global warming effects

Good Growing Regions Drying Up in Turkey

arid desert landscape photo
Photo via Al Ianni at flickr.

As the host of a recent meeting on the implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, Turkey touted its expertise on the subject, with the Environment Ministry's Erdoğan Özevren calling Turkey "one of the convention's most active countries."

Source: TreeHugger

Maldives Looking for New Home

maldives islands climate change photo

The Maldives, that little stretch of paradise off the coast of India, is looking for a new homeland. Literally. Fearing that the effects of climate change will mean that the chain of 1,200 islands and coral atolls will disappear under the sea because of rising water levels, they are beginning to save money to buy land elsewhere. The UN has forecasted that the ocean will rise by up to 2 feet by 2100. Since some parts of the Maldives are just 1.5 meters (5 feet) above water, even a small rise could cause disaster to the small country.

Source: TreeHugger

Potent Greenhouse Gas on the Rise: Atmospheric Methane Levels Increasing Again

siberian tundra photo
Siberian wetlands may be releasing more methane due to prolonged above normal temperatures. Photo: Weiting Liu.

After almost a decade of close to zero growth in atmospheric contcentration, methane (a gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide, and responsible for about 20% of global warming since the industrial revolution) levels have begun to rise again, scientists are reporting.

Source: TreeHugger

Record 10-19% Declines Seen in Arctic Sea Ice Thickness Last Winter, Satellite Data Reveals

arctic ice tub photo
photo: fruchtzwerg’s world

Now that Arctic sea ice has begun its annual winter freeze, you might think that climate change gloom and doom coming from the northern climes might take a seasonal hiatus, but you’d be wrong. According to new data regarding the thickness of Arctic sea ice from last winter, the thickness of ice in some regions of the Arctic declined by as much as 19% , compared to the previous five years.

Published in Geophysical Research Letters, the results of research conducted at University College London found that:
...

Source: TreeHugger

The American Museum of Natural History Tackles Climate Change

climate change american museum natural history photo
Photographs by Agaton Strom

The American Museum of Natural History is unveiling its much anticipated Climate Change exhibit today, giving the public an opportunity to take an in-depth, engaging look at the most notorious and ill-understood environmental issue of our time. It’s something of a landmark event—the AMNH is one of the first major museums to feature a comprehensive exhibit on global warming.

Source: TreeHugger

Kiss Penguins Goodbye if the Planet Warms 2 Degrees Celsius: WWF

emperor penguins photo
photo: Martha de Jong-Lantink

Though the jury is still out on whether global warming had anything to do with large numbers of dead penguins washing ashore in Brazil back in July, according to a report from WWF if global warming increases temperatures by 2 degrees Celsius more than half of Antarctica's colonies of Emperor penguins could be wiped out.

Source: TreeHugger

Shade-Grown Coffee Ensures A Future Cup-a-Joe

shade grown coffee photo
Photo Via Melinda Shelton

Coffee is grown in two main ways: in the sun or in the shade. But three University of Michigan researchers show that if we want to look forward to a nice hot cup of coffee a few years from now, shade-grown coffee is where its at. ...

Source: TreeHugger

Green at WIRED NextFest: NASA/JPL's Climate Time Machine

WIRED NextFest Chicago 2008 NASA Climate Time Machine photo

Climate Time Machine
Because everybody is affected by the weather, it seems like everybody likes to improvise themselves a climate scientist. Amateur theories about global warming are a dime a dozen and, unfortunately, that can make it hard for the general public and policy makers to figure out what's based on sound science and what has just been made up in 5 minutes by someone who doesn't know anything about climate science.

That's the problem that NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is trying to help fix with Climate Time Machine. Read on for more details....

Source: TreeHugger

Inconvenient Youth: Teens Taking On Global Warming

inconvenient youth teens global warming photo
Photo courtesy of Inconvenient Youth

The Inconvenient Youth are taking the nation by storm. And no, they’re not an eyeliner wearing rock band (though they’ve got one of those in tow) or a Warriors-esque street gang (though they’re acquiring quite a cult following).

No, they’re a group of teens dedicated to raising awareness of global warming. And they’re heading to a city near you.
...

Source: TreeHugger

Oh! So Close: Arctic Sea Ice Summer Melt Fails to Set Record in 2008

arctic sea ice photo
photo: Cleaves

In the close but no cigar category, scientists are saying that the extent of summer melt-off of Arctic sea ice appears to have passed its minimum extent this year without setting a record. According to the US National Snow and Ice Data Center, Arctic sea ice covered 4.5 million square kilometers at its lowest point on September 12. Last year’s record melting left 4.1 million square kilometers of ice still intact.

While you might be inclined to see this as good news, Dr Walt Meier of the NSIDC doesn't think so:...

Source: TreeHugger

Dramatic Ice Loss May Get the Headlines, But 72% of Greenland’s Ice Melt Comes From Small Glaciers Researchers Say

greenland ice photo
photo: kaet44

Recently there’s been a whole bucket full of Arctic climate change bad news, including the news that 83 square miles of Ellesmere Island’s ice shelf has been lost this summer alone due to warming temperatures.

Source: TreeHugger

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