Popularized Australian diet deemed harmful to the environment.
 
A diet developed by Australian research organization CSIRO, which has already been called unhealthy for its recommendation of high amounts of red meat, is now being said to harm the planet. A study published in “Nutrition and Dietetics” states that this red meat diet uses 15,000 more liters of water each week per person and creates 4.3 tonnes more greenhouse gas emissions per year. Study authors Suzie Ferrie of Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, and Geoff Russell, South Australian animal liberationist, say of the diet, “It cannot be recommended as an environmentally responsible choice.”

Many thanks, Ms. Ferrie and Mr. Russell, for this compelling reminder. We pray that more people turn toward meat-free options for both personal and planet-cooling health.

Estonia taxes emissions from farm cows.
 
Farming has been found to be responsible for 25 percent of greenhouse gas emissions within Estonia. To more accurately reflect their environmental cost, the government is now requiring farmers with cows to pay a “digestive gases tax” for the estimated 350 liters of methane and 1,500 liters of carbon dioxide each cow releases into the atmosphere. 

Bravo, Estonia, for your pioneering efforts in taking into account the livestock effects of global warming! We pray that all your citizens replace meat and dairy products with the many environmentally-friendly plant-based foods.

Narwhal population may be at risk from climate change.

Recent research suggests that the mysterious Arctic whale may not be able to adapt well to global warming and could thus become endangered. The narwhal’s very specific habitat and range of movement may put this gentle giant at risk of being even more affected by rapidly warming waters than the polar bear.

Our sincere gratitude, researchers, for this alert to the potential endangerment of narwhals. Blessed be an eco-friendly world where our beloved animal co-inhabitants can continue to grace our planet with their magnificent uniqueness and beauty.

Carbon dioxide and methane levels rose sharply in 2007.

A new report by the US government’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) stated that 2007 levels of the two main greenhouse gases were truly off the charts. Carbon dioxide levels rose by 2 parts per million within one year to 390 parts per million. Professor Martin Parry, co-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), stated: “Despite all the talk, the situation is getting worse. Levels of greenhouse gases continue to rise in the atmosphere and the rate of that rise is accelerating. We are already seeing the impacts of climate change and the scale of those impacts will also accelerate, until we decide to do something about it."

One reason for this steep climb in greenhouse gases is that the capacity of the Earth’s trees, ponds and oceans to act as carbon sinks have been maximized. Dr. Kon-Kee Liu, of Formosa’s (Taiwan) National Oceanic Science Research Center, explains about the ocean’s limited ability to absorb carbon dioxide gas.

(Interview in Chinese)

Dr. Kon-Kee Liu, Director of National Oceanic Science Research Center: As the carbon dioxide increases in the air it will dissolve in the water and make the water higher in acidity. The more the ocean becomes acidic, the more difficult it is to absorb the carbon dioxide. So the carbon dioxide will increase faster and faster. And in turn the greenhouse effect will be worsened.

VOICE: Acidifying waters could lead to the extinction of entire marine ecosystems. Yet another major concern of oceanographers are the volumes of methane gas beneath the ocean floor. Warming waters could cause currently frozen sea bed methane hydrates to become volatile, so much so that they may be released due to temperature instability.

Dr. Kon-Kee Liu: Unleashing all the natural gas is a very severe problem, not only as a result of the methane released but also since it creates sea bed landslides. It's like a balloon that suddenly explodes and a big chunk of deposited sediment gets loosened. The sea-bed landslide would also cause tsunamis. Chronologically speaking, it seemed to have occurred already in geological history. Our understanding is very limited, but we know it’s possible!

VOICE: We thank Dr. Liu and express our gratitude to all climate scientists for their contributions to global warming research. May we all take the bold steps needed to stop the increase of greenhouse gas emissions.