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July 2009 Listserv

  
McGregor Russia project.
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NORTHERN CLIMATE CHANGE NETWORK LISTSERV, July/09 – Issue 16
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The NCCN newsletter focuses on climate change stories that foster greater awareness of community level climate change impacts and adaptation, and which have relevance to north-central British Columbia. Contributions from readers for future issues are welcome. Send us your ideas.

BC NEWS and LINKS

UNBC research shows global warming is causing fluctuations in river water volume

A study led by UNBC Environmental Science and Engineering professor Stephen Déry verifies that global warming is causing significant variations in the volume of water flowing along Canada’s northern waterways. The study indicates that global warming is causing hydrological cycles to intensify, which induces a “teeter-totter” effect in weather systems. This leads to dramatic increases in precipitation in some areas and decreases in others, and is having a profound effect on river water volume. “If rivers are the veins of Canada, we’re having some pretty dramatic blood pressure fluctuations.” says Dr. Déry. “This affects a variety of things: farms, forest fires, fish-dependent First Nations communities, and many others. An increase in fresh water discharge into the Arctic Ocean also impacts climate on a global level.” Story.

Ministry of Forests and Range “Adapting to Climate Change” website

The BC Ministry of Forests and Range maintains a website devoted to information on adaptations to climate change pertaining to crown forest and rangelands. “Climate is a strong influence on forest and range lands in BC,” the website notes. “It affects tree growth, productivity, and numerous resource values derived from these lands. Managing these resources in a changing climate poses tough challenges for forest and range managers.” Through the website, readers can subscribe to the ‘Adapting to Climate Change Newsletter’, participate in the ‘Climate Change and Forest Management’ seminar series, and access a range of information and reports.  Details

Climate Change and Health in Rural and Remote BC: research panel and networking event

On June 26th the BC Environmental and Occupational Health Research Network (BCEOHRN) held a research panel and networking event in Vancouver to draw attention to some of the human health-related potential risks and consequences of climate change upon rural and remote communities in BC. Visitors to the Network’s website can download presentations from the panel, and access other related material. The panel follows up on the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions’ white paper on Climate Change and Health in British Columbia released in November 2008.                          
                           

NEWS FROM CANADA AND ABROAD

G-8 agrees that a cap on global temperatures is necessary

At their meeting in L’Aquila, Italy on July 8th, the Group of Eight industrialized nations – which includes Canada –  joined with developing countries in agreeing that average global temperatures shouldn’t increase by more than 2 degrees Celsius in what is being acknowledged as a significant development in the fight against global warming. According to a MSNBC report, President Barack Obama and other G-8 leaders have also said they support a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent or more by 2050. But they made no nearer-term reduction targets and 17 developing nations participating in the G-8 summit refused to commit to any targets at all, disappointing environmentalists. Story.

Concordia University study finds linear link between CO2 emissions and global warming

Recent research conducted by Prof. Damon Matthews of Concordia University’s Department of Geography, Planning and the Environment has found a direct and simple linear relationship between carbon dioxide emissions and global warming. Dr. Matthews’ research shows that each emission of carbon dioxide results in the same global temperature increase, regardless of when or over what period of time the emission occurs. “Our findings allow people to make a robust estimate of their contribution to global warming based simply on total carbon dioxide emissions” states Dr. Matthews. These findings mean that every tonne of carbon dioxide emitted will lead to 0.0000000000015 degrees of global temperature change. To restrict global warming to no more than 2 degrees, we must restrict total carbon emissions, from now and for all time, to little more than half a trillion tonnes of carbon, or about as much again as humans have emitted since the beginning of the industrial revolution. His findings were published in the June 11 edition of the journal Nature. Story.

NRCAN plant hardiness website

Natural Resources Canada has produced a website through which users can obtain current and potential range maps and other information for selected plant species. Through “Canada’s Plant Hardiness Site”, plants can be searched by scientific name, common name, family or genus. Climate change models are provided along with other information for numerous species; the models show how a changing climate might affect species distributions. Users are invited to contribute data to improve the accuracy of the range maps.  Details

CBC Radio 1 interview of James Lovelock

James Lovelock, originator of the Gaia theory (the idea that the Earth is a living and self-regulating organism), was interviewed on May 27th on the CBC Radio 1 program The Current.  In his new book, “The Vanishing Face of Gaia: A Final Warning”, Dr. Lovelock argues that we must very quickly learn to adapt to the impending impacts of climate change. His interview on The Current summarizes his main concerns captured in the new book.  Download interview.

MIT climate change report projects a much faster rate of warming than previously thought

A newly released research study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT’s) Center for Global Change Science projects that the rate of global warming may be much faster than previously thought. While this conclusion has been previously reached by other well-founded research studies, the MIT model used to arrive at this conclusion, unlike other models, looked in great detail at the effects of economic activity coupled with the effects of atmospheric, oceanic and biological systems. Without urgent action to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, "there is significantly more risk than we previously estimated," says one of the studies’ co-authors Ronald Prinn, director of MIT’s Center for Global Change Science.  "This increases the urgency for significant policy action."  Story.

“Vital Signs of a Warming World” interactive climate change website

MSNBC – a news-dedicated organization formed as a partnership between Microsoft and NBC Universal – has developed a website which will help users to explore the science, impacts and scenarios of climate shifts, showing where climate change is having significant local impacts and potentially global impacts. An interactive map can be used to navigate to videos, photos and articles around the world, with topics related to altered lives, landscapes, melting ice, wildlife and warming scenarios. The site will feature new content on an ongoing basis. Story.

EVENTS

HOME – a new film by Yann Arthus-Bertrand

French photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand, well-known for his previous publications of photographs depicting earth’s surface and how human activity is transforming the planet, has recently released a stunning visual documentary movie named simply “Home”. The movie takes the viewer on an overflight of numerous countries, depicting some of the history of life on earth and how human activity contributes to a rapidly changing world. The related GoodPlanet Foundation led by Mr. Arthus-Bertrand seeks to raise awareness about climate change and sustainability issues, and to foster carbon offsets. Watch the film on Mr. Arthus-Bertrand’s website, or on YouTube.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES AND LINKS

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