Author Archives: Rolf Schuttenhelm

In case of CCD the pest could be worse than the pesticide: P450 enzymes help bees survive chemicals that kill parasite

Usually when we want to get rid of an insect or other arthropod we spray it with something nasty. And that is indeed what beekeepers do to kill varroa destructor, a mite that infects beehives and contributes to Colony Collapse … Continue reading →

Eemian sea level rise of 8m was 95% meltwater – another paleo warning?

Sounds like there’s new food to calibrate our oceans’ sea level sensitivity. In red the image shows inundations around the Gulf of Mexico under Eemian sea levels. That’s ‘bye bye Houston, New Orleans, Miami.’ Two days ago we looked at … Continue reading →

1000kg lab meat at 96% less GHGs

Sometimes, when confronted with the promises of technology, we are tempted to dream away to a planet where we could cheer at yet another billion extra people, where we could set our livestock free to let wolves and big cats … Continue reading →

Saudi proven oil reserves no longer world’s largest – Latin American proven reserves grow 400 percent in 4 years

According to a release by Latin American Energy Organisation OLADE last Thursday Venezuela has toppled Saudi Arabia as the country with the largest proven oil reserves. New discoveries have raised the proven reserves of Venezuela from 98 billion barrels of … Continue reading →

Trees in cities contain carbon – like anywhere else

Urbanisation increases the need to include city surfaces in assessments of the world’s carbon cycle. Already 4 percent of our planet’s land surface is urbanised and that percentage is likely to increase over decades to come. But although new research … Continue reading →

Just 565 Gt CO2 to go till 2050 under 450 Scenario – 80% proven fossil fuel reserves should remain untouched

In order to limit global warming to an average of no more than 2 degrees Celsius, the official UN climate target, the equivalent of 2230 gigatonnes CO2 of proven fossil fuel reserves should remain in the ground, a report published … Continue reading →