Sudanese climate scientist receives prestigious award

Sudanese climate scientist receives prestigious award

/climate/article/35408/printEnvironmental News Network

Monday 28 April 2008
[SINGAPORE] A Sudanese climate researcher has been honoured by the UN Environment Programme in recognition of her work on climate change and adaptation in conflict-stricken Darfur.

Balgis Osman-Elasha, a senior researcher at Sudan's Higher Council for Environment and Natural Resources, was presented with a 'Champions of the Earth 2008' award this week (22 April), along with six other awardees from Bangladesh, Barbados, Monaco, New Zealand, United States and Yemen.

Osman-Elasha, also a leading member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), carries out research into how communities in Darfur could cope with drought.

She said her commitment to educating Sudanese students and communities — particularly farmers — is slowly paving the way for people to adapt to climate change.

Her work has included expanding the use of traditional rainwater harvesting and conservation techniques, and building windbreaks to protect rangelands from degradation.

It comes at a crucial time for Sudan, as the connections between climate change and conflict in war-torn Darfur have become a major concern (see UNEP: climate change behind Darfur conflict).

Over the past seven years, Osman-Elasha has travelled to 45 countries and given over 100 lectures.

"We should act now and curb climate change," she told SciDev.Net. "We can do it if science, governments, businesses and the communities come together and address this pressing issue."

Other award winners were Atiq Rahman, the executive director of the Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies; Liz Thompson, the former energy and environment minister of Barbados; and Abdul-Qader Ba-Jammal, the secretary general of the Yemen People's General Congress.

All have spearheaded outstanding initiatives in different areas, from environmental policy to cutting-edge research, with a particular focus on sustainable development and the fight against climate change.

"Our winners for 2008 light an alternative path for humanity by taking responsibility, demonstrating leadership and realising change across a wide range of sustainability issues," said Achim Steiner, UN under-secretary general and executive director of the UN Environment Programme, in a press release.

"These include more intelligent and creative management of natural and nature-based resources from waste and water, to biodiversity and agriculture."

Champions of the Earth is an international environment award established in 2004 by the UN Environment Programme.

2007. Copyright Environmental News Network

http://www.enn.com/climate/article/35408/print
Free school breakfasts in Cambodia threatened by rising rice prices
By Thomas Fuller

IHT

A countdown has begun among administrators at the school and at 1,343 other schools across Cambodia: in 30 days or less the schools' rice stocks will run out and a popular program of free breakfasts will be suspended indefinitely because of soaring food prices.

Short of cash, the World Food Program, the United Nations agency that feeds the world's poorest people, can no longer supply 450,000 Cambodian children with a daily meal of domestically grown rice supplemented by yellow split peas from the United States and tuna from Thailand.

In a country where a recurrent paucity of food has taught Cambodians to survive on a bare minimum of nutrition, children in this village are unlikely to starve. But some may miss out on an education.

"Most of the students come to school for the breakfast," said Taoch Champa, a 31-year-old teacher. "They also come to learn."

The suspension of the breakfast program illustrates one of the many ways that the global food crisis is hurting the world's poorest and most vulnerable people. Only destitute schools were selected to participate in the school feeding program: Pray Viev, in particular, is one of the poorest villages in what is Cambodia's most impoverished province, Kampong Spueu.

When the free breakfasts were introduced here eight years ago by the World Food Program, they were an instant hit.

"Students brought their brothers and sisters, 2, 3 and 4 years old," said Yim Soeurn, the principal at Sun Sun. "It was very hard to control."

The breakfasts have been a magnet for students ever since - as well as the teachers' best friend. Well-fed students are more attentive, tardiness is no longer a problem (breakfast is served at 6:30 a.m., before classes begin) and attendance by girls, who for years had been kept home by their parents, has increased sharply.

Outside his office, amid the high-pitched squeals of excited children pouring out of their classrooms for recess, Yim says he knows what will happen when the free food disappears: "Poor students will not come to school."

When the breakfast program was interrupted in January 2007 because of budget problems unrelated to high food prices, attendance fell by 10 percent, Yim said. Menh Veasal, a 14-year-old at the top of his class, skipped school to collect frogs and crabs from a nearby river - his contribution to meals with his parents and seven siblings. Sim Sreywat, a shy 12-year-old, was ordered by her mother to trek to nearby mountains where she harvested tamarind buds and bamboo shoots.

The imminent suspension of rice supplies is particularly paradoxical for the children who each day walk or ride their bicycles through miles of neatly delineated rice paddies on their way to school. Rice is plentiful in Cambodia, and the country has been a net exporter for the past decade. But it is becoming less and less affordable for the very people who grow it. In a 2006 survey, well before the spike in food prices, 22 percent of Cambodians in rural areas could not meet their own basic food needs.

The most productive agricultural land in Cambodia is near the borders with Thailand and Vietnam, and much of what is harvested in those places is exported at world-market prices.

But the soil in Kampong Spueu province is sandy and parched, yielding less than 1 ton per hectare, or 2.5 acres. That's half the national average, and local families typically have plots that are too small to feed their families. After the fall of the Khmer Rouge government in 1979, each family here was given one hectare of land, a parcel that diminishes in size as children divide their inheritances.

Thomas Keusters, the country director of the World Food Program in Cambodia, said he did not know when or whether the school feeding program would re-start.

"Not before the next school year - October 2008 - at best," he said.

Worldwide, the UN food agency has initiated an appeal for $500 million in additional funding to cover the increase in food prices. In Cambodia, the price of rice is now above $700 a ton, according to Phe Lamine, who is charged with food procurement in the Cambodian office of the World Food Program. This is more than double the $295 per ton that the agency budgeted for this year.

There was cash remaining for the school lunch program, but Keusters said he had diverted it to cover overruns in the most essential programs, including providing food for HIV and tuberculosis patients as well as pregnant and lactating mothers and infants.

The breakfast program seemed to be running smoothly in February when the World Food Program awarded contracts to five Cambodian millers for 5,780 tons of rice, all at less than $400 a ton. But when rice prices headed skyward in March, four millers defaulted on their contracts and the fifth delivered only a fraction of what was promised.

One miller, Von Bun Heng, sent an apologetic letter to Keusters, citing "force majeure" for the cancellation of the contract.

In a country where people get well over half their calories from rice, the higher prices are engendering tension.

A half-hour from the World Food Program offices, amid the crowded cacophony of the Cambodian capital, You Sareun, a shopkeeper, said his customers were angry.

"They say, 'If rice gets more expensive, people are going to die,' " You said. "They tell me in a joking way, but they are also serious."

Cheap eats in Singapore

A Singapore newspaper reported Monday that the government was advertising food stalls that offer meals for 2 Singapore dollars, or about $1.50, in an effort to help people in Asia's second-richest country cope with rising prices, Reuters reported from Singapore.

The Straits Times newspaper said that Singapore's minister of state for trade and industry, Lee Yi Shyan, had introduced a Web site listing food stalls where the public "can find cheap, tasty food" at http://ekampong.com.sg/.

Official data show Singapore's annual inflation rate has rocketed to 6.7 percent - a 26-year high

http://www.iht.com/bin/printfriendly.php?id=12396488

General Environmental News

Study: Earth can't regulate climate change
Experts find natural feedback mechanism, but say it's 'out of equilibrium'
Reuters

MSNBC

WASHINGTON - Before humans began burning fossil fuels, there was an eons-long balance between carbon dioxide emissions and Earth's ability to absorb them, but now the planet can't keep up, scientists said on Sunday.

The finding, reported in the journal Nature Geoscience, relies on ice cores taken from Antarctica's Lake Vostok that contain air samples going back 610,000 years.

Climate scientists for the last 25 years or so have suggested that some kind of natural feedback mechanism regulates our planet's temperature and the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Those skeptical about human influence on global warming point to this, not fossil fuel emissions, as the cause for recent climate change.

"We have provided the first observational evidence for the operation and efficacy of this feedback, which reveals its essential role for stabilizing the Earth’s long-term climate," the study authors wrote.

This feedback mechanism has been thrown out of whack by a steep rise in carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of coal and petroleum for the last 200 years or so, said Richard Zeebe, a co-author of the report.

In the ancient past, excess carbon dioxide came mostly from volcanoes, which spewed very little of the chemical compared to what humans activities do now, but it still had to be addressed.

This ancient excess carbon dioxide — a powerful greenhouse gas — was removed from the atmosphere through the weathering of mountains, which take in the chemical. In the end, it was washed downhill into oceans and buried in deep sea sediments, Zeebe said.

Zeebe analyzed carbon dioxide that had been captured in Antarctic ice, and by figuring out how much carbon dioxide was in the atmosphere at various points in time, he and his co-author Ken Caldeira, of the Carnegie Department of Global Ecology at Stanford University, determined that it waxed and waned along with the world's temperature.

"When the carbon dioxide was low, the temperature was low, and we had an ice age," he said. And while Earth's temperature fell during ice ages and rose during so-called interglacial periods between them, the planet's mean temperature has been going slowly down for about 600,000 years.

Lots more molecules in air
The average change in the amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide over the last 600,000 years has been just 22 parts per million by volume, Zeebe said, which means that 22 molecules of carbon dioxide were added to, or removed from, every million molecules of air.

Since the Industrial Revolution began in the 18th century, ushering in the widespread human use of fossil fuels, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has risen by 100 parts per million.

That means human activities are putting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere about 14,000 times as fast as natural processes do, Zeebe said.

And it appears to be speeding up: the U.S. government reported last week that in 2007 alone, atmospheric carbon dioxide increased by 2.4 parts per million.

The natural mechanism will eventually absorb the excess carbon dioxide, Zeebe said, but not for hundreds of thousands of years.

"This is a time period that we can hardly imagine," he said. "They are way too slow to help us to restore the balance that we have now basically distorted in a very short period of time."

Copyright 2008 Reuters. Click for restrictions.

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24339280/

Saturday April. 26, 2008

They’re large, rock-hard and grand spectacles — but Alaska’s great glaciers are in grave danger. The glacier recession rate accelerates every year, losing an average of 20 inches — almost twice the rate of loss seen in the 1980s and 1990s. Weekend TODAY’s Lester Holt joined acclaimed scientist Dr. Doug Causey, professor of biology at the University of Alaska Anchorage, for a close look at Alaska’s great natural wonders. They visited Spencer Glacier, which is now breaking off and calving due to rapid melting. While calving is normal for glaciers, the melting has been accelerated by climate change.

“This is truly one of nature's most magnificent shows and one not to be missed,” Lester said of his mission to Anchorage, Alaska. “Scientists say it's a show ending a lot sooner than they ever imagined.”

Sensitive to climate change, glaciers heavily depend on their climate conditions — and changes in temperature, precipitation, solar radiation, humidity, and wind speed could leave serious effects. Many scientists believe that global warming is to blame for the glaciers’ abnormal melting and retreating, contributing to sea level rise and placing communities that rely on glaciers for water at risk. Although Alaska’s many glaciers are currently vast and plentiful, they’re at risk of disappearing within decades.

"In Alaska, glaciers are a source of water and water is one of the very important, limited resources in the Arctic," Dr. Causey said. "Probably most important is that glaciers are the canary in the mine — they show what's happening to the earth's climate." Causey explained that scientists recognized the climate was changing, with evidence from over 50 years ago, but that every time that they re-assess the data, they find "that things are moving faster — partly because it's moving so fast that our data is lagging behind."

According to an AP/MSNBC environment report, glacier wastage added 73 trillion gallons of new water to oceans, and scientists believe water levels are rising one to two millimeters per year, with glacial wastage directly responsible for as much as 30 percent of the increase. And with glaciers melting earlier in the year than usual — leaving inhabitants without enough water during warmer summer months — it has become a serious, troubling issue.

Check out photos of Lester’s trip to Anchorage, Alaska to witness the great glaciers.

© 2008 MSNBC Interactive

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24331919/

Simple tips to 'green' your commute
Valuable pointers to help reduce the carbon footprint of your daily commute
By David Rizzo

MSNBC

Mother Earth doesn't get off much better, as transportation accounts for approximately one-third of all the greenhouse gasses produced in the country. Easy to believe, considering that motor vehicles emit 20 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) per gallon of gas burned, for a national average of 5.5 tons per year, per motorist.

Now for the good news: Given that we each cast a "Shaquille O'Neal" sized footprint on the earth every time we commute to work, we can all do something about shrinking that impact. The following tips can turn our daily trip into a "green" commute, while actually helping to keep a little bit more "green" in our wallet.

For those who must drive
Within the U.S., approximately 77% of us insist on driving alone to work, burning up 34% of the energy used in getting around. Yet we still want to do the right thing. Luckily, the following considerations can help.

 Avoid high speeds. Calculations demonstrate a decrease of 3 miles per gallon between 55-65 mph, which rises to 4.3 mpg between 55-70 because of wind resistance.

 Avoid jackrabbit starts. Gentle acceleration definitely cuts down on gas usage. The "Driving Change" pilot program in the Denver area harnesses an innovative accelerometer (made by Cartasite, Inc.) with the access of the Internet to help motorists track their driving techniques in an effort to help reduce air pollution and increase mpg.

 Avoid unnecessary sudden braking. Coast to a stop to save gas and lower the amount of asbestos fibers in the air.

 Only use "cruise control" on the open highway. In heavy traffic, it simply wastes gas.

 Practice optimized shifting techniques. Get into higher gears as quickly as possible.

 Switch off the air conditioner to save 5% to 15% of the energy your car uses.

 If idling is anticipated for over 60 seconds, shut the engine off.

 Lighten the load: 1% of fuel efficiency is lost for every 50 pounds of extra weight in your trunk.

 Remove bike, luggage, or ski racks from the top of your SUV or truck for less wind resistance.

 Keep tires fully inflated to manufacturer's specifications for a 3% gas savings.

 Use a multi-grade (versus "straight") motor oil to improve mileage by 1.5% to 2.7%.

 Keep your vehicle in good state of tune.

Lastly, practice combining errands. This reduces "cold starts," which account for a disproportionate amount of air pollution.

Other advantages to carpooling include:

 A shortened duration of travel, since carpoolers can take advantage of high occupancy vehicle lanes.

 Savings of up to $3,000 per year. Easy to believe, since the AAA figures the average American spends 52.2 cents per mile, or $7,823 per year, to operate their motor vehicle.  Reductions come from savings in gas and car maintenance expenses.

 Most carpool partners are patient enough to allow stops for errands on the way home.

 More free time during the commute. The passenger can read, rest, or eat breakfast.

 Less stress, lower blood pressure, and better mental acuity, as say studies at the University of California, Irvine.

 With a passenger, a driver's risk of death decreases by 7.5%.

Many GPS devices incorporate real-time accident data by subscription. 

 Magellen RoadMate 2000 Series

 Garmin Nuvi 660

 TomTom GO 920 T

 Pioneer AVIC-N4

 DASH Express

For those on more modest budgets, the following tools perform a yeoman's duty of "traffic busting."

 The "Traffic Gauge" (www.TrafficGauge.com) is an extremely convenient, hand-held device tells you which freeways are crowded and which are not at one quick glance.  Subscription based. Available for Chicago, L.A., Seattle, and San Francisco. Free website coverage available for several other cities throughout the country.

 "My Traffic" can be accessed via any ordinary cell phone by calling 1-866-MY-TRAFC (1-866-698-7232). Information provided via computer-generated voice. Provides congestion factors and travel times. Available throughout the country for free.

 "Dial Directions" allow users to call (347) 328-4667 (DIR-ECT-IONS) from any cellphone, explain where they are and where they want to go. The directions will be sent via a text message directly to their phone. If the user has a web-enabled phone, then directions will be sent as an html document. Available in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles at no cost.

 While it's still in a beta version, "My Location" is operational in 20 countries. Helpful if you get lost, as it uses cellphone towers to triangulate the position of your cell phone.  Sends a map to your smart phone (Most Java-enabled (J2ME) mobile phones, Palm devices with Palm OS 5 and above, and all color Blackberry devices.  Visit http://www.google.com/mobile/gmm/mylocation, the service is free.

 Live within 15 miles of work and within 15 minutes (on foot) of a bus stop.

 Work within 15 minutes of a bus stop.

 Have to make no more than one transfer.

 Distances greater than 15 miles (except for intra-city trips, which can be much shorter).

 If you live in the suburbs, but work in the central business district.

 Have easy access to a train station (less than 15 minutes) and easy access to work (less than 15 minutes).

 You have difficult or expensive parking at work.

To further ease the environmental impact when commuting by train:

 Find a way to the train station without taking your car. Walk, if 1 mile, bike if less than 5 miles. This helps eliminate "cold" starts, which produce a disproportionate amount of air pollution for the distance.

 In the U.S., buses and trains combined put out 1/10 the CO2 that cars and trucks produce.

 New York City Transit alone, reduces air pollution by 400 million pounds each year.

 Employer paid transit expenses are tax free up to $115 month. That's $1380 per year that never shows up on your W-2 form.

 Using transit to get to work is not wasted time. Riders can read a book, concentrate on paper work, eat breakfast or dinner and even catch a quick nap.

Technological aids also help maximize the time spent in transit.

 Use PDAs and laptops to catch up on work.

 Internet-enabled devices, such as the "Blackberry," help commuters stay wired.

 "JOTT" enables any ordinary cell phone to send e-mail messages and faxes from you home computer and fax machine; (866) JOTT-123.