The impact of the 2008–2009 global financial crisis (GFC) on emissions has been short-lived

According to latest research Global carbon dioxide emissions from fossil-fuel combustion and cement production grew 5.9% in 2010, surpassed 9 Pg of carbon (Pg C) for the first time, and more than offset the 1.4% decrease in 2009. On average, fossil fuel emissions have risen by 3.1 per cent each year between 2000 and 2010

Evidence from atmospheric measurements show actual emissions tend to be greater than declared. Under the Kyoto Protocol, nations are required to declare their greenhouse gas         emissions.

In 2008-09 emissions temporarily decreased. Last years high growth was caused by both emerging and developed economies. Rich countries continued to outsource part of their emissions to emerging economies through international trade.

Nearly 50% of the emissions remained in the atmosphere, where CO₂ concentration reached 389.6 parts per million. The balance emissions were taken up by the ocean and land reservoirs.

The authors say "The global financial crisis has helped developed countries meet their production emission commitments as promised in the Kyoto Protocol and Copenhagen Accord, but its impact has been short-lived and pre-existing challenges remain."

Journal reference 

Rapid growth in CO₂ emissions after the 2008–2009 global financial crisis

Glen P. Peters, Gregg Marland, Corinne Le Quéré, Thomas Boden, Josep G. Canadell & Michael R. Raupach

Nature Climate Change (2011) doi:10.1038/nclimate1332 Published online 04 December 2011

Royal Society is offering a special theme issue of its Philosophical Transaction B journal on rainforest conservation for free.

Here is a chance to read some excellent papers on rainforest conservation for free. Till December 31^st Royal Society is offering a special theme issue of its Philosophical Transaction B journal on rainforest conservation for free. The special them issue is entitled 'The future of Southeast Asian rainforests in a changing landscape and climate'.

Click HERE to go to the site

IUCN Youtube link

The other day I was discussing with my friend Ramesh IUCN's Youtube link. Surprisingly Ramesh was not aware of the link. Ramesh wants me to publish the link for the benefit of others also. So guys click here for the link

Instant Wild – Images of wild animals are sent to you directly from small automatic cameras placed in remote locations.

The Zoological Society of London’s (ZSL) Instant WILD app and website sends Images triggered by wild animals walking past camera straight to you in real-time.

ZSL says the new technology will save field workers hours of vital time by asking users to help identify species from live camera trap photographs. Traditionally it could take one conservationist days to sort through photographs from a camera in order to log information from the pictures.

ZSL’s conservation director Professor Jonathan Baillie says:  "By asking people to help us identify species through the app, we are turning wildlife conservation into the massive team effort that it needs to be.

Click here to experience this wonderful idea.

A wasp that recognises facial features

Now this is truly amazing. Researchers have demonstrated that the paper wasp, Polistes fuscatus, is able to differentiate among individuals based on varying facial markings. The wasp can differentiate among normal wasp face images more rapidly and accurately than nonface images or manipulated faces. A close relative lacking facial recognition, Polistes metricus, do not have the ability of face learning. In Polistes fuscatus it is an independent evolution of specialization.

The researchers  sign off saying “Convergence toward face specialization in distant taxa as well as divergence among closely related taxa with different recognition behavior suggests that specialized cognition is surprisingly labile and may be adaptively shaped by species-specific selective pressures such as face recognition.”

Journal reference 

Science 2 December 2011: 
Vol. 334 no. 6060 pp. 1272-1275 

Frogs hold promise of new drugs against antibiotic-resistant infections

Frogs live in warm, wet places where bacteria thrive. To ward off problems of infections frogs have adapted skin that secretes chemicals, known as peptides. 

Researchers Yun Zhang, Wen-Hui Lee and Xinwang in an effort to extract new drugs identified more than 700 of these peptides from nine species of odorous frogs and concluded that the AMPs account for almost one-third of all AMPs found in the world. This is the the greatest known diversity of these germ-killing chemicals.

 The researchers say peptidomic and genomic investigation of natural antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) from amphibian skin secretions can provide a large amount of structure–functional information to design peptide antibiotics with therapeutic potential.

Purified peptides showed strong antimicrobial activities against 4 tested microbe strains. Twenty-three deduced peptides were synthesized and their bioactivities, including antimicrobial, antioxidant, hemolytic, immunomodulatory and insulin-releasing activities, were evaluated. Some of the AMPs have a dual action, killing bacteria directly and also activating the immune system

Journal reference

Xinwang Yang, Wen-Hui Lee, Yun Zhang. Extremely Abundant Antimicrobial Peptides Existed in the Skins of Nine Kinds of Chinese Odorous Frogs. Journal of Proteome Research, 2011 DOI:10.1021/pr200782u

Solving the climate change crisis naturally

IUCN news release  

Promoting natural solutions

 

The most pressing issue, upon which any possible agreement in Durban may rest, is whether there will be at least a political agreement on a second commitment period for the Kyoto Protocol. This is closely linked to the legally binding form of any future global agreement on climate change.

While the politicians deliberate, IUCN for many years has been getting on with the urgent task of helping countries adapt to climate change impacts and pressing governments to include nature-based solutions in national climate change policies.

Conserving and sustainably managing nature can help people become resilient to climate change. Healthy mangroves and wetlands can shield us from extreme weather and help to regulate floods. These natural buffers are often less expensive to maintain and in some cases, can be as effective as built structures such as dykes or concrete walls. Managing agricultural land using local knowledge of crop varieties and maintaining diverse landscapes can help ensure food supplies in uncertain conditions.

IUCN is also promoting the implementation of an environmentally-sound and equitable mechanism on REDD—Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) at the national level.

“A tool that both conserves forest resources and reduces greenhouse gas emissions can help in the battle to assuage the impacts of climate change,” says Stewart Maginnis, IUCN’s Director of Environment and Development. “In order to be effective, however, implementation needs to take place at the national level, and address issues such as benefit sharing, governance and participation of women and indigenous peoples.”

Our experts are reporting live from the Durban conference, giving the inside track on the key issues and developments as they happen.