation on their
struggle to develop industrial hemp on the Pine Ridge Oglala Lakota
reservation.  The New York trip was right in the middle of the uranium court
case.  Nonetheless they took the time to bring their efforts on a different
issue to the people of New York.  Production of industrial hemp would have
been a solution to the overwhelming poverty and environmental degradation
created by most industries in the region.  So of course, the federal
government put a stop to that.  The Monday after the New York trip, Owe Aku
was back on Lakota treaty territory taking on a mining company and, on
Tuesday, WINNING.

Owe Aku has had a long term, multi-phases action and education campaign in
place to stop uranium mining in and around Lakota treaty territory for the
past several years.  This has included extensive research on the process of
uranium mining, the environmental and health effects, the direct effects on
Pine Ridge and the possibility for oppositional coalitions.  Earlier this
year though a uranium mining company calling itself (for no apparent reason)
Native American Energy Group ("NAEG") descended on Pine Ridge and, through
deceit and less than ethical maneuvering, started taking steps to expand
uranium mining within reservation borders.

Owe Aku took immediate action, going door-to-door on the reservation
educating the people about uranium mining, and eventually filing an action
in tribal court.  Unlike NAEG, Owe Aku was not represented by attorneys but,
as is the case with all our work, was represented by our own members.  In
this case, our Executive Director Debra White Plume, often found herself
examining witnesses and testifying.  Given the Court's ruling, an excellent
job was done using tribal and treaty law, as well as some international
standards.

The mission of Owe Aku is to preserve, restore and revive traditional Lakota
values.  Owe Aku's efforts are focused at the most basic grassroots level in
order to create real change - both in our people's lives and in the world
around us.  Throughout our work, our goal is to find positive solutions to
economies and societies based solely on consumption and exploitation of
people and resources.

JUDGE ISSUES RULING.N.A.E.G. EXCLUDED FROM PINE RIDGE

Pine Ridge, SD.  On October 29, OST Chief Judge Lisa Adams issued an
exclusion order to remove the Native American Energy Group (N.A.E.G.) from
the Pine Ridge reservation, declaring that the company has been trespassing
on tribal lands. The finding gave NAEG 30 days to vacate the reservation.

The Judge also noted that N.A.E.G. ignored a tribal resolution that accepted
the OST Environmental Technical Team's recommendation that the Tribe not
enter into any working relationship with N.A.E.G.  Further, the order stated
that OST Member, Eileen Janis, failed to inform N.A.E.G. about OST
ordinances prohibiting exploration and mining for uranium.

Plaintiffs in the case, Black Hills Sioux Nation Treaty Council (Oglala
Delegation) and Owe Aku, were  pleased with the exclusion order.  "Judge
Adams showed great respect for the Treaty Council during this hearing.
However, we must update the language in our outdated Tribal Law and Order
Code to combat new mining and exploration techniques.  N.A.E.G. is gone, but
they could try and return in another form and there are many other companies
out there that will try to bribe their way onto our homeland," stated Floyd
Hand, Treaty Council delegate.

N.A.E.G., a New York-based oil/gas/mining company, approached OST tribal
officials in early 2007 with a written proposal to embark on a multi-phase
plan to mine uranium on the reservation.   Once this proposal was disclosed
to the public, tribal members expressed outrage that a mining company had
been on the reservation for so many months without following protocol.  The
Treaty Council, along with Owe Aku, a non-profit environmental activism
group, took action and filed a motion in early September, to exclude the
company from Pine Ridge.

"The Pine Ridge Reservation and 1868 Ft Laramie Treaty Territory has been
declared a nuclear free zone by both the Tribal Government and the Treaty
Council. The court action brought by Owe Aku and the Treaty Council to stop
this company from desecrating our sacred Mother Earth has been decided in
our favor. It has been a challenging experience to fight an energy company,
but worth the effort to protect our Treaty Territory. Companies who come to
our land need to come with full disclosure of their intentions to do
business with our people, our leaders need to enforce such a policy so we
are not faced with a similar situation in the future," said Debra White
Plume of Owe Aku.

Kent Lebsock, Director of Program
Owe Aku, Bring Back the Way
International Human Rights & Justice Project
Pine Ridge and New York
iamkent@verizon.net
lakota1@gwtc.net
917-751-4239

Kent Lebsock
Owe Aku (Bring Back the Way)
International Justice & Human Rights Project
917-751-4239
iamkent@verizon.net

South Dakota:
lakota1@gwtc.net
 Continue Reading »

Rainforest Action Network (RAN), Coal River Mountain Watch, the Student Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC) and students (and a few Rising Tiders) from around the country shut down a Washington, D.C. Citi branch today by performing a theatrical “die-in” and delivering a bundle of coal to the financial giant. The protesters, in Washington for this week’s major youth climate conference Power Shift, called on Citi to stop funding the leading cause of global warming in the United States: coal.”There is no room for coal in America’s energy future if we are going to avoid catastrophic climate change” said Rebecca Tarbotton, director of RAN’s Global Finance Campaign. “We have better options. Citi could be a real climate leader if they directed their financing towards efficiency and renewable energy. As it stands, dollar for dollar, they’re the biggest climate criminal in the country.” Click here to watch video Continue Reading »

***For Immediate Release***

Contact: Emily Posner, Native Forest Network, Organizer–207-930-5232

Plum Creek Using Intimidation to Silence Opposition

On Friday, November 2nd a small group of volunteers from Native Forest Network-Gulf of Maine (NFN) and Rising Tide North America (RTNA) were stopped, harassed and issued citations for criminal trespassing after taking video and still photographs for a documentary project at Plum Creek’s Greenville office. NFN is an all volunteer organization that advocates for the protection and restoration of forests and wild places including organizing against Plum Creek’s development proposal in the Moosehead Lake Region. The organization is registered with LURC as an intervenor and will be participating in official hearings during December and January. NFN supports a stance of “No Compromise” in regards to Plum Creek’s proposed development, claiming, “this type of project contributes to global climate change, threatens the ecological integrity of the largest undeveloped region east of the Mississippi River, and undermines the rural heritage of the region.”

At least three public law enforcement agencies, as well as Plum Creek’s private security firm, Merrill’s Investigation and Security, were involved in detaining the group. Three members of Native Forest Network, Gulf of Maine, and one member of Rising Tide North America, were detained and questioned. Three were issued citations for criminal trespassing.

Initially, the group was stopped in the parking lot of Plum Creek’s Greenville office at approximately 4 pm while videotaping the exterior of the building. An employee of Merrill’s Investigation and Security confronted the group, accused them of trespassing, and cornered them in the parking lot with his vehicle. According to Alex Lundberg, one of the volunteers detained, the guard did not identify himself, asked the group for identification and informed them they were trespassing and, ‘In big trouble.’ The group, under the impression that the office had public business hours, and unaware that they were doing anything wrong, then informed the guard that they would like to leave the property.

Leaving the property, the group proceeded as planned, climbing Moose Mountain to obtain more video footage of the region and proposed development area for the documentary project. Returning to their vehicle after their hike, the group was confronted by Officer Hartwood of the Greenville Police Department, as well as at least three Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Deputies, and two Game Wardens. “We were extremely surprised and intimidated by the show of force on the trail and in the parking lot. It was scary to have officers in full camouflage shouting at us and threatening us,” said Emily Posner, one of the group ultimately given a citation. “They also asked me if we were violent, and if I had explosives in my car,” said Posner.

Members of Native Forest Network also have been under surveillance at recent meetings of the state’s Land Use Regulatory Commission, the body responsible for approving Plum Creek’s Plan. Ryan Clarke, a member of the group who was present both at Friday’s confrontation, and the last LURC meeting says, “There was a man in an unmarked car videotaping us as we entered and left the meeting.”

“This type of preemptive action on the part of Plum Creek poses a potential threat to individuals’ constitutional rights. Intimidation and court summons discourages public participation in controversial issues. I hope that Plum Creek immediately stops using these types of tactics,” said Attorney Lynne Williams, who represents RESTORE and Forest Ecology Network, two other organizations contesting Plum Creek’s development plan .

Native Forest Network and Rising Tide North America plan to continue documenting Plum Creek’s development proposal in the Moosehead Region. Posner, Lundberg and John Waters of RTNA, the third person cited-plan to appear in court to contest the charges in January.

–
Podr�n cortar todas las flores, pero no podr�n detener la
primavera–Pablo Neruda

They can cut all the flowers, but they cannot stop the coming of Spring.

Defending Water for Life
207-930-5232
info@defendingwaterinmaine.org
www.defendingwaterinmaine.org

Meg Perry Healthy Soil Project
a program of the Common Ground Collective
www.commongroundrelief.org
504-913-5635

Continue Reading »

Continue Reading »

—–Original Message—–
From: pacificaannounce@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:pacificaannounce@yahoogroups.com]On Behalf Of Maria Gilardin
Sent: Monday, November 05, 2007 3:36 PM
To: tuc@tucradio.org
Subject: [pacificaannounce] TUC Radio: WITNESS TO THE MELTING OF GREENLAND

Here is the program for November 7, 2007
Pacifica KU Band every Wednesday 15:00 EST
Also on Audioport

ONE self- contained 29 minute program
MP3 FILE: http://www.tucradio.org/110707ithluk.mp3

Witness to the Melting of Greenland
An Inuit elder speaks
Recorded in a tent during a rainstorm
by Cien Fuegos in July, 2007
in the Valley of the Ancients on Greenland.

SUMMARY: During construction of the ceremonial fire pit for the 2008 second
circumpolar meeting of Inuits from the Arctic Circle, an Inuit elder spoke
about the accelerating changes in climate that are changing life on
Greenland. If all the ice there melts London and New York will drown.

Continue Reading »

————————-
“The biggest unknown is how far America will
overcome its aversion to arrangements that, as
some argue, compromise its sovereignty. Advocates
of a more internationalist foreign policy scored
a victory this week when the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee voted 17-4 in favour of
ratifying UNCLOS at last. But to gain the
necessary 67 votes in the full Senate, they will
still have to overcome the nay-sayers who
(however unreasonably) see ratifying the
convention as a slippery slope, leading to the
far more horrifying prospect of an international
regime on climate change.”
————————-

The Economist-Nov 1st 2007

The UN and Climate Change-The Icy Road to Bali

The UN’s quiet new boss is hoping that his
eco-tour of the southern hemisphere will
concentrate minds on the planet’s travails

BAN KI-MOON has hardly been a limelight-stealer
during his 10 months as secretary-general of the
United Nations. But over the coming days, expect
to see the cautious, camera-shy South Korean at
the centre of some spectacular snaps: watching
the glaciers vanish at the bottom of Patagonia,
flying to the finger of land that juts out of
Antarctica and then heading for the vibrant heart
of Brazil’s forest.

Think of it as a circuitous, but
carefully-planned journey to the Indonesian
island of Bali, where the outlines of a grand
global bargain on how to deal with climate change
may or may not come into view at a meeting in
December. By his own account a “harmoniser”
rather than a tub-thumper, Mr Ban will be told
some amazing and often contradictory things as he
travels round some ecologically sensitive spots
on the southern edge of the world.

Is the earth’s climatic system about to spin out
of all control, threatening the lives and
livelihoods of billions of people, or is it a bit
more robust (or at least fixable) than the
gloomiest scientists think? In Chile, Antarctica
and Brazil, he is likely to hear and observe
evidence on both sides of that argument.

As he flies south to Punta Arenas, Mr Ban will
see dozens of glorious glaciers, almost all of
them (87% by one recent estimate) retreating and
thinning. The nearer they are to the sea, the
more vulnerable they are to rising temperatures.
But not all recent alterations in the physical
landscape reflect global warming. Earlier this
year, Chilean scientists were amazed to find a
deep hole where a glacial lake used to be. Rising
temperatures were initially blamed for the lake’s
disappearance; but researchers later concluded
that it simply tipped into an even bigger lake.

Around the Torres del Paine national park, near
Punta Arenas, Mr Ban will be able to listen to
the crashing and booming of glaciers as they
“calve” into the sea: a natural process, but one
that is accelerating. Here and in many other
parts of Chile, the effects of warming are
obvious. Some time in the coming decades, the
shrinking of glaciers will cause a drop in the
level of glacial runoff, reducing the supply of
water to urban Chileans. A similar, and often
more acute, challenge faces more than 1 billion
city-dwellers in other parts of the world who
rely on glacial runoff for their water.

Apart from global warming, Mr Ban will meet
people affected by another environmental
problem-the emergence of a hole in the ozone
layer. In Punta Arenas, residents have to cope
with radiation alerts when ozone depletion is so
severe that it becomes highly dangerous to expose
skin or eyes to the sun.

But for some environmentalists, the ozone story
is on balance a tale of success. When the
Montreal protocol, limiting ozone-depleting
chemicals, marked its 20th anniversary in
September, many people hailed it as an example
that could inspire those who are trying to combat
climate change. Once the scientific evidence
became overwhelming (and frightening enough to
generate political pressure), governments and
industry worked together to reduce the ozone
“hole”: at least those were the claims made at
the agreement’s birthday party. In the case of
climate change, the scale of the problem, and the
adjustments needed, are far greater-but the
principle (that the world can work together to
mitigate environmental harm) sounds like a good
one to follow.

What about Antarctica, which along with Greenland
forms one of the principal stores of fresh water
on earth? Most of the southern continent’s icy
mass, especially the eastern half which rests on
some very solid rock, is so deep-frozen that so
far at least, it has been impervious to climate
change. Encircled by icy winds, the compacted
snow of Antarctica’s deep interior is actually
growing in volume.

That is probably just as well, because if all the
water locked up in Antarctica were to cascade
into the ocean, global sea levels could rise by
60 metres (185 feet), leaving more than a third
of the UN’s New York headquarters under water. By
comparison with the Arctic, where the North Pole
could be swirling in ice-free seas in summer by
2040, the southern polar region seems a bit more
stable-but that is no reason to be complacent,
says Ted Scambos of the University of Colorado.
Two bits of Antarctica are heating up rapidly.
The peninsula that juts out of the continent is
warming as fast as anywhere: three degrees
Centigrade in the past 50 years. And in Pine
Island Bay two giant glaciers are shrinking, and
this process is accelerating. Of the global
sea-level rise that is already taking place
(about 3 millimetres per year since 1990,
compared with an average of less than 2mm before
1990), about one sixth may be the result of
melting from two smallish parts of Antarctica. So
even a minor change in the Antarctic landscape
has had global effects, and these are as grave as
those of the (far more obvious) melting of
Greenland’s ice mass.

To put these numbers in some perspective, a UN
study earlier this year said that by the end of
the century the global sea level was likely to
rise between 18 and 59 centimetres-a prediction
made with the important rider that it did not
include “processes related to ice flow”, in other
words, the possibly disastrous effects of chunks
of Greenland and Antarctica sliding into the sea
at a quickening pace.

The Antarctic landscape, no less than the
icefields of Chile, can deliver surprises. In
2002 an ice shelf the size of Rhode Island, which
had been stable for at least 10,000 years,
collapsed in just three weeks. Some smaller
changes are arguably more ominous, like a recent
drop in the southern seas’ ability to absorb
carbon.

Part of Mr Ban’s purpose in going to the deep,
icy south is to highlight-ahead of the Bali
meeting-the fact that there are problems facing
humanity which are so grave that they should
induce every country to restrain its
self-interest. So he may be depressed to run into
the beginnings of an old-fashioned territorial
spat between jealous countries. Last month
Britain said that-in what was just a routine
piece of “legal book-keeping”, or so diplomats
said-it was preparing a claim to an economic zone
off the coast of Antarctica stretching up to 350
nautical miles from the land mass that it already
regards as British.

This would be one of five claims that Britain
hopes, by the deadline of May 2009, to have
lodged under the UN Convention on the Law of the
Sea (UNCLOS), which allows countries to assert
economic rights in waters stretching 200 miles
from their coast or up to 350 miles if the area
is an extension of a continental shelf. At least
one of Britain’s other claims could be even more
contentious: it concerns the waters round the
Falklands and South Georgia, the objects of a war
with Argentina in 1982. All discussion about
Antarctic claims, whether on land or sea, tends
to be hedged with words like “hypothetical” and
“potential” because of a treaty that bans all
economic activity and proclaims the continent a
zone of peaceful research. But since both
Argentina and Chile contest Britain’s Antarctic
land claim (and therefore make corresponding
claims to the adjacent seabed), the dim
possibility exists of an active dispute if the
treaty were to collapse.

One argument used to insist that “none of this
really matters”-the fact that seabed-mining at
such extreme depths is at present physically
impossible-is feeble: many forms of deep-sea
extraction take place now that would have been
technically unthinkable a decade ago. Chile
responded to news of the British claim by rather
pointedly restating its own, and pledging to
reinvigorate its Antarctic research. The subject
is bound to come up, at least in small talk, with
Mr Ban.

From floes to forests

When the South Korean trouble-shooter leaves
Chile, he will head not for Brazil’s political or
financial centre, but to Santarém in the state of
Pará, which includes both some superbly intact
bits of rainforest and also areas that have been
ravaged by illegal logging. Like all visitors to
this enchanted region, he will hear a big variety
of sounds, human and animal.

In one respect, every one of his Brazilian
interlocutors will be singing the very same song:
the Amazonian forest, by its existence, delivers
great and desperately-needed benefits to the
planet, not just by absorbing carbon and
stimulating rainfall, but by maintaining
biodiversity. So when negotiators in Bali sit
down to dream up a broader and more effective
climate-change regime to replace the Kyoto
protocol that expires in 2012, they must include
the preservation of forests in any new system of
rules and financial incentives designed to keep
carbon in the ground. Deforestation is estimated
to account for between 18% and 25% of the carbon
emissions heating the world.

Call me Mr Ban: I’m here to listen

A compelling song, indeed-but if he listens
carefully, Mr Ban may detect some variations in
the versions rendered by Brazil’s central
government, by Brazil’s regions, and by
independent Brazilian scientists and
environmentalists, whom he also wants to meet.
The authorities in Brasilia want to be rewarded
for preserving the forest (and for the recent
decline in the annual rate of deforestation) by
government-to-government transfers. (That in
itself marks a shift in official Brazilian
thinking; only two years ago did it drop the idea
that any incentive to avoid deforestation could
infringe its sovereignty.)

But some regional politicians-especially in the
state of Amazonas where the forest is
impressively intact-and other local players,
including representatives of the indigenous
peoples, have endorsed the idea of “market-based”
approaches to rewarding them for guarding the
trees. They want carbon-trading systems, through
which first-world polluters can encourage
carbon-saving projects in poor countries, to
embrace the rainforests.

Up to now, many non-government organisations,
including Brazilian ones, have been wary of
market systems for limiting carbon emissions,
saying that they risk letting rich-world emitters
off the hook. Both on political and ethical
grounds, any solution to climate change must
include big, visible sacrifices by the countries
and economic players that are most responsible
for creating the problem-or so their argument
goes.

But that thinking may be changing. In the words
of John Sauven of Greenpeace (a British
campaigner who works closely with the movement’s
Brazilian branch), “we are all having to shed
some ideological baggage” in the face of a
galloping crisis. As he puts it, Greenpeace
certainly won’t drop its belief that rich people
and countries should play their part in abating
climate change; but it would be open to any
practical solution that preserves the rainforest,
and rewards anybody (from regional or local
governments to indigenous folk) who helps with
this preservation.

One of the problems is that market-based
incentives for the “avoidance of deforestation”
favour repentant sinners-in other words, those
who were chopping down the forest and can prove
they have stopped. This could short-change parts
of Congo, where (because of chronic civil war,
which proved quite healthy for some living
things) not much deforestation has taken place
recently. One idea, Mr Sauven says, is that
rich-world emitters of carbon could be made to
pay into an internationally supervised fund on
which any government tending the forest might
draw.

Independent Brazilian scientists will also
clamour for Mr Ban’s ear. Some will want to argue
that the links between the shrinking rainforests
of Brazil, the vanishing glaciers of Chile and
the declining ability of the southern oceans to
soak up carbon are even closer than the scholarly
consensus has so far acknowledged.

A lot of noises, then, buzzing round the head of
a Korean who is known as a good listener. And
arguments about the eco-system of the southern
hemisphere are only part of the backdrop to the
bargain that has to be struck-between old
carbon-emitters like America, and rising ones
like China and India-if the risk of over-heating
the planet, leaving it with too much salt water
and too little of the fresh kind, is to be
averted. The biggest unknown is how far America
will overcome its aversion to arrangements that,
as some argue, compromise its sovereignty.
Advocates of a more internationalist foreign
policy scored a victory this week when the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee voted 17-4 in favour
of ratifying UNCLOS at last. But to gain the
necessary 67 votes in the full Senate, they will
still have to overcome the nay-sayers who
(however unreasonably) see ratifying the
convention as a slippery slope, leading to the
far more horrifying prospect of an international
regime on climate change.

Copyright © 2007 The Economist Newspaper and The
Economist Group. All rights reserved.

November 4, 2007
Mexicans Appalled by Scenes From Flooded State
By ELISABETH MALKIN

from flooding in the southeastern state of Tabasco, where much of the state capital, Villahermosa, was underwater and the governor said that thousands of people waited onMEXICO CITY, Nov. 3 – Mexicans were gripped Saturday by images of dramatic rescues their rooftops for help to arrive.

Newspapers and television showed photos of Navy helicopters scooping up children from roofs and rescuers lowering elderly people into boats. Many of those who could leave on their own waded or swam though chest-high brackish water.

The flooding in the state was brought on by days of unrelenting rain, which caused several rivers to overflow.

President Felipe Calderón, who has visited Villahermosa twice this week, said that Mexico was facing one of the worst natural disasters in its recent history. But it was hard to gauge how widespread the damage was.
Continue Reading »

By Peter Montague
From http://www.precaution.org/lib/07/ht071025.htm

It now seems clear that the coal and oil industries are not going to allow the United States to curb global warming by making major investments in renewable sources of energy. These fossil fuel corporations simply have too much at stake to allow it.

Simple physics tells us that the way to minimize the human contribution to global warming is to leave the remaining fossil fuels in the ground — stop mining them as soon as humanly possible. This obvious solution would require us to turn the nation’s industrial prowess to developing solar power in its many forms as quickly as we can — we would need a “‘Manhattan Project’ for Energy,” as the strategy journal of the top U.S. military planners said recently.

Look at the relative size of our current government investments in solar vs. fossil fuels. In 2007 the federal Department of Energy spent $168 million on solar research. On the other hand each year since 1991 the U.S. government has spent 1000 times that amount — $169 billion — subsidizing the flow of oil from the Middle East, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, our top military planners. And that figure doesn’t include what consumers paid for the oil itself. If our solar investment remains one-tenth of one percent of our investment in oil, there will be no solar power to speak of in our future.

Continue Reading »

University of Wisconsin-Madison
Public release date: 31-Oct-2007

Contact: S. Tom Gower
stgower@wisc.edu
608-262-0532

Wildfire drives carbon levels in northern forests

MADISON – Far removed from streams of gas-thirsty cars and pollution-belching factories lies another key player in global climate change. Circling the northern hemisphere, the conifer-dominated boreal forests-one of the largest ecosystems on earth-act as a vast natural regulator of atmospheric carbon levels.

Forest ecologists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are studying how environmental factors such as forest fires and climate influence carbon levels in this forest system. Their most recent findings, reported in the Nov. 1 issue of the journal Nature, offer insight into the balance of carbon uptake and release that contribute to atmospheric carbon dioxide levels worldwide.

Second in size among forests only to the tropical rainforests, the boreal forests form a massive green band spanning the higher latitudes of Canada, Alaska, Siberia, China, and Scandinavia. Their sheer size, coupled with the fact that they are expected to experience the greatest warming of any forest biome as global temperatures rise, means that climate-related changes here are likely to resonate well beyond the forest boundaries, says S. Tom Gower, UW-Madison professor of forest ecology and management and primary investigator of the project.

In the new study, Gower and his colleagues used a computer model to simulate the carbon balance of one million square kilometers of the Canadian forest over the past 60 years, to determine the relative impacts of climate and disturbance by wildfire.

The group found that the effects of carbon dioxide and climate-temperature and precipitation – varied from year to year but generally balanced out over time and area. Instead, forest fires during the 60-year period had the greatest direct impact on carbon emissions from the system.

However, “because fire frequency and fire intensity are directly controlled by climate change, it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be focusing on climate change,” Gower says. “Climate change is what’s causing the fire changes. They’re very tightly coupled systems.”

The researchers believe that fires shift the carbon balance in multiple ways. Burning organic matter quickly releases large amounts of carbon dioxide. After a fire, loss of the forest canopy can allow more sun to reach and warm the ground, which may speed decomposition and carbon dioxide emission from the soil. If the soil warms enough to melt underlying permafrost, even more stored carbon may be unleashed.

A trend toward hotter and drier conditions is likely to exacerbate the effects of fire by increasing the frequency, intensity, and size of burns. “All it takes is a low snowpack year and a dry summer,” Gower says. “With a few lightning strikes, it’s a tinderbox.”

Historically, scientists believe the boreal forest has acted as a carbon sink, absorbing more atmospheric carbon dioxide than it releases, Gower says. Their model now suggests that, over recent decades, the forest has become a smaller sink and may actually be shifting toward becoming a carbon source.

“The soil is the major source, the plants are the major sink, and how those two interplay over the life of a stand really determines whether the boreal forest is a sink or a source of carbon,” he says.

Though the model is not currently designed to forecast future conditions, Gower says, “Based on our current understanding, fire was a more important driver (of the carbon balance) than climate was in the last 50 years. But if carbon dioxide concentration really doubles in the next 50 years and the temperature increases 4 to 8 degrees Celsius, all bets may be off.”

###

Other scientists involved in the research are Ben Bond-Lamberty,
Scott Peckham, and Douglas Ahl. Funding for the work was provided by
the National Science Foundation and the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration.

========================================

SCIENCE
VOL 318
26 OCTOBER 2007

Thousand-year records of animal population patterns and climate yield insights into the impacts of environmental change.

Thinking Long Term
Robert A. Cheke

The author is at the Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich at Medway, Chatham Maritime, Kent ME4 4TB, UK. E-mail: r.a.cheke@greenwich.ac.uk

Ecologists seeking patterns in populations and environmental correlations dream of coming to grips with lengthy data sets. Usually, animal numbers are determined both by density- independent environmental factors and by density-dependent population processes involving time lags. Disentangling these different factors requires painstaking fieldwork and mathematical skills from the scientists and the patience of Job among funding agencies. Two new analyses of 1000-year-long data series illustrate how long series can reveal insights and improve predictions of pest outbreaks (1, 2).

Caterpillars of the larch budmoth can reach densities of 30,000 per tree when they defoliate larch trees and inhibit tree growth, effects detectable as narrow growth rings. Esper et al. recently examined larch wood from the European Alps dating back 1173 years (1). The results show that budmoth outbreaks have occurred every 9.3 years on average since 844 C.E.; the authors attribute their absence since 1981 to contemporary warming, which stimulates early egg development and premature hatching. This may be good news for the trees, but is it yet another sign of the effects of anthropogenic climate change?

Thinking of insects’ activities more than a thousand years ago recalls biblical accounts of plagues of desert locusts, but there is no continuous historical record of such plagues before the 20th century. However, a Chinese Emperor instigated the sporadic collection of data on Chinese migratory locusts as early as 707 B.C.E., and his successors maintained a continuous series of annual records from 957 C.E. (3-5). Stige et al have now reanalyzed these data in the context of rainfall and temperature changes (2). As in time series of desert locusts (6), brown locusts (7), and Australian plague locusts (8), the data are not insect numbers but proxies based on numbers of administrative areas infested. Significant relationships with rainfall can be found in all of these locusts, but how rainfall affects the insects’ survival may vary according to species, depending on whether they have eggs that can remain dormant for a year or longer and so survive droughts, and on the spatiotemporal distribution of the rain.

For the Chinese locusts, Stige et al. show that both floods and droughts are important, with temperature and rainfall interacting to set the scene (2). The study also emphasizes the importance of low-frequency phenomena, which involve effects discernible at time scales longer than a year. These are known in many ecosystems and were detected in desert and brown locusts as unexplained 16- and 17-year cycles, respectively (6,7). Previous studies of the Chinese locust focused on interannual rather than longer-term variations, with one notable exception showing that population variability  increased at longer time-scales (9). Stige et al have now re-examined the data at lower frequencies than annual. In a kind of ecological archaeology, they used mean  decadal temperature (derived from ice cores, tree ring data, lake  sediments, and contemporary records) and mean decadal rainfall (based  on samples of juniper that tally with precipitation indices) to show  that there were more locusts when the climate was cold and wet and  fewer when it was warm and dry.

The authors find that these climatic effects accounted for locust  variability for periodicities of 30 years or more. Decadal frequencies of droughts and floods have  a multiplicative effect on the locusts. Both droughts and floods are more common in cold, wet periods, conditions associated with high locust numbers because droughts allow the insects to lay eggs on river- banks and lakesides; retreating floods also provide ideal breeding  conditions. These responses detected at decadal scales have important  practical implications: A projected warming Chinese climate would be  expected to lead to fewer locusts as a result of a reduced breeding  habitat, despite a positive association between locusts and  temperature at the annual scale (3).

Frequency-dependent effects of this kind may need to be taken into
account to correctly interpret other phenomena liable to disruption by global warming,  such as wind systems that affect locust migrations and the mixing of swarms originating  from different sources. Examinations at finer scales than the whole of China and further  understanding of the interactions between subpopulations are needed.  Desert locusts, for instance, have regional populations whose dynamics are cross-correlated (10).

Further insights from China are likely after the compilation of  meteorological and ecological records from the past 3000 years (11). Science needs such long  data sets and the financial commitments to provide them. Some series could be  reconstructed, as in the larch budmoth case, but finding biological data sets on a par with  those for the budmoths and locusts will need imagination and help from historians. The  Chinese Emperors thought long term, and so should we, by maintaining  current data collection programs essential for the understanding of  contemporary phenomena in the short, medium, and very long term,  perhaps 1000 years hence.

References
1. J. Esper et al., Proc. R. Soc. London Ser. B274, 671 (2007).
2. L. C. Stige et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 104, 16188 (2007).
3. S.-C. Ma, Y.-C. Ting, D. M. Li, Acta Entomol. Sinica14, 319 (1965).
4. S.-C. Ma, Acta Entomol. Sinica8, 1 (1958).
5. C. Tsao, Chinese J. Agric. Res. 1, 57 (1950).
6. R. A. Cheke, J. Holt, Ecol. Entomol.18, 109 (1993).
7. M. C. Todd et al., J. Appl. Ecol. 39, 31 (2002).
8. D. E. Wright, Aust. J. Ecol.12, 423 (1987).
9. G. Sugihara, Nature378, 559 (1995).
10. R. A. Cheke, J. A. Tratalos, BioScience 57, 145 (2007).
11. D. E. Zhang, Ed., A Compendium of Chinese Meteorological Records
of the Last 3000 Years (Jiangsu Education Publishing House, Nanjing,
China, 2004).

========================================

Continue Reading »

GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
VOL. 34, L19703, doi:10.1029/2007GL031018, 2007

Long term climate implications of 2050 emission reduction targets
Andrew J. Weaver, Kirsten Zickfeld, Alvaro Montenegro, and Michael Eby

Received 15 June 2007; revised 27 August 2007; accepted 7 September
2007; published 6 October 2007.

Abstract: A coupled atmosphere-ocean-carbon cycle model is used to
examine the long term climate implications of various 2050 greenhouse
gas emission reduction targets. All emission targets considered with
less than 60% global reduction by 2050 break the 2.0 threshold
warning this century, a number that some have argued represents an
upper bound on manageable climate warming. Even when emissions are
stabilized at 90% below present levels at 2050, this 2.0 threshold is
eventually broken. Our results suggest that if a 2.0  warming is to
be avoided, direct CO2 capture from the air, together with subsequent
sequestration, would eventually have to be introduced in addition to
sustained 90% global carbon emissions reductions by 2050.
–
========================================

Continue Reading »

Rising Tide Opposes Carbon Trading
Carbon Trading is a scam. A disastrous distraction from real efforts to stop a climate meltdown.

Carbon Trading is the largest privatization scheme in modern history. It places our most precious shared global resource — the carbon cycling capacity of the planet – in the hands of two groups noteworthy for their lack of concern for the public good: financial brokers and the energy industry. Continue Reading »

—————————————————————————————————
“Eighty years from now warming temperatures will shift climatic
conditions up to seven degrees in latitude, Aitken says. So trees in
Prince George, B.C., for example, will weather summers and winters
indigenous to places like Idaho with potentially harmful effects.”

“We want to plant trees that will be healthy and grow well, but
conditions are going to change throughout their lifetime,” Aitken
says. “If you move trees north early on, the seedlings will die from
cold-related injury. But if you plant them where they’re well adapted
as seedlings now, in 60 years where it’s four degrees warmer, mature
trees may not be well-adapted. We don’t know how to target that yet.”
—————————————————–

The London Free Press (Canada)
October 28, 2007

Moving targets a challenge
By VIVIAN SONG, NATIONAL BUREAU

YELLOWKNIFE — When Kevin Kennedy saw the unfamiliar four-legged
animal saunter past his living room window, he went through a mental
checklist of what it could have been.

“My mind went through all the possibilities,” said the seven-year
Yellowknife resident and city councillor.

The animal was a coyote, a normally south-dwelling animal that, up to
a few years ago, was a stranger to these parts. But sightings of
animals never seen in Yellowknife before have been on the rise, like
white-tailed deer, cougars and magpies which are migrating further
from their traditional habitats.

Experts warn that climate change could push Canada’s tree line north
by as much as 750 km in some areas, and bring with it new species
while pushing old ones out.

“That will reduce the space for tundra and the wildlife it supports,”
points out Stewart Cohen, a senior researcher at Environment Canada.
“Alpine trees may also be squeezed out if trees move to higher and
higher elevations.”

An increasing frequency of fires is expected to cut swaths through
the fir, jack pine, and black and white spruce trees which dominate
the boreal forest. Meanwhile, deciduous species like the leafy aspen,
birch and poplar are projected to succeed their needly predecessors
and change the face of the largely coniferous boreal forest in the
next 50 years.

“As trees become more dense because a warmer climate allows them to
grow taller, it will shift the ecosystem and plant species,” explains
Tom Lakusta, forest manager with the government of the Northwest
Territories.

Subspecies of the black and white spruce, which grow in northern
Alberta and Ontario, may also become better suited to the soils of
their northern cousins, Lakusta says, and creep farther north.

According to Environment Canada, warmer temperatures will force sugar
maple production in Quebec to shift northwards by two degrees of
latitude over the next century. Already, sap flow has started up to
one month earlier over the last decade and production seasons are
shorter.

“One of the big challenges is we’re trying to hit a moving target,”
says Sally Aitken, director of the Centre for Forest Gene
Conservation at the University of British Columbia.

Eighty years from now warming temperatures will shift climatic
conditions up to seven degrees in latitude, Aitken says. So trees in
Prince George, B.C., for example, will weather summers and winters
indigenous to places like Idaho with potentially harmful effects.

“The problem with climate change is that tree species are going to be
in the wrong places … there’s going to be a big mismatch between
the trees and their local environment,” Aitken says.

That presents a conundrum for forest conservationists.

“We want to plant trees that will be healthy and grow well, but
conditions are going to change throughout their lifetime,” Aitken
says. “If you move trees north early on, the seedlings will die from
cold-related injury. But if you plant them where they’re well adapted
as seedlings now, in 60 years where it’s four degrees warmer, mature
trees may not be well-adapted. We don’t know how to target that yet.”

=====================================================================

A new entry titled ‘The certainty of uncertainty’ has been posted to:

RealClimate.org.

http://www.realclimate.org/index.php?p=490

GOOD READ!

See below for a press release from Friends of the Earth on the bill.

———————————–
Rising Tide North America opposes all forms of Carbon Trading, but this bill is especially bad since it GIVES AWAY (rather than auctions) the right to pollute the atmosphere to the fossil fuel industry, which it can then trade or sell, making record profits.

For more background on Carbon Trading we recommend:
1. Carbon Trade Watch’s “The Sky Is Not the Limit” http://www.carbontradewatch.org/pubs/skyeng.pdf
2. Rising Tide UK’s “The Case Against Carbon Trading” http://risingtide.org.uk/resources/factsheets/carbontrading
3. The Corner House’s many resources: http://www.thecornerhouse.org.uk/subject/climate/
———————————–

Lieberman climate bill could have record corporate giveaways

October 17, 2007

For Immediate Release

For more information contact:
Nick Berning, 202-222-0748

Legislation’s allocation of permits to polluters could be worth trillions, says analysis from Friends of the Earth, and the coal industry stands to be the biggest winner

WASHINGTON — Global warming legislation expected to be introduced tomorrow could provide giveaways worth hundreds of billions or even trillions of dollars to polluting industries, according to an analysis of a draft of the legislation conducted by Friends of the Earth.

The cap-and-trade legislation, sponsored by Senators Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and John Warner (R-Va.), would attempt to limit U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by setting annual emissions limits for each industry. Under this legislation, a set amount of greenhouse gas pollution would continue to be allowed — and the way in which these transferable allowances, or permits, would be allocated could richly reward the country’s largest global warming polluters, as each permit could be sold or traded for cash just like a stock or a bond.

“What we’re looking at is the potential for corporate giveaways that are orders of magnitude larger than anything environmentalists have ever faced — potentially the biggest corporate giveaways in American history,” said Erich Pica, one of the authors of the Friends of the Earth analysis of the August draft of the legislation. “Polluters should have to pay for their pollution, not be rewarded for it.”

The Friends of the Earth analysis found that the coal industry in particular stands to benefit from this legislation, precisely because it is currently the industry most responsible for global warming pollution. Depending on market conditions, the coal industry could receive permits worth up to $231 billion in the first year alone, 48 percent of the total permit allocation. It could then sell or “trade” its permits to others for their cash value, or it could emit at no cost carbon that less fortunate industries would have to pay to emit.

“If Congress is going to implement a cap-and-trade system, it should auction off 100 percent of permits so that taxpayers reap the financial rewards. We could use that money to help Americans adjust to higher energy costs, and to subsidize clean, alternative forms of energy,” Pica said. “Instead, Senators Lieberman and Warner have proposed auctioning off only 24 percent of permits at the outset of this legislation, setting up a rigged market in which most permits are handed out to polluting industries for free. If you see a lot of polluters lining up in support of this legislation, that’s why.”

While the specific language of the legislation being introduced tomorrow could differ somewhat from the draft circulated in August, permit allocations will reportedly continue to be a problem. Friends of the Earth will update its analysis after the legislation is introduced to reflect the final numbers in the bill.

Friends of the Earth’s analysis of the Lieberman-Warner draft can be found at http://foe.org/globalwarming/Coal%20Rush.pdf.

Our August statement responding to the initial release of the Lieberman-Warner draft can be found at http://action.foe.org/dia/organizationsORG/foe/pressRelease.jsp?press_release_KEY=250.

###

IN AN “OTHER” GALAXY FAR FAR AWAY…
Continue Reading »

For Immediate Release:

October 23, 2007

Rainforest Action Network accuses financial giant of destroying Appalachian communities, environment

SAN FRANCISCO – Activists with Rainforest Action Network’s (RAN) Global Finance Campaign draped a 50-foot banner reading “Bank of America: Funding Coal, Killing Communities” across the street from Bank of America’s downtown Charlotte, N.C., headquarters this morning. The group is urging the financial giant to stop funding mountaintop removal coal mining and the construction of new coal-fired power plants.

A highly destructive method of coal extraction, mountaintop removal involves exploding the tops off of mountains to reach the coal within and dumping the rubble in adjoining valleys – choking streams and increasing flood risks for local communities. Bank of America has invested billions of dollars in companies that practice mountaintop removal in the Appalachian region, including Massey Energy, Arch Coal and Alpha Natural Resources. These companies are responsible for the loss of millions of acres of forests and mountains and the decimation of communities throughout Appalachia.

“Mountaintop removal and dirty coal plants have no place in our modern economy,” said Rebecca Tarbotton, director of RAN’s Global Finance Campaign. “Mountaintop removal flattens mountain ranges and transforms healthy mountain woodlands into toxic sludge and rubble that clogs mountain streams. Communities throughout Appalachia are being devastated by this shameful practice. If Bank of America and other financial institutions would shift their investments from coal to renewable energies such as wind and solar power, we could meet all our energy demands by mid-century without using any coal at all.”

“Here in West Virginia, coal companies are using 3 1/2 millions pounds of explosives a day to bomb our homes and mountains,” said Julia ‘Judy’ Bonds, founder of Coal River Mountain Watch. “They are poisoning our water and our air. I want Bank of America to realize that when it funds coal companies, it is ruining lives and killing our communities.”

More than 150 new coal-fired power plants are currently being planned throughout the U.S. at a projected cost of $125 billion. These plants will emit millions of tons of carbon dioxide and other dangerous toxins, such as mercury, into the atmosphere annually. RAN is urging banks to follow the recommendations of NASA’s chief climate scientist, Dr. James Hansen, who has called for a moratorium on all new coal-fired power plants. A United Nations scientific panel tasked with studying the issue also warned against further development and construction of conventional coal-fired power plants.

For more information, visit www.DirtyMoney.org.

by Bernie Woodall

LOS ANGELES – Opponents of coal-fired power plants say they were given a new weapon last week when Kansas became the first state to reject a coal-fired power plant solely on the basis of the health risks created by carbon dioxide emissions.

A dozen states have rejected plans for 22 new coal-fired power projects in the past year-and-a-half, mainly because of concerns over carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Kansas does not regulate carbon emissions and is believed to be the first state to tie CO2 to health risks and use that as the only stated reason for denying a required air permit, said Bruce Nilles of the Sierra Club.

Growing public awareness of climate change and the unknown cost of mitigating CO2 if and when a national carbon cap-and-trade system is established have forced regulators and utilities to rethink a planned boom for coal plants.

“Today, the political climate has changed. There is a lot more activism and with all the uncertainties around carbon regulation, we’re seeing a real slowdown in the building of coal plants,” said Bill Durbin, head of global gas and power research at consultant Wood Mackenzie. Continue Reading »

LIVING ON EARTH

Development’s Carbon Cost
Air Date: Week of October 19, 2007
Some states and local governments are calling on developers to
calculate the climate impact of their development projects. As Living
on Earth’s Ashley Ahearn reports, measuring the greenhouse gas
emissions from the loss of trees or new construction may be the first
step to limiting the emissions.

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TRANSCRIPT
CURWOOD: Converting land to new housing or commercial buildings can
aggravate global warming. How much depends on what you measure. There
are the emissions from heating and cooling of course, but some people
also count the loss of trees, or even new, longer commutes. Now some
states and local governments are starting to pressure developers to
calculate the climate impact of their projects. At the head of the
pack is Massachusetts. Living on Earth’s Ashley Ahearn has our story,
and she begins with a look at a major expansion at Harvard University.

AHEARN: Chris Gordon is standing on a bridge over the Charles River.
He’s pointing across the water to where Harvard University’s about to
break ground on a new 200-acre development that will include academic
buildings, housing, and community centers.

GORDON: On the right you can see the beginning of the Allston campus,
which is primarily the business school now, and then beyond that is
where the rest of the new Allston campus will be developed.

AHEARN: Gordon is chief operating officer for the new development.
All of the buildings will adhere to top green building standards-
solar panels, geothermal heat from the earth, energy efficiency. But
one-the new science center-is taking the concept further.

After being approached by the state government, Harvard agreed the
science center would take the building industry standard for
emissions, and cut that in half.

Chris Gordon is overseeing the new Allston development

for Harvard University. (Photo: Ashley Ahearn) AHEARN: What was
your reaction, I guess, when this kind of came on to the table-the
green house gas issue specifically and green building?

GORDON: Fear (laughs). No, I mean the debate was of course-can you
do it? I mean we wanted to do it and we felt we could but we really
wanted to do our homework to make sure we could do it.

AHEARN: Managers of all large developments in Massachusetts will be
facing similar challenges under a new state policy. Ian Bowles is the
secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs for the commonwealth.

BOWLES: What we did this year was we included for the first time,
greenhouse gases in the types of things we’re going to require people
to analyze.

AHEARN: Bowles says the new policy asks developers to ask themselves
a few questions:

BOWLES: What impacts are you going to have? How much are your
emissions going to be, and what are the steps you could take to
avoid, minimize or mitigate the damage you may do to the environment?

AHEARN: Major state projects, like the Big Dig for example, will have
to go further. They’ll have to account for what are called the
lifecycle emissions of the project. These are the emissions from
construction, operation of the structure, and transportation to and
from the site once it’s up.

That might seem like a pretty comprehensive assessment-and in the
urban world, it is. But Dan Sosland, head of the nonprofit
Environment Northeast, says that if you head to the wilder parts of
the country, the greenhouse gas picture isn’t complete without
factoring in how the landscape will be changed.

SOSLAND: If we don’t pay attention to the loss of forests, the steps
that we’re taking to reduce emissions in other areas are going to be
neutralized, in effect, by increased emissions from these developments.

AHEARN: The Plum Creek Timber Company, the largest private landholder
in the country, has plans for an over 20,000-acre development along
Moosehead Lake in Maine’s north woods. Sosland and Environment
Northeast decided to assess the greenhouse gas emissions of the
proposed development and produced a report.

Dan Sosland is the head of Environment Northeast
(Courtesy of Environment Northeast)
SOSLAND: This one proposal, if our numbers are right, will increase
Maine’s emissions by one percent. If Maine is looking at goals to
reduce emissions by ten percent by 2010, these are significant.

AHEARN: Luke Muzzy is a spokesperson for Plum Creek Timber.

MUZZY: This has never been discussed before as part of the permitting
process. I don’t believe it has been in any development in the state
of Maine. Global warming is a serious concern for everybody. I mean
it is for me personally, but I also realize that areas like mine have
got to grow and there is going to be development.

AHEARN: Other builders and developers are just beginning to address
this trend. The National Association of Home Builders says it’s
studying the issue.

Judi Greenwald, a policy analyst at the Pew Center on Global Climate
Change, says the carbon cost of development is beginning to register
with policymakers around the country.

Building standards, state by state.
(Courtesy of Pew Center on Global Climate Change)

GREENWALD: As we’re all starting to sit up and pay attention to how
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions people are using whatever tools
they can find.

AHEARN: In California, Attorney General Jerry Brown ignited a
firestorm this summer, when he tried to force local governments to
count greenhouse gases when they make growth decisions that are going
to create new longer commutes. Republicans in the legislature were so
angry it led to a budget stalemate for two months.

King County, Washington has added greenhouse gas pollution to its
project review and the state of Washington plans to follow suit. The
District of Columbia also plans to require developers to calculate
greenhouse gas emissions.

GREENWALD: This is another example of states and localities filling
this federal vacuum that we have, and they’re also playing an
interesting role as laboratories, which they often do on a lot of
policy arenas in the United States.

AHEARN: Lab rats or not, the sudden attention to climate change is
inspiring ideas that would have seemed far fetched just a few years
ago. Counting tons of CO2 from developments, some say, could be the
first step towards limiting them.

For Living on Earth, I’m Ashley Ahearn.
_______________________________________________________

—————————-
“This trend will continue into the future.”

” … poleward shifts of westerly winds in the
Southern Ocean reduced the region’s ability to
suck up CO2 as have mid-latitude droughts, which
slowed the growth rate of forests and plants that
capture carbon.”

“… this research shows that CO2 emissions over
the past decade were higher than those considered
in the most dire scenarios for future climate
change, which means that even more drastic
actions will be needed to stem global warming.”
——————————————————————-

Scientific American
October 22, 2007

Climate Change Pollution Rising-Thanks to Overwhelmed Oceans and Plants

Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere continue
to rise thanks to dirtier economies and a
weakening in natural systems’ ability to remove
the greenhouse gas

The world may finally acknowledge that global
warming is a major environmental hazard. But new
research shows that reducing the main greenhouse
gas behind it may be even more difficult than
previously believed. The reason: the world’s
oceans and forests, which scientists were
counting on to help hold off catastrophic rises
in carbon dioxide, are already so full of CO2
that they are losing their ability to absorb this
climate change culprit.

“For every ton of CO2 emitted [into] the
atmosphere, the natural sinks are removing less
carbon than before,” says biologist Josep “Pep”
Canadell, executive director of the Global Carbon
Project-an Australia-based research consortium
devoted to analyzing the pollution behind global
warming. “This trend will continue into the
future.”

Specifically, oceans and plant growth absorbed
only around 540 kilograms per metric ton (1,190
pounds per short ton) of the CO2 produced in
2006, compared with 600 kilograms per metric ton
(1,322 pounds per short ton) in 2000. Coupled
with an emissions growth rate of 3.3
percent-triple the growth rate of the 1990s-the
atmospheric burden is now rising by nearly two
parts per million of CO2 a year, the fastest
growth rate since 1850, the international team of
researchers reports in Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences USA.

“We have yet to make real progress in turning the
world toward decreasing CO2 emissions,” says the
study’s co-author Chris Field, director of the
Carnegie Institution of Washington’s Department
of Global Ecology in Stanford, Calif. “A greater
buildup of CO2 means more warming.”

Atmospheric concentrations of the most ubiquitous
greenhouse gas reached 381 parts-per-million in
2006 after emissions of CO2 from burning fossil
fuels rose to 8.4 billion metric tons (1.85 X
1013 pounds) per year, according to figures from
the United Nations, British Petroleum and the
U.S. Geological Survey.

All told, human activity released 9.9 billion
metric tons (2.18 X 1013 pounds) of carbon in
2006, up from just 8.4 billion metric tons (1.85
X 1013 pounds) in 2000. At the same time,
poleward shifts of westerly winds in the Southern
Ocean reduced the region’s ability to suck up CO2
as have mid-latitude droughts, which slowed the
growth rate of forests and plants that capture
carbon.

New maritime measurements over the past decade
also show that the North Atlantic’s ability to
absorb CO2 has been cut in half, according to
researchers from the University of East Anglia
who were not affiliated with the study by
Canadell and his colleagues. “Until now, we
thought that the decline in the efficiency of
natural sinks was going to happen during the 21st
century and more strongly during [its] second
half,” Canadell says. “If we didn’t [include in
the assumptions] that this was going to happen
[so soon], have we underestimated the decline in
the efficiency into the future?”

In addition, this research shows that CO2
emissions over the past decade were higher than
those considered in the most dire scenarios for
future climate change, which means that even more
drastic actions will be needed to stem global
warming. “The longer we wait to reduce
emissions,” Canadell says, “the harder the cuts
that will be required to stabilize atmospheric
CO2 emissions.”

© 1996-2007 Scientific American, Inc. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

0/22/2007 7:12:00 AM
Cattle Network

http://www.cattlenetwork.com/content.asp?contentid=170044

In the West, cool, wet weather across northern areas is slowing
Northwestern winter wheat planting but maintaining favorable moisture
supplies for crop emergence and establishment. In contrast, dry
conditions are favoring cotton harvesting across California and the
Southwest.

On the Plains, mild, dry conditions favor fieldwork following the
recent spell of stormy weather. However, wet fields continue to delay
summer crop harvesting across parts of Nebraska and the Dakotas.

In the Corn Belt, lingering showers continue to slow summer crop
harvesting, although the recent boost in topsoil moisture is
beneficial for emerging winter wheat. Corn and soybean harvest delays
are most significant in the western Corn Belt, where some locations
have already broken October rainfall records.

In the South, heavy rain east of the Delta is providing local drought
relief. However, extreme long-term rainfall deficits across much of
the Southeast are causing severe stress on pastures, depleting water
supplies, and limiting soil moisture for the establishment of
fall-sown crops.

Outlook: A large storm lifting into south-central Canada will
maintain cool, unsettled weather across the upper Midwest, while a
trailing cold front will generate locally heavy showers from the
eastern Gulf Coast into New England. Meanwhile, rain and mountain
snow will spread across the Pacific Northwest and northern Rockies as
abundant Pacific moisture races onshore courtesy of strong westerly
winds aloft. Over the weekend, high pressure will allow dry, mild
weather to return to the eastern half of the Nation. In contrast, a
strong cold front will generate showers across the Dakotas, while
snow falls farther west in the central Rockies. As Gulf moisture
feeds into the front, heavy rain and potentially severe thunderstorms
are expected to develop from the central and southern Plains eastward
into the lower half of the Mississippi Valley by late Sunday. The NWS
6- to 10-day outlook for October 24-28 calls for drier- and
warmer-than-normal weather west of the Rockies. Drier-than-normal
conditions will also extend eastward into the central Plains and Ohio
River Valley, while above-normal rainfall prevails in the upper
Midwest and along the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts. Below-normal
temperatures are expected from the southern Plains to the central and
southern Atlantic Coast.
–
================================================================

—–Original Message—–
From: WalkingwithElSalvador@googlegroups.com
[mailto:WalkingwithElSalvador@googlegroups.com]On Behalf Of Tim
Sent: Monday, October 22, 2007 3:24 PM
To: WalkingwithElSalvador@googlegroups.com
Subject: [Tim's El Salvador Blog] October rains produce widespread flooding

October is supposed to be the last month of the rainy season in El Salvador,
but it has had some of the most dangerous rains of the year. The country is
currently on yellow alert due to the heavy rains prompting certain rivers to
overflow. According to La Prensa, one person died in flooding and 600 people
have been evacuated from their homes so far. La Prensa’s coverage at this
link has several stories as well as photo galleries of the flooding.

–
Posted By Tim to Tim’s El Salvador Blog at 10/22/2007 02:10:00 PM
–~–~———~–~—-~————~——-~–~—-~

Climate forces fires, salvage logging makes ‘em worse
Lance Olsen

===========================================
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (US)
PNAS | *June 19, 2007* | vol. 104 | no. 25 | *10743-10748*

*BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES / SUSTAINABILITY SCIENCE*
* Reburn severity in managed and unmanaged vegetation in a large wildfire*

* Jonathan R. Thompson^* ^,{dagger} , Thomas A. Spies^{ddagger} , and
Lisa M. Ganio^* *

*Department of Forest Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
97331; and ^{ddagger} Pacific Northwest Research Station, U.S.
Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Corvallis, OR 97331

Edited by Ruth S. DeFries, University of Maryland, College Park, MD,
and approved April 26, 2007 (received for review January 10, 2007)

Debate over the influence of post-wildfire management on future fire
severity is occurring in the absence of empirical studies. We used
satellite data, government agency records, and aerial photography to
examine a forest landscape in southwest Oregon that burned in 1987
and then was subject, in part, to salvage-logging and conifer
planting before it reburned during the 2002 Biscuit Fire. Areas that
burned severely in 1987 tended to reburn at high severity in 2002,
after controlling for the influence of several topographical and
biophysical covariates. Areas unaffected by the initial fire tended
to burn at the lowest severities in 2002. Areas that were
salvage-logged and planted after the initial fire burned more
severely than comparable unmanaged areas, suggesting that fuel
conditions in conifer plantations can increase fire severity despite
removal of large woody fuels. Continue Reading »

Continue Reading »

—————-
“Along with environmental groups, this bill is being supported by members of faith and scientific communities, who are joining forces around the moral and practical imperative to help species that are in trouble due to global warming.”
————-
Earthjustice

Press Release
New Bill Will Help Species Imperiled by Climate Change

Global Warming Wildlife Survival Bill calls for study, solutions

October 17, 2007

Washington, DC — Today, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA), announced that they will soon be introducing the Global Warming Wildlife Survival bill, landmark legislation addressing the threat of climate change to wildlife, oceans, and
imperiled species.

The bill dedicates the country’s best scientific minds to identifying species and habitats likely to be harmed by global warming, and calls for a coordinated national strategy to address those threats.

“As we work to mitigate the causes of global warming, we must also take urgent action to address its effects on wildlife, oceans, and other natural systems on which we all depend,” Senator Whitehouse
said in a press release.

The bill is the first of its kind and includes critical components for the nation’s most imperiled plants and animals, convening in-depth regional scientific discussions and a National Academy of Sciences panel to examine the impacts of climate change on endangered, threatened, and otherwise imperiled species and recommend action.

Continue Reading »

Maria Gunnoe is a long time activist in the coalfields resisting mountaintop removal coal mining. Her and her family were nearly killed by flooding caused by a nearby strip mine several years ago. The flooding ended up washing away over 5 acres of her land which has been in her family for generations. In the wake of a recent court injunction against a new mine permit near her homestead, Maria has received several death threats. These are to be taken seriously, resistors in the coalfields have had there pets killed, houses burned, and attempts on their lives from coal company thugs. Below is her account of what happened

from Maria:

On September the 19th we (OVEC members) had a meeting on the proposed valley fill that Jupiter Coal company wants to put in Dry Branch hollow in Bim, WV. This meeting was to help to engage local people in legal battle to stop a proposed valley fill in Dry Branch Hollow. The meeting was held in a community building in Wharton WV, near my home, that I had rented for the evening in OVEC’s name. The meeting was due to start at 6:00 and around 5:30 the workers from Jupiter Coal Company started gathering in the parking lot. Within 15 minutes the workers had filled the parking lot blocking any areas for any community members to park so instead of coming to the meeting they had no choice but to pass by.

Continue Reading »

BP Executive Pied as Europe’s Largest Biofuels Event Disrupted

From: http://earthfirst.org.uk/actionreports/node/5205

Date: 17th October, 2007
Embargo: Immediate Release
CONTACT: 07880 937 511
Newark Showground, Newark, Nottinghamshire

This morning a group of 15 climate change activists from protest group Food Not Fuel entered the BioFuel Expo & Conference taking place at the Newark Showground and took over the keynote speech. Oliver Mace, CEO of BP Fuels, the lead sponsors of the event received a cream pie in the face. Another campaigner was D-locked to the podium and various alarms were placed around the place. The hall was emptied and talks were cancelled. There were no arrests.

They were protesting against planned expansion of biofuels citing its contribution to deforestation and the fact that it will continue to contribute to climate change. The activists complained that biofuels on a large scale is greenwash and companies such as BP are ignoring its negative impacts on the environment.

Protester Michelle Lynch said, “What they are promoting is a replacement to fossil fuels, but the reality is that they are little better. Large scale plantations are not the solution; reducing our consumption is the only realistic way forward.”

Continue Reading »

_________________________________________________
——– Original Message ——–
Subject: [Stumps] More than incredibly serious
Date: Wed, 17 Oct 2007 08:14:35 -0600
From: Lance Olsen
To: stumps

———————-
“It appears this acidification is now taking place over decades,
rather than centuries as originally predicted. It is happening even
faster in the cooler waters of the Southern Ocean than in the tropics.
It is starting to look like a very serious issue.”

“When CO2 levels in the atmosphere reach about 500 parts per million,
you put calcification out of business in the oceans.”

“Global warming is incredibly serious, but ocean acidification could
be even more so.”
———————————————————

James Cook University (Australia)
jcu.edu.au
17 October 2007

ACID OCEANS WARNING

The world’s oceans are becoming more acid, with potentially
devastating consequences for corals and the marine organisms that
build reefs and provide much of the Earth’s breathable oxygen.

The acidity is caused by the gradual buildup of carbon dioxide (CO2)
in the atmosphere, dissolving into the oceans. Scientists fear it
could be lethal for animals with chalky skeletons which make up more
than a third of the planet’s marine life.

Acid oceans will be among the issues explored by Australia’s leading
coral scientists at a national public forum at the Shine Dome in
Canberra tomorrow.  The Coral Reef Futures 07 Forum is on October
18-19, 2007 and is hosted by the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral
Reef Studies (CoECRS).

“Recent research into corals using boron isotopes indicates the ocean
has become about one third of a pH unit more acid over the past fifty
years.  This is still early days for the research, and the trend is
not uniform, but it certainly looks as if marine acidity is building
up,” says Professor Malcolm McCulloch of CoECRS and the Australian
National University.

“It appears this acidification is now taking place over decades,
rather than centuries as originally predicted. It is happening even
faster in the cooler waters of the Southern Ocean than in the tropics.
It is starting to look like a very serious issue.”

Corals and plankton with chalky skeletons are at the base of the
marine food web.  They rely on sea water saturated with calcium
carbonate to form their skeletons. However, as acidity intensifies,
the saturation declines, making it harder for the animals to form
their skeletal structures (calcify).

“Analysis of coral cores shows a steady drop in calcification over the
last 20 years,” says Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg of CoECRS and the
University of Queensland.  “There’s not much debate about how it
happens: put more CO2 into the air above and it dissolves into the
oceans.

“When CO2 levels in the atmosphere reach about 500 parts per million,
you put calcification out of business in the oceans.” (Atmospheric CO2
levels are presently 385 ppm, up from 305 in 1960.)

“It isn’t just the coral reefs which are affected – a large part of
the plankton in the Southern Ocean, the coccolithophorids, are also
affected.  These drive ocean productivity and are the base of the food
web which supports krill, whales, tuna and our fisheries.  They also
play a vital role in removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere,
which could break down.”

Professor Hoegh-Guldberg said an experiment at Heron Island, in which
CO2 levels were increased in the air of tanks containing corals, had
showed it caused some corals to cease forming skeletons. More
alarmingly, red calcareous algae – the ‘glue’ that holds the edges of
coral reefs together in turbulent water – actually began to dissolve.
“The risk is that this may begin to erode the Barrier of the Great
Barrier Reef  at a grand scale,” he says.

“As an issue it’s a bit of a sleeper.  Global warming is incredibly
serious, but ocean acidification could be even more so.”

Other issues at the forum include:

o the latest science on coral bleaching
o the rising plague of coral  disease
o managing Australia’s coral reefs under climate change
o managing resilience in coral reefs
o protecting sea water quality from activities on land
o are ‘green zones’ helping to replenish fish stocks on the GBR?
o the plight of reef sharks and other top predators.

The forum will feature a public discussion hosted by ABC Science Show
host Dr Robyn Williams on the future of Australia’s coral reefs, at 6
PM on Thursday, October 18, at the Shine Dome, Canberra.

Australia’s coral reefs, particularly the Great Barrier Reef, Ningaloo
Reef, and Lord Howe Island World Heritage Area  are national icons, of great economic, social, and aesthetic value. Tourism on the Great Barrier Reef alone
contributes approximately $5 billion annually to the nation’s economy.
Income from recreational and commercial fishing on Australia’s
tropical reefs contributes a further $400 million annually.
Consequently, science-based management of coral reefs is a national
priority.

Globally, the welfare of 500 million people is closely linked to the
goods and services provided by coral reef biodiversity. Uniquely among
tropical and sub-tropical nations, Australia has extensive coral
reefs, a small population of relatively wealthy and well-educated
citizens, and well developed infrastructure. Coral reef research is
one area where Australia has the capability, indeed the obligation, to
claim world-leadership.

MEDIA AND THE PUBLIC ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND THE CORAL REEF FUTURES 2007 FORUM AND THE FREE PUBLIC DISCUSSION AT 6PM, THE SHINE DOME.

More information:
Professor Malcolm McCulloch, CoECRS and ANU, ph 02 6125 9969
Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, CoECRS and UQ ph 07 3365 1156 or 0401 106 604
Louise Taylor, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
Ph: 07 4781 4000
Fax: 07 4781 6722
Email: Louise.Taylor@jcu.edu.au

Full details and conference program:
http://www.coralcoe.org.au/news_stories/07/forum_program.html

Stumps mailing list
Stumps@forestcouncil.org
http://oldgrowth.forestcouncil.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/stumps

_________________________________________________________

A story of serious government repression in Aotearoa (aka New Zealand). The media there is reporting that organizers from the non-violent direct action campaign to stop coal mining at Happy Valley on Aotearoa’s southern island are among the arrestees.
————

17 activists arrested, denied bail. 300+ Police raid houses across the country
15 Oct 2007

by AIMC
Aotearoa Indymedia (New Zealand)
http://www.indymedia.org.nz/

In a wave of massive state repression, 300+ Police, in many cases armed, raided houses around the country today making 17 arrests. Search warrants were carried out in Auckland, Whakatane, Ruatoki, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Wellington and Christchurch. Police are also seeking up to 60 people for questioning. The arrestees are all activists in the Tino Rangatiratanga, peace and environmental movements.

Prominent Tino Rangatiratanga activist Tame Iti was among the first arrested at his home at 4am Monday morning. At 6am raids were carried out at A Space Inside anarchist social centre in Auckland [ Search Warrant ] and the 128 activist Community Centre in Wellington [ Video of police raid ]. In Tuhoe Country, the town of Ruatoki was blockaded by armed police for several hours, with no cars allowed in and many searched, including a school bus full of children.

Continue Reading »

From Edinburgh to Cornwall, blockades to invisible theatre, RBS has felt the sting today. As of 5PM on Monday, we’ve heard of 23 actions so far with more expected to still come in. Read on, check back soon, and let us know if you’ve done something in your area! And a huge well done to all involved!

Edinburgh RBS HQ: Campaigners from Edinburgh University People and Planet group held a demonstration outside the RBS national headquarters on St. Andrew’s Street, giving out information to customers, holding banners and placards, and waving oil covered hands. Photos and full report: http://scotland.indymedia.org/newswire/display/4654/index.php

Also in Edinburgh: The locks of the main entrances to at least six Edinburgh RBS branches were glued shut last night, and all of them had to have the locks replaced today.

Continue Reading »

=================================================================
“We were surprised how intensively these regions were being affected”
by human presence, says K. Heinz Erb, an ecologist at Klagenfurt
University in Vienna. “Only one-third of the natural productivity is
left for all the other species.”

“Some scientists now wonder: At what point do the world’s ecosystems
begin to break down? Or, more frighteningly, has that process already
begun?”

“If the whole world begins to look like Iowa cornfields, …. that
leaves a lot less for other things,” says Foley.

“Foley continues. ‘At what point does this get to be scary?’ ”
=============================================

Science News
Week of Oct. 13, 2007;  Vol. 172, No. 15

Invasive, Indeed

One species-Homo sapiens-consumes nearly a quarter of Earth’s natural
productivity

Sid Perkins

Some people live lightly on the land: Bedouin clans roam the deserts
of the Middle East and North Africa; small groups of indigenous
people follow reindeer herds across frigid Arctic terrain; and tribes
of hunter-gatherers forage the plains of southern Africa and the
forests of Amazonia and Papua New Guinea.

Then there’s the other 6.6 billion of us.

When we farm, clear forests, and build cities, dams, and roads, we
dramatically alter the landscape. In some places, we increase the
land’s productivity-measured as the amount of plant life at the base
of the food chain-by adding immense amounts of water and fertilizer.
New research indicates that on the whole, however, human presence
significantly decreases Earth’s biological productivity. For
instance, many of today’s cities occupy large patches of what had
been some of the world’s most fertile land.

Of the biological productivity that remains, people are gathering an
ever-increasing share, sometimes by boosting their quality of life,
but often merely by dint of their burgeoning numbers. In some
regions, each spanning millions of square kilometers, human activity
consumes almost two-thirds of the biological productivity that would
otherwise be available.

“We were surprised how intensively these regions were being affected”
by human presence, says K. Heinz Erb, an ecologist at Klagenfurt
University in Vienna. “Only one-third of the natural productivity is
left for all the other species.”

Overall, nearly one-quarter of Earth’s land-based biological
productivity ends up in people’s hands and bellies, Erb and his
colleagues estimate. Other research suggests that people appropriate
a comparable, but slightly smaller, share of the ocean’s
productivity-defined as the mass of photosynthetic organisms at the
base of the sea’s food chain.

A projected 25 percent increase in the world’s population by 2030 is
bound to strain ecosystems even further. Increasing agricultural
efficiency by irrigating and fertilizing the land can add to the
strain by boosting erosion and the nutrient runoff that creates toxic
algal blooms and large anoxic zones in oceans. Adding insult to
injury, proposals to transition from fossil fuels to renewable
biofuels would place yet more of Earth’s productivity in people’s
hands.

Some scientists now wonder: At what point do the world’s ecosystems
begin to break down? Or, more frighteningly, has that process already
begun?

Reaping, sowing

Before people invented agriculture, they roamed the landscape in
search of sustenance. When resources became too scarce to nourish the
group, it was time to move on. When people began to farm the land,
however, their habits changed considerably, to the detriment of many
ecosystems. Settlers built year-round shelters and often cleared
acreage for their crops.

“The rise of modern agriculture and forestry has been one of the most
transformative events in human history,” says Jonathan A. Foley, an
environmental scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Practices vary somewhat, but typically, people heavily farm the most
fertile land, use marginal lands for grazing domestic animals, and
plant single-species tree farms in areas where forests once stood.
Whatever the use, the production of forest or agricultural goods
comes at the expense of natural ecosystems, observes Foley.

Today, croplands and pastures are among the largest ecosystems on the
planet. People farm about 12 percent of the land outside of
Antarctica and Greenland and use about 23 percent for grazing, says
Foley. Together, land devoted to these uses equals the 35 percent of
Earth’s surface that natural forests occupy, he notes.

To estimate the effect that humans wreak on the world’s land-based
ecosystems, Erb and his colleagues used agricultural and forestry
statistics compiled for 161 nations that account for 97.4 percent of
Earth’s icefree land. Most of the remaining area is located on small,
uninhabited islands, Erb notes. In their computer model, the
researchers divided the planet’s land surface into grid squares no
larger than 10 kilometers per side.

The team estimates that if people weren’t around to alter the
landscape, the world’s natural vegetation would absorb enough carbon
dioxide from the atmosphere to lock away about 65.5 billion metric
tons of carbon each year. However, in 2000, the year for which the
data were compiled, Earth’s vegetation locked away only about 59.2
billion metric tons of carbon, or 9.6 percent less than it should
have, says Erb. Of that smaller carbon total, human activities
removed about 15.6 billion metric tons-a whopping 23.8 percent-from
the world’s ecosystems. A little more than half of the carbon that
people appropriated was harvested and used as food, forage, and wood,
Erb and his colleagues note in the July 31 Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences. Most of the rest was lost to
inefficiencies of agriculture, including the inability of crops to
store as much carbon as natural vegetation would have stored. A small
amount, about 7 percent of the carbon that people take out of the
system, went up in smoke produced primarily by slash-and-burn
agriculture, says Erb. All of this human-appropriated carbon became
unavailable to other species.

Human harvests don’t stop at the shoreline, either. The world’s most
productive fisheries typically lie in and near the shallow waters
that fringe the coasts of large islands and continents, says Daniel
Pauly, a fisheries biologist at the University of British Columbia in
Vancouver. Scientists have divided such coastal waters into 64 large
marine ecosystems. These areas can vary in character and inhabitants
as much as arctic tundra differs from an Amazonian rain forest.

About 95 percent of the world’s fish catch comes from large marine
ecosystems, says Pauly. For the past decade or so, that haul has
represented about 20 percent of the natural productivity of those
regions, as measured by the amount of carbon locked away by organisms
at the base of the ocean’s food chain.

Efficiency matters

While wilderness areas remain relatively unaffected by people, other
parts of the world are packed cheek by jowl with cities, farms, and
other human imprints.

Southern Asia, a 6.7-million-square-kilometer region that includes
India, is one of the most densely populated and heavily irrigated
regions on the planet, says Erb. There, human activity co-opts about
63 percent of the area’s natural productivity each year, he and his
colleagues estimate. In eastern and southeastern Europe, people
appropriate about 52 percent of the land’s productivity.

At the other extreme, in Australia, central Asia, and Latin America,
the percentage of productivity that ends up in human hands ranges
between 11 and 16 percent. Increasing the use of fertilizers and
irrigation could boost those percentages and help meet the needs of a
growing world population. However, long-term irrigation sometimes
renders the soil too salty for crops, and fertilizer, if used
unsparingly, runs off into rivers and streams and ends up in the
ocean, where it overfertilizes algae and thus creates huge zones
devoid of other life. “There’s no free biomass,” Erb cautions.

In the stampede to replace fossil fuels, some scientists have
proposed the large-scale cultivation of crops that can be transformed
into supposedly eco-friendly biofuels. That, too, might be
ecologically unwise.

“If the whole world begins to look like Iowa cornfields, we’ll have
to take an even larger share of global biological production into
human hands, and that leaves a lot less for other things,” says
Foley. “And those other things won’t be just pretty butterflies and
tigers and charismatic animals, they’ll be things that matter to us,
like the things that clean our water, preserve our soils, clean our
atmosphere, and pollinate our crops.”

“At what point does human activity begin to compromise a lot of our
environmental systems?” Foley continues. “At what point does this get
to be scary?”

If you have a comment on this article that you would like considered
for publication in Science News, send it to editors@sciencenews.org.
Please include your name and location.

To subscribe to Science News (print), go to
https://www.kable.com/pub/scnw/ subServices.asp.

To sign up for the free weekly e-LETTER from Science News, go to
http://www.sciencenews.org/pages/subscribe_form.asp.

References:

Foley, J.A., et al. 2007. Our share of the planetary pie. Proceedings
of the National Academy of Sciences 104(July 31):12585-12586. Extract
available at http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/extract/104/31/12585.

Haberl, H., K.H. Erb, et al. 2007. Quantifying and mapping the human
appropriation of net primary production in earth’s terrestrial
ecosystems. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 104(July
31):12942-12947. Available at
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/104/31/12942.

Further Readings:

Harder, B. 2003. Catch zero. Science News 164(July 26):59-61.
Available at http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20030726/bob10.asp.

Perkins, S. 2004. Paved paradise? Science News 166(Sept. 4):152-153.
Available at http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20040904/bob8.asp>

Raloff, J. 2000. Sprawling over croplands. Science News 157(March
4):155. Available to subscribers at
http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20000304/note12.asp.

Sources:

K. Heinz Erb
Institute of Social Ecology
Klagenfurt University
Schottenfeldgasse 29
1070, Vienna
Austria

Jonathan A. Foley
Center for Sustainablility and the Global Environment
University of Wisconsin, Madison
1710 University Avenue, Room 202A
Madison, WI 53726

Daniel Pauly
Fisheries Centre
Aquatic Ecosystems Research Laboratory (AERL), Room 333
2202 Main Mall
University of British Columbia
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4
Canada

Copyright (c) 2007 Science Service. All rights reserved.

________________________________________________________________________________

——————————-
“As sea levels rise as many as 6000 people have been relocated and
two islands in the Sunderbans already submerged due to climate change.

” ‘I lost everything. That part is the tiger reserve. But the river
comes in- it destroyed my house it also destroyed our crops as the
water is so saline. Earlier it did not flood so often but now it
seems it is flooding ever so often,’ says a resident of the area,
Suryakant Moundal.”
————————————————————————————————–

Sunderbans in danger, locals turn climate refugees
Bahar Dutt
CNN-IBN

Sunderbans (West Bengal): Is global warming for real? As the world
debates climate change and global warming join us on a special
journey as we transverse through the Sunderbans Delta and find out
how wildlife and people are coping with quite literally living on the
edge.

Hard to access and a difficult terrain to live in, Sunderbans is home
to over 54 species of mangroves – the only flora that can survive in
these saline waters.

This is a world heritage site and now it’s a climate change hotspot.
There’s a crisis brewing here which may seem local but its causes are
global.

As sea levels rise as many as 6000 people have been relocated and two
islands in the Sunderbans already submerged due to climate change.

“I lost everything. That part is the tiger reserve. But the river
comes in- it destroyed my house it also destroyed our crops as the
water is so saline. Earlier it did not flood so often but now it
seems it is flooding ever so often,” says a resident of the area,
Suryakant Moundal.

Moundal is a distressed man. He does not know about climate change.
What he does know is that the frequency with which he has to move has
gone up and that the river now destroys his home with greater
frequency.

“We are from santhal tribe. We have lost everything. Where do we go?
There is no land on the island it is already taken,” says another
local.

Any island you visit on the Sunderbans tells the same story. People
have their own coping strategies. Some have put these bamboo
structures to prevent the mud from falling, others have just got used
to moving home more often. So what has made this world heritage site
more vulnerable to climate change?

“Sunderbans is a delta, the river always used to flood but now if you
look many islands are disappearing fast, in fact two of the islands
are already submerged. If you look at these satellite images you will
see the difference,” WWF Senior Coordinator Dr Prakash Rao.

The waters that bring life are also the waters that take it away.
Scientists estimate with rising sea levels there will be cascading
effects.

While 60 per cent of Mangrove species will be destroyed, the habitat
of the endangered species like the Royal Bengal tiger will be wiped
out.

Once saline water moves in to the islands, crops will be destroyed.

______________________________________________________________

In coastal areas of the U.S., plants and animals
will be refugees from rising seas.

How will Americans respond?
Lance

————————————–
” …  land managers will sometimes actually have to
embrace non-native invasive species …”

” … we should be looking to preserve land further inland
to give some of these species a chance for preservation,” she said.
———————————————————————-

Cleveland Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio, US)
Friday, October 12, 2007

ENVIRONMENT

Preservationists need to adjust to climate change, expert says

Michael Scott
Plain Dealer Columnist

Groups who seek to preserve parks and natural
areas need to rethink their mission in light of
already advancing changes in plants and animals
because of global climate change, an ecology
expert said this week.

“Forget trying to preserve a site and an
ecosystem exactly as you would like to – as a
close representation of what it was once like
without human effect,” said William Platt, an
ecology professor at Louisiana State University.

Platt spoke Tuesday at the 34th annual Natural
Areas Conference at the Marriott Key Center in
Cleveland. He said the ap proach is a departure
from the long-accepted idea to preserve parkland
as it once was.

He told about 400 parks and natural areas
managers attending the conference that some
species of plants and animals will not be able to
keep up with coming changes. That means land
managers will sometimes actually have to embrace
non-native invasive species which thrive in salt
water, for example.

Platt referred to the bleak forecast for
Louisiana where the Gulf of Mexico is rising at a
rate where 70 percent of the current coast is
projected to be under salt water by 2100 as “a
harbinger of things to come elsewhere,” including
Ohio.

Changes are already evident in the Great Lakes
region, said Kim Herman, president of the Natural
Areas Association, who lives in Michigan’s Upper
Peninsula. She said Platt made sense when he said
that some species would “stretch” inland while
others would be “squeezed” from that advance.

“That means we should be looking to preserve land
further inland to give some of these species a
chance for preservation,” she said.

Climate effect:

An article in this month’s “National Parks” makes
this astonishing point: 73 percent of what was
once ice in Montana’s Glacier National Park is
now bare rock.

Some scientists project that by 2030 – only 23
years from now – there won’t even be a glacier in
the glacier park.

Several national parks managers echoed what Platt
told the Cleveland crowd: Climate change
discussion has moved from whether it’s actually
happening to how to best respond to it.

So national parks are likely to become more and
more “carbon neutral,” using trams to move people
around instead of cars, for example. Many parks
will also use the changes as educational
opportunities.

© 2007 cleveland.com All Rights Reserved.

____________________________________________________

———————-
“We are faced with … rising rates of
consumption that nature can’t match.
Increasingly, we are also threatened by the wave
of privatization that is sweeping across the
world, turning water from a precious public
resource into a commodity for economic gain.”

“The case gained international attention when it
was featured in the film and book Thirst:
Fighting the Corporate Theft of Our Water. The
public finally won out in July, when the city
council voted to get rid of the 20-year contract
and send the corporation packing.”
——————-

The late, great Corbin Harney-spiritual leader of the
Western Shoshone People of the dry Great Basin region
of the U.S.-dedicated his life to spreading this very
message.

Our Drinkable Water Supply Is Vanishing

By Tara Lohan, AlterNet
Posted on October 11, 2007, Printed on October 11, 2007
http://www.alternet.org/story/64948/

Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, the Hungarian biochemist
and Nobel Prize winner for medicine once said,
“Water is life’s matter and matrix, mother and
medium. There is no life without water.”

We depend on water for survival. It circulates
through our bodies and the land, replenishing
nutrients and carrying away waste. It is passed
down like stories over generations — from
ice-capped mountains to rivers to oceans.

Continue Reading »

Science is the process of disciplined dissent. The process of
disciplined dissent relies on evidence — evidence that can force a
change of mind by challenging the consensus that scientists had
earlier achieved.

That’s nowhere more true than in climate science, where the consensus
process used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has
been challenging its own, earlier consensus about the speed and
seriousness of what lies ahead.  What climate researchers regarded as
mostly likely in 2001 had been seriously challenged by early 2007,
and it now looks very likely that even the better consensus climate
scientists had reached in the spring of 2007 will be seriously
challenged by new evidence expected to come out in November.

Few groups are as prepared to challenge their own consensus as the
science community is. But scientists saw need of change coming, and
you saw the preview when it was posted to this list in October ‘06.
Lance

—————————————
” ‘… the extreme scenarios that tend to fall out of the IPCC
process may be exactly the ones we should most worry about,’ he says.”

“Michael Schlesinger, a climate scientist at the University of
Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, points to another example. ‘Things are
happening right now with the ice sheets that were not predicted to
happen until 2100.’”
——————————————-

SCIENCE www.sciencemag.org
VOL 314    13 OCTOBER 2006

NEWS FOCUS

Trying to Lasso Climate Uncertainty

An expert on climate and population looks for a way to help society avoid a
“Wile E. Coyote” catastrophe
-JOHN BOHANNON

LAXENBURG, AUSTRIA – A few weeks ago, Brian O’Neill hunkered down
around a table with a dozen other climate scientists in Cape Town,
South Africa, to talk about the future of the planet. It was no idle
speculation: Whatever they agreed upon – they knew in advance – would
have clout. They were hammering out the final draft of a chapter on
research methods for the massive “Fourth Assessment” of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The product of 3
years of consensus-building among several hundred researchers from
around the world, the IPCC report is the scientific bedrock on which
policymakers will negotiate everything from carbon taxes to long-term
greenhouse gas targets.

But for all its authority, the IPCC exercise left O’Neill with a
nagging concern: What were they leaving out? “It’s important that we
climate scientists speak with a single voice,” he said in an
interview back in his office, high up in the attic of a former
Habsburg palace outside Vienna. But “the extreme scenarios that tend
to fall out of the IPCC process may be exactly the ones we should
most worry about,” he says.

O’Neill, a climate scientist at the InternationalInstitute for
Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) here, is frustrated to see
uncertainties in research used as a reason to delay action. At age
41, he is one of the youngest scientists in the IPCC network trying
to reformulate climate-change projections that can cope better with
uncertainty by accounting for “future learning.” O’Neill hopes the
strategy will make it clear that, even with gaps in understanding, it
pays to act now.

His work is gaining notice. Although an American, O’Neill has scooped
up one of the coveted European Young Investigator Awards (EURYI), a
$1.5 million grant meant in part to keep Europe’s most promising
scientists at home. “He is one of the brightest young scientists out
there, and we’re all watching to see what he does,” says Simon Levin,
an ecologist at Princeton University.

A winding path

O’Neill’s job is to predict the future, but his own career path has
been unpredictable. With 3 years’ training in engineering and a
degree in journalism, he became passionately involved in the 1980s in
efforts to prevent ozone depletion, working for Greenpeace in
California. After collecting a Ph.D. in earth-system sciences from
New York University, he did research stints at Brown University and
the Environmental Defense Fund in New York City. In 2002, he moved to
IIASA, a center for multidisciplinary research founded in 1972. Here,
O’Neill has built up a new program focusing on population and climate
change. The treatment of demographics in most climate-change
analyses, he says, is “simplistic at best.” With the EURYI money,
he’s assembled a team of a half- dozen demographers, economists,
statisticians, and physical scientists to sharpen the models.

A long-limbed basketball player who looks like he could be fresh out
of graduate school, O’Neill seems to peel away layers of uncertainty
as he speaks. His slow-paced answers to questions often begin with a
detailed preamble of assumptions, conditions, and footnotes. But as
the father of two daughters, he says, “thinking about how the world
will be in 50 years is not so abstract for me anymore.”

At IIASA, his work focuses on building realistic demographic
projections, and China has become his main beat. Different
predictions of how the country’s population will age and urbanize –
and how carbon-emission policies will shape Chinese consumption –
have an enormous effect on global climate change scenarios. But
obtaining accurate demographic data has been difficult. With the help
of a Chinese member of his new team, O’Neill has done an analysis
revealing that the IPCC assumptions about China’s rate of
urbanization and energy consumption could be off by a factor of 2.

Learning about learning

Earlier this year, O’Neill organized a unique meeting at IIASA,
bringing together experts from different areas of climate science,
economics, and demography to think about how they generate knowledge.
One of the most important questions that emerged, says Klaus Keller,
a climate scientist at Pennsylvania State University in State
College, is how do you avoid “the Wile E. Coyote effect?” The cartoon
coyote often doesn’t realize he’s falling off a cliff until he looks
down, too late to turn back. One of the potential cliffs in climate
change involves the ocean’s conveyer-belt system — known as the
meridional overturning circulation (MOC) — which prevents a Siberian
chill from spreading across western Europe by carrying warm water
north from the equator. Scientists worry that global warming could
abruptly change or even shut down the MOC. “These are the kind of
climate thresholds that we need to identify,” says Keller.

Scientists need to know more about the natural variability in MOC
behavior, says O’Neill. But they don’t even know “how precise your
measurements have to be” or how large an area must be studied before
uncertainty could be sufficiently reduced to spot “the edge of the
cliff.” He argues that the only way to attack such complex
uncertainties with limited time and resources is to have scientists
from different fields work together, assessing observations over many
years to learn which approaches pay off the most. O’Neill and others
did exactly this with 2 decades of research on the carbon cycle,
finding that some kinds of observations narrowed uncertainty in model
parameters far better than others. Such big-picture,
multidisciplinary studies are low on the priority scaleof funding
agencies, but this is exactly what’s needed if you want “to learn
about the potential of an MOC shutdown,” he says.

The second big question to emerge from the IIASA sessions is how can
we tell if mainstream research is headed in the wrong direction?
O’Neill, Michael Oppenheimer, and Mort Webster, climate scientists at
Princeton and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge,
respectively, use the term “negative learning” to describe cases in
which scientific consensus builds around the wrong model. “This is
what happened with ozone,” says Oppenheimer. People believed that
ozone’s key interactions are with other gases, until scientists
realized that the critical reactions driving ozone depletion occur on
the surfaces of airborne particles. With revised reaction rates, it
was suddenly clear that the planet’s protective ozonelayer was in
much bigger trouble than had been thought. Oppenheimer proposes that
scientists team up with philosophers and historians to find common
signs of negative scientific learning. A search for such red flags
could be built into climate science’s regular review process.

And O’Neill says more funds should be set aside to explore hypotheses
outside the mainstream. Researchers desperately need a strategy for
tackling climate uncertainties, O’Neill says. Michael Schlesinger, a
climate scientist at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign,
points to another example. Polar ice sheets are melting more rapidly
than anticipated, and some observers fear that this could lead to a
catastrophic sea-level increase ( Science , 24 March, p. 1698).
“Things are happening right now with the ice sheets that were not
predicted to happen until 2100,” Schlesinger says. “My worry is that
we may have passed the window of opportunity where learning is still
useful.”

Whether a catastrophe can be averted using some form of scientific
introspection — or learning about learning, as O’Neill calls it –
remains unclear. The concept, like O’Neill’s career, is still at an
early stage of development.

MAINE VS. THE MULTI-TENTACLED PLUM CREEK ALIEN

Many people across Turtle Island (North America) are not aware that a relatively small but respectably-sized chunk of wild and nearly-wild forest ecosystem struggles for survival in northern Maine. The Maine North Woods essentially represents part of the southeastern edge of the Great North Woods, which stretch in an arc (mostly in Canada) across the North American continent from the Atlantic Seaboard to the prairies of the Great Plans. In Maine, this region encompasses most of the northern half of the state, is the largest undeveloped region in the U.S. east of the Mississippi River, and is home to, among many other species, loons, bald eagles, deer, moose, black bear, the threatened Canada lynx, wolves, and the extirpated caribou. A satellite photo of the eastern United States will show a significant dark region where no artificial light is visible in northern Maine. It is the largest wild, undeveloped area in the U.S. east of the Mississippi River.

Seattle-based Plum Creek Timber Co. is one of the nation’s largest private landowners. It is the largest landholder in Wisconsin, Montana, Washington-& Maine. These 4 states hold some of the last, best, healthiest remaining wild or nearly-wild lands left in the Lower 48. These 4 states also hold some of the most self-sufficient, fiercely- independent human populations anywhere in “American society.” Many people in the forest defense movement around the world are depressingly familiar with Plum Creek’s dismal forest management practices as well as their propensity toward “developing” forested wildlands into extravagant, exclusive playgrounds for those humans rich, white, and callous (or clueless) enough to afford them. Such “developments” as the Yellowstone Club in Montana and the Suncadia development in Cle Elum, Washington, are already in place-doing nothing but damage to local ecosystems, wildlife, and economiesand now Plum Creek has set its sights on northern Maine’s Moosehead Lake Region for another such resort complex that also will do nothing but damage to ecosystems, wildlife, and local/regional economies in Maine. Fortunately for the Moosehead Lake Region (and the rest of the Maine North Woods)-and contrary to what Plum Creek’s decision-makers want to believe-Mainers are far from stupid, and have been tracking these plans carefully. Plum Creek’s first proposal, submitted in 2005 to the Land Use Regulatory Commission (LURC), was rejectes after a vociferous outcry from concerned citizens. Their second, revised proposal, submitted in April of 2006, was also rescinded by Plum Creek because they knew the public would not accept it. Finally, in April of 2007, Plum Creek submitted their latest proposal, claiming-”You spoke, we listened.” Had they really listened they would be out of Maine altogether by now. While there are some people in Maine who welcome the development project-many, many others across the state, from all walks of life, want absolutely nothing to do with Plum Creek and its plans for commodifying the Maine North Woods for its own personal profit.

Continue Reading »

CONTENTS:

———————————————-

UPCOMING ACTIONS AND EVENTS:

———————————————-

1) NATIONAL DAY OF LOCAL ACTION VS. ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND – 15.10.07

2) PROTEST AT EUROPE’S LARGEST BIOFUEL CONFERENCE – 17.10.07 NEWARK

3) CAMP FOR HOPE AT STAVERTON AIRPORT – 20/21.10.07 GLOUCESTERSHIRE

4) SAVE SWALLOWS WOOD – OCTOBER 2007 UPDATE

5) NATIONAL CLIMATE CAMP ACTION PLANNING MEETING – 3-4.11.07 OXFORD

6) CLIMATE CAMPS – 2008 GERMANY AND WORLDWIDE!

7) TARA UPDATE ( AND ROUTE WALKS ) – 25.9.07 IRELAND

CRITICAL MASS UPDATES – NATIONWIDE

9) PLYMOUTH ENVIRONMENT CENTRE FILM NIGHTS – AUTUMN 2007

10) TEMPORARY AUTONOMOUS ART – OCT ‘07, EDINBURGH & MANCHESTER

11) WRITE IN DEFENCE OF ISOLATED PERUVIAN TRIBES – 17.9.07

12) STUDENT CLIMATE PROJECT LAUNCH GATHERING – OXFORD, 30.11-2.12.07

13) COIN & OXFORDSHIRE CLIMATEXCHANGE SPEAKER SERIES, OCT-DEC ‘07

Continue Reading »

Posted in Newswire