Recent research overturns the long-held belief that older forests lose effectiveness as carbon sinks, proving that forests help mitigate climate change for centuries, rather than just decades, as was previously thought (http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/newsarch/2008/Sep08/oldgrowthcarbon.html).
Arctic scientists have discovered a new global warming threat, as melting permafrost releases millions of tons of methane, a gas 20 times more damaging than carbon dioxide (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/exclusive-the-methane-time-bomb-938932.html).
A recent study highlights how climate change could affect coasts, reefs and seas off Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Soloman Islands and Timor Leste. The Coral Triangle that includes 30 per cent of the world's coral reefs, 76 per cent of its reef building coral species and more than 35 per cent of its coral reef fish species as well as vital spawning grounds for other economically important fish such as tuna and sustains the lives of more than 100 million people is under serious risk, says the study. (www.panda.org/coraltriangle)
The effort to achieve low-carbon air travel received a boost at the end of 2008 with the successful touchdown of a 50 per cent-jatropha-fuelled Air New Zealand jumbo jet (www.climateneutral.unep.org/ cnn_contentdetail.aspx?m=175&amid=2825).
Arctic scientists have discovered a new global warming threat, as melting permafrost releases millions of tons of methane, a gas 20 times more damaging than carbon dioxide (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/exclusive-the-methane-time-bomb-938932.html).
Global warming induced sea level rise along the Northeastern U.S. coast could be almost twice as fast as global sea levels during this century and could put New York City at risk from hurricanes and winter storm surges (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090315155112.htm).
Researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and the Centre of International Climate and Environment Research - Oslo (CICERO) have developed a revolutionary trade-linked model which enables different countries to analyse and compare their carbon footprint. The model's value lies in its assignment of the global carbon footprint to the country that imports goods - not the manufacturing country. This is vital as globalised production chains allow companies to outsource the manufacturing of carbon-intensive products, thus hiding the real carbon costs of imported goods. (www.carbonfootprintofnations.com).
The melting glaciers of the Alps is causing Italy and Switzerland to redraw the boundary between them. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8024783.stm).
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