Climate change is unequivocal, affects all continents and will continue to the end of the century regardless of even the toughest emissions cuts, warned a landmark UN science report today. Greenhouse gases released by human activity have caused sea levels to rise, Arctic ice to melt and oceans to become more acidic, the report said. One of climate science’s greatest … [Read more...]
King Solar will rule the world
In the 1980s, leading consultants were skeptical about cellular phones. McKinsey & Company noted that the handsets were heavy, batteries didn’t last long, coverage was patchy, and the cost per minute was exorbitant. It predicted that in 20 years the total market size would be about 900,000 units, and advised AT&T to pull out. McKinsey was wrong, of course. There were … [Read more...]
Ocean science opportunity for South African students
Ocean 180 challenges scientists to share the meaning and relevance of their research with a broader audience and looks to middle school students to help evaluate their efforts. Ocean scientists are invited to submit 3 minute videos highlighting the importance of their research and summarizing their findings to Ocean 180 this fall. The top 10 entries will be viewed and … [Read more...]
Home composting project reveals impressive results
The results of the City’s home composting project was at a WasteCon presentation. The roll-out of composting containers for residents to use at their homes, as well as education on how to use them, resulted in the diversion of significant amounts of organic waste from landfill sites. This was was met with enthusiasm from all areas where it was tested. As such, it is … [Read more...]
Ice melt dilutes Arctic Sea’s CO2 cleanup role
New scientific research confirms that global warming is melting increasingly larger areas of Arctic sea ice − and reducing its vital function of removing CO2 from the atmosphere. The Arctic ice cap has just passed its summer minimum – and it’s the sixth lowest measure of sea ice recorded since 1978, according to scientists at the US space agency NASA. For three decades, … [Read more...]
Climate change brings giant waves to the Arctic
Huge waves rolling across Arctic Ocean regions that up until recent times have been permanently locked solid with a sea ice cover is seen as more evidence of a warming Earth, researchers say. That sea ice is beginning to experience an onslaught of 16-foot swells that have the potential to break up the sea ice more rapidly than the melting it has experienced over several … [Read more...]
Human health to suffer from climate change finds think-tank
Climate change may threaten Australians’ livelihoods, affect the viability of communities and put pressure on social stability, the co-chairman of an Australian thinktank hoping to influence public health responses has warned. Emeritus professor Bruce Armstrong, of the University of Sydney’s school of public health, told Guardian Australia the issue was both publicly and … [Read more...]
Giant underground “ocean” discovered beneath us
A new study by American researchers concluded that in the mantle layer that lies between the crust and the core, there are vast reserves of water, probably three times the total volume of water of all oceans on the surface of our planet. This “reservoir” of water, which seems to be stable over time, lies at a depth of up to 700 kilometers beneath the planet’s surface, in the … [Read more...]
Ocean array could clean Pacific garbage patch
Last year we reported on teenage inventor Boyan Slat’s plans to create an Ocean Cleanup Array that could remove 7,250,000 tons of plastic waste from the world’s oceans. His proposal for an anchored network of floating booms and processing platforms received a lot of criticism – but now, just over a year later, Boyan is back with the results of a year-long investigation that … [Read more...]
Wild vegetables contribute to food security
Although indigenous (wild) leafy vegetables are consumed in small quantities, they play a vital role in boosting household food security among rural people. This is one of the findings of a recent study in which the role wild vegetables play in improving food security among poor rural people in northern KwaZulu-Natal was investigated. The study also aimed to the gain an … [Read more...]
Kruger Park elephant killed for its ivory
A dead bull elephant whose tusk had been hacked off was discovered by rangers in the Kruger National Park. The head of the South African national parks rangers, Johan Jooste, said it was likely the bull was shot on purpose for its tusks. He said rangers patrolling the area noticed footprints of about four individuals leaving the park leading towards Mozambique. The park's … [Read more...]
Australia experiencing winter heatwaves
If you've stepped outside at lunchtime in Sydney, Australia over the past few days, you'd be forgiven for thinking that it was more like early summer than the beginning of winter. On each of the past 23 days, the temperature has reached highs in the mid-20s, exceeding 27C on May 25. This is characteristic of November, not May. With the exception of May 3, no daily maximum … [Read more...]
Mysterious disease rides on Pacific winds
Climatologists don't often end up working on a cardiovascular disease that affects children. But that is exactly what Xavier Rodó from the Catalan Institute of Climate Sciences has been doing: trying to find what causes the mysterious Kawasaki disease and understand how it spreads at unusual pace within Japan and the US. The answer, he thinks, may lie in a fungus that can … [Read more...]
