Volcanic lake provides energy solution for Rwanda

Rwanda has begun exporting vast amounts of volcanic gases from beneath Lake Kivu and harnessing these for large scale energy production. The extraction of these gases is also thought to decrease the risk of a large scale, highly destructive geological disaster.

Lake Kivu is a 1,000 square mile lake situated in Africa's tectonic Great Rift Valley. As a consequence of its location, the lake is particularly deep and is greatly affected by the dividing crust it rests on. It is one of only three 'exploding lakes' in the world alongside the Cameroonian lakes of Nyos and Mounoun. Exploding lakes have experienced countless 'overturns' indicated in the geological record and associated with huge scale biological extinctions. Overturning events, or 'limnic eruptions' occur when the large amounts of CO2 and methane collecting in the depths of the lake are released at the surface. Unlike Nyos and Mounon which overturned in the 1980's, Kivu has not experienced an overturning event and if this was to occur, the consequences would be much greater than those experienced by its Cameroonian counterparts, largely due to the greater population density on the lake's shores and the fact that it is 2,000 times greater in size. Gas clouds released as a result of the eruptions at Nyos and Mounon led to around 1,800 deaths from asphyxiation.

A solution for this geological threat could also provide the solution to Rwanda's energy demand. The country is embarking on a scheme to rapidly expand extraction of these volcanic gases and has begun separating out the methane and pumping it out to power a series of nearby generators. The government hopes to produce nearly a third of Rwanda's power from methane extraction. Although it appears that this extraction process could reduce the risk of a serious volcanic event, caution is being directed towards the project, especially regarding the environmental impact of the disposal of unused water and carbon dioxide back into the lake and the implications of interfering heavily with such a dynamic system. Source

 

Extreme weather leads to devastating floods in Pakistan

The UN has reported that as many as 14 million people have been affected by the recent floods in Pakistan. Meanwhile in Moscow, the intense heatwave has led to nearly 800 wildfires and the doubling of the daily death rate in the city. These two events are claimed to be linked by the same meteorological conditions.

In late July, more than 312mm of rain fell in Pakistan over a 36 hour period. With around 13.8 million people said to be effected, the disaster has eclipsed the 2005 Kashmir Earthquake as well as the 2004 Asian tsunami in severity. Immediate impacts include 1,600 deaths and the destruction of over 750,000 homes as well as the threat of water-borne disease. However the impact of the disaster could spread longer into the future as the crops of cotton, sugarcane, tobacco, rice and pulses could be wiped out for years to come. An unprecedented heat wave in Russia has led to the hottest summer in history, around 800 separate wildfires and the daily death rate rising to over 700 from its average of 360. Similarly to Pakistan, the fires have wiped out food crops leading to fears for future supply. It is not only the consequences but also the causes of these events that are linked.

The jet stream high up in the atmosphere which controls much of the weather in the northern hemisphere has altered from its regular course and created a 'blocking event'. Whether climate change has caused these events is not known. No single weather event can be accurately linked to climate change; scientists suggest it is merely a case of shifting probabilities. The general consensus is that extreme weather events including heatwaves and floods will be more likely under advanced warming, yet it is currently impossible for climate change models to predict the pattern of these recent 'blocking events' under warming scenarios. There is also evidence which points to 'blocking events' being more common in periods of low solar activity and during El Nino events, both of which have been reported this year. For more information click:here.

 

 

London launches new cycle hire scheme

Pedal power has come to the streets of London as Mayor Boris Johnson launched his Barclay's Cycle Hire Scheme on the 30th July. The project is part of a range of cycling initiatives in the city to encourage more people to consider switching to two wheels.

The scheme involves close to 6,000 bikes available to hire with the opportunity to pick them up and drop them off at 400 'docking' stations. At the moment users have to become a member, which costs £45 for a year or £5 for a week. After that further charges depend on usage but it is free for any journey under 30 minutes. Later this year, the scheme will open up to casual users who can hire the bikes for one-off journeys. Transport for London hopes the scheme will revolutionise travel in the city, providing a more sustainable alternative by generating up to 40,000 extra cycle trips per day. The scheme is modelled on similar projects in Paris and Montreal and response to the launch has been mainly positive. Another cycle initiative for the city, the 'Cycle Superhighways', was launched last month.

London Assembly Green Party member Jenny Jones cautioned that the scheme would need improvement with bike locks and bigger baskets as well as integration of the Oyster Card. However it seems Londoners are embracing the new initiative with some first-day users praising its easy to use cycles. Cycling blogger Rob Ainsley, who writes a blog called Real Cycling on commuter bike use in London, commented that his maiden journey was 'easy and quick'. He said that overall the scheme "has added a fun and creative new dimension to London's bike culture". For more information or to sign up go to: the Tfl website .

Bottle-boat completes epic voyage

A boat primarily constructed of recycled plastic bottles completed a four month trip across the Pacific Ocean on July 26th as it arrived in Sydney Harbour, Australia. Its 128-day voyage from San Francisco was designed to raise awareness of the problem of plastic waste, particularly in the ocean.

The sailboat, named the Plastiki, encountered a range of tough conditions during its voyage, surviving 70mph winds, temperatures of up to 38°C and huge ocean swells to make it to Sydney in one piece. The boat's construction is based around 12,500 plastic bottles bound together by an organic glue made of cashews and sugar cane and the mast is a recycled aluminium irrigation pipe.

In response to the crew's achievement, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) released a congratulatory statement , saying they had "engaged the heads but also the hearts of millions". UNEP also highlighted the threats the marine environment faces from plastic waste. Around 8 million items of litter are thought to enter the oceans and seas every day, 63% of which is solid waster thrown directly overboard from ships. As a result 100,000 turtles and marine animals are killed by marine litter and intensive waste disposal mechanisms have led to around 200 deoxygenated dead zones in the world's oceans.

The Plastiki is to remain intact and will be used to engage people in the power of recycling. For more information about the trip itself, visit the crew's website .

 

 

Vulnerable nations meet to pledge climate action

The Maldives hosted the second meeting of the Cartagena Group – Dialogue for Progressive Action on the 17th and 18th of July which saw some of the nations most under threat from climate change pledge to reduce their emissions and encourage others to follow suit.

The group of countries, united by their shared determination to obtain a more binding climate deal, formed after the Copenhagen conference in December 2009. Amongst these are the Commonwealth countries of Antigua and Barbuda, Samoa and host country the Maldives, which has been at the forefront of a campaign from small island states to ensure the delivery of a stronger climate agreement at international negotiations. Last year they held a cabinet meeting underwater, designed to highlight the threat the low-lying archipelago nation faces from rising sea levels. Addressing the conference delegates, Maldivian president Mohamed Nasheed said he believed "cutting carbon should not be considered a burden that will destroy jobs and hamper economic growth". "Going green should be seen as the greatest economic opportunity since the Industrial Revolution" the President said.

Amongst the outcomes of the meeting were pledges from other small economies to initiate serious action to move towards a low carbon society. Antigua and Barbuda have committed to a 25% reduction on 1990 emissions levels by 2020, whereas Samoa and the Maldives have both pledged to become carbon neutral by 2020. The conference hoped to send out a message to the bigger polluting nations that the role of smaller member states in global climate change negotiations should not be underestimated. "When those with the least start doing the most, it shows that everyone's ambitions can be raised" President Nasheed claimed.

 

UK Foreign Office and Google Earth map gives vision of a warmer future

An innovative Google Earth map has been launched by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) creating a user friendly visual representation of climate change consequences. The interactive layer highlights the impacts of a 4 degree rise in global temperature and allows better communication between scientists and users through videos explaining the latest research findings.

The projection was created using the Intergovernmental Panel on climate change scenarios coupled with the Met Office Hadley Centre computer models. The map supports previous extensive climate research by showing greater temperature increases over land than sea as well as extreme temperature increases at the poles. The interactive element allows the user to toggle potential human impacts on and off. The map is also accompanied by a collection of video links showing latest research findings and current climate change projects in progress around the world.

The aim of the new map is to continue to reach out and communicate about the threat of climate change by using new media. Foreign Office minister Henry Bellingham hopes the map will "communicate with a bigger audience globally" and Ed Parsons from Google believes using the latest technology to improve visualisation of science will promote better understanding of climate change impacts. "Allowing scientists to talk about their research to the general public is a way to enable the public to fully understand how the process of scientific investigation works" he said.

The map is available to download from the FCO website. Users will need Google Earth to view this.

 

Australian Researchers find whale poo fights climate change

A new form of carbon capture and storage has been discovered by Australian researchers: the toilet habits of whales. Southern Ocean sperm whales feed deep in the sea, but release their faeces near the surface. The associated iron content of this activity stimulates the growth of phytoplankton, tiny marine plants, which absorb CO2 as they photosynthesise. When the plants die, the trapped carbon sinks to the deep ocean.

Researchers estimate that 400,000 tonnes of CO2 are absorbed through this process, more than twice that the whales release while breathing. Other animals that eat in the deep sea but excrete near the surface, such as seals and sealions, may also contribute to carbon draw down in the same way.

Whale populations have decreased dramatically through industrial culling, and the researchers estimate that this may have resulted in an extra two million tonnes of CO2 a year staying in the atmosphere. Source 15/06/10, Source 17/06/10

Study looks at how Pacific Islands are adapting to climate change

A study published in this week's New Scientist has found that some Pacific Islands are increasing in size. The researchers compared aerial photos from 60 years ago with modern satellite images, and found that of the 27 islands examined, including Commonwealth countries Kiribati and Tuvalu, only four had declined in size despite an average sea level rise of 12cm over the same period. Of the remaining islands, half had stayed the same size and half had grown bigger.

Pacific Islanders have long been worried about the impact of climate change on their ability to live on their islands, with rising sea levels causing crop destruction and water contamination. The increase in island size is due to coral debris and sediment deposits, and does not necessarily mean that islands will remain inhabitable: there are still implications for water tables and crop adaptation.

The study considered 27 out of 20,000+ islands in the Pacific, and wider research is needed to fully under the implications. However, what the study does show is that there is no 'one size fits all model' for the way in which Pacific islands are effected by climate change, and that islands respond in different ways. Source 04/06/10

 

Commonwealth Climate Challenge has its work cut out in the UK

A YouGov survey commissioned by the energy supplier EDF has shown that interest in climate change among the British Public has fallen to just 62%, from a high of 80% in 2006. This drop in interest means that the Commonwealth Climate Challenge in the UK faces particular challenges: as Britain has the 7th highest CO2 emissions in the Commonwealth, there is no room for complacency.

A key aim of the Challenge is to share ideas and best practice between the twelve Challenge countries, at both household and government level. As the Challenge progresses, Governments and environmental organisations will be able to find out how their counterparts in other countries address the challenge of raising public concern and gain new ideas for raising climate change awareness.

The Commonwealth Climate Challenge will launch in September 2010. Twelve families from Oxford, UK will represent their country and compete against communities of twelve families from eleven other Commonwealth cities to reduce their carbon emissions, with support from environmental experts. To find out more about the Challenge, please contact Helen Vincent on +44 (0) 20 7766 9240. Source 23/5/10