Global Warming
Blog posts on Global Warming
-
Can We Build A Sustainable Future for Farming
Introduction – A Sustainable Future for Farming The agricultural sector is at a crossroads, faced with the pressing need to adapt to climate change and an increasing demand for food. Sustainable agriculture has emerged as a crucial approach to address these challenges, focusing on methods that promote environmental health, economic viability, and social equity. This article explores a sustainable future for farming by rethinking traditional and modern farming practices, particularly in the context of livestock and crop production. We delve into the implications of chemical fertilisers, the role of innovative plant breeding, and an evaluation of dairy production, ultimately proposing alternatives that align with sustainable principles. Managing our Soil – Understanding the Concept of No Fertiliser In the quest for a sustainable future for farming, the reliance on chemical fertilisers has come under scrutiny. These substances, while effective in boosting crop yields, can lead to long-term degradation of soil health. Chemical fertilisers disrupt the natural balance of soil ecosystems, reducing biodiversity and harming beneficial microorganisms. Over time, soil becomes reliant on these inputs, leading to…
-
Methane Emissions Must be Eliminated as a No 1 Priority
Short term gains in the fight to save the planet can be made if we understand that dealing with methane emissions must be a priority 1st is best. Methane is rapidly heating up our world and some sources we can directly control. Its is fact that Carbon Dioxide does most of the long term damage, but it is also true that Methane is over thirty times more potent than CO2. Methane also leaves the atmosphere fairly quickly, Carbon Dioxide does not. So, where are the sources of Methane emissions? Agriculture, decomposition of waste and fossil fuels – these are under our control and account for 60% of the Methane in the atmosphere. The majority of this is agriculture, namely livestock farming. Wetlands are the largest natural source and there is little we can do there. However wetlands absorb methane too and vast amounts of Carbon Dioxide. Wetlands are also critical for biodiversity and home to a disproportionately large number of species: All about Methane Emissions Methane (CH4) is a powerful greenhouse gas, and is the…
-
Is Biomass a Sustainable Fuel?
There is a good biomass case study right on our doorstep here in Yorkshire. Drax power station. Drax was responsible for three per cent of the UKs total carbon emissions last year. Our last coal fired power station at Ratcliffe on Soar was responsible for a quarter of that. This power station closed on Monday 30th September 2024. Frankie Mayo, an analyst at Ember, said: “Burning wood pellets can be as bad for the environment as coal; supporting biomass with subsidies is a costly mistake.” Is Biomass a Sustainable Fuel ? There are some biomass articles in our Document Library relating to Drax: If you want to learn more about what you can do change our world, become a full member at Earth and Leaf Is Biomass a Sustainable Fuel ? – Q and A Question Where do the Drax biomass wood pellets come from? Answer North America and Canada, a little from the UK Conclusion How much Carbon Dioxide does Drax produce each year? Drax directly produces 11.5 million tonnes of Carbon Dioxide per…
-
Don’t buy an SUV – They do the Most Damage
If I am told “Don’t buy an SUV” what should my reply be? The answer is that it is good to ask the question. We don’t believe that anyone is “entitled” to do this. SUVs are a major contributor to global warming. SUVs around the world contribute more to global CO2 emissions than Japan. https://www.linkedin.com/news/story/suvs-drive-20-of-emissions-growth-6036196 Dont buy an SUV Electric vehicles still generate CO2 in large quantities – dont be fooled. They are not the answer.
-
Why is it raining so much ?
Why is it raining so much ? It’s very simple. Global warming! Warmer air holds more water vapour. As a result there is more water up there and eventually it has to leave the atmosphere! So it ends up down here. Also where has the snow gone. We don’t have hard winters any more. Rising temperatures are to blame. Its also typical to complain about the weather. It does have to rain otherwise we wouldn’t be here. Why is it raining so much? South East Wales today 25/11/24 South Wales has experienced some of the worst impacts – Welsh First Minister Eluned Morgan says the floods are “absolutely devastating” But it gets more complicated than that ….. Why is it raining so much or why isn’t it raining so much? In some places it isn’t raining enough, like The Pantanal. There are devastating droughts in South Africa. It will get worse too as we continue to heat our world. Farming is hit hard, this will affect yields next year. Our actions also affect the jet…
-
Sheep Farming in Wales, Its Time for a Change
Lets Revolutionise Sheep Farming in Wales and continue to shape the character of the nations environment. A lot of upland Wales is unsuitable for any other type of farming. I have spent quite a bit of time in Wales over the years, working in the farming sector. I always found our Welsh farmer customers open to new ideas and far more interested in marketing and new tech than others in the UK. So here we are. Farmer protests at the Senedd. Earth and Leaf wants to work with farmers. The Sustainable Farming Scheme is a great move towards restoring habitat across Wales. This is a great article by Dr Malcolm Smith. He makes some excellent points about subtle changes that would help farmers. The scheme also needs explaining better to farmers. Lets Revolutionise Sheep Farming in Wales and Benefit its Rural Communities too This mirrors the same structure found in England and Scotland. Hill ewes such as the Welsh Mountain are kept on high ground. Draft ewes are sold at market to farms lower down…
-
Green-washing at Drax Uncovered by Panorama
Last year Ofgem committed to investigating apparent Green-washing Drax: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/may/31/ofgem-investigation-drax-compliance-biomass-renewable-energy-subsidy-scheme Here is a little of the detail from the BBC Panorama investigation, Green-washing at Drax. Once the program becomes available it will feature on here. Meanwhile global warming continues and so does green-washing. In response to the latest findings by the BBC, Drax admitted it has taken wood from old-growth forests. But it told Panorama that 77% of the material for its Canadian wood pellets came from sawdust and sawmill residues, with the rest coming from forestry residues and low-grade logs. A spokesman for the company says that it keeps its sourcing policy and practices under regular review so that they “take account of evolving forest dynamics, legislation, policy, and science”. Drax says that it decided in October 2023 to stop sourcing wood from old-growth priority deferral areas, and that “work to implement this decision through the supply chain is ongoing”. The company doesn’t dispute that it is still taking wood from old-growth sites that are not priority deferral areas. The burning of wood from…
-
Green-washing isnt so Green after all
On Radio 5 this morning I realised green-washing isnt so green after all, 7th February 2024 featured a discussion on flying and private jets. A listener messaged in to say “Ive planted over 1000 trees so I will fly as much as I like.” Oh dear! My immediate response was; “Firstly this listener doesn’t understand global warming and climate change. Secondly, he feels entitled, although he plants trees which is good. Thirdly, has he planted the trees or simply used offsets or bought carbon credits.” Now to the 1st of March, concerning Drax Power station in Yorkshire. The first thing to say about Drax is it is counted as a renewable energy plant because it burns wood chips. In other words it is not renewable energy. Most importantly he whole plant and its supply chain is mired in greenwashing. Here is the recent article from the BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-68381160 First of all, cutting own ancient forest in North America to fuel British power stations is utter lunacy and environmental vandalism. Additionally cutting down forests in North…
-
Interesting Stuff Going on at Home
Wickham Fen https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-67933864 Knepp Castle Estate is leading in re-wilding projects in the UK in West Sussex. Here’s a short film on their beaver reintroduction project: Finally, there are also lots of interesting things going on around the world. Click Here!
-
Interesting Stuff Going on Around the World
Wow https://orangutan.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e1bedc0d32dbb4e95a8fc9748&id=97a6777442&e=1154216cea Rain at last in North Sumatra Ive re-watched Earth. It really is an important must watch for everyone https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0fpwlny/earth-series-1-2-snowball The Rainforest Alliance protects rainforests and helps farmers and indigenous communities. https://thrive.rainforest-alliance.org/webmail/869601/1096539028/f64e23130a4d13568029d7fc446e97bc4db42c4e819f0835a8a3f0948f49173a This is a great project in Borneo https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/documents/2484428-regrow-borneo-pilot-year-impact-report Finally, there are also lots of interesting things going on at home in the UK. Click Here!
-
Global Warming and Climate Change – Despite all the Warnings
Have a look at this, despite all the warnings on Global Warming and Climate Change, little is being done. Everyone on this world has to reduce carbon emissions and do all they can to grow and rehabilitate rain forest in order to slow global warming. Tourist destinations of natural beauty only exist because of our beautiful fragile green globe. Then someone does this! The Mexican government has driven a huge railway through the Yucatan Rain forest. Its a crime against humanity if you would like humanity to survive rather than make a lot of money for a very few people. https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20240102-the-train-maya-mexicos-ambitious-new-tourism-megaproject Global warming and climate change The destruction of the Pantanal surely should impact everyone on the globe.
-
Electric Vehicles are not the Answer
You will see in other areas on this site that the worlds headlong rush towards electric vehicles is not as green as everyone thinks, nor is it a solution. If you are an average family of four with two children and two cars you give up a car if you really want to make a difference. Replacing the worlds eight billion cars with EVs will add billions of tonnes of CO2 to the atmosphere. It will destroy huge parts of the environment in Sumatra, poisoning water courses, the sea and the people with pollution from Chinese owned heavy metals mining. Of course it drives economic growth so we must rethink neo-classical economics, taking account of externalities. Here is a project making a real difference. This scheme certainly is a solution. The infrastructure is easy to sort. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-67781109
-
Loss of Antarctic Sea Ice is at Crisis Point
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-64649596 How much evidence do we need? This is terrifying and will take decades to even slow down never mind reverse. I wont be here to see it reversed if that is possible, but we have a succession plan at Earth and Leaf. My fingers are firmly crossed. Less obviously, but equally important, is the diminishing Arctic sea ice. Shipping companies are really excited about opening up northern shipping routes which is a pretty good indicator of how much they care about the environment. As these issues are not addressed year on year our warming problem accelerates. The amount of energy needed to melt billions of tonnes of ice is staggering. This is buffering the planet warming at this point in time. Once the ice is gone warming will accelerate dramatically and will end all mammalian and avian life on the planet. Ice cover is a good measure of our efforts to halt the warming. If we go along with maximum warming of 1.5 degrees centigrade it will be impossible to replace that ice. At…
-
Wildfires are Tipping us Ever Closer to the Edge
As I write there are over 2000 current wildfires in Canada. This is on top of those in Hawaii, the USA, the Amazon, Greece, Australia and many other countries. It will take 50 years for the Canadian forest to start to recover. There will be more fires next year. Every fire adds to the CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) in the atmosphere. It is a self accelerating process. We are getting quite close to runaway global warming. If that happens, humanity at least is finished, rain forests will be completely gone, it has to rain or life cannot persist as we know it. It is estimated that the 2022 wildfires in Australia added 1% more CO2 to the total concentration in our atmosphere. Year on year, starting NOW, not 2030 or 2050, the world has to increase its forest cover and quickly. I think a minimum target should be 5% per year. Young growing native canopy absorbs CO2 and it grows faster in the tropics. We will lose more forest to wildfires in future years. This must…
-
Earths History – the Anthropocene
Earths history extends back for 4.5 billion year. For the last tens of thousands of years in the Holocene era, the atmosphere has been stable with a steady content of CO2. This common gas is incredibly important for life (plants) and as a thermo-regulator for our world. If the concentration of CO2 in our atmosphere rises, global temperature rises. If it falls far enough, the planet cools enough to bring about ice ages. These processes normally take millions of years. Technically we are still in the Holocene however. Plants are also incredibly important for our world. They absorb CO2 and release Oxygen. In the Anthropocene we have inadvertently taken control over the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. Earths History mapped out “Graphic” How? Once human beings moved from hunter gatherers1 to farming with settled populations and communities with dwellings, life became both easier and more complex at the same time. With agriculture came trade. With trade came economics. Agricultural development brought about massive land clearance, rain forest destruction, drainage and soil degradation, all of which…
