Most researchers agree that even small changes in temperature are enough to send hundreds if not thousands of already struggling species into extinction unless we can stem the tide of global warming. And time may be of the essence: A 2003 study published in the journal Nature concluded that 80 percent of some 1,500 wildlife species sampled are already showing signs of stress from climate change.
How Global Warming Affects WildlifeThe key impact of global warming on wildlife is habitat displacement, whereby ecosystems that animals have spent millions of years adapting to shift quickly. Ice giving way to water in polar bear habitat is just one example of this.
Another, according to The Washington Post, is the possibility that warmer spring temperatures could dry up critical breeding habitat for waterfowl in the prairie pothole region, a stretch of land between northern Iowa and central Alberta.
Affected wildlife populations can sometimes move into new spaces and continue to thrive. But concurrent human population growth means that many land areas that might be suitable for such “refugee wildlife” are already taken and cluttered with residential and industrial development. A recent report by the Pew Center for Global Climate Change suggests creating “transitional habitats” or “corridors” that help migrating species by linking natural areas that are otherwise separated by human settlement.
Shifting Life Cycles and Global WarmingBeyond habitat displacement, many scientists agree that global warming is causing a shift in the timing of various natural cyclical events in the lives of animals. Many birds have altered the timing of long-held migratory and reproductive routines to better sync up with a warming climate. And some hibernating animals are ending their slumbers earlier each year, perhaps due to warmer spring temperatures.
To make matters worse, recent research contradicts the long-held hypothesis that different species coexisting in a particular ecosystem respond to global warming as a single entity. Instead, different species sharing like habitat are responding in dissimilar ways, tearing apart ecological communities millennia in the making.
Global Warming Effects on Animals Affect People TooAnd as wildlife species go their separate ways, humans can also feel the impact. A World Wildlife Fund study found that a northern exodus from the United States to Canada by some types of warblers led to a spread of mountain pine beetles that destroy economically productive balsam fir trees. Similarly, a northward migration of caterpillars in the Netherlands has eroded some forests there.
Which Animals Are Hardest Hit by Global Warming?According to Defenders of Wildlife, some of the wildlife species hardest hit so far by global warming include caribou (reindeer), arctic foxes, toads, polar bears, penguins, gray wolves, tree swallows, painted turtles and salmon. The group fears that unless we take decisive steps to reverse global warming, more and more species will join the list of wildlife populations pushed to the brink of extinction by a changing climate
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
How Do Humans Contribute to Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Global Warming?
Question: How Do Humans Contribute to Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Global Warming?
Answer: Throughout most of human history, and certainly before human beings emerged as a dominant species throughout the world, all climate changes were the direct result of natural forces.
Industrial Age Accelerates Global WarmingThat changed with the start of the Industrial Revolution, when new agricultural and industrial practices began to alter the global climate and environment. Before that time, human activity didn’t release many greenhouse gases, but population growth, deforestation, factory farming, and the widespread use of fossil fuels are creating an excess of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and contributing to global warming.
Science Links Global Warming to Human ActivityIn February 2007, a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), representing the work of 2,500 scientists from more than 130 countries, stated that human activity "very likely" has been the primary cause of global warming since 1950. (In science, nothing is ever claimed to be "certain" or absolute, which leaves open the possibility of further research and discovery, but the term “very likely” indicates more than 90 percent certainty and is considered virtual confirmation.)
The IPCC report also said that human activity has been a major contributor to climate change since the start of the Industrial in the mid-1700s.
Answer: Throughout most of human history, and certainly before human beings emerged as a dominant species throughout the world, all climate changes were the direct result of natural forces.
Industrial Age Accelerates Global WarmingThat changed with the start of the Industrial Revolution, when new agricultural and industrial practices began to alter the global climate and environment. Before that time, human activity didn’t release many greenhouse gases, but population growth, deforestation, factory farming, and the widespread use of fossil fuels are creating an excess of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and contributing to global warming.
Science Links Global Warming to Human ActivityIn February 2007, a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), representing the work of 2,500 scientists from more than 130 countries, stated that human activity "very likely" has been the primary cause of global warming since 1950. (In science, nothing is ever claimed to be "certain" or absolute, which leaves open the possibility of further research and discovery, but the term “very likely” indicates more than 90 percent certainty and is considered virtual confirmation.)
The IPCC report also said that human activity has been a major contributor to climate change since the start of the Industrial in the mid-1700s.
What Causes Global Warming?
Scientists have determined that a number of human activities are contributing to global warming by adding excessive amounts of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide accummulate in the atmosphere and trap heat that normally would exit into outer space.
Greenhouse Gases and Global WarmingWhile many greenhouse gases occur naturally and are needed to create the greenhouse effect that keeps the Earth warm enough to support life, human use of fossil fuels is the main source of excess greenhouse gases. By driving cars, using electricity from coal-fired power plants, or heating our homes with oil or natural gas, we release carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere. Deforestation is another significant source of greenhouse gases, because fewer trees means less carbon dioxide conversion to oxygen.
During the 150 years of the industrial age, the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide has increased by 31 percent. Over the same period, the level of atmospheric methane has risen by 151 percent, mostly from agricultural activities such as raising cattle and growing rice.
The Consequences of Global WarmingAs the concentration of greenhouse gases grows, more heat is trapped in the atmosphere and less escapes back into space. This increase in trapped heat changes the climate and alters weather patterns, which may hasten species extinction, influence the length of seasons, cause coastal flooding, and lead to more frequent and severe storms.
Global Warming FAQ Index:
What Causes Global Warming?
What are Greenhouse Gases?
How Do Humans Contribute to Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Global Warming?
Are Levels of Greenhouse Gases Increasing?
Is Global Warming a Hoax?
Greenhouse Gases and Global WarmingWhile many greenhouse gases occur naturally and are needed to create the greenhouse effect that keeps the Earth warm enough to support life, human use of fossil fuels is the main source of excess greenhouse gases. By driving cars, using electricity from coal-fired power plants, or heating our homes with oil or natural gas, we release carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere. Deforestation is another significant source of greenhouse gases, because fewer trees means less carbon dioxide conversion to oxygen.
During the 150 years of the industrial age, the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide has increased by 31 percent. Over the same period, the level of atmospheric methane has risen by 151 percent, mostly from agricultural activities such as raising cattle and growing rice.
The Consequences of Global WarmingAs the concentration of greenhouse gases grows, more heat is trapped in the atmosphere and less escapes back into space. This increase in trapped heat changes the climate and alters weather patterns, which may hasten species extinction, influence the length of seasons, cause coastal flooding, and lead to more frequent and severe storms.
Global Warming FAQ Index:
What Causes Global Warming?
What are Greenhouse Gases?
How Do Humans Contribute to Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Global Warming?
Are Levels of Greenhouse Gases Increasing?
Is Global Warming a Hoax?
Exelon Marks Successful First Year of Comprehensive Low-Carbon Strategy by Reaffirming 2020 Emissions Reduction Targets
One year after Exelon unveiled its strategy to eliminate the equivalent of its 2001 carbon footprint by 2020, the company continues to work toward its goal, including new efforts to help the customers and communities it serves to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. To report on its progress to date and how the economic landscape has reshaped its options for achieving its goal, Exelon has published a one-year update, which is available at exeloncorp.com.
Exelon 2020 is the company’s comprehensive strategy to reduce, offset or displace more than 15 million metric tons of GHG emissions per year by 2020 by greening its own operations, helping customers and the communities Exelon serves reduce their GHG emissions, and offering more low-carbon electricity in the marketplace. The 2009 update reports that Exelon so far has reduced more than one-third, or 6 million metric tons, of its GHG emissions.
“We have demonstrated already that we are capable of achieving meaningful carbon reductions,” said Exelon Chairman and CEO John W. Rowe. “But Exelon still has considerable work to do, and we have picked most of the low-hanging fruit.”
Exelon has relied on greening its operations to achieve the bulk of its emissions reductions to date. It also has announced plans to offer substantial new low-carbon electricity in the marketplace by raising the output of Exelon nuclear plants and investing in new renewable energy projects. Going forward, the company will increase its investment in customer initiatives to continue progress toward its 2020 goal. Exelon’s energy delivery companies — ComEd in northern Illinois and PECO in southeastern Pennsylvania — will spend more than $350 million through 2011 on energy efficiency and demand response programs that will help residential and business customers reduce their energy consumption by more than 1.6 million MWh and reduce peak load by 226 MW.
Just last month, ComEd introduced an Advanced Metering Infrastructure pilot program that will provide automated “smart” meters to as many as 141,000 customers, allowing them to use real-time electricity usage data to better manage their electricity bills and reduce energy consumption. Also, after the first year of its energy efficiency programs, ComEd has sold nearly 3 million discounted compact fluorescent light bulbs, recycled close to 12,000 appliances, and is saving customers more than $20 million in annual energy costs. Just today, PECO filed a plan with regulators to spend $342 million on customer programs to reduce overall electricity consumption by 3 percent and peak load by 4.5 percent by 2013. Another filing this summer will propose the deployment of two-way smart meters to PECO’s 1.6 million customers.
Beyond Exelon’s one-third reduction in emissions, other achievements reported at the one-year mark include:
Completing a 38 MW nuclear uprate, the first of many planned uprates that could yield 1,300 to 1,500 MW of additional, virtually GHG-free capacity — the equivalent output of a new advanced nuclear reactor — by 2017, without turning a spade of earth
Reducing energy usage across Exelon’s facilities by 16 percent from 2001 levels
Recycling or reusing more than 30 million pounds of scrap metal and other solid material and 700,000 gallons of oil in 2008 alone
Acquiring 198 MW of wind farm output, 4.8 MW of landfill gas output and 4.5 MW of solar output
Unveiling plans for the nation’s largest urban solar power plant (10 MW) in Chicago.
The one-year update also shows how the flexibility of the company’s plan will allow it to respond to two potential scenarios for the future U.S. economic recovery — one more optimistic in its assumptions, and one more pessimistic — and examines how each would affect the potential requirements for achieving Exelon’s 2020 goal.
“Since we prepared the initial Exelon 2020 analysis, economic growth has slowed and the natural gas prices that set the market price for electricity have plummeted,” said Rowe. “Technologies that once looked attractive are less so, and other technologies that once looked prohibitively expensive look more reasonable. As such, we are continually reassessing our options for reducing emissions and adjusting our strategy accordingly.”
Exelon’s 2009 update also reaffirms the company’s position that although it will not wait for Washington to act, it is encouraged by recent progress Congress has made on climate legislation.
“To fully realize our goal — and for other companies and our society to realize national greenhouse gas reduction goals — we need focused federal action,” Rowe said. “With the House’s passage of the Waxman-Markey bill last week, the nation is one step closer to enacting comprehensive climate change legislation during this Congress. Exelon will continue to work with policymakers in the Senate to encourage the adoption of a sound national energy policy that balances the need to protect consumers, business and the economy with the urgent need to reduce our nation’s greenhouse gas emissions.”
Exelon 2020 is the company’s comprehensive strategy to reduce, offset or displace more than 15 million metric tons of GHG emissions per year by 2020 by greening its own operations, helping customers and the communities Exelon serves reduce their GHG emissions, and offering more low-carbon electricity in the marketplace. The 2009 update reports that Exelon so far has reduced more than one-third, or 6 million metric tons, of its GHG emissions.
“We have demonstrated already that we are capable of achieving meaningful carbon reductions,” said Exelon Chairman and CEO John W. Rowe. “But Exelon still has considerable work to do, and we have picked most of the low-hanging fruit.”
Exelon has relied on greening its operations to achieve the bulk of its emissions reductions to date. It also has announced plans to offer substantial new low-carbon electricity in the marketplace by raising the output of Exelon nuclear plants and investing in new renewable energy projects. Going forward, the company will increase its investment in customer initiatives to continue progress toward its 2020 goal. Exelon’s energy delivery companies — ComEd in northern Illinois and PECO in southeastern Pennsylvania — will spend more than $350 million through 2011 on energy efficiency and demand response programs that will help residential and business customers reduce their energy consumption by more than 1.6 million MWh and reduce peak load by 226 MW.
Just last month, ComEd introduced an Advanced Metering Infrastructure pilot program that will provide automated “smart” meters to as many as 141,000 customers, allowing them to use real-time electricity usage data to better manage their electricity bills and reduce energy consumption. Also, after the first year of its energy efficiency programs, ComEd has sold nearly 3 million discounted compact fluorescent light bulbs, recycled close to 12,000 appliances, and is saving customers more than $20 million in annual energy costs. Just today, PECO filed a plan with regulators to spend $342 million on customer programs to reduce overall electricity consumption by 3 percent and peak load by 4.5 percent by 2013. Another filing this summer will propose the deployment of two-way smart meters to PECO’s 1.6 million customers.
Beyond Exelon’s one-third reduction in emissions, other achievements reported at the one-year mark include:
Completing a 38 MW nuclear uprate, the first of many planned uprates that could yield 1,300 to 1,500 MW of additional, virtually GHG-free capacity — the equivalent output of a new advanced nuclear reactor — by 2017, without turning a spade of earth
Reducing energy usage across Exelon’s facilities by 16 percent from 2001 levels
Recycling or reusing more than 30 million pounds of scrap metal and other solid material and 700,000 gallons of oil in 2008 alone
Acquiring 198 MW of wind farm output, 4.8 MW of landfill gas output and 4.5 MW of solar output
Unveiling plans for the nation’s largest urban solar power plant (10 MW) in Chicago.
The one-year update also shows how the flexibility of the company’s plan will allow it to respond to two potential scenarios for the future U.S. economic recovery — one more optimistic in its assumptions, and one more pessimistic — and examines how each would affect the potential requirements for achieving Exelon’s 2020 goal.
“Since we prepared the initial Exelon 2020 analysis, economic growth has slowed and the natural gas prices that set the market price for electricity have plummeted,” said Rowe. “Technologies that once looked attractive are less so, and other technologies that once looked prohibitively expensive look more reasonable. As such, we are continually reassessing our options for reducing emissions and adjusting our strategy accordingly.”
Exelon’s 2009 update also reaffirms the company’s position that although it will not wait for Washington to act, it is encouraged by recent progress Congress has made on climate legislation.
“To fully realize our goal — and for other companies and our society to realize national greenhouse gas reduction goals — we need focused federal action,” Rowe said. “With the House’s passage of the Waxman-Markey bill last week, the nation is one step closer to enacting comprehensive climate change legislation during this Congress. Exelon will continue to work with policymakers in the Senate to encourage the adoption of a sound national energy policy that balances the need to protect consumers, business and the economy with the urgent need to reduce our nation’s greenhouse gas emissions.”
What is the Greenhouse Effect?
The “greenhouse effect” often gets a bad rap because of its association with global warming, but the truth is we couldn’t live without it.
What Causes the Greenhouse Effect?Life on earth depends on energy from the sun. About 30 percent of the sunlight that beams toward Earth is deflected by the outer atmosphere and scattered back into space. The rest reaches the planet’s surface and is reflected upward again as a type of slow-moving energy called infrared radiation.
As it rises, infrared radiation is absorbed by “greenhouse gases” such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, ozone and methane, which slows its escape from the atmosphere.
Although greenhouse gases make up only about 1 percent of the Earth’s atmosphere, they regulate our climate by trapping heat and holding it in a kind of warm-air blanket that surrounds the planet.
This phenomenon is what scientists call the "greenhouse effect." Without it, scientists estimate that the average temperature on Earth would be colder by approximately 30 degrees Celsius (54 degrees Fahrenheit), far too cold to sustain our current ecosystem.
How Do Humans Contribute to the Greenhouse Effect?While the greenhouse effect is an essential environmental prerequisite for life on Earth, there really can be too much of a good thing.
The problems begin when human activities distort and accelerate the natural process by creating more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere than are necessary to warm the planet to an ideal temperature.
Burning natural gas, coal and oil —including gasoline for automobile engines—raises the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Some farming practices and land-use changes increase the levels of methane and nitrous oxide.
Many factories produce long-lasting industrial gases that do not occur naturally, yet contribute significantly to the enhanced greenhouse effect and “global warming” that is currently under way.
Deforestation also contributes to global warming. Trees use carbon dioxide and give off oxygen in its place, which helps to create the optimal balance of gases in the atmosphere. As more forests are logged for timber or cut down to make way for farming, however, there are fewer trees to perform this critical function.
Population growth is another factor in global warming, because as more people use fossil fuels for heat, transportation and manufacturing the level of greenhouse gases continues to increase. As more farming occurs to feed millions of new people, more greenhouse gases enter the atmosphere.
Ultimately, more greenhouse gases means more infrared radiation trapped and held, which gradually increases the temperature of the Earth’s surface and the air in the lower atmosphere.
The Average Global Temperature is Increasing QuicklyToday, the increase in the Earth’s temperature is increasing with unprecedented speed. To understand just how quickly global warming is accelerating, consider this:
During the entire 20th century, the average global temperature increased by about 0.6 degrees Celsius (slightly more than 1 degree Fahrenheit).
Using computer climate models, scientists estimate that by the year 2100 the average global temperature will increase by 1.4 degrees to 5.8 degrees Celsius (approximately 2.5 degrees to 10.5 degrees Fahrenheit).
Not All Scientists AgreeWhile the majority of mainstream scientists agree that global warming is a serious problem that is growing steadily worse, there are some who disagree. John Christy, a professor and director of the Earth System Science Center at the University of Alabama in Huntsville is a respected climatologist who argues that global warming isn’t worth worrying about.
Christy reached that opinion after analyzing millions of measurements from weather satellites in an effort to find a global temperature trend. He found no sign of global warming in the satellite data, and now believes that predictions of global warming by as much as 10 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the 21st century are incorrect
Scientists agree that even a small increase in the global temperature would lead to significant climate and weather changes, affecting cloud cover, precipitation, wind patterns, the frequency and severity of storms, and the duration of seasons.
Rising temperatures would raise sea levels as well, reducing supplies of fresh water as flooding occurs along coastlines worldwide and salt water reaches inland.
Many of the world’s endangered species would become extinct as rising temperatures changed their habitat.
Millions of people also would be affected, especially poor people who live in precarious locations or depend on the land for a subsistence living.
Certain vector-borne diseases carried by animals or insects, such as malaria, would become more widespread as warmer conditions expanded their range.
Carbon Dioxide Emissions are the Biggest ProblemCurrently, carbon dioxide accounts for more than 60 percent of the enhanced greenhouse effect caused by the increase of greenhouse gases, and the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is increasing by more than 10 percent every 20 years.
If emissions of carbon dioxide continue to grow at current rates, then the level of the gas in the atmosphere will likely double, or possibly even triple, from pre-industrial levels during the 21st century.
Climate Changes are InevitableAccording to the United Nations, some climate change is already inevitable because of emissions that have occurred since the dawn of the Industrial Age.
While the Earth’s climate does not respond quickly to external changes, many scientists believe that global warming already has significant momentum due to 150 years of industrialization in many countries around the world. As a result, global warming will continue to affect life on Earth for hundreds of years, even if greenhouse gas emissions are reduced and the increase in atmospheric levels halted.
What is Being Done to Reduce Global Warming?To lessen those long-term effects, many nations, communities and individuals are taking action now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow global warming by reducing dependence on fossil fuels, increasing the use of renewable energy, expanding forests, and making lifestyle choices that help to sustain the environment.
Whether they will be able to recruit enough people to join them, and whether their combined efforts will be enough to head off the most serious effects of global warming, are open questions that can only be answered by future developments
What Causes the Greenhouse Effect?Life on earth depends on energy from the sun. About 30 percent of the sunlight that beams toward Earth is deflected by the outer atmosphere and scattered back into space. The rest reaches the planet’s surface and is reflected upward again as a type of slow-moving energy called infrared radiation.
As it rises, infrared radiation is absorbed by “greenhouse gases” such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, ozone and methane, which slows its escape from the atmosphere.
Although greenhouse gases make up only about 1 percent of the Earth’s atmosphere, they regulate our climate by trapping heat and holding it in a kind of warm-air blanket that surrounds the planet.
This phenomenon is what scientists call the "greenhouse effect." Without it, scientists estimate that the average temperature on Earth would be colder by approximately 30 degrees Celsius (54 degrees Fahrenheit), far too cold to sustain our current ecosystem.
How Do Humans Contribute to the Greenhouse Effect?While the greenhouse effect is an essential environmental prerequisite for life on Earth, there really can be too much of a good thing.
The problems begin when human activities distort and accelerate the natural process by creating more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere than are necessary to warm the planet to an ideal temperature.
Burning natural gas, coal and oil —including gasoline for automobile engines—raises the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Some farming practices and land-use changes increase the levels of methane and nitrous oxide.
Many factories produce long-lasting industrial gases that do not occur naturally, yet contribute significantly to the enhanced greenhouse effect and “global warming” that is currently under way.
Deforestation also contributes to global warming. Trees use carbon dioxide and give off oxygen in its place, which helps to create the optimal balance of gases in the atmosphere. As more forests are logged for timber or cut down to make way for farming, however, there are fewer trees to perform this critical function.
Population growth is another factor in global warming, because as more people use fossil fuels for heat, transportation and manufacturing the level of greenhouse gases continues to increase. As more farming occurs to feed millions of new people, more greenhouse gases enter the atmosphere.
Ultimately, more greenhouse gases means more infrared radiation trapped and held, which gradually increases the temperature of the Earth’s surface and the air in the lower atmosphere.
The Average Global Temperature is Increasing QuicklyToday, the increase in the Earth’s temperature is increasing with unprecedented speed. To understand just how quickly global warming is accelerating, consider this:
During the entire 20th century, the average global temperature increased by about 0.6 degrees Celsius (slightly more than 1 degree Fahrenheit).
Using computer climate models, scientists estimate that by the year 2100 the average global temperature will increase by 1.4 degrees to 5.8 degrees Celsius (approximately 2.5 degrees to 10.5 degrees Fahrenheit).
Not All Scientists AgreeWhile the majority of mainstream scientists agree that global warming is a serious problem that is growing steadily worse, there are some who disagree. John Christy, a professor and director of the Earth System Science Center at the University of Alabama in Huntsville is a respected climatologist who argues that global warming isn’t worth worrying about.
Christy reached that opinion after analyzing millions of measurements from weather satellites in an effort to find a global temperature trend. He found no sign of global warming in the satellite data, and now believes that predictions of global warming by as much as 10 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the 21st century are incorrect
Scientists agree that even a small increase in the global temperature would lead to significant climate and weather changes, affecting cloud cover, precipitation, wind patterns, the frequency and severity of storms, and the duration of seasons.
Rising temperatures would raise sea levels as well, reducing supplies of fresh water as flooding occurs along coastlines worldwide and salt water reaches inland.
Many of the world’s endangered species would become extinct as rising temperatures changed their habitat.
Millions of people also would be affected, especially poor people who live in precarious locations or depend on the land for a subsistence living.
Certain vector-borne diseases carried by animals or insects, such as malaria, would become more widespread as warmer conditions expanded their range.
Carbon Dioxide Emissions are the Biggest ProblemCurrently, carbon dioxide accounts for more than 60 percent of the enhanced greenhouse effect caused by the increase of greenhouse gases, and the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is increasing by more than 10 percent every 20 years.
If emissions of carbon dioxide continue to grow at current rates, then the level of the gas in the atmosphere will likely double, or possibly even triple, from pre-industrial levels during the 21st century.
Climate Changes are InevitableAccording to the United Nations, some climate change is already inevitable because of emissions that have occurred since the dawn of the Industrial Age.
While the Earth’s climate does not respond quickly to external changes, many scientists believe that global warming already has significant momentum due to 150 years of industrialization in many countries around the world. As a result, global warming will continue to affect life on Earth for hundreds of years, even if greenhouse gas emissions are reduced and the increase in atmospheric levels halted.
What is Being Done to Reduce Global Warming?To lessen those long-term effects, many nations, communities and individuals are taking action now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow global warming by reducing dependence on fossil fuels, increasing the use of renewable energy, expanding forests, and making lifestyle choices that help to sustain the environment.
Whether they will be able to recruit enough people to join them, and whether their combined efforts will be enough to head off the most serious effects of global warming, are open questions that can only be answered by future developments
Environment clearance process will be made transparent: Jairam
In an attempt to clean up the environmental clearance stable, environment minister Jairam Ramesh on Friday said the chairman of Expert
Committee, P Abraham, who was also on the board of several power companies, had resigned. The committee is one of the seven that recommends environmental clearance of various development projects. The move came after NGOs raised the issue but even then it took more than a week for Abraham to resign. Ramesh said it was part of the plan to improve the clearance process and make it more transparent. As part of the move, he has made it mandatory for companies to disclose the clearance letters and periodic status of compliance. At the same time, hinting that the clearances would become tougher to secure, Ramesh said, “The ministry has an unnaturally healthy rate of accepting proposals — 98%. I would be much happier with a higher rate of rejection.” While promising to reduce the time taken for both forest and environment clearances, Ramesh said he was studying how to do away with the “business of in-principle clearance”.
Committee, P Abraham, who was also on the board of several power companies, had resigned. The committee is one of the seven that recommends environmental clearance of various development projects. The move came after NGOs raised the issue but even then it took more than a week for Abraham to resign. Ramesh said it was part of the plan to improve the clearance process and make it more transparent. As part of the move, he has made it mandatory for companies to disclose the clearance letters and periodic status of compliance. At the same time, hinting that the clearances would become tougher to secure, Ramesh said, “The ministry has an unnaturally healthy rate of accepting proposals — 98%. I would be much happier with a higher rate of rejection.” While promising to reduce the time taken for both forest and environment clearances, Ramesh said he was studying how to do away with the “business of in-principle clearance”.
SA's greenhouse emissions very high, says WWF
"South Africa's emissions are very high," said the World Wide Fund for Nature's (WWF) local climate change manager, Richard Worthington."It is well above the developing country average partly because of our strong dependence on coal."He was speaking in Johannesburg at the release of climate scorecards for G8 and G5 countries which map their carbon emission trends.The scorecards check for improvements since 1990, the current status of each country and its policies for the future.Out of the G8 countries, Germany received the best score, followed by the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United States (rated seventh out of the G8) and Canada in the last place.Worthington said the G5 countries, which are Brazil, India, China, Mexico and South Africa, had done more to commit themselves to climate change goals than some of the G8 countries.Although the G5 countries were not ranked like the G5 countries, the scorecard showed that South Africa's current carbon emissions were 11 tonnes a person a year."To be carbon neutral by 2050, emissions in South Africa need to be one tonne per person per annum," said Worthington.
Brazil was currently standing at five tonnes of carbon emissions a person a year, China and India were standing at six tonnes and Mexico at two tonnes.This while 73% of South Africa's population had access to electricity, compared to 99% in China, 95% in Brazil and Mexico and 43% in India, according to the information released by the WWF.Among the G8 countries, Germany's emissions were 12 tonnes a person a year. The UK had 11 tonnes, Italy nine, Japan 12, Russia 16 and the US 25."South Africa's emissions per capita are only slightly below the average of industrialised countries," said Worthington.However, the government's long-term climate change plans showed promise, he said."South Africa provided the most comprehensive plan [out of the G5 countries] on options to reduce emissions in the future ... We're not there yet, but we seem to be going in the right direction."Worthington said the African National Congress (ANC) acknowledged the importance of climate change goals at its conference in Polokwane in 2007.He quoted from a Polokwane resolution, which stated that the ANC would "recognise that climate change is a new threat on a global scale and poses an enormous burden upon South Africans and Africans as a whole, because we are the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change".Asked if he had any message to President Jacob Zuma, Worthington replied: "I guess the message would be [to] go back and read the Polokwane resolution again."On the new administration's attitude toward the challenges of climate change, he said: "It's too early to tell, but so far, so good ..."South Africa has acknowledged that emissions need to be reduced by 30% by 2050." Climate change refers to changes in temperature on earth that are happening too fast because of human intervention.According to the South African Weather Service website, climate change could affect South Africa by causing unreliable rainfall which could negatively affect agriculture and forestry.Climate change also causes sea levels to increase, but the consequences of that in South Africa "are not very extensive because the coastline is relatively steep", says the website.However, higher sea levels could create changes in ocean currents, which could cause "major changes in several fish resources important to the country".Small isolated plant populations may go extinct in South Africa as a result of climate change."South Africa has about 10% of all the plant species in the world, of which about half occur nowhere else on earth."Warming, and a change in the seasonal rainfall of the Cape floral kingdom, are issues of concern to conservationists," states the website.The Kyoto Protocol, which will come under discussion again at Copenhagen later this year, aims to get countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prevent the earth from getting warmer too fast for nature to cope.According to the plan of action, industrialised countries must fund climate change programmes in developing nations. -- Sapa
Brazil was currently standing at five tonnes of carbon emissions a person a year, China and India were standing at six tonnes and Mexico at two tonnes.This while 73% of South Africa's population had access to electricity, compared to 99% in China, 95% in Brazil and Mexico and 43% in India, according to the information released by the WWF.Among the G8 countries, Germany's emissions were 12 tonnes a person a year. The UK had 11 tonnes, Italy nine, Japan 12, Russia 16 and the US 25."South Africa's emissions per capita are only slightly below the average of industrialised countries," said Worthington.However, the government's long-term climate change plans showed promise, he said."South Africa provided the most comprehensive plan [out of the G5 countries] on options to reduce emissions in the future ... We're not there yet, but we seem to be going in the right direction."Worthington said the African National Congress (ANC) acknowledged the importance of climate change goals at its conference in Polokwane in 2007.He quoted from a Polokwane resolution, which stated that the ANC would "recognise that climate change is a new threat on a global scale and poses an enormous burden upon South Africans and Africans as a whole, because we are the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change".Asked if he had any message to President Jacob Zuma, Worthington replied: "I guess the message would be [to] go back and read the Polokwane resolution again."On the new administration's attitude toward the challenges of climate change, he said: "It's too early to tell, but so far, so good ..."South Africa has acknowledged that emissions need to be reduced by 30% by 2050." Climate change refers to changes in temperature on earth that are happening too fast because of human intervention.According to the South African Weather Service website, climate change could affect South Africa by causing unreliable rainfall which could negatively affect agriculture and forestry.Climate change also causes sea levels to increase, but the consequences of that in South Africa "are not very extensive because the coastline is relatively steep", says the website.However, higher sea levels could create changes in ocean currents, which could cause "major changes in several fish resources important to the country".Small isolated plant populations may go extinct in South Africa as a result of climate change."South Africa has about 10% of all the plant species in the world, of which about half occur nowhere else on earth."Warming, and a change in the seasonal rainfall of the Cape floral kingdom, are issues of concern to conservationists," states the website.The Kyoto Protocol, which will come under discussion again at Copenhagen later this year, aims to get countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prevent the earth from getting warmer too fast for nature to cope.According to the plan of action, industrialised countries must fund climate change programmes in developing nations. -- Sapa
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