6 December 2013

PLANETLIFE

ABRUPT CLIMATE DISASTER THREAT RAISES CALL FOR EARLY WARNING SYSTEM
T he threat of sudden climate change disasterfrom the poles melting to farmlands failingis real and requires an early warning system, an expert panel suggested on Tuesday. Looking at "tipping points" for global warming disasters, the National Research Council panel report on "abrupt" climate impacts nds noteworthy risks of sharp, sudden sea-level rise, water shortages, and extinctions worldwide in coming years and decades. "Climate change is real, it is happening now, and we need to deal with it," says James White of the University of Colorado, Boulder, who headed the panel. "Step number one is to recognize the points where we stand on the threshold of abrupt impacts." (See also "Global Wa r m i n g Re p o r t : 5 Takeaways.") U l t i m at e l y, t h e re p o r t envisions an abrupt climate impact early warning system that would be integrated into existing warning systems for droughts, oods, or other disasters and that would build off current ecological monitoring networks. An Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report re l e a s e d e a rl i e r t h i s ye a r concluded it was "very likely" that burning fossil fuels and other industrial activities were responsible for global warming, most notably more than half of the 1.3F (0.72C) rise in average surface temperatures worldwide since 1951. Continued Pg 6....

Temperature Limit Too High to Avoid Climate Change

Earthquakes & Volcano Activity Around the Globe

Emergency Management Lets Plan Together

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PLANETLIFE 5th December 2013

STUDY: TEMPERATURE LIMIT TOO HIGH TO AVOID CLIMATE CHANGE

An internationally agreed target to limit rises in global average temperatures to within 2 degrees Celsius is around double the threshold that would avoid catastrophic climate change, a study by 18 eminent scientists said. Governments decided in 2009 that such temperature increases needed to be no more than 2 degrees C (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels to avoid effects such as more extreme weather, higher sea levels and ocean acidication. They aim to agree by 2015 on a global deal to cut the greenhouse gas emissions blamed for climate change, but the reductions will not come into force until after 2020. Last month, a United Nations conference in Warsaw kept alive hopes for the 2015 deal but nations made little progress on committing to ambitious emission cuts to keep the world on track towards the 2 degree target. A study published in U.S.-based scientic journal PLOS One on Tuesday said the 2 degree limit was too high and a more appropriate target was around 1 degree C. "Some climate extremes are already increasing in response to warming of several tenths of a degree in recent decades; these extremes would likely be much enhanced with warming of 2 degrees C or more," the report's authors said in a statement. The scientists involved in the study are James Hansen and Jeffrey Sachs of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, Pushker Kharecha of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and 15 other climate experts from universities and institutes across the world. "An appropriate target is to keep global temperature within or close to the temperature range in the Holocene the interglacial period in which civilization developed," they said. The Holocene is the current geological epoch that started around 11,700 years ago and has experienced relatively stable temperatures. The world cooled slowly in the last half of the Holocene but warming of 0.8 degree C over the past 100 years has brought the global temperature back to near the epoch's maximum, the study said. Warming could be held to around 1 degree C if emissions from burning fossil fuels were cut by 6 percent a year from 2013 and by reforestation, which would result in 500 billion metric tons (551.16 billion tons) of cumulative carbon in the atmosphere near the end of the century, the study said. However, if emissions continued to grow until 2020, they would then have to be reduced by 15 percent a year to reach 500 billion metric tons. "The huge fossil fuel energy infrastructure now in place makes it practically certain that the 500 (billion metric tons) limit will be exceeded," the study said. The United Nations' panel of climate experts has said the world needs to stay within a 1 trillion metric tons "carbon budget" to meet the 2 degree target. However, this level would spur slower climate effects such as ice melt and ocean acidication and result in warming of 3-4 degrees C, the PLOS One study said. For more on this story visit: www.plosone.org

PLANETLIFE 6 December 2013

MALAYSIA: WORSENING FLOODS FORCE MORE EVACUATIONS

CN Asia, 5 December, 2013

The ood situation in Malaysias Pahang, Johor and Terengganu states has worsened, with more victims evacuated to ood relief centres (FRCs) on Tuesday night. In Pahang, more than 9,000 people were evacuated to FRCs from ve districts as of 8pm on Tuesday, said a spokesman from the Pahang police headquarters. The rising water level has also forced RapidKuantan, which operates 46 bus services in 13 routes in and around Kuantan, to stop its services temporarily. RapidKuantan chief executive ofcer Zainurul Hakim Mohamad said due to the worsening ood conditions in and around Kuantan, operations were fully suspended on Tuesday afternoon. "People living in high-risk ood prone areas and those living near rivers must be prepared for any eventuality and follow instructions from the authorities when necessary," he said. Fore more on this story visit: www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacic

EUROPE: EXTREME WEATHER BECOMING MORE FREQUENT

The Independent (Ireland), 5 December 2013

Droughts, oods and storms are becoming increasingly frequent in global weather, a report has warned. The new report from the European Academies Science Advisory Council declared there is an urgent need for action from governments and at EU level. The report on extreme weather events highlights a rise of 60 percent in the cost of damage caused by extreme weather across Europe in the past three decades. The report said it was vital that Europe's policymakers devise common strategies to help mitigate the physical, human and economic costs. To obtain a copy of the report which is based on a collection of scientic data from the last 20 years visit: http://www.easac.eu/home/reports-and-statements/ detail-view/article/extreme-weat.html

PLANETLIFE 6 December 2013

EARTHQUAKES AROUND THE GLOBE THIS WEEK

5.1 TONGA 5.1 SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS 5.3 SULAWESI, INDONESIA 5.7 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS 5.0 KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION 5.4 ANTOFAGASTA, CHILE 5.4 ANTOFAGASTA, CHILE 5.6 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES 5.3 VOLCANO ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION 5.2 NEAR EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN 5.0 KEPULAUAN TALAUD, INDONESIA 5.0 EASTER ISLAND REGION 5.5 SOUTH OF AFRICA 5.3 SIMEULUE, INDONESIA 5.7 SOUTHEAST OF LOYALTY ISLANDS 5.3 SIMEULUE, INDONESIA 5.7 SOUTHEAST OF LOYALTY ISLANDS 5.4 FIJI REGION 5.0 SOUTHERN XINJIANG, CHINA 5.1 DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO 5.1 GUERRERO, MEXICO 5.5 OFF COAST OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA 5.8 SIMEULUE, INDONESIA 6.5 KEPULAUAN BARAT DAYA, INDONESIA 5.1 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION 5.6 SIMEULUE, INDONESIA 6.5 KEPULAUAN BARAT DAYA, INDONESIA 5.1 GUERRERO, MEXICO 5.0 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION 5.4 DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

LIPPO GROUP AIDS REFUGEES OF MT. SINABUNG VOLCANIC ERUPTION

Jakata Globe, 5 December 2013

The Lippo Group handed out the aid to refugees in Kabanjahe, North Sumatra, who have been evacuated following a series of eruptions by the Mount Sinabung volcano. Lippo Group hopes the aid that we bring can ease the suffering experienced by people who have to evacuate because of Mount Sinabung eruption, Lippo Group president director Theo L. Sambuaga said on Thursday. The company handed food, medicine, blankets and sanitary products to the evacuees. The Center for Volcanology and G e o l o g i c a l D i s a s t e r M i t i g at i o n (PVMBG) has recorded Sinabungs increasing volatility since Nov. 1 raising the alert level from normal to high on Nov. 3. Between Saturday evening and Sunday morning, the volcano became signicantly more unstable, with at

least nine eruptions in the short period prompting the alert level change. The PVMBG has urged the evacuation of thousands of residents of 19 villages within a 5-kilometer radius of the crater, as well as four other villages outside the range, to the southeast, citing the direction of the eruption. In its latest update, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) said at least 6,300 people had been evacuated from around the 2,640meter-high volcano, but that thousands more still had to be evacuated. Torrential rain in Berastagi around Sinabung led to tragedy on Saturday after the buildup of surface water triggered a landslide that killed nine people as authorities continued to patrol villages in the area. For more on this story visit: www.thejakartaglobe.com

PLANETLIFE 6 December 2013

STEPS FORWARD IN WARSAW THE CLIMATE REALITY PROJECT

Last weekend, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) wrapped up its 19th Conference of the Parties (known as COP 19) in Warsaw, Poland. The conference was the international communitys latest attempt to build toward meaningful solutions to climate change and brought together 190 nations to develop a roadmap for international climate action through 2015. The primary objective of the conference was to prepare for COP 21 in Paris in 2015, when current plans call for a major new global deal to replace the Kyoto Protocol. This deal would serve as a binding agreement on emissions reduction and climate action for the international community and go into effect in 2020. Numerous setbacks at COP 19, however, slowed and shifted much of the preparatory work to next years COP 20 in Lima, Peru. Despite this, there was also some signicant progress, particularly in climate nance, that left observers with cause for optimism going forward. To prepare for the 2015 deal, negotiations at COP 19 focused on the key topics of nance, equity, and loss and damage (L&D). The latter proved a particularly contentious issue as developing nations pushed for L&D, including provisions for compensation and reparations, to be added alongside mitigation and adaptation as a pillar of the UNFCCC. Developing nations sought a binding agreement committing richer countries to bear the brunt of nancial responsibility for climate impacts. Richer countries, meanwhile, resisted this move and wanted to delay further L&D discussions until after 2015. This impasse led China and the G77 group of 133 developing nations to walk out of L&D negotiations at one stage. Negotiations later continued, ultimately leading to the creation of the Warsaw Mechanism on Loss and Damage, which will address the issue within an adaptation framework for at least three years. Climate ambition was also a driving force in the talks. Countries were expected to outline their targets for reducing climate pollution in detail, but many developed countries resisted doing so. In part, this was because of concerns about related costs and economic impact, and in part because they were reluctant to dene these targets unless large carbon polluters like China and India did the same. Developing countries were equally hesitant to provide clearer targets without wealthier and higher emitting nations taking the rst step. Meanwhile, parallel external events were adding both urgency and controversy to the talks. Just before COP 19 began, Super Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines with devastating force, killing over 5,000 people. Naderev Yeb Sao, the Philippines delegate, began a voluntary fast in protest of climate inaction for the duration of the COP. The move spurred a lot of support around the world, including a cross-platform petition calling for swift emissions reductions and adequate adaptation and mitigation nancing. The petition has exceeded 700,000 signatures. Fo r m o r e o n t h i s s t o r y v i s i t : www.theclimaterealityproject.org

PLANETLIFE 6 December 2013

36,000 TIMES PERMISSIBLE LEVELS FOUND IN WATER AT FUKUSHIMA PLANT

Manchini.jp, 3 December, 2013

The operator of the disaster-hit Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant said on Dec. 2 that it has detected radioactive materials that topped 36,000 times the permissible level in underground water extracted in the area. According to plant operator Tokyo E l e c t r i c Po w e r C o. ( T E P C O ) , strontium-90 and other radioactive substances that emit beta rays were detected at a level of 1.1 million becquerels per liter in underground water pumped up from an observatory well on Nov. 28. The well is located at a sea bank east of the No. 2 reactor, about 40 meters from the ocean. The amount of detected radioactive materials hit the highest level since Nov. 25, which marked 910,000 becquerels per liter of underground water. The national allowable emission level for strontium-90, a typical radioactive isotope that emits beta rays, is less than 30 becquerels per liter of water. TEPCO said radioactive levels in seawater within the harbor around the plant do not show any major change. It has been feared that highly contaminated water is leaking to the

ground from a trench that stretches from the No. 2 reactor building to the sea bank. The radioactive isotope detected this time sug gests the possibility of radioactive materials remaining outside the trench. Noriyuki Imaizumi, acting manager of TEPCO's Nuclear Power and Plant Siting Division, told a news conference that the company needs to investigate the matter in relation to other radioactive substances that leaked before.

ABRUPT CLIMATE DISASTER THREAT

Worries about tipping points in the climate and resulting abrupt climate disasters, such as ocean currents halting or "runaway" global war ming, have gured in climate science for more than a decade, most notably in a 2002 NRC report and in warnings from Columbia University climate scientist James Hansen. The new report differs from past ones in taking continued global warming as inevitable and looking for impacts on humanity and animals, not just geophysical and weather effects like melting glaciers or drought.

"The report is a break from the past in that it includes abrupt changes in the environment that can result from even small, steady increases in temperature or other climate change effects," says geoscientist Peter Clark of Oregon State University in Corvallis, who was not on the report panel. "I think that is an important point [that] the report is making." Panelists examined a wide range of abrupt climate impacts, ranging from the collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet to sharp drops in ocean oxygen levels. For more on this story visit: news.nationalgeographic.com

PLANETLIFE 6 December 2013

ANIMALLIFE ANIMAL EXPERIMENTATION

By Animals Australia

This is an ethical and moral issue of the rst order. If animals are so like us that we can substitute them for testing instead of using humans, then surely those animals have the very attributes (ability to suffer physically and psychologically, conscious awareness) that mean they deserve to be respected and protected from harmas we would wish for ourselves. It is easy to think that animal experimentation has nothing to do with the average Australian but it does. Any person who donates to a medical charity is potentially assisting to fund research involving animals. Therefore it is necessary to have a basic understanding of the issues, the impacts on animals and the alternatives, to allow an informed decision to be made as to whether it is appropriate to nancially support what has become a multi-billion dollar industry. Animal experimentation and the invasive use of animals for teaching, is inherently wrong. The use of animals in research and teaching is more about tradition and history than it is about science. Animals Australia is not opposed to

scientic progress, but we are opposed to the use of animals in the pursuit of that progress. Animal research has become big business Today it is a multi-billion dollar industry, encompassing the pharmaceutical and chemical industries and university and government bodies. There is also a signicant industry providing support services in relation to animal research, including animal breeding, food supply, cage manufacture, etc. More than six million animals are used annually in research and teaching in Australia and New Zealand. Many (but not all) those animals are subjected to some degree of pain and/or stress during the experimental procedure or as a result of the environment in which they are kept prior to and/or after the procedures. Australia does not yet publish national animal research and teaching statistics, but most States now gather them and publish them separately. See the statistics at Humane Research Australia. Research and teaching using animals cover wide areas of activity. The public perception that animal-based research primarily takes place in the eld of medicine is false. Animal-based research is widely used in agriculture and basic scientic research in relation to which the argument animal research saves (human) lives does not apply. Find out more about the types of research involving animals. To read more: www.animalsaustralia.org

PLANETLIFE 6 December 2013

THOUGHT ABOUT BEING A VEGETARIAN?

For those of us who were brought up by our parents to eat meat, it can be difcult to imagine enjoying a dinner of 'meat and three veg' minus the meat! But the truth is, vegetarian cuisine opens up a whole new world of exciting ingredients, tastes and avours. Many people report losing excess weight, and having more vitality and energy as (including ample protein and iron), added advantages of making the switch. some people may still need help shaking the meat addiction. Fortunately there And the best news is, it's easy! are an increasing number of 'mock meats' available with a taste and texture Kicking the Meat Habit Some people kick the meat habit remarkably like the 'real' thing, but cold 'turkey'. Others need time to make without the saturated animal fats, heartthe transition. Find what is right for you. clogging cholesterol and cruelty. You'll Here are some suggestions to get nd a variety of veggie sausages at your supermarket, as well as luncheon, veggie started: Start with one animal, and take mince, meatless schnitzel and more. them out of your diet (try starting with Visit your health food store or Chinese chickens, or pigssome of the most supermarket for an even larger range of abused animals raised for meat). meat alternatives. Substitute with vegetarian alternatives such as tempeh, tofu, or mock meats. Continue removing different animals until you have adopted an entirely animal-free diet. Pick one day each week to eat only vegetarian meals. Increase the number of meat-free days each week over time. Start with your favourite dish, and adjust the recipe to make it vegetarian. With many meat-free substitutes available, this should be easy. Work your way through your culinary repertoire until all your meals are vegetarian. Switch to vegetarianism with a friend! Sharing the experience can be fun and you will have someone to share recipes with. While a varied and balanced vegetarian diet will contain all the necessary nutrients for good health Ways to Get Active Soyou realise that adopting a healthy plant-based diet is the single most powerful way to help end cruelty to animalsand that it will help to save the planetbut what are you going to do about it? 1. Pledge to be Veg! Make the pledge now, if you havent already! Ask your friends and family to join you in making the pledge, to protect animals, the planet, and their own health. 2. Leave a Trail of WhyVeg.com Flyers Wherever You Go Armed with the new WhyVeg.com yer, getting the word out couldnt be easier. Leave some in waiting rooms at the dentists, doctors and vets surgery (where people are searching for things to

Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet. ! Albert Einstein

read!), bulletin boards, on counters at your local health-food store, or at your own business if you have one. With very little effort you can even leaet to pedestrians on the street. Got a place in mind? Click here to order your WhyVeg.com leaet pack! 3. Talk to Local Restaurants and Supermarkets Its simple. Write to, or talk to the manager at your local supermarket to ask them to stock more alternatives to animal products. Ask restaurants in your area to include or expand on their vegetarian menu. 4. Speak Up! Most people have no idea that the global livestock industry is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than all the worlds planes, trains and automobiles combinesor that by eliminating animal products from their diet they can increase their life expectancy and reduce their risk to some of the major threats to human health. Tell your friends and family! 5. Donate Help us to spread the word even further. Your donation to Animals Australia will help to expose the cruelty of factory farming, and fund vital public awareness campaigns. For more visit: WhyVeg.com

THOUGHT ABOUT EATING SUSTAINABLY?

The very building blocks of the current global food system arable land, water, fuels and chemical fertilisers are close to reaching their limits. We must build an alternative food future which produces enough food to feed the world, whilst reducing demand on these scarce resources. Luckily, there are alternatives. We can all focus on eating sustainably, restoring our land and water systems to health,

reducing reliance on chemical fertilisers and pesticides and trying out longforgotten seeds and breeds. Here are some ideas from Oxfam: Support Organic Farmers Eat Sustainable Seafood Reduce Packaging Eat Less Processed Foods Grow Sustainably At Home Eat on the Wild Side Shop Ethically For more visit: www.oxfam.org.au

PLANETLIFE 6 December 2013

SPACELIFE
COMET ISON IS CONFIRMED DEAD
It had been estimated that ISON would undergo temperatures of 2700 Celsius and lose three million tonnes of its mass per second as it made its journey around the sun. Most astronomers had predicted the comet, with an estimated diameter of some 1.2 kilometres, would not survive the ypast. Still, some observers had held out a sliver of hope that the 4.5 billion-year-old comet might have survived. Karl Battams, a scientist at the Naval Research Laboratory, wrote a brief obituary for the comet, formally known as C/2012 S1 (ISON) after the telescope called the International Scientic Optical Network used by the Russian astronomers who spotted it in 2012. "Never one to follow convention, ISON lived a dynamic and unpredictable life, alternating between periods of quiet reection and violent outburst," Battams wrote. "Survived by approximately several trillion siblings, Comet ISON leaves behind an unprecedented legacy for astronomers, and the eternal gratitude of an enthralled global audience."

Agence France-Presse, 4 December 2013

A comet that grabbed attention worldwide for being likened to a massive snowball in space didn't survive its brush with the Sun last week, NASA has conrmed. "Though the exact time of ISON's death is uncertain it does appear to be no more. All that is left is a cloud of debris without a nucleus," Alex Young of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center told AFP in an email on Tuesday. Dubbed the "Christmas Comet", the icy giant described as a massive, dirty snowball skimmed past the Sun at a distance of just 1.1 million kilometres around 1830 GMT on Thursday (0530 AEDT on Friday).

UFO SIGHTING AT FULLBROOK WIND FARM IN DEVON

International Business Times, 3 December 2013

A mysterious object was caught on camera hovering above Fullabrook wind farm in Devon, UK last Saturday. A gray coloured ying saucer shape was seen oating above West Country turbines in broad daylight. It is speculated that aliens are observing Earth and they may even have chosen the perfect landing pad, the vast lush green elds of a West Country wind farm. T h e l a r g e, ov a l - s h a p e d o b j e c t w a s unintentionally captured by a professional photographer, Rob Tibbles who was taking pictures of the wind farm between Ilfracombe and Barnstaple. When he examined his footage later on, he learned he had captured an unidentied object oating and hovering above the turbines. He zoomed in on the object and was still clueless as to what it could actually be. For more on this stor y visit: http:// au.ibtimes.com/articles/526983/20131203/ufosighting-unidentied-ying-object-ukengland.htm#.UqEX5jkrHph.

6 December 2013

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