Sunday, January 26, 2014

The Lifeboat Hour

Carolyn Baker will be hosting Michael Ruppert's weekly radio show, the Lifeboat Hour, tonight (Sunday the 26th) - and she has very kindly invited me to be her guest. Please tune in at 9 pm Eastern Time on Sunday, to www.prn.fm. We'll be taking questions during the last segment, so be ready to phone in!

Update:  here is the link to listen now:  http://prn.fm/lifeboat-hour-carolyn-baker-hosts-012614/


5 comments:

  1. Here's another page for your scrapbook of soon to be gone tree species:

    http://www.desdemonadespair.net/2014/02/increased-climate-stress-causing.html
    Increased climate stress causing extensive change to Australia’s eucalypt ecosystems

    By Lucy Cormack
    13 January 2014

    (Sydney Morning Herald) – Australia's standing as the home among the gumtrees could be challenged, with increased climate stress causing extensive change to Australia's eucalypt ecosystems.

    A study by the National Environmental Research Program's Environmental Decisions Hub has found that climate stress on eucalypts will mean many of Australia's 750 species will struggle to cope with climate change.

    ''Those that will be most affected are the Eucalyptus and Corymbia species in the central desert and open woodlands area,'' said author Nathalie Butt of the NERP Environmental Decisions Hub and the University of Queensland.

    The study found that ''under the mid-range climate scenario, these species will lose 20 per cent of their climate space, and twice that under the extreme scenario''.

    The mid-range scenario suggests that ''temperatures will increase by more than 1C by 2055 and by more than 2C by 2085. For the extreme scenario temperatures will increase by more than 1.5C and 2.5C respectively'', Dr Butt said. She said there is additional concern for the impact these conditions will have on wildlife in such areas. ''Trees are habitats and food sources. So this will have a cascade effect on birds, bats, and invertebrates that are reliant on eucalypt, and it will affect pollinators as well,'' she said. [there's more]

    Tom

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  2. Thanks Tom. I think in the end, this will the the fate of most trees: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/energy-shortages-force-pakistanis-to-scavenge-for-wood-threatening-tree-canopy/2014/02/01/18c2107e-86a3-11e3-833c-33098f9e5267_story.html

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  3. HA-HA! I just was about to post this:

    http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/02/03/3238781/deforestation-water-energy-pakistan/

    Tom

    Pakistan Has A Month’s Worth Of Water Left — And 5 Percent Of Its Tree Cover

    Pakistan is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to the impacts of climate change due to its location, population and environmental degradation. According to a 2013 report from the Asian Development Bank, Pakistan has one month of water supply on hand. The recommended amount is 1,000 days. 80 percent of Pakistan’s agriculture relies on irrigation from the overstressed water system.

    Pakistan’s average temperature is expected to increase around 3 degrees Celsius within the next 50 years — this will make food and water challenges even more taxing. A new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change concludes that people are already migrating out of the Pakistan for just these reasons.

    The study, which focuses on rural Pakistan, found “that flooding — a climate shock associated with large relief efforts — has modest to insignificant impacts on migration. Heat stress, however — which has attracted relatively little relief — consistently increases the long-term migration of men, driven by a negative effect on farm and non-farm income.”

    It goes on to state that “agriculture suffers tremendously when temperatures are extremely hot … wiping out over a third of farming income.”

    For those in Pakistan relying on the large timber industry for their livelihoods, the outlook is also grim. Deforestation is a major problem in Pakistan, with the country only retaining between two and five percent of its tree cover. About 43,000 hectares, or 166 square miles, of forest are cleared annually. According to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, this is the highest deforestation rate in Asia.

    Deforestation is not an easy problem to address. Each of Pakistan’s five provinces has its own deforestation laws. There is a strong timber mafia that has a hold over many local and timber officials. And recently a shortage of natural gas for heating and cooking has led to an increase in the country’s middle-class cutting down trees for energy use. Pakistan’s population has more than quadrupled since it was founded in 1947, and the country now has an estimated 180 million residents. Deforestation contributes to flooding, and in 2010 Pakistan experienced devastating floods after a strong monsoon season that killed around 2,000 people.

    “There is no doubt that deforestation is threatening the livelihoods of many poor people in our country who depend on the forests for their fuel and livelihood needs,” Syed Mohammad Ali, a development consultant, wrote in an op-ed last year. “Deforestation is also blamed for exacerbating the damage caused by natural disasters such as floods and landslides, since the absence of tree cover causes soil erosion and diminishes groundwater absorption. Researchers have also identified deforestation as a major factor behind expansion of the country’s heat zone, reduced flow in the Indus River as well as shrinkage of the Indus River Delta.”


    Tom

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  4. One more neat thing I found recently is the Climate Reanalyzer - one of the tools shows ground level ozone - that I thought you might like.

    http://cci-reanalyzer.org/Forecasts/index_gfcst.php

    Tom

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