Political Perspectives on 12/12/12
An hour focused on climate change and global warming hosted by Andrew Geller.
First he'll speak with Dr. Ted Schuur, an Associate Professor in the University of Florida's Biology Department and Principal Investigator of the Permafrost Carbon Network, talking extensively about permafrost and what's happening to it.
Then Joe Romm, Editor of the Climate Progress blog, joins to talk about the 2012 climate, recent global talks and what happened, as well as what it might take for enough people to demand the drastic actions necessary to possibly prevent catastrophic climate change.
Ticking Arctic Carbon Bomb May Be Bigger Than Thought
Loss of Ice, Melting Of Permafrost And Other Climate Effects Are Occurring At An Alarming Pace
Thawing of permafrost to be ‘major factor’ in global warming, warns UN report
UNEP Permafrost Report (Dec 2012) PDF
An Illustrated Guide to the Science of Global Warming Impacts
Pricewaterhouse Cooper Low Carbon Economy Index 2012
Comparing climate projections to observations up to 2011
Community Events
Comments
Methane from Animals = 51% of Greenhouse gas???
Andrew,
Please take a look at this from the Woldwatch Institute. I picked this up from GoVeganRadio.com and host Bob Linden....a great show in itself... past shows on line....
This coupled with the permafrost could spell absolute disaster for the climate!!!!
http://www.worldwatch.org/node/6297
Livestock Emissions: Still Grossly Underestimated?
Washington, D.C.-The environmental impact of the lifecycle and supply chain of animals raised for food has been vastly underestimated, and in fact accounts for at least half of all human-caused greenhouse gases (GHGs), according to Robert Goodland and Jeff Anhang, co-authors of "Livestock and Climate Change" in the latest issue of World Watch magazine.
A widely cited 2006 report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, Livestock's Long Shadow, estimates that 18 percent of annual worldwide GHG emissions are attributable to cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, camels, pigs, and poultry. But recent analysis by Goodland and Anhang finds that livestock and their byproducts actually account for at least 32.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year, or 51 percent of annual worldwide GHG emissions.
Reviewing both direct and indirect sources of GHG emissions from livestock, the study finds that previous calculations have both underestimated and overlooked certain emissions sources as well as assigned emissions they deem to be livestock-related to the wrong sectors. The authors locate these discrepancies in previous analyses of livestock respiration, land use, and methane.
Based on their research, Goodland and Anhang conclude that replacing livestock products with soy-based and other alternatives would be the best strategy for reversing climate change. "This approach would have far more rapid effects on GHG emissions and their atmospheric concentrations-and thus on the rate the climate is warming-than actions to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy."
Thomas
Vancouver, WA