As the Earth heats up through global warming, rainfall increases. But researchers have shown that this ‘hydrological sensitivity’ varies over time, and in extreme cases can cause a short-term reduction in rainfall. … Previous studies have shown that rainfall will increase globally by 2-3% for every degree Celsius that the Earth‘s surface heats up. But, [...]
For your sake, and earth’s sake, have fish instead of mutton. If you are truly climate-friendly, go bananas. According to a study that analysed greenhouse gas emissions associated with a set of common Indian food items, fish is a superior alternative to mutton, not just for humans but also for the planet’s health, while bananas [...]
Injecting aerosols in the upper atmosphere is believed to be a method that can quickly counter global warming. However, this is not the case, new research reveals. .. In a paper appearing in Nature Geoscience, Kate Ricke, a climate physicist at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and her team show, by modelling, that solar-radiation [...]
Increased levels of carbon dioxide in the air changes plant physiology in a way that they contribute to global warming. …………. Plants are perhaps the most useful thing on earth. They are involved in several key biogeochemical cycles like the carbon cycle, water cycle, nitrogen cycle and oxygen cycle. They are also thought to be [...]
Carbon capture is just the first stage of the technology for keeping emissions from thickening the atmosphere. ………….. After the emissions from a power plant or factory are captured, it needs to be contained in such a way that it does not leak out into the atmosphere. This is where carbon storage comes in. Proper [...]
In order to successfully begin reducing carbon dioxide emissions around the world, it will be vital to produce large quantities of reliable back ups, such as natural gas. That’s according to a new study released by the International Gas Union whose members account for about 95 percent of global natural gas output. Worldwide natural gas [...]
Science has been split over whether global warming is worsening hurricanes and will continue to do so. Now, the debate seems to be settling. Top researchers agree, the world will get fewer but stronger and more damaging hurricanes in coming years, thanks to global warming. In a new study, a World Meteorological Organization panel of [...]
While world leaders are struggling to tackle global warming, American researchers have claimed to have found a simple way to cool cities — by painting the roofs of buildings white. ………………… “Our research demonstrates that white roofs can be an effective method for reducing urban heat. It has the potential to significantly cool cities and [...]
WASHINGTON: It is harder than experts thought to predict when sudden shifts in earth’s natural systems will occur, a new study has claimed:- ……… Researchers at University of California, Davis, said many scientists are looking for the warning signs that herald sudden changes in natural systems, in hopes of forestalling those changes or improving our [...]
Marine biologists break out in a cold sweat when they think about the impact of greenhouse gases on the oceans. It’s not just the fact that global warming raises the temperature of the sea. Scientists are also worried about acidity. The burning of fossil fuels pumps carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and when it gets [...]
Carbon dioxide indirectly causes up to 50% more global warming than originally thought, a finding that raises questions over targets for stabilising carbon emissions over the long term, a study said on Sunday. ……….. In a paper published in the journal Nature Geoscience, British scientists said a tool commonly used in climate modelling may have [...]
The Arctic ice cap will disappear completely in summer months within 20 to 30 years, a polar research team said as they presented findings from an expedition led by adventurer Pen Hadow. . It is likely to be largely ice-free during the warmer months within a decade, the experts added. Veteran polar explorer Hadow and [...]
Small changes in the Sun’s energy output can have a major impact on global weather patterns, such as the intensity of the Indian monsoon, that could be predicted years in advance, scientists said. … The Sun swings through an 11-year cycle measured in the number of Sunspots on the surface that emit bursts of energy. [...]
Regions of Arctic tundra around the world are heating up very rapidly, releasing more greenhouse gases than predicted and boosting the process of global warming, a leading expert said. ………………… Professor Greg Henry of the University of British Columbia also said higher temperatures meant larger plants were starting to spread across the tundra, which is [...]
A runaway spurt of global warming 55 million years ago turned Earth into a hothouse but how this happened remains worryingly unclear, …..scientists said. ……………………….. Previous research into this period, called the Palaeocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, or PETM, estimates the planet’s surface temperature blasted upwards by between five and nine degrees Celsius in just a few [...]
Introduction: Global warming is an example of global climatic change. To understand the concept of global warming and make decisions about how to respond to the seemingly contradictory information received from various sources, it is important to distinguish between climate and weather. Weather applies to short-term changes in properties of the lower atmosphere such as [...]
The flow of water in the world’s largest rivers including India’s Ganga, has declined over the past half-century, with significant changes found in about a third of the big rivers. An analysis of 925 major rivers from 1948 to 2004 showed an overall decline in total discharge. The reduction in inflow to the Pacific Ocean [...]
Image via Wikipedia Spam is not just an irritant to receivers, it is also a threat to the environment with a huge carbon footprint, say researchers. A study into spam has blamed it for the production of more than 33bn kilowatt-hours of energy every year, enough to power more than 2.4m homes. The ‘Carbon Footprint [...]
Image by pyrator via Flickr Climate change is one of the most serious challenges mankind has ever faced and has serious implications for the realization of human rights. A human rights analysis brings into focus how lives of individuals and communities are affected and why human rights safeguards must be integrated into policies and measures [...]
Global warming will damage economic and political stability to a far greater extent than previously imagined, according to new study. …………………………………… Benjamin Olken, an economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said that global warming is not just going to devastate agriculture in developing countries, the link between “high temperatures and poor growth is much [...]
For septuagenarian earth scientist Dr R.K. Pant, the arduous trek to Goting Lake (3,820 m above sea level) in the central Himalayas was fraught with excitement. Pant knew that sediments from the lake could be a treasure trove of information on the climatic history of the region. …………………………………… A satellite picture of a retreating Himalayan [...]
If you own a television, surf the internet, or have a radio, it is very unlikely that you haven’t heard of global warming. There’s been an expansion of press surrounding the issue of late. There is a great deal of debate that surrounds the subject and you may be right to be concerned. The potential [...]
Recent studies show how global warming will impact warm-weather plants and animals:- ……………………………. Many scientific arguments are no different from mere common sense. Yet common sense requires a lot of experiment and theory to become part of science. We know in our bones that the tropical species are in trouble from climate change. When the [...]
A rock found mostly in Oman can be harnessed to soak up the main greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, at a rate that could help slow global warming, scientists say. When carbon dioxide comes in contact with the rock, peridotite, the gas is converted into solid minerals such as calcite. ………… Geologist Peter Kelemen and geochemist [...]
Just imagine a world with abundant energy, enabling you to live the good life forever… Isn’t that what most of us crave? Nuclear energy is magic isn’t it? …………. Nuclear energy has no greenhouse gas emissions. The latest technology has made it safe and we can bury nuclear waste without worrying about radiation. Business as [...]
A huge 55 square km ice shelf in Canada’s northern Arctic broke away last month and the remaining shelves have shrunk at a “massive and disturbing” rate, the latest sign of accelerating climate change in the remote region, scientists said. ………………… You may click to see:Ellesmere Island Ayles Ice Shelf >->B15 Antarctic Iceberg They said [...]