One of the world's oldest scientific institutions is marking the start of its 350th year by putting 60 of its most memorable research papers online.
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Monday, November 30, 2009
Cabinet set to meet in Everest. Nepalnews.com
Sunday, 29 November 2009 10:17
As a symbolic call to the world community to see the impact of climate change in the Himalayas, the government is all set to hold a cabinet meeting at the foothills of Mt Everest on December 4.
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As a symbolic call to the world community to see the impact of climate change in the Himalayas, the government is all set to hold a cabinet meeting at the foothills of Mt Everest on December 4.
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Sunday, November 29, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Monster Waves on the Sun are Real. NASA
November 24, 2009
Sometimes you really can believe your eyes. That's what NASA's STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) spacecraft are telling researchers about a controversial phenomenon on the sun known as the 'solar tsunami.'
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Sometimes you really can believe your eyes. That's what NASA's STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) spacecraft are telling researchers about a controversial phenomenon on the sun known as the 'solar tsunami.'
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Monday, November 23, 2009
India questions climate change impacts on the Himalayan Glaciers: Nepal Silent. MYREPUBLICA.com
KD SHRESTHA
On 9 November, “Himalayan Glaciers: A State-of-Art Review of Glacial Studies, Glacial Retreat and Climate Change,” a report challenging climate change’s impact on glacier retreat, was published by India’s Ministry of Environment and Forests on its website.
Produced by G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment & Development, it was authored by V.K.Raina, the former Deputy Director General of Geological Survey of India. Since then, it has become the infamous Raina Report.
While the report has only been recently published, the ‘White Paper’ had been discussed as far back as August 16, when Indian news media quoted India’s Minister of Environment and Forests (MoEF) Jairam Ramesh as having said, “The Himalayan Glaciers are in trouble. The paper finds that some are retreating, but others seem to be advancing. However, there is no robust evidence to suggest that climate change is causing the retreat.”
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On 9 November, “Himalayan Glaciers: A State-of-Art Review of Glacial Studies, Glacial Retreat and Climate Change,” a report challenging climate change’s impact on glacier retreat, was published by India’s Ministry of Environment and Forests on its website.
Produced by G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment & Development, it was authored by V.K.Raina, the former Deputy Director General of Geological Survey of India. Since then, it has become the infamous Raina Report.
While the report has only been recently published, the ‘White Paper’ had been discussed as far back as August 16, when Indian news media quoted India’s Minister of Environment and Forests (MoEF) Jairam Ramesh as having said, “The Himalayan Glaciers are in trouble. The paper finds that some are retreating, but others seem to be advancing. However, there is no robust evidence to suggest that climate change is causing the retreat.”
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Welcome Essar's proposal. MYREPUBLICA.com
REPUBLICA
The proposal presented by Essar Oil Limited, which has the second largest oil refinery in India, to the government of Nepal to induct it as an alternative fuel supplier for Nepal is encouraging. The government must welcome the company with open arms, because doing so will break the long-standing monopoly of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) -- it being the sole supplier of fossil fuel to Nepal. It is true that IOC has been supporting Nepal through thick and thin, however, monopoly in any market comes at a price that may not always be in favor of the consumers. Hence, the government must end the monopoly by allowing another oil supplier to cater to the Nepali market.
Ending the monopoly of a supplier spurs competition among suppliers to supply goods at the lowest possible rates, ensuring better quality and consistency of supply. In the absence of competition, Nepali petroleum consumers have long suffered.
An overhaul of the nation’s fuel supply mechanism is also necessary if we consider the various high-level government-formed commissions formed in the past which pin-pointed that by importing crude oil Nepal can lower its import cost by 10 percent as opposed to directly purchasing refined oil from IOC.
However, we would like to stress that introduction of a new petroleum supplier alone will not straighten things out for Nepal. And this is where the issue of reforms in NOC and also the petroleum sector as a whole comes in.
While the government needs to act strongly to plug leakages at the corporation, it must also take steps to raise its level of competence level to handle international deals, local inventory management, distribution network and quality control. Enhancing its efficiency at all levels is a must. And this will not be a reality until and unless NOC is subjected to competition. The corporation’s past activities have long proven that the institution will not improve until and unless it is forced to do so. Unfortunately, a bill to end its monopoly by opening petroleum imports to the private sector has long gathered dust in the cabinet in the absence of leaders’ political will to end petty politicking on petroleum prices. This must change. The government should welcome the private sector. Likewise, the dual role that NOC is playing at present as an Oil Marketing Company (OMC) and sectoral regulatory authority should end. Its function should be confined to that of an OMC. And a separate independent, competent, well-equipped and autonomous Petroleum Authority must be set up to regulate the sector. Only will this pave way to ensure fair play in the market and protect the consumers and the country.
The proposal presented by Essar Oil Limited, which has the second largest oil refinery in India, to the government of Nepal to induct it as an alternative fuel supplier for Nepal is encouraging. The government must welcome the company with open arms, because doing so will break the long-standing monopoly of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) -- it being the sole supplier of fossil fuel to Nepal. It is true that IOC has been supporting Nepal through thick and thin, however, monopoly in any market comes at a price that may not always be in favor of the consumers. Hence, the government must end the monopoly by allowing another oil supplier to cater to the Nepali market.
Ending the monopoly of a supplier spurs competition among suppliers to supply goods at the lowest possible rates, ensuring better quality and consistency of supply. In the absence of competition, Nepali petroleum consumers have long suffered.
An overhaul of the nation’s fuel supply mechanism is also necessary if we consider the various high-level government-formed commissions formed in the past which pin-pointed that by importing crude oil Nepal can lower its import cost by 10 percent as opposed to directly purchasing refined oil from IOC.
However, we would like to stress that introduction of a new petroleum supplier alone will not straighten things out for Nepal. And this is where the issue of reforms in NOC and also the petroleum sector as a whole comes in.
While the government needs to act strongly to plug leakages at the corporation, it must also take steps to raise its level of competence level to handle international deals, local inventory management, distribution network and quality control. Enhancing its efficiency at all levels is a must. And this will not be a reality until and unless NOC is subjected to competition. The corporation’s past activities have long proven that the institution will not improve until and unless it is forced to do so. Unfortunately, a bill to end its monopoly by opening petroleum imports to the private sector has long gathered dust in the cabinet in the absence of leaders’ political will to end petty politicking on petroleum prices. This must change. The government should welcome the private sector. Likewise, the dual role that NOC is playing at present as an Oil Marketing Company (OMC) and sectoral regulatory authority should end. Its function should be confined to that of an OMC. And a separate independent, competent, well-equipped and autonomous Petroleum Authority must be set up to regulate the sector. Only will this pave way to ensure fair play in the market and protect the consumers and the country.
Electro Tech 2009 to start soon. Nepalnews.com
Sunday, 22 November 2009 13:23
With an aim to contribute to energy saving, Nepal Electrical Association (NEA) is holding 'Philips Electro Tech 2009' from December 1 to 5.
With the theme "Save Energy - Protect Environment", the expo will showcase a number of products that consume less energy and will also be holding seminar on ways to save energy.
The five-day event will be held at Exhibition Hall, Bhrikutimandap, Kathmandu.
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With an aim to contribute to energy saving, Nepal Electrical Association (NEA) is holding 'Philips Electro Tech 2009' from December 1 to 5.
With the theme "Save Energy - Protect Environment", the expo will showcase a number of products that consume less energy and will also be holding seminar on ways to save energy.
The five-day event will be held at Exhibition Hall, Bhrikutimandap, Kathmandu.
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Sunday, November 22, 2009
Fossil fuel carbon dioxide emissions up by 29 percent since 2000. ScienceDaily.com
ScienceDaily (Nov. 17, 2009) — The strongest evidence yet that the rise in atmospheric CO2 emissions continues to outstrip the ability of the world's natural 'sinks' to absorb carbon is published November 17 in the journal Nature Geoscience.
An international team of researchers under the umbrella of the Global Carbon Project reports that over the last 50 years the average fraction of global CO2 emissions that remained in the atmosphere each year was around 43 per cent -- the rest was absorbed by the Earth's carbon sinks on land and in the oceans. During this time this fraction has likely increased from 40 per cent to 45 per cent, suggesting a decrease in the efficiency of the natural sinks. The team brings evidence that the sinks are responding to climate change and variability.
The scientists report a 29 per cent increase in global CO2 emissions from fossil fuel between 2000 and 2008 (the latest year for which figures are available), and that in spite of the global economic downturn emissions increased by 2 per cent during 2008. The use of coal as a fuel has now surpassed oil and developing countries now emit more greenhouse gases than developed countries -- with a quarter of their growth in emissions accounted for by increased trade with the West.
Lead author Prof Corinne Le Quéré of the University of East Anglia (UEA) and the British Antarctic Survey said: "The only way to control climate change is through a drastic reduction in global CO2 emissions. The Earth's carbon sinks are complex and there are some gaps in our understanding, particularly in our ability to link human-induced CO2 emissions to atmospheric CO2 concentrations on a year-to-year basis. But, if we can reduce the uncertainty about the carbon sinks, our data could be used to verify the effectiveness of climate mitigations policies."
The main findings of the study include:
* CO2 emissions from the burning of fossil fuels increased by two per cent from 2007 to 2008, by 29 per cent between 2008 and 2000, and by 41 per cent between 2008 and 1990 -- the reference year of the Kyoto Protocol.
* CO2 emissions from the burning of fossil fuels have increased at an average annual rate of 3.4 per cent between 2000 and 2008, compared with one per cent per year in the 1990s.
* Emissions from land use change have remained almost constant since 2000, but now account for a significantly smaller proportion of total anthropogenic CO2 emissions (20 per cent in 2000 to 12 per cent in 2008).
* The fraction of total CO2 emissions remaining in the atmosphere has likely increased from 40 to 45 per cent since 1959, models suggests this is due to the response of the natural CO2 sinks to climate change and variability.
* Emissions from coal are now the dominant fossil fuel emission source, surpassing 40 years of oil emission prevalence.
* The financial crisis had a small but discernable impact on emissions growth in 2008 -- with a two per cent increase compared with an average 3.6 per cent over the previous seven years. On the basis of projected changes in GDP, emissions for 2009 are expected to fall to their 2007 levels, before increasing again in 2010.
* Emissions from emerging economies such as China and India have more than doubled since 1990 and developing countries now emit more greenhouse gases than developed countries.
* A quarter of the growth in CO2 emissions in developing countries can be accounted for by an increase in international trade of goods and services.
The researchers called for more work to be done to improve our understanding of the land and ocean CO2 sinks, so that global action to control climate change can be independently monitored. The sinks have a major influence on climate change and are important in understanding the link between anthropogenic CO2 emissions and atmospheric CO2 concentration. But so far scientists have not been able to calculate the CO2 uptake of the sinks with sufficient accuracy to explain all the annual changes in atmospheric CO2 concentration, which hinders the scientists' ability to monitor the effectiveness of CO2 mitigations policies.
An international team of researchers under the umbrella of the Global Carbon Project reports that over the last 50 years the average fraction of global CO2 emissions that remained in the atmosphere each year was around 43 per cent -- the rest was absorbed by the Earth's carbon sinks on land and in the oceans. During this time this fraction has likely increased from 40 per cent to 45 per cent, suggesting a decrease in the efficiency of the natural sinks. The team brings evidence that the sinks are responding to climate change and variability.
The scientists report a 29 per cent increase in global CO2 emissions from fossil fuel between 2000 and 2008 (the latest year for which figures are available), and that in spite of the global economic downturn emissions increased by 2 per cent during 2008. The use of coal as a fuel has now surpassed oil and developing countries now emit more greenhouse gases than developed countries -- with a quarter of their growth in emissions accounted for by increased trade with the West.
Lead author Prof Corinne Le Quéré of the University of East Anglia (UEA) and the British Antarctic Survey said: "The only way to control climate change is through a drastic reduction in global CO2 emissions. The Earth's carbon sinks are complex and there are some gaps in our understanding, particularly in our ability to link human-induced CO2 emissions to atmospheric CO2 concentrations on a year-to-year basis. But, if we can reduce the uncertainty about the carbon sinks, our data could be used to verify the effectiveness of climate mitigations policies."
The main findings of the study include:
* CO2 emissions from the burning of fossil fuels increased by two per cent from 2007 to 2008, by 29 per cent between 2008 and 2000, and by 41 per cent between 2008 and 1990 -- the reference year of the Kyoto Protocol.
* CO2 emissions from the burning of fossil fuels have increased at an average annual rate of 3.4 per cent between 2000 and 2008, compared with one per cent per year in the 1990s.
* Emissions from land use change have remained almost constant since 2000, but now account for a significantly smaller proportion of total anthropogenic CO2 emissions (20 per cent in 2000 to 12 per cent in 2008).
* The fraction of total CO2 emissions remaining in the atmosphere has likely increased from 40 to 45 per cent since 1959, models suggests this is due to the response of the natural CO2 sinks to climate change and variability.
* Emissions from coal are now the dominant fossil fuel emission source, surpassing 40 years of oil emission prevalence.
* The financial crisis had a small but discernable impact on emissions growth in 2008 -- with a two per cent increase compared with an average 3.6 per cent over the previous seven years. On the basis of projected changes in GDP, emissions for 2009 are expected to fall to their 2007 levels, before increasing again in 2010.
* Emissions from emerging economies such as China and India have more than doubled since 1990 and developing countries now emit more greenhouse gases than developed countries.
* A quarter of the growth in CO2 emissions in developing countries can be accounted for by an increase in international trade of goods and services.
The researchers called for more work to be done to improve our understanding of the land and ocean CO2 sinks, so that global action to control climate change can be independently monitored. The sinks have a major influence on climate change and are important in understanding the link between anthropogenic CO2 emissions and atmospheric CO2 concentration. But so far scientists have not been able to calculate the CO2 uptake of the sinks with sufficient accuracy to explain all the annual changes in atmospheric CO2 concentration, which hinders the scientists' ability to monitor the effectiveness of CO2 mitigations policies.
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