Carbon Confusion
30th April 2008
Eco has made a conscious effort to limit the amount of academic material in our articles, partly because we want to reach the largest possible audience, and partly because a lot of the science around issues like global warming can get very complex. One issue that had some of us baffled until recently is why some commentators give a much higher figure for the concentration of carbon dioxide(CO2) in the atmosphere than the generally quoted figure, which at the end of 2007 was around 383 parts per million (ppm). If you read around the subject you may come across a substantially higher figure quoted of around 430 ppm. This figure is alarmingly high as some leading scientists like NASA director James Hansen believe we should be aiming to stabilise concentration of CO2 as low as 350ppm to avoid the risk of catastrophic climate change.
The basis for the higher figure is that some scientists are quoting a different scale that includes the other greenhouse gases, including the naturally occurring methane, and artificial gases like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) to give a combined figure for carbon dioxide equivalence, which is abbreviated as CO2eq, ie. the concentration of CO2 that would give the same effect. Confused? We were, but having read up on carbon dioxide equivalence we are a bit clearer when the higher figure is quoted, what it means!
Essentially, things are even more serious than the usual figure quoted for CO2 ppm suggests. Not great news, but we would rather bring you the truth
Clive Sinclair's New A-Bike
The scientist who brought us the PR disaster the C5, Clive Sinclair, has unveiled a new A-Bike which he hopes will catch on with commuters. It is aimed at busy commuters who will use it for short hop journeys, and tuck it under their arm in between. Will it catch on? Read what a sample of the Great British public thought: BBC 12/7/06
"The dark side of the net"
The web should remain neutral and resist attempts to fragment it into different services, web inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee has said.
Recent attempts in the US to try to charge for different levels of online access web were not "part of the internet model," he said in Edinburgh.
He warned that if the US decided to go ahead with a two-tier internet, the network would enter "a dark period".
Sir Tim was speaking at the start of a conference on the future of the web.
"What's very important from my point of view is that there is one web," he said.
"Anyone that tries to chop it into two will find that their piece looks very boring."
Scientists discover
important blue whale colony
Scientists say they have discovered one of the world's most important blue whale colonies off the coast of Chile, where the endangered animals appear to be staying for the summer instead of migrating south to the Antarctic to feed according to their traditional migratory patterns.
Beavers back in Britain
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The beaver, an animal that has been extinct in England for almost 1,000 years has been released at a wildlife reserve as part of a reintroduction programme.
Six European beavers were released at an enclosed site at the Cotswold's Water Park in Gloucester. The Cotswold Water Park is made up of lakes, wetland and woodland, covers 40 square miles and is an important wetland site for animals, plants and birds.
The beavers from Bavaria were kept in quarantine in Devon for six months before their release. |
Mystery mammal
caught on camera
An "extraordinary" desert animal has been caught on camera for the first time.
The long-eared jerboa, a tiny nocturnal mammal that is dwarfed by its enormous ears, can be found in deserts in Mongolia and China.
The unusual animals were filmed in the Gobi desert during an expedition led by Dr Baillie.
Until now, the creatures had proven extremely difficult to study, thanks to their minuscule size, nocturnal nature and the harsh desert environment that they inhabit. Zoological Society of London (ZSL) scientist Jonathan Baillie said the footage was helping researchers to learn more about the mysterious animal, and he described his reaction as "ecstatic".
The species is classified as endangered on the IUCN Red list.
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