According to recent studies, ocean levels are rising at the fastest rates in the last 28 centuries. Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities, primarily from the burning of fossil fuels, increasing greatly during the Industrial Revolution and continuing on into modern day, are what caused this phenomenon. Tidal flooding of coastal cities has become a major issue, and statistics showing a possible ocean rise of three to four feet by 2100 would lead to abandonment of many of these places. Up to three fourths of these floods would not happen in the absence of human emissions. The ocean is extremely sensitive to even slight changes in the earth's temperature. While the pace at which the ocean is rising may be slowed, especially with the recent climate agreement negotiated in Paris, it likely cannot be stopped.
A Los Angeles methane leak first detected on October 23 and finally plugged earlier this month is now ranked as largest known accidental methane release in U.S. history. Caused by a ruptured underground pipeline at the Aliso Canyon storage field, a total of 97,100 tons – or 5 billion cubic feet (142 million cubic meters) – of methane has now been released into the environment (doubling the methane emissions of the entire Los Angeles metropolitan area), causing many people to fall ill and prompting the temporary relocation of more than 6,600 households. This event will have huge environmental impacts. In terms of its heat-trapping greenhouse potential, the volume of leaked methane was equivalent to putting 572,000 passenger cars on the road for a year, or to the annual energy-sector methane emissions of a "medium-sized European Union country". This leak remains a potential threat as well, since the emissions were less than five percent of its total storage capacity. SoCal Gas, the company responsible for the incident, despite being sued by local, state and regional authorities, as well as dozens of residents, pleads not guilty of the incident.
http://newsdaily.com/2016/02/california-methane-leak-was-biggest-ever-in-u-s-scientists-say/ Europe's forests, once largely destroyed to be used for timber and farmland, have finally began to make a notable comeback after decades of closely-monitored growth. However, these forests, replanted with trees desired for both their economic and societal benefits, have not offered the feedback that scientists desired. In fact, it has been shown that the reforesting processes in Europe have actually increased global warming by point one degrees Celsius. This is largely due to a sharp spike in the population of fast-growing, commercially valuable conifer trees at the expense of broad-leaved trees. These conifer trees are darker and reflect less sunlight than broad-leaved trees and lose less water to evaporation, a process which cools the surrounding air. Scientists have now began to study how micromanaged regrowing of forestland can effect climate in other parts of the world.
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/forest-management-not-so-hot-fighting-warming?mode=topic&context=60 |
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May 2016
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