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| 2006-05-15 |
| ATMOSPHERIC levels of carbon dioxide and some other greenhouse gases grew at record rates last year, a CSIRO scientist said today. But some of the worst ozone-depleting gases in the atmosphere had showed a drop in the past eight years, Paul Fraser, from CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, said. The results of the testing at the Cape Grim meteorological station in Tasmania will feature at a climate meeting in Sydney tomorrow. Dr Fraser said carbon dioxide grew by two parts per million (0.54 per cent) in 2005, the fourth year in a row of above-average growth. "To have four years in a row of above-average carbon dioxide growth is unprecedented," Dr Fraser said. How long has that Kyoto thing been running? Four years you say. What a coincidence. "In addition, the trend over recent years suggests the growth rate is accelerating." He said the 30-year record of air collected at the Cape Grim observation station showed growth rates of just over one part per million in the early 1980s but, in recent years, carbon dioxide had increased at almost twice this rate. On a related note, I found out yesterday that 66% of all 'carbon credits' come from China which is responsible for more of the increase in CO2 emissions than any other country. So in the wonderful world of Kyoto you can both increase CO2 emissions more than anyone else and sell more carbon credits than anyone else so others can emit more CO2. And they wonder why CO2 emissions are increasing. |
| Posted by:phil_b |
| #12 Thanks, phil_b. Glad to hear the fires are no longer such an issue. Thank goodness for the recent volcanic eruptions, such as they are, else we'd have to start stocking up again against the coming ice age. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-05-15 21:53 |
| #11 TW, a couple of years ago the biggest CO2 source on the planet was a coal mine in China that had been burning for 50 years. I now understand its been put out. The peat fires that were a huge problem in Indonesia (Sumatra and Borneo) in the late 90s are now far smaller. I believe the dry spell over several years that facilitated them has now ended. There is no doubt that these CO2 increases result from increased fossil fuels. However, as Junkscience.com points out increasing levels of CO2 have a progressively decreasing effect on warming through the greenhouse effect due to basic physics, and for the same reason doubling the amount of insulation in your roofspace won't double the amount of heat retained. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2006-05-15 19:01 |
| #10 It's my understanding that trees maximize their CO2 intake during the first decade of growth, so regular harvesting of old-growth forests is critical to preventing global warming. ;-) Also, that there are now more trees in the US, mostly due to reforestation of abandoned farmland, than at any time since the beginning of the twentieth century. And certainly there are more deer and robins than when the Europeans arrived. I did think that uncontrolled wildfires in Indonesia/Malaysia were a major cause of global air pollution overall (burning coal fields, perhaps?) but I could be wrong. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-05-15 14:17 |
| #9 CO2 is plant food. Many people who keep planted aquariums bubble CO2 into their tanks to fertilize them. Mike, not lawns, but reforestation of excess farm and ranchland. As anecdotal evidence, compare photos from the late 1800s and early 1900s to the same location today. For example, a photo of Cincinnati's skyline from the late 1800s shows a bare hillside to the city's east (known as Mt. Adams); a modern photo shows a hillside shrouded in trees. The homes are still there -- if anything, there are more homes and businesses on Mt. Adams now -- but the trees are more valued for their shade and appearance than for their fuel value. |
| Posted by: Rob Crawford 2006-05-15 12:15 |
| #8 Hows that sand taste boys, time to open up them peepers. |
| Posted by: bk 2006-05-15 12:06 |
| #7 Here Here Here Here Enjoy! |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2006-05-15 11:25 |
| #6 Mike, not lawns, but reforestation of excess farm and ranchland. The green revolution means less farmland is required to feed people (and denser crops mean more stored carbon per acre). In addition tree farming allows for denser forests. But forest carbon sinks only last for as long as reforestation increases. Forest Carbon Sequestration Recent estimates show that U.S. forests, grasslands, and agricultural lands form a sizable carbon sink. Even a forest that undergoes regular harvesting can act as a carbon sink as long as yearly growth exceeds the amount of carbon removed during harvest. The U.S. carbon sink absorbs 1.1 to 2.6 million metric tons of CO2 each year, which is equivalent to 20 to 46 percent of total U.S. global warming emissions. Sadly, this sink appears to be shrinking. Carbon sequestration by forests and other lands decreased by approximately 20 percent from 1990 to 2001, a decline stemming primarily from unsustainable timber management (especially on privately owned forests) and the clearing of forests for development. If the U.S. carbon sink were managed more effectively, it could easily be maintained and even expanded over the next 50 to 100 years before reaching a plateau. |
| Posted by: ed 2006-05-15 10:05 |
| #5 DV, can you post a reference for that please? I would be very happy to show this to a number of people, but I prefer to have the citations available to reference. |
| Posted by: Whiskey Mike 2006-05-15 09:50 |
| #4 The US is also the largest carbon sink in the world. Our largest irrigated crop is responsible for that. Our lawns. Yep, only in the US, something we have for vanity can also help the environment! Take that EUrowiennies!! |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2006-05-15 08:21 |
| #3 CO2 is plant food. If you're concerned plant some bushes. Still better, elect them for President. |
| Posted by: JFM 2006-05-15 07:08 |
| #2 CO2 is plant food. If you're concerned plant some bushes. |
| Posted by: BrerRabbit 2006-05-15 06:29 |
| #1 Yeah, more c02, that explains why I'm out of breath after walking up a stair, that's what I suspected all along! Damn thoses people who said it was because I'm fat and out of shape! |
| Posted by: anonymous5089 2006-05-15 05:30 |