Stand by for a year in which global warming can only get worse as human carbon emissions climb still further. British meteorologists warn that although 2018 broke all records for greenhouse gas emissions, 2019 will see even more carbon dioxide take up long-term residence in the planetary atmosphere. And it will happen for two reasons, both of them nominally at least under human control. The overall release of carbon dioxide from power stations, factory chimneys, cement quarries, car exhausts and so on will continue to rise with fossil fuel combustion, even though there has been greater investment than ever in renewable resources such as wind and solar energy. And those natural “sinks” that absorb extra carbon from the atmosphere and sequester it as living timber in the forests, or bones and shells in the oceans, are expected to under-perform. This is largely because of natural cyclic variation in the tropical climate, but also partly because humans continue to degrade grasslands and fell or burn the forests that naturally absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and return oxygen for the animal world to breathe.
Climate News Network 31st Jan 2019 read more »
Final UK greenhouse gas emissions national statistics. Final estimates of UK greenhouse gas emissions from 1990.
BEIS 5th Feb 2019 read more »
The mass closure of coal-fired power stations has helped reduce UK greenhouse gases whilst global emissions (GHG) are rising. The finalised official statistics show Britain’s GHG in 2017 were 2.7%lower than in 2016 – and 42.1%lower than in 1990. Coal use for electricity fell 27% to a record low following the closure of two major plants. But critics point out that huge challenges remain to reduce emissions. These sources include transport, farming, homes and parts of industry.
BBC 5th Feb 2019 read more »
SCOTLAND is entering a “new era” in which thousands of hectares of land will be transformed into forest every year, ministers have pledged. Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing insisted he wanted to see more trees and woodlands covering the country, with Scotland already responsible for nearly 80 per cent of new trees planted in the UK. It comes after The Herald revealed plans to turn post-industrial derelict sites into urban forests in a bid to find a long-term fix for vacant land in towns and cities. Announcing the launch of Scotland’s Forest Strategy, Mr Ewing reiterated plans to plant 15,000 hectares of wood a year from 2024/25.
Herald 5th Feb 2019 read more »