SURGE IN GREENHOUSE GAS LEVELS
New figures from the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) show the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increased last year at the fastest rate for nearly 30 years.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-29115845
The WMO bulletin shows the globally averaged amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reached 396 parts per million (ppm) in 2013, an increase of almost 3 ppm over the previous year.
The bulletin records how much of the warming gases remain in the atmosphere after the complex interactions that take place between the air, the land and the oceans. About half of all emissions are taken up by the seas, trees and living things.
Michel Jarraud, secretary general of the WMO, said: 'We must reverse this trend by cutting emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases across the board. We are running out of time.'
Commenting on findings that global average temperatures have not risen in concert with the sustained growth in CO2, WMO research chief Oksana Tarasova explained 'The climate system is not linear, it is not straightforward. It is not necessarily reflected in the temperature of the atmosphere, but if you look at the temperature profile in the ocean, the heat is going in the oceans.'
Comment: This WMO report adds further to the evidence of increasing greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere, and the urgent need for global political action to confront this problem.
Showing posts with label Greenhouse gases. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Greenhouse gases. Show all posts
Thursday, 11 September 2014
Monday, 1 September 2014
ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS FROM INCREASED MEAT EATING
A new research report from Cambridge and Aberdeen universities estimates greenhouse gases from food production will rise by 80% if meat and dairy consumption continues to rise at its current rate:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-29007758
Lead researcher Bojana Bajzelj from the University of Cambridge said: 'The average efficiency of livestock converting plant feed to meat is less than 3%, and as we eat more meat, more arable cultivation is turned over to producing feedstock for animals that provide meat for humans. The losses at each stage are large, and as humans globally eat more and more meat, conversion from plants to food becomes less and less efficient, driving agricultural expansion and releasing more greenhouse gases. Agricultural practices are not necessarily at fault here - but our choice of food is.'
The study urges eating two portions of red meat and seven of poultry per week. But the world's cities are seeing a boom in burger restaurants, and there is concern about the obesity pandemic.
Comment: The science is now well-established, but what action should be taken is highly controversial. What may be counter-productive is aggressive insistence that people should immediately adopt a vegetarian or even a vegan lifestyle, and evidence of contradictory messages about healthy eating. Perhaps it's best approached by education and gentle persuasion to bring about gradual change - yet the environmental risks are urgent.
A new research report from Cambridge and Aberdeen universities estimates greenhouse gases from food production will rise by 80% if meat and dairy consumption continues to rise at its current rate:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-29007758
Lead researcher Bojana Bajzelj from the University of Cambridge said: 'The average efficiency of livestock converting plant feed to meat is less than 3%, and as we eat more meat, more arable cultivation is turned over to producing feedstock for animals that provide meat for humans. The losses at each stage are large, and as humans globally eat more and more meat, conversion from plants to food becomes less and less efficient, driving agricultural expansion and releasing more greenhouse gases. Agricultural practices are not necessarily at fault here - but our choice of food is.'
The study urges eating two portions of red meat and seven of poultry per week. But the world's cities are seeing a boom in burger restaurants, and there is concern about the obesity pandemic.
Comment: The science is now well-established, but what action should be taken is highly controversial. What may be counter-productive is aggressive insistence that people should immediately adopt a vegetarian or even a vegan lifestyle, and evidence of contradictory messages about healthy eating. Perhaps it's best approached by education and gentle persuasion to bring about gradual change - yet the environmental risks are urgent.
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