Canada’s northwest lakes see alarming effects of climate change.

Professor Lance Lesack of Simon Fraser University in Canada says that over the past 30 years, the 45,000 lakes in the Mackenzie Delta in Canada’s Northwest Territories have experienced an average of a 60% rise in water levels. Professor Lesack attributes the rise to the extra water created by Artic sea ice melting, which subsequently gets washed ashore in high-velocity storm winds

Dr. Lesack’s team has also been studying the region’s permafrost, a layer of soil that is now thawing, causing the release of carbon dioxide and methane gas. At a recent climate change conference in Vancouver, Liberal Party Leader Stéphane Dion spoke about the highly potent methane, a greenhouse gas resulting from human consumption of meat produced by the livestock industry.

Mr. Stéphane Dion, Liberal Party Leader of Canada: These animals that we are eating are sending a lot of methane into the atmosphere, and methane is much more a greenhouse gas than CO2.

There are different ways to cap the methane, but at the end of the day, we need to change our behavior a bit and to choose a veggie (vegan) pizza instead.

Mr. Dion also affirmed the climate change measures that could be taken on the part of governments.
 
Mr. Stéphane Dion, Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada: A good environmental policy must focus on clean air, clean water, on a natural environment that we need to protect and you see that here, the toxins that are affecting our health, we need to remove them from the market and climate change.  
 

Koalas and other animals endangered due to climate change.

Recent research has found that in the presence of higher levels of CO2, the protein in eucalyptus leaves decreases. Not only that, the presence of tannins, a toxin, goes up. Research by zoologist Dr. Jane De Gabriel found that the reproduction rate of brushtail possums seems to be directly related to the protein available in the leaves. Dr. De Gabriel said: “This suggests that in areas where nutrient levels are inadequate, animals will not be able to reproduce successfully. What follows from that are extinctions of wildlife populations.”

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23487281-11949,00.html

Liberia plans new weather alert system for adapting to climate change.

At a regional conference last week in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Michel Jarraud, the Secretary General of the United Nations World Meteorological Organization, said that development of African nations such as Liberia would be greatly aided by improved weather forecasts and early warnings of natural disasters.

Mr. Benjamin Karmorh, Jr., is an Assistant Professor at the Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia. He speaks with Supreme Master Television about Liberia’s precarious climate situation.

Mr. Benjamin Karmorh, Jr.
Assistant Professor, Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia, Designated National Authority of Clean Development Mechanism under Kyoto Protocol

Mr. Benjamin Karmorh, Assistant Professor, Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia: Liberia happens to be a least developed country. Our level of emission is not significant. But we, among other countries, among other least developed countries, we are classified as the most vulnerable people that receive the impact of climate change.

In recent years, Liberia has experienced erratic rainfall, coastal erosion and floods with increasing frequency.

Mr. Benjamin Karmorh: Most often these climate-related events occur on an annual basis, especially like the issue of floods. Because of floods, infrastructure has been destroyed. Life has been destroyed. An increase in water/vector borne disease.

With global warming making the climate less predictable, Liberia is stepping up her efforts to protect citizens and crops through an early warning weather system.

Mr. Benjamin Karmorh: We are trying to put into place what we call an early warning system, so that we will be able to advise the farmers when to sow seeds and when not to sow seeds. With that advice, the farmers can follow and then at the end of the day at least their harvest will improve.

Millions living in West Africa’s other coastal nations share the same predicament as Liberia. Mr. Karmorh shares this message on behalf of the Liberian government and people.

Mr. Benjamin Karmorh: To the viewers out there, climate change is a reality. Climate change is no more an environmental issue. It’s development, it’s economic, it’s a global issue. And we need all hands on board to work together to save our planet. So whatever you can do out there in your respective communities, in your respective nations, it is important to all work together to reduce the level of greenhouse gases.

It is important to all work together to build the capacity of those vulnerable nations like mine, so that at the end of the day we can be resilient to the climate change, so that we can be able to adapt to climate change. Because as we speak, lives have been destroyed, infrastructures are being destroyed, the agriculture system is being disrupted. The transport system is being disrupted. Nearly every sector is being affected by climate change. The consequences are enormous. Time is running out. It is important now that we do all we can to ensure that we save the planet from further destruction.

http://www.afrol.com/articles/28478