Flooding risk from global warming badly under-estimated

by Richard Ingham
Agence France Presse
Aug 29, 2007

Global warming may carry a higher risk of flooding than previously thought, according to a study released on Wednesday by the British science journal Nature.

It says efforts to calculate flooding risk from climate change do not take into account the effect that carbon dioxide (CO2) -- the principal greenhouse gas -- has on vegetation.

Plants suck water out of the ground and "breathe" out the excess through tiny pores, called stomata, in their leaves.

Stomata are highly sensitive to CO2. The higher the level of atmospheric CO2, the more the pores tighten up or open for shorter periods.

As a result, less water passes through the plant and into the air in the form of evaporation. And, in turn, this means that more water stays on the land, eventually running off into rivers when the soil becomes saturated.

In a paper published in February 2006, British scientists said the CO2-stomata link explained a long-standing anomaly.

Over the last 100 years the flow of the world's big continental rivers has increased by around four percent, even though global temperatures rose by some 0.8 degrees Celsius (1.35 degrees Fahrenheit) during this period.

Today, as a result of the unbridled burning of oil, gas and coal, levels of CO2 in the atmosphere are around a third more than in pre-industrial times in the middle of the 18th century.

The new study takes the 2006 discovery an important step further by projecting what could happen to water runoff in the future.

If CO2 levels double compared with pre-industrial concentrations -- a common scenario in climate simulations -- the effect on plants alone would lead to an increase of six percent in global runoff, it says.

Until now, scientists have generally estimated an increase in runoff of between five and 17 percent compared with the pre-industrial era.

But this is based only on one yardstick, called radiative forcing. In other words, it only measures the warming effect that greenhouse gases have on the water cycle and not the indirect impact that CO2, the biggest culprit, has on vegetation.

The "radiative forcing" yardstick also predicts that higher temperatures will increase evaporation, causing greater water stress and longer droughts.

Both forecasts are offbeam, says the new paper.

By widening the picture to include the CO2-stomata factor, the likelihood is that the risk of flooding will be worse than thought, but the risk of drought rather less so.

"The risks of rain and river flooding may increase more than has been previously anticipated, because intense precipitation events would be more likely to occur over saturated ground," it says.

"In contrast, the risks of hydrological drought may not increase as much as expected on the basis of meteorological changes alone."

Flooding is a major problem, especially in poor countries that do not have the money to upgrade drainage systems to cope with runoff from saturated soils.

Since June, nearly 3,200 people in South Asia have been killed by heavy monsoon rains and snow melt. More than 20 million people have been affected in the eastern Indian state of Bihar alone.

The authors of the Nature paper are led by Richard Betts of the Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research, part of Britain's Met Office.

Do you have any ideas for similar cleanup projects in your community? Would you pay $1 extra per tire to clean up landfills?

By Ohio's Environmental Protection Agency

A video documentary about one of Ohio's most successful environmental programs, the Ohio EPA scrap tire abatement program, has been finished and is available for distribution. The new 12-minute video explains the success of the nationally recognized program, which has been recognized by both the tire industry and environmental professionals.

Ohio's scrap tire program began in 1987, when an estimated 33 percent of tires were being recycled. In 2005, that quantity rose to 90 percent, exceeding national rates for glass, plastic, paper and cardboard recyclables. This success benefits not only the environment but the economy as well.

July 2006 marked the removal of the final unburned tire at the Kirby recycling facility in Wyandot County, the largest scrap tire site in Ohio, where an estimated 23 million scrap tires have been removed. The buried tire residuals are still being removed and processed at the Wyandot County Landfill. An additional 13 million scrap tires were removed from 46 other scrap tire sites in Ohio for a total of 35 million tires removed, processed and recycled.

The scrap tire abatement fund initially received money from a 50-cent fee on the wholesale cost of new tires. That amount was increased to 1.00 per tire to cover increased costs from the fire at the Kirby site. Ohio EPA will consider reducing the scrap tire fee after the completion of the Kirby tire clean up in 2008.

In addition to spending money on cleanups, the presence of a scrap tire program has created a deterrent, motivating many of those responsible for scrap tire piles to initiate tire pile cleanup before enforcement action begins against them. Local and private funding has removed more than 10.8 million tires from at least 169 sites since Ohio EPA began implementing Ohio's scrap tire law. Ohio EPA's active enforcement program minimizes open dumping and maximizes tire recycling.

One million dollars per year of scrap tire funds have also been transferred to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for the scrap tire grant fund. This grant focuses on expanding and diversifying scrap tire markets, with a current focus on tire-derived fuel.

Ohio EPA won an award from the National Registry of Environmental Professionals as a top national abatement program. In addition, the Rubber Manufacturer's Association rated the scrap tire program as one of the three most improved, ranking Ohio seventh out of 50 states. The program was recognized for increasing scrap tire recycling, diverting a large volume of scrap tires from landfills and cleaning up scrap tire dumps aggressively.

Citizen Contact: Mary McCarron, (614) 644-2160
To view the scrap tire video online, go to:
http://www.epa.state.oh.us/pic/video/mired_in_tires.wmv

Greenhouse warming was main cause of U.S. warmth last year, study says

Associated Press
August 28, 2007

WASHINGTON — "We have met the enemy, and he is us," the comic-strip character Pogo said decades ago. A new analysis of last year's near-record temperatures in the United States suggests he was right.

Warming caused by human activity was the biggest factor in the high temperatures recorded in 2006, according to a report by researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The analysis, released Tuesday, is being published in the September issue of Geophysical Research Letters, published by the American Geophysical Union.

In January, NOAA's National Climatic Data Center reported that 2006 was the warmest year on record over the 48 contiguous states with an average temperature 2.1 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than normal and 0.07 degree warmer than 1998, the previous warmest year on record.

In May, however, NOAA revised the 2006 ranking to the second warmest year after updated statistics showed the year was actually .08 F cooler than 1998.

They ran 42 different tests using complex computer models to simulate changes in the atmosphere under various conditions and concluded that the "2006 warmth was primarily due to human influences."

While Hoerling's study focused on the United States, NOAA also tracks world climate. Worldwide, 2005 was the warmest year on record, topping 1998, according to the agency.

The research was supported by NOAA's office of Global Programs.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will hold five public hearings to receive comment on the agency's proposed revisions to the national air quality standards for ground level-ozone. Hearings will be held from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Aug. 30 in Philadelphia and Los Angeles. The others will be held on Sept. 5 in Atlanta, Chicago and Houston.
To speak at the hearings, contact Ms. Tricia Crabtree by e-mail at crabtree.trica@epa.gov, at (919) 541-5688 or by mail at (C504-01) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, N.C. 27711.
For information on the proposals view: epa.gov/groundlevelozone/

"Every single day, I can make a difference for the planet," says Legacy Health's Tom Badrick, who motivates 8,500 employees

Monday, August 27, 2007

By JOE ROJAS-BURKE

The Oregonian

A round Christmas last year, a truck delivered an odd present to Tom Badrick: 35 pallets containing about 140,000 used hospital scrubs.
He'd expected a few pallets of used blankets. But no worries, Badrick reckoned. As head of recycling for Legacy Health System, he finds it hard to say no when it comes to finding uses for stuff that might otherwise wind up in a landfill.
The mountain of scrubs came from a linen company that supplies hospitals. After a bit of networking, Badrick found a nonprofit group that's shipping them to hospitals in Iraq.
"I can't tell you how much I love this job," he says. "Every single day, I can make a difference for the planet."
When Badrick started the job seven years ago, he spent much of his time driving a truck loaded with recyclables between hospital buildings.
"It was all about logistics," he says. One day a realization hit: "I really am passionate about this."
He spends much of his time planning and executing strategies to recover more recyclables from the vast piles of paper, cardboard and plastic waste that hospitals generate.
A key strategy is keeping about 8,500 employees up to date and motivated. Badrick often visits different departments to look at what they are throwing away and to identify new stuff to recycle.
Paper is the most often neglected. No. 2 is plastic wrapping. Though it used to be tough to recycle, Badrick says, the increasing price of oil is spurring demand for waste plastics.
Among other recent projects, Badrick set up a system for hospital cafeterias to send kitchen and table scraps to a composting center, which turns it into a valuable soil amendment. The cost to Legacy is about the same as paying a garbage hauler, Badrick says. He hopes to lower the price by pooling expenses with nearby businesses.
Legacy spends about $1 million a year on waste management. Current recycling cuts waste disposal costs by about $289,000 a year, Badrick says. With income added to that from Legacy's in-house paper and plastic sorting center, savings total $315,000, he says.
"You can't keep a recycling program running forever by subsidizing it," he says. "It has to work economically."
Joe Rojas-Burke: 503-412-7073; joerojas@news.oregonian.com

By Katherine Crowell
The Daily Times - Salisbury, Md.
Aug. 27, 2007

SALISBURY -- A crew of about a dozen men from city Public Works recently went on a mission for a hot recycling commodity -- cardboard.
The Dumpster divers tackled about 16 Salisbury trash receptacles and saved 730 pounds of cardboard from going to the Wicomico County landfill.
Even though the city Public Works offers cardboard pickup Mondays, many residents continue to throw the material into their regular trash, said the city's Recycling Coordinator Harry White. Additionally, the city does not enforce an ordinance that requires the management of multifamily dwellings to allow tenants to participate in the city's recycling program by providing recycling containers to residents.
City officials could save Salisbury thousands of dollars if they mandated recycling, White said. Last month the city dumped about 882 tons of trash into the county landfill at a cost of about $46,000, White said. The $46,000 bill from Wicomico County for tipping fees could have been cut in half if cardboard was taken out of the trash.
By keeping recycling a voluntary endeavor and not enforcing the recycling ordinance, the city will continue to lose money and harm the environment, White said.
"It shouldn't be if you're interested -- recycle," he said, adding that less than one-third of Salisbury residents recycle. "It should be mandatory."

People in other countries are becoming involved in recycling efforts. I saw this story today about recycling programs at schools in the Phillipines. It makes me wonder local students are going to be doing this school year. We hear a lot about Students Against Violating the Earth in Souderton. Are there other student organizations doing similar things? What are your plans for recycling projects this year?

Makati students back recycling
By DJ Yap
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Aug. 27, 2007

MANILA, Philippines -- Schoolchildren in Makati City are showing the way toward a greener lifestyle.
The city’s school-based recycling project has generated more than 7,000 kilos of recyclable materials from public elementary and high schools for the first half of the year, officials said.
Through the project dubbed “Batang Bantay Basura,” the city collected 801.5 kilos of mixed paper wastes, 236 kilos of mixed plastics and 6,832 kilos of polyethylene (PET) or plastic bottles from January to June.
In a report to Mayor Jejomar Binay, Department of Environmental Services (DES) chief Danilo Villas said the milestone was achieved through the enthusiastic participation of students, teachers and other school personnel.
“The project has become a venue for school officials and students to show their unity for a good cause, and at the same time to pursue an income-generating endeavor benefiting not only their schools but the barangays (villages) as well,” he said.
Batang Bantay Basura is a project of the DES in partnership with the Department of Education-Makati with the aim of inculcating in the students and school personnel the value of reducing, reusing and recycling.
It requires everyone in school to practice waste segregation, begin an environmental education campaign and launch a recycling drive.
The drive involves collecting recyclable materials like scrap paper, plastics and PET bottles, selling them to junk shops, and using the income generated to buy additional supplies and equipment for the school’s use, or for donation to the barangay.
Last year, the city government through the DES linked up with food and beverage giant San Miguel Corp. for the recycling drive.
Under the agreement, the participating schools needed only to collect a certain weight of recyclables to exchange them for items like computers, overhead projectors, scanners and water dispensers, among others.
Villas said they are looking into other partnerships with the private sector to promote the city’s waste diversion and reduction program.

Philippine Daily Inquirer
Chino Roces Avenue corner Yague and Mascardo Streets,
Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines

I've always recycled paper, but that has been my only significant contribution to recycling. With the recent discussion about global warming, I decided to investigate my impact upon the planet and pollution. I read about millions of trees that are being cut down every year for paper products. Then it hit me, trees are being killed on a regular basis just so I can have toilet paper. Something about that doesn't seem fair. I searched for a store that sells toilet paper made from recycled paper content. I found it at Trader Joe's and it's not expensive as I thought it would be. So I've switched to the recycled stuff. And I buy the recycled paper towels, too.
Now I've been searching for other small ways to make a difference because it all adds up.
So, what environmentally friends products do you use and where do you buy them?
What else do you do to contribute to saving our plant?

By TERENCE CHEA
Associated Press Writer
Aug. 21, 2007

SAN FRANCISCO - A federal judge ordered President George W. Bush's administration to issue two scientific reports on global warming, siding with environmentalists who sued the White House for failing to produce the documents.

U.S. District Court Judge Saundra Armstrong ruled Tuesday that the Bush administration had violated a 1990 law when it failed to meet deadlines for an updated U.S. climate change research plan and impact assessment.

Armstrong set a March 1 deadline for the White House to issue the research plan, which is meant to guide federal research on climate change. Federal law calls for an updated plan every three years, she said. The last one was issued in 2003.

The judge set a May 31 deadline to produce a national assessment containing the most recent scientific data on global warming and its projected effects on the country's environment, economy and public health. The government is required to complete a national assessment every four years, the judge ruled. The last one was issued by the Clinton administration in 2000.

The administration had claimed that it had discretion over how and when it produced the reports - an argument the judge rejected Tuesday.

"The defendants are wrong," Armstrong wrote in the 38-page ruling. "Congress has conferred no discretion upon the defendants as to when they will issue revised Research Plans and National Assessments."

The plaintiffs - the Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace - said the ruling was a rebuke to an administration that has systematically denied and suppressed information on global warming.

"It's a huge victory holding the administration accountable for its attempts to suppress science," said Kassie Siegel, an attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the plaintiffs that filed suit in Oakland federal court in November.

Bush administration officials were still reviewing the ruling Tuesday and could not comment on it directly, said Kristin Scuderi, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy, which was named in the lawsuit.

But the administration is complying with the law, Scuderi said. The U.S. Climate Change Science Program is working on 21 separate reports on global warming's projected effects on the U.S and has started to prepare a new research plan, she said.

___

On the Net:

U.S. Climate Change Science Program: http://www.climatescience.gov/

Center for Biological Diversity: http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/

By WILLIAM J. KOLE
Associated Press Writer
Aug. 26, 2007

VIENNA, Austria - Now that scientists have documented the potentially catastrophic consequences of global warming, experts are tackling the business end.

This week's latest round of talks on climate change, which get under way in Vienna on Monday, will focus on ensuring that the US$20 trillion the world is projected to spend on energy over the next two decades is as environmentally friendly as possible.

"We need to 'climate-proof' economic growth," Yvo de Boer, the U.N.'s top climate official, told reporters Sunday.

More than 1,000 delegates were gathering in the Austrian capital for talks aimed at advising nations, corporations, bankers and public institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund, how to make the most of their energy investments.

A new report by the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change says additional investments of about US$210 billion a year will be needed - mostly in the developing world - to maintain greenhouse gas emissions at their current levels in 2030.

"If the funding available ... remains at its current level and continues to rely mainly on voluntary contributions, it will not be sufficient," the report warns.

Experts say developing countries will need billions more each year to help them adapt to changes in their climates.

An example is the southern African nation of Lesotho. The impoverished country relies heavily on agriculture, yet it is being hit with twice as many droughts as it endured in the 1980s, Lesotho Environment Minister Monyane Moleleki said.

Complicating matters: Since 2000, Januarys and Februarys have become progressively warmer.

"When the rain does come, it comes in deluges - torrents - useless for our agriculture," he said, appealing to industrialized nations for technology and resources to help his country adapt and overcome what he called "a very dangerous situation."

"Climate change has been spooky to say the least," he said.

Maria Magdalena Brito-Neves, environment minister of Cape Verde, a chain of islands off western Africa's coast, said climate change has also produced chronic drought and threatened delicate ecosystems.

"We are very vulnerable," she told journalists.

The Vienna meeting, which runs through Friday, is part of a flurry of talks leading up to a major international climate summit in Bali, Indonesia, in December.

De Boer said participants would "take the temperature" of global climate-control negotiations before two other key sessions that will precede the Bali conference _ a Sept. 24 meeting at U.N. headquarters in New York, and a meeting three days later in Washington of the world's 15 biggest polluters, including the U.S., China and India.

The U.N. is leading the push to discuss a successor agreement to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.

Among other things, the treaty requires 35 industrial nations to cut their global-warming emissions 5 percent below 1990 levels by 2012. The European Union has set a new goal of reducing greenhouse gases by 20 percent by 2020 and by another 10 percent if other nations join in.

"It's critical to have all the partners on board," including the U.S., which has not ratified Kyoto, said Josef Proell, Austria's environment minister. "We need more than Sunday sermons. We need clear measures."

De Boer's office details the challenges in its 216-page report.

Among the hurdles: The world will remain heavily dependent on fossil fuels, meaning it must find new and affordable ways to burn coal and oil more cleanly and recapture carbon dioxide emissions.

"The war against climate change is not a war against oil. It's a war against emissions," de Boer said.

___

On the Net:

U.N. climate change convention, http://www.unfccc.int

By PETER SVENSSON
AP Technology Writer
Aug. 16, 2007

NEW YORK - Does that Walkman walk no more, or is the original PlayStation now a doorstop? Starting next month, Sony Corp. will take them back at 75 recycling stations around the country.

The electronics and entertainment company has previously accepted products for recycling at a few places. The initiative announced Thursday greatly expands the number of locations.

Other makers of computers and electronics, like Apple Inc., Dell Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Co., have their own recycling programs, which generally rely on customers mailing in their old gear. Sony is the first to partner with trash-hauler Waste Management Inc., which has a network of recycling drop-off centers.

The centers will accept any Sony or Sony Ericsson-branded gadgets for free, and other brands for a fee.

The 75 stations available starting Sept. 15 are spread unevenly over the country, with 17 stations in California and 19 in Minnesota but none in 32 states. Eight states, including New York, have only one station each.

Sony and Waste Management plan to double the number of drop-off centers within a year, with the aim of having at least one in every state. Ultimately, the goal is to have a center within 20 miles of 95 percent of the U.S. population.

In the meantime, it will be possible to ship used Sony products to some of the recycling locations at the customers' expense.

"Through the Take Back Recycling Program, our customers will know that their Sony products will be recycled in an environmentally responsible manner," said Stan Glasgow, president and chief operating officer of Sony Electronics, in a statement.

___

On the Net:

http://www.sony.com/recycle

http://www.apple.com/environment/recycling/nationalservices/us.html

http://www.dell.com/recycling

http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/globalcitizenship/environment/recycle/index.html