Arctic Sea Ice Can’t ‘Bounce Back’
Arctic sea ice cannot “quickly bounce back” if climate change causes it to melt, new research suggests.
From Environmental News Network
https://www.enn.com/articles/61768-arctic-sea-ice-can-t-bounce-back
Emissions of Potent Greenhouse Gas Have Grown, Contradicting Reports of Huge Reductions
Despite reports that global emissions of the potent greenhouse gas were almost eliminated in 2017, an international team of scientists has found atmospheric levels growing at record values.
From Science Daily
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200121113039.htm
Rural Water Wells in High Plains Aquifer Show Large Increase in Nitrate Levels
Private well owners should test water quality annually, according to a recent study that revealed nitrate levels in shallow wells above US Environment Protection Act standards.
Source: Kansas State University
From Science Daily
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200107122259.htm
Australia fires: A visual guide to the bushfire crisis
Record-breaking temperatures and months of severe drought have fuelled a series of massive bushfires across Australia.
From the BBC
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-50951043
Biodiverse Forests Better at Storing Carbon for Long Periods, Says Study
As the effects of climate change are increasingly felt around the world, possible solutions — from reducing fossil fuel emissions to capturing carbon — have come to dominate policy discussions.
From Environmental News Network
Cities and Their Rising Impacts on Biodiversity – A Global Overview
The research suggests that scientists are not studying the impacts of urban growth in the right places.
From Environmental News Network
https://www.enn.com/articles/61248-cities-and-their-rising-impacts-on-biodiversity-a-global-overview
Ramping Up Carbon Capture Could be Key to Mitigating Climate Change
Source:
University of Texas at Austin
Summary:
As the world gathers in Madrid to discuss how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to fight climate change, a newly released study makes the case that trapping emissions underground could go a long way toward solving the problem.
From Science Daily
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/12/191209182006.htm
The Tragedy of the Fishermen of Ventanas, ‘the Chilean Chernobyl’
- The sea near Ventanas, Chile, was generous in the 1980s. There were urchins, limpets, clams and fish. Tourists summered there and fishermen thrived.
- That all changed as the local industrial park grew. In 2000 the National Health Service discovered serious heavy-metal and fecal-bacteria contamination of local shellfish, and prohibited their sale, effectively shuttering the local seafood industry.
- Fishermen attempted to revive their aquaculture operations, despite a series of oil spills. But poisoning episodes in 2018 quashed that initiative.
- “Could they have seen us as a dumpsite? Like their backyard? … I don’t know how the […]
Indonesia Fires Emitted Double the Carbon of Amazon Fires, Research Shows
- Forest fires that swept across Indonesia this year emitted nearly twice the amount of greenhouse gases as the fires that razed parts of the Brazilian Amazon, new research shows.
- The Indonesian fires pumped at least 708 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) in the atmosphere, largely as a result of burning of carbon-rich peatlands.
- The fires were the most intense since 2015 and threaten to set back Indonesia’s commitments to reduce its carbon emissions and contribute to global efforts to slow climate change.
From MongaBay: