For methane, livestock is more harmful than coal.

Dr. Barry Brook is the director of the Research Institute for Climate Change and Sustainability at Adelaide University in Australia. A study he led found that one ton of methane gas in the atmosphere has the same warming effect as 72 tons of carbon dioxide. They further discovered that the main problem originates in methane produced by the large populations of ruminant animals such as cattle, sheep and goats. Dr. Brook explained more in an interview with Supreme Master Television:

Dr. Barry Brook, Director, Research Institute for Climate Change and Sustainability, Adelaide University, Australia: Australia’s cattle industry, livestock industry, currently releases about 3 million tons of methane per year. Whereas our coal-fired power stations release about 180 million tons of CO2. So it sounds like coal-fired power stations contribute much more than our cattle do to global warming.

But if you think that methane packs 72 times the punch (impact) of CO2 over a 20-year period, then over those next 2 decades, you multiply 3 by 72, it’s pretty easy to work out that our cattle and sheep actually contributes more to global warming than our coal-fired power stations. So that’s a vastly underappreciated fact.

VOICE: Dr. Brook believes methane is the missing half of the climate change issue and merits more attention, especially in the short term. The effect of reducing the number of farmed cattle, for example, could be seen within a couple of years. He highlighted the need for immediate action.

Dr. Barry Brook: There’s a huge risk that the problem will be taken out of our hands. Even if we have all the money that future generations are likely to generate through increased economic growth, that won’t be able to pull the climate system back at that point. So we’re at a crucial social tipping point, and we’re at a crucial environmental tipping point right now. Now is the time to take action. It’s urgent!

VOICE: Thank you Dr. Barry Brook and your colleagues for the planetary concern that you have translated into your diligent research. We join you and many others in the call to halt methane emissions now.

http://www.naturalnews.com/023673.html

Noted physicist uses his talent to raise awareness on global warming.

Dr. Tian-Yow Tsong is a distinguished molecular physics researcher and recipient of Formosa’s (Taiwan) 2007 Presidential Science Prize. With global warming as the world’s most pressing issue, Dr. Tsong, who is also an expert on climate science, frequently gives talks to everyone from fellow professors to high school students. Supreme Master Television spoke with Dr. Tsong after one of his presentations entitled “Global Warming – An Inconvenient Truth,” inspired by Nobel laureate and former US vice president Al Gore.

Supreme Master TV: According to your long-term research and understanding, how critical is the global warming situation today?

Dr. Tian-Yow Tsong from the Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica (M): The precise evidence is in the melting of the ice in the North and South poles. This melting is very fast. The ice would not melt from small changes because its temperature is constant due to its huge mass. Therefore, this is very precise evidence. Take the northwest passageway in the Arctic, for example; climate scientists are worried that it could be passable this year.

Supreme Master TV: What can we, the ordinary people do, to respond to global warming?

Dr. Tian-Yow Tsong: Of course, animal farming generates a lot of methane and also other gases. If you eat less meat, of course you can reduce your carbon emissions. I think the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) has made a very good estimation.

VOICE: We appreciate your efforts, Dr. Tsong, as you use your role as a scientist and co-citizen to stimulate good actions in your community. May valuable talks such as yours help bring about further eco-conscious changes in Formosa and worldwide.

Global food crisis is result of climate change.

Nigerian Minister of Environment, Housing and Urban Development, Halima Tayo Alao addressed a group of journalists in speaking about climate change affects the global food crisis. Detailing the ways that desertification, drought, and deforestation further degrade the land, Minister Alao expressed concern about how the African continent suffers the biggest consequences of global warming. She called on developed nations to help with adaptation funding and also spoke of an awareness campaign, to inform the public on issues of adapting and mitigating these conditions.

Minister Alao, we are grateful for your informative and caring report on the realities of climate change faced by Nigerians today. Blessed be your efforts in mobilizing global action for the stability and safety of all people.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200807250507.html?page=2

Climate change threatens vital seagrass.

 According to a recent report released by the Swiss-based International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), seagrass meadows, the regions of flowering plants found in shallow ocean waters throughout the world, are responding unfavorably to global warming. IUCN specialist Mats Bjork said, "Seagrass habitats are already declining due to increasing water temperatures, algae (seaweed) growth and light reduction, which are all effects of global change." With marine species that are dependent on seagrass for everything from shelter to food, its preservation is essential.

Our deep appreciation, IUCN for your insights on the survival of this small but essential beauty of the sea. May we all take heed of gentle warnings such as this and act promptly to cherish all lives for their vital roles in our ecosystem.

http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSL2459665520080725

Amazon rainforest could be unsalvageable sooner than predicted.
 
A recent report by the global conservation group WWF, "Amazon's Vicious Cycles: Drought and Fire,” indicates that deforestation and climate change could cause nearly 60 percent of the world’s largest rainforest to disappear or be severely damaged by the year 2030. WWF states that we must take action to halt both global warming and the rainforest’s destruction.

Many thanks, WWF, for this significant report on the health of the legendary Amazon. May the appropriate actions be immediately taken to save all our rainforests and stabilize the global climate.