Major New CO2 Threat To Climate Stability & Water SuppliesJuly 07, 2004A new report in top science magazine "Nature" shows that rising carbon dioxide or CO2, is causing a massive increase in dissolved chemicals in Britain's waters. The chemicals (called DOC or dissolved organic carbon) could harm our health and accelerate current rises in atmospheric CO2 levels. The discovery was made by a team led by wetland researcher Dr Chris Freeman, Royal Society Industry Fellow at the University of Wales, Bangor, who explained: "We've known for some time that CO2 levels have been rising and that these could cause global warming. But this new research has enormous implications because it shows that even without global warming; rising CO2 can damage our environment." The massive increase in river DOC means two things: 1) It can produce cancer-causing by-products when waters are treated with chlorine for drinking water supplies. And 2) when DOC breaks down to CO2 in the environment it adds further to global warming, and causes even more DOC increases in our rivers. "It's like a vicious circle, where the problem gets, not just worse and worse, but faster and faster, the longer the process goes on." When asked why CO2 affects DOC release, Dr Freeman explained "Plants take up CO2 converting it into organic matter, some of which leaks out into the soil as DOC. But that isn't the end of the story; Bacteria can use leaked DOC to provide energy to allow them to break down the soil itself. Peaty soils contain enormous quantities of carbon, even matching the carbon content of the entire atmosphere, and this too can then enter our rivers as DOC." The dramatic rises in DOC were first recognised by Freeman and colleagues in rivers draining peatlands back in 2001. But until now, no one realised that rising CO2 emissions were causing the problem. Back in 2001 they reported that river DOC had increased 65% since 1988. "I was astounded when I heard from my colleagues at the Natural Environment Research Council's Centre for Ecology and Hydrology that the latest Acid Waters Monitoring Network data shows that the increase has now gone above 90% for the first time." said Freeman "The rate of acceleration suggests that we have disturbed something critical that controls the stability of the carbon cycle on our planet." We have to get our CO2 emissions under control. Freeman, who served on the UK United Nations Climate Change and Energy Forum in 2001-2002 explained that "International attempts to slow current rises in CO2 have failed mainly due to the refusal of US President Bush to sign up to the Kyoto protocol". President Bush claims there isn't enough proof that CO2 could affect our climate to warrant action, but Dr Freeman explained "Carbon dioxide is implicated in the DOC problem, and 25% of all CO2 emissions come from just one country, the USA. To make matters worse, if it wasn't for the US, we'd have an international treaty in place by now to control emissions rises". What should we do now? The best option would be to persuade the US to join us, so that together we can increase our efforts to switch to non-fossil fuel technologies. A more extreme option might be to dig up all our peatlands as these are the main source of the DOC, but that would never be popular because of their wildlife interest. In a tone reminiscent of blockbuster movie , 'The day after tomorrow', Freeman said, "Perhaps the only realistic approach is to batten down the hatches and prepare for extreme climate changes even sooner than we expected". But even if you forget global warming, we still have to protect our water supplies. Fortunately the UK water industry is already responding by improving water treatment. But all this costs money, and one thing is for certain, if we can't persuade Bush to take CO2 emissions more seriously, we're the ones who will end up paying with ever-rising water bills and an ever more unpredictable climate. Wales Bangor, University of |
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| Related Global Warming Current Events and Global Warming News Articles Is global warming unstoppable? In a provocative new study, a University of Utah scientist argues that rising carbon dioxide emissions - the major cause of global warming - cannot be stabilized unless the world's economy collapses or society builds the equivalent of one new nuclear power plant each day. Oceans' uptake of manmade carbon may be slowing The oceans play a key role in regulating climate, absorbing more than a quarter of the carbon dioxide that humans put into the air. Research challenges for understanding landscape changes identified Nine research challenges and four research initiatives that are poised to advance the study of how Earth's landscapes change were unveiled today in a new report by the National Research Council. Study: Sea stars bulk up to beat the heat A new study finds that a species of sea star stays cool using a strategy never before seen in the animal kingdom. The sea stars soak up cold sea water into their bodies during high tide as buffer against potentially damaging temperatures brought about by direct sunlight at low tide. Drug industry, nonprofits join forces to fight world's neglected diseases Drug companies and nonprofit organizations are joining forces to develop new drugs and vaccines to target so-called "neglected" diseases that claim millions of lives in the developing world each year. Health care accounts for 8 percent of US carbon footprint The American health care sector accounts for nearly a tenth of the country's carbon dioxide emissions, according to a first-of-its-kind calculation of health care's carbon footprint. Cave Study Links Climate Change to California Droughts California experienced centuries-long droughts in the past 20,000 years that coincided with the thawing of ice caps in the Arctic. Reducing greenhouse gases may not be enough to slow climate change 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. Past climate of the northern Antarctic Peninsular informs global warming debate The seriousness of current global warming is underlined by a reconstruction of climate at Maxwell Bay in the South Shetland Islands of the Antarctic Peninsula over approximately the last 14,000 years, which appears to show that the current warming and widespread loss of glacial ice are unprecedented. Climate variability impacts the deep sea Deep-sea ecosystems occupying 60% of the Earth's surface could be vulnerable to the effects of global warming warn scientists writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. More Global Warming Current Events and Global Warming News Articles |
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