http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/environmental_policy/ Environmental Policy. Read policy recommendations from scientists and scientific organizations on many aspects of environmental policy. Background research available. en-us Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:05:01 EST Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/environmental_policy/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111083055.htm Because land use changes are responsible for 50 percent of warming in the US, policymakers need to address the influence of global deforestation and urbanization on climate change, in addition to greenhouse gas emissions, experts urge. Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111083055.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110141842.htm New data show that the balance between the airborne and the absorbed fraction of carbon dioxide has stayed approximately constant since 1850, despite emissions of CO₂ having risen from about 2 billion tons a year in 1850 to 35 billion tons a year now. This suggests that terrestrial ecosystems and the oceans have a much greater capacity to absorb CO₂ than had been previously expected. Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110141842.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110171647.htm The American health-care sector accounts for 8 percent of the country's carbon dioxide emissions, according to a first-of-its-kind calculation of health care's carbon footprint. Researchers used expenditures from different parts of the health care sector to measure the industry's potential effect upon global warming through the release of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110171647.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110105353.htm Aerosols, very small particles suspended in the air, play an important role in the global climate balance and in regulating climate change. They are one of the greatest sources of uncertainty in climate change models. ESA's GlobAerosol project has been making the most of European satellite capabilities to monitor them. Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110105353.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105143823.htm An innovative proposal by the Ecuadorian government to protect an untouched, oil rich region of Amazon rainforest is a precedent-setting and potentially economically viable approach, says a team of environmental researchers. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105143823.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105143821.htm One of the first set of studies to examine what tourists and recreation enthusiasts actually think about coral reef ecosystems suggests they are a rare exception to controversies over human use versus environmental conservation -- their stunning beauty is so extraordinary that almost everyone wants them protected in perpetuity. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105143821.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029211534.htm North American car manufacturers have come bottom of the league in the largest ever international study of the global automobile sector's sustainability performance. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029211534.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104132821.htm Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's Julio Friedmann, in collaboration with the Center for American Progress, the Asia Society Center and with partner Monitor Group, today released the report, "A Roadmap for US-China Collaboration on Carbon Capture and Sequestration." Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104132821.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102204438.htm As African leaders prepare to present an ambitious proposal to industrialized countries for coping with climate change in the part of the world that is most vulnerable to its impacts, a new study points to where and how some of this money should be spent. The study projects that climate change will have highly variable impacts on East Africa's vital maize and bean harvests over the next two to four decades. Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102204438.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091030100020.htm For decades, climate scientists have worked to identify and measure key substances -- notably greenhouse gases and aerosol particles -- that affect Earth's climate. And they've been aided by ever more sophisticated computer models that make estimating the relative impact of each type of pollutant more reliable. Yet the complexity of nature -- and the models used to quantify it -- continues to serve up surprises. The most recent? Certain gases that cause warming are so closely linked with the production of aerosols that the emissions of one type of pollutant can indirectly affect the quantity of the other. And for two key gases that cause warming, these so-called "gas-aerosol interactions" can amplify their impact. Sat, 31 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091030100020.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029111907.htm A new European Earth observation satellite will be launched in the early hours of Monday November 2 from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia. The European Space Agency Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity satellite will measure moisture levels in the Earth's soils and the saltiness of the world's oceans from space for the very first time. Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029111907.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027101411.htm Researchers have developed an 'ecological risk assessment' a three-step method that considers targeted and incidentally caught species, as well as threatened, endangered and protected species. Ongoing research is further developing the method for habitats and ecological communities. Thu, 29 Oct 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027101411.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091028134628.htm The US Environmental Protection Agency has announced a study that will investigate ways to reduce pollution that can run off paved surfaces and improve how water filters back into the ground. EPA is testing a variety of different permeable pavement materials and rain gardens in the parking lot at the agency's Edison, N.J. facility. Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091028134628.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091016093913.htm Experts have revealed jaw-dropping dollar values of the "ecosystem services" of biomes like forests and coral reefs -- including food, pollution treatment and climate regulation. Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091016093913.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091019122835.htm A new report examines and, when possible, estimates "hidden" costs of energy production and use -- such as the damage air pollution imposes on human health -- that are not reflected in market prices of coal, oil, other energy sources, or the electricity and gasoline produced from them. Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091019122835.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027111451.htm Surveys have confirmed that the finest montane forests in Timor-Leste, and possibly the whole island of Timor, are to be found on the inaccessible Mount Mundo Perdido -- literally, "Lost World." With 22 of the restricted-range species of the Timor and Wetar Endemic Bird Area found so far, Mount Mundo Perdido has been recognized as Timor-Leste's seventeenth Important Bird Area. Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027111451.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091026152944.htm New technologies and policies that save energy, remove atmospheric carbon and limit greenhouse gas emissions are needed to fight global climate change -- but face daunting technological, economic and political hurdles, a scientist said. The good news: Basic actions taken by everyday people can yield fast savings at low cost. Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091026152944.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022141128.htm While carbon dioxide is the main greenhouse gas and the focus of climate treaties, other pollutants that stay in the atmosphere for only days or months also contribute to global warming. Researchers argue that policymakers should plan a summit now to look at these pollutants, which range from soot to ozone and methane, because they will be more complicated to regulate than is the case with carbon dioxide. Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022141128.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020111420.htm Researchers are building the environmental equivalent of the ASX200 as a means of monitoring the health of Australian marine ecosystems. Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020111420.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022141117.htm A report examining the impact of a global biofuels program on greenhouse gas emissions during the 21st century has found that carbon loss stemming from the displacement of food crops and pastures for biofuels crops may be twice as much as the carbon dioxide emissions from land dedicated to biofuels production. Sun, 25 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022141117.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022101540.htm People with higher levels of pesticide exposure are more likely to have suicidal thoughts according to new research. The agricultural pesticides commonly used in China are organophosphates which are in wide use in many lower income countries but have been banned in many Western nations. Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022101540.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022141126.htm Scientists have identified an important but fixable error in legal accounting rules for bioenergy that could, if uncorrected, undermine efforts to reduce greenhouse gases by encouraging deforestation. They propose a fix that accounts for the direct and indirect land use impacts of biofuels. Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022141126.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013105317.htm Houses on stilts, small scale energy generation and recycling our dishwater are just some of the measures that are being proposed to prepare our cities for the effects of global warming. A new study outlines how major cities must respond if they are to continue to grow in the face of climate change. Thu, 22 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013105317.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091026123944.htm For years, international policy on the environment and biodiversity has not just been the concern of governments. Countless other organizations and their mutual strategic alliances also play a significant role. Without them there would be no sustainable fish in the supermarket and no FSC wood at the DIY center. However, a Dutch researcher has discovered that only a small proportion of these 'partnerships' make a substantial contribution to biodiversity. Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091026123944.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013104344.htm Conservation biologists are setting their minimum population size targets too low to prevent extinction, according to a new study. Tue, 20 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013104344.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090903064444.htm Discovered only in 1992, the Saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis) that inhabit remote valleys along the border of Lao PDR and Vietnam are fast approaching the point of extinction. An emergency meeting of wildlife biologists, government agencies and other key organizations from four countries in Lao PDR urged prompt action to save the rare Asian animal. Tue, 20 Oct 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090903064444.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091001101331.htm An "optical soil dipstick" will help scientists, urban planners and farmers understand the changing health of the soil, as well as the soil's agricultural potential and other environmental concerns. Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091001101331.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091016224151.htm Consumers can have a major impact on the world's efforts to reduce global warming, a major report has concluded. The research estimates that if consumers are responsible for 75% of emissions and in the developed world reduce their emissions in line with government targets, their action could leverage major a 50% reductions in emissions within a few years by 2050. Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091016224151.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091016112637.htm Watching television has no significant impact on viewers' knowledge about the issue of climate change, a new study suggests. However, reading newspapers and using the Web seem to contribute to people's knowledge about this issue. Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091016112637.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091014122054.htm Scientists are reporting the first evidence that China's sharp focus on reducing widespread damage to soil by acid rain by restricting sulfur dioxide air pollution may have an unexpected consequence: Gains from that pollution control program will be largely offset by increases in nitrogen emissions, which the country's current policy largely overlooks. Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091014122054.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091011184419.htm The world will miss its agreed target to stem biodiversity loss by next year, according to experts convening in Cape Town for a landmark conference devoted to biodiversity science. Growing water needs and mismanagement are leading to 'catastrophic decline' in freshwater biodiversity, according to experts. Wed, 14 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091011184419.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091007124356.htm Strides in improving the nation's air quality over the past 10 years may be a factor in fewer cases of ear infections in children, according to new research. Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091007124356.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091007103059.htm The role of the forests is assumed to increase in the future, as an important buffer of climate change and increasing carbon dioxide concentrations. So-called Earth system models, computer systems making predictions for the globe, estimate that this effect can be very large. However, new research results, based on measurements at hundreds of European forests, indicate that predicted effects by these models are overestimated because they ignore the limitation of nitrogen. It makes the current predictions by Earth system models more than twice as high as they most likely will be. Thu, 08 Oct 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091007103059.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091007223743.htm A new report argues that conventional oil production is likely to peak before 2030, with a significant risk of a peak before 2020. The report concludes that the UK Government is not alone in being unprepared for such an event -- despite oil supplying a third of the world's energy. Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091007223743.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006155858.htm Water scarcity as a result of climate change will create far-reaching global security concerns, says Dr. Rajendra K. Pachauri, chair of the intergovernmental panel on climate change, at the 2009 Nobel Conference at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn., on Oct. 6, 2009. Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006155858.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091002120414.htm A new analysis of climate risk shows that even moderate carbon-reduction policies now can substantially lower the risk of future climate change. It also shows that quick, global emissions reductions would be required in order to provide a good chance of avoiding a temperature increase of more than 2 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial level -- a widely discussed target. Mon, 05 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091002120414.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090914151625.htm If the climate is not quite right, birds will up and move rather than stick around and sweat it out, according to a new study. The findings reveal that most of the bird species studied in California's Sierra Nevada mountains have adjusted to climate change over the last century by moving to sites with the temperature and precipitation conditions they favored. Sun, 04 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090914151625.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090929100654.htm Converting the rubbish that fills the world's landfills into biofuel may be the answer to both the growing energy crisis and to tackling carbon emissions, claim scientists in Singapore and Switzerland. New research reveals how replacing gasoline with biofuel from processed waste could cut global carbon emissions by 80%. Sat, 03 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090929100654.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090930174655.htm A leading U.K. climate scientist has presented new research findings on the increasing potential for a 4 degrees Celsius rise in global temperatures if the current high emissions of greenhouse gases continue. "If greenhouse emissions are not cut soon, then we could see major climate changes within our own lifetimes," said Dr. Richard Betts, Head of Climate Impacts at the Met Office Hadley Centre. Thu, 01 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090930174655.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090929132509.htm Plumes of harmful air pollutants can be transported across oceans and continents -- from Asia to the United States and from the United States to Europe -- and have a negative impact on air quality far from their original sources, says a new report by the National Research Council. Wed, 30 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090929132509.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090916092755.htm Growing the energy crops short rotation coppice (SRC) willow and miscanthus grass could help the United Kingdom to reduce carbon emissions and benefit wildlife, according to researchers. Tue, 29 Sep 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090916092755.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090928095500.htm The global threat to the pollination of flowers and food production crops, highlighted by a dramatic decline in honeybee colonies, could be eased by a renewed focus on ‘wild’ pollinators. Agri-environment schemes that encourage farmers to create bee-friendly habitats could be the key to increasing numbers of valuable wild pollinators like bumblebees in the wider countryside. Mon, 28 Sep 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090928095500.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090927151724.htm A bird-eating fanged frog, a gecko that looks like it's from another planet, and a bird which would rather walk than fly -- these are among the 163 new species discovered in the Greater Mekong region last year that are now at risk of extinction due to climate change, says a new report. Mon, 28 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090927151724.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090928095335.htm Recent interest in "land grabs" or the international acquisition of land to produce rice is sparked by a looming threat of inadequate rice supplies. Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090928095335.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090817190638.htm Heavier rainstorms lie in our future. That's the clear conclusion of a new study on the impact that global climate change will have on precipitation patterns. Sun, 27 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090817190638.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090901143313.htm Scientists argue that current international strategies to mitigate manmade carbon emissions and address climate change have overlooked a critical player -- inland waters. Carbon burial and outgassing by streams, rivers, lakes, reservoirs and wetlands play important roles in the carbon cycle that are unaccounted for in conventional carbon cycling models. Sun, 27 Sep 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090901143313.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090925115453.htm A recent commentary suggests that the US should spend roughly $197 million more than it currently does to research the impact of climate change on public health. Fri, 25 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090925115453.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090923143337.htm El Niño, the periodic eastern Pacific phenomenon credited with shielding the US and Caribbean from severe hurricane seasons, may be overshadowed by its brother in the central Pacific due to global warming, according to new research. Could lead to more intense hurricanes in the Atlantic, increased opportunity for droughts in Australia and India. Thu, 24 Sep 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090923143337.htm