Tiempo Climate Newswatch

Earlier snow melt means that the Arctic spring is arriving two weeks earlier than ten years ago, according to a recent study. The analysis was based on observations of the dates of a range of phenomena that mark the start of spring, such as plant flowering and when insects and other creatures emerge from hibernation. All six plant species studied flowered earlier than a decade ago. The white Arctic bell-heather was the most advanced at more than 20 days.

"In the short-term, this [earlier start to spring] is probably mainly good news, since the growing season is extending and the organisms now have more time to complete their reproductive cycle," said the study's leader, Toke Høye at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. In the longer-term, though, species from lower latitudes will migrate northwards and "competition from these species is likely to push the high-arctic species towards the north with the risk of extinctions," he warned.

The United States Senate has agreed legislation mandating a 40 per cent increase in fuel economy standards by 2020 and calling for a massive expansion of renewable energy generation. A compromise was reached to enable agreement, with the original schedule of annual increases replaced with a commitment that federal regulators will increase the standards "at a maximum feasible rate."

The automobile industry had strongly opposed the earlier draft. "Our message to the domestic auto industry is, 'You can do this,'" said Delaware Senator Tom Carper. "If automakers were half as good at making efficient cars as they are at fighting new environmental and safety laws, they'd all be enjoying record profits," commented Dan Becker of the Sierra Club. Environmentalists were disappointed that a US$32 billion tax package supporting renewable energy, at the expense of the oil and gas industry, was blocked.

Desertification, worsened by climate change, represents "the greatest environmental challenge of our times" warns a new analysis from the United Nations University (UNU). If governments fail to adopt more effective policies, they will face mass migrations of people within a single generation. As well as assisting adaptation to long-term climate change, "reforming policies to combat desertification also represents one of the world's most expedient ways to sequester more atmospheric carbon and help address the climate change issue," concludes Zafar Adeel from the International Network on Water, Environment and Health, the lead author of the analysis.

"It is imperative that effective policies and sustainable agricultural practices be put in place to reverse the decline of drylands," according to Hans van Ginkel, UNU rector. The report advocates a broader, overarching view and a more coordinated, integrated and interlinked approach to dealing with desertification, climate change, poverty reduction and other public concerns. "Some forces of globalization, while striving to reduce economic inequality and eliminate poverty are contributing to worsening desertification. Perverse agricultural subsidies are one such example," comments van Ginkel.