Arctic warming is releasing ancient organic matter that's been deep-frozen for millennia, writes Tim Radford. And now scientists have discovered its fate: within weeks it's all digested by bacteria and released to the atmosphere as CO2 - with potentially catastrophic impacts on climate.
… Thawing Arctic carbon threatens 'runaway' global warming Tim Radford | 14th May 2015 … of greenhouse gas could only accelerate global warming and precipitate catastrophic …
Levels of CO2 are at their the highest in 800,000 years, writes Tim Radford, but news of a probable decline in emissions this year is providing welcome cheer at the COP21 climate summit: thanks to renewables, economic growth and falling emissions can go hand in hand.
… this case, the 2015 projection ranges from a global decline in emissions of up to 1.5% - … solar power. China is responsible for 27% of global emissions, the US 15%, the EU 10% and … from solved, he adds: "even if we reach peak global emissions within a decade or two, we'll …
Scientists warn that burning up the planet's remaining fossil fuel would cause all Antarctic ice to melt and lead to 58m of sea level rise over 10,000 years, writes Tim Radford. But devastating impacts would strike much sooner, with oceans rising by 3m a century for the next millennium.
… Research , says such action would cause global sea level rise on a scale unprecedented … scientists, started in Professor Caldeira's global ecology lab in the US, and in every … conversion (OTEC) - would actually accelerate global warming (it would). The same style of …
A 145,000 sq km area of peatland swamp forest has been discovered in the Congo Basin, writes Tim Radford, and it holds a record 30 Gt of carbon, equivalent to 20 years of US fossil fuel emissions. Now the race is on to protect it from damaging development that would emit that carbon over coming decades.
… volume of CO 2 with disastrous results for global climate. This is already happening in … can absorb, and on the overall impact of global warming on the world's grasslands and …
Something scary is lurking in the melting Arctic permafrost, write Tim Radford & Oliver Tickell: 1,700 Gt of carbon. That's 53 years worth of current emissions, and if we let it melt the impact would cost the world $43 tn. Or act now, and we could preserve the Arctic ice for a seventh as much.
… is warming roughly twice as fast as the global average" , they conclude. "If …
Advanced new catalysts are poised to stimulate a clean energy revolution, writes Tim Radford. An organic replacement for the precious metal platinum would allow surplus electricity to be cheaply converted into hydrogen fuel, then burnt in low cost fuel cells to propel 'green' vehicles and generate power on demand.
… of attempts to find new ways to confront the global energy crisis precipitated by climate …