Category Archives: Climate Change
Tree Rings and Volcanic Eruptions
According to climate researchers, who compared tree-ring temperature reconstructions with model simulations of past temperature changes, climate cooling caused by past volcanic eruptions may not be evident. This is due to shortened or even absent growing seasons as a result … Continue reading
The Future of EU Environmental Policy
Over the past 40 years the EU has set up a relatively comprehensive and dense body of environmental legislation which, although far from perfect, is certainly a success story. Times are changing and increasing complexity of inter-linkages between policies on … Continue reading
Ocean acidification: a policy gap to address at Rio+20?
A study due to be published in Nature Climate Change journal (released to press) suggests that the current rate of ocean acidification, caused by increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, could be up to two orders of magnitude greater than … Continue reading
From ‘Sliding Doors’ to a paradigm shift – What’s needed in Rio+20?
The Rio +20 Earth Summit, taking place in Rio de Janeiro in June 2012, needs to build upon the momentum begun by the last round of UNFCCC climate change negotiations in Duban, South Africa. That was the message of an … Continue reading
Incoming ice age put on hold?
According to a recent study by Cambridge University researchers, CO2 concentration in the atmosphere is too high to allow the onset of a potentially overdue ice age. The period between the end of an ice age and the beginning of … Continue reading
IPBES meeting gets underway in Nairobi
Today is the first day of a plenary meeting to discuss and decide upon the formation of the Integovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), convened by the UN Environment Programme. Representatives from the United Nations, and observers … Continue reading
A paradigm shift? 12 months in ecology
An incredibly diverse and busy programme of sessions at the BES Annual Meeting this year means that I am only now able to find the time to report on Prof. Bill Sutherland’s Monday afternoon plenary; ‘Twelve months in Ecology’. Since … Continue reading
Implementation of IPBES
The creation of the Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) was one of the most significant actions to come out of the 10th Conference Of Parties to the Convention of Biological Diversity held in Nagoya, Japan. The IPBES … Continue reading
Health and Security Risks of Climate Change
The British Medical Journal is organising a briefing event for a small audience on the ‘Health and Security Risks of Climate Change’. This event, organised in partnership with the Climate and Health Council, will take place at BMA House on … Continue reading
National Planning Policy Framework released
On the 25th July 2011 the draft National Planning Policy Framework was published by Government. After the release of the Natural Environment White Paper in June this year conservation organisations have been highly anticipating the publication of the Framework, which … Continue reading