Anthropogenic sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions fell globally in 2019, reveals a new analysis of NASA satellite data by Greenpeace India and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA). In 2019 human-made SO2 emissions fell in all three of the world’s top SO2 emitter countries - India, Russia and China - the report shows. "While heartening at first glance, the drop … [Read more...]
Bluefin tuna on the brink of extinction
Pacific bluefin tuna has unique worldwide status as one of the most awe-inspiring remarkable creatures on the planet. They grow to 12 feet and 1,500 pounds and live up to 35 years whilst swimming super-fast, crossing the entire ocean in 21 days. They are the essence of nature’s wonderful creativity and beauty. Unequivocally, the bluefin’s days are numbered, almost guaranteed … [Read more...]
Combined Arctic ice observations show decades of loss
It’s no surprise that Arctic sea ice is thinning. What is new is just how long, how steadily, and how much it has declined. University of Washington researchers compiled modern and historic measurements to get a full picture of how Arctic sea ice thickness has changed. The results, published in The Cryosphere, show a thinning in the central Arctic Ocean of 65 percent between … [Read more...]
Arctic sea ice reaches lowest annual maximum on record
This year's maximum Arctic sea ice extent was the lowest in the satellite record and occurred 15 days earlier than the average date for the period from 1981 to 2010, reported NASA and NSIDC. The sea ice cap of the Arctic appeared to reach its annual maximum winter extent on Feb. 25, according to data from the NASA-supported National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) at the … [Read more...]
First three months of 2015 were warmest on record
March this year was the third hottest month in global climate records, according to reports from NASA GISS. The reading — at +0.84 C above the 20th Century average — fell just behind March of 2002 (+0.88 C) and March of 2010 (+0.87 C). With El Nino firing off in the Pacific and polar amplification pushing to ever-greater extremes in the Arctic, 2015 is following hot on the … [Read more...]
To live to love seems the best way forward
Tomorrow, 22 April, we celebrate Earth Day across the globe. Reverberating from the shocks of the latest IPCC report, as well as the NASA scientists’ report we shared recently, I am faced with a moral dilemma. What is now the best course of action? Try to push back the floods of destruction that seem daily more inevitable, or accept that our modern civilisation is not … [Read more...]
What makes northern lights happen?
One of the most stunning natural events our atmosphere offers us is the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights. Waves of color dance across the sky during the night, displaying different colors and patterns. But what makes this happen? The answer is an interesting combination of solar wind, magnetic fields, electrical currents, and at least one person standing around to go, … [Read more...]
Africa: On fire from space
30% of the earth’s surface is affected by fire. Fire destroys forests and vegetations which are our sources of food – it is both a driver and an indicator of climate change. When biomass is burned, copious amounts of gases and particulate matter are released, billowing smoke plumes fill the sky, and entire ecosystems can change in seconds. “We’ve seen very saddening … [Read more...]
Keeping cool in the Boland summer
Just when we thought our computers, and brains, would melt into a puddle in the sweltering Boland summer, our office was saved by our own white ice cap. I have been preaching the gospel of passive insulation and temperature regulation for a long time. So to live my talk we have avoided air-conditioning in spite of ever hotter summers. If you think we're just being wimps, a … [Read more...]
