Stopping economic growth for the sake of the climate

A United States and Spanish research team has conducted a study into the most likely causes of climate change and came to a rather surprising conclusion. The most feasible manner of stopping climate change is halting economic growth. Or changing the economy drastically.

Climate change versus economic growth

Annual growth of the world economic output (green line, trillions of 2000 US dollars) and annual change of estimated CO2 emissions (red line, millions of Kt) (Credit: University of Michigan).

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New source of methane discovered: the Arctic Ocean

Cracks in the Arctic ice

Cracks in the Arctic ice through which methane emissions were measured (Image credit: NASA/JPL)

It has been know for some time that large quantitites of methane lie hidden in reservoirs under the permafrost layers on the tundra and in clathrates on the continental shelve. It is neither a secret that those large quantities of gas might be released due to the warming of our planet, which will result in positive climate feedback making it even warmer.

But now NASA researchers have found a new methane source that might have global consequences: the Arctic ocean.

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Natural and human-made CO2 differentiation possible thanks to new monitoring technique

Measurement locations in the United StatesA large diversity of gasses in the atmosphere influence air quality, climate change and the recovery of the ozone layer. Measuring the concentrations of these gases in the atmosphere is quite straightforward.

But pinpointing wether the gasses are a natural occurrence or anthropogenic in nature is a lot more complicated. Now thanks to a new monitoring system a clear picture can be drawn about which gasses are human-made and which are natural.

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Meet Olavius algarvensis: the worm that eats carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulphide

The marine worm Olavius algarvensis

The marine worm Olavius algarvensis (© C. Lott/HYDRA/ Max Planck Institute for Marine Mikrobiology, Bremen)

Eating is actually a big word for the marine worm Olavius algarvensis, since the worm completely lacks a digestive system.

Over the course of evolution the worm has gathered millions of symbiotic bacteria that have found a home under its skin. These bacteria provide the worm with nutrients in such an effective manner that the worm lost the use for its digestive system.

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The future of our biobased economy? Snail-powered cameras and crab-powered computers

Electrified snail

Experimental setup of the Electrified snail (© ACS)

With our conventional energy supplies getting more expensive or less reliable by the day, many researchers aim to find new sources of energy.

Sometimes those new energy sources seem a bit too farfetched to make it to general use.

We encountered two studies on such biobased power sources and just couldn’t withhold them from you. Who’s up for some snail and crab power?

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Carbon dioxide’s climate effects confirmed: temperatures followed rising CO2 levels during last deglaciation

GlacierThere has been much speculation about what exactly caused the end of the last ice age 10,000 years ago. Some say the Earth’s orbital changes were the cause, others say it was an increase in atmospheric CO2.

But although a correlation between rising CO2 levels and deglaciation became clear from records of the past millions of years, the latter explanation seemed to have been disproven due to the fact that warming during the last ice age seemed to precede rising CO2 levels, as shown by Antarctic ice samples.

But a comprehensive study of global data now shows that the situation in Antarctica was an exception and that in fact in most parts of the world warming did follow rising CO2 levels.

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Some corals resistant to ocean acidification

Percentage change in calcification rates plotted against seawater aragonite saturation state

Percentage change in calcification rates plotted against seawater aragonite saturation state

With atmospheric and oceanic CO2 levels rising and the consequent acidification of the oceans, marine life has to adapt rapidly if they want to stay around. Especially calcium carbonate skeleton building organisms are affected by the rapidly dwindling seawater pH and carbonate saturation state.

Luckily new research in Nature climate change shows that some corals are able to counter the effects of ocean acidification through an ingenious buffering system.

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Graph of the day: weather extremes are on the rise

weather extremes graphWhy write a full news story when a single graph tells you everything: ‘unprecedented records in monthly mean temperature’ between 1900-2000 for 17 weather stations across the globe.

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