Constantine Alexander's Journal

Portugal urges the international community to preserve our oceans

The Oceans Meetings brings together a panel of experts and country leaders committed to the oceans' future.

• The Portuguese Minister of the Sea hosts more than 50 country delegations and international organizations
• Speakers include Carlos Moedas, European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation and Vladimir Ryabinin, Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC-UNESCO)
• Countries are committed to change our oceans' governance practices

By the initiative of the Portuguese Government and of the Minister of the Sea, Ana Paula Vitorino, the Oceans Meeting will be held in Lisbon between 7th and 8th September. More than 50 country delegations and international organizations will attend the international forum. During the Oceans Meeting the following events will take place: a high-level meeting with ministers and government representatives, an international conference and business meetings. The Oceans Meeting gives a new expression to a global movement led by Portugal, which is intended to be extended to more countries with oceanic connections and who are fully aware of the need to preserve the resources of the sea and contribute to a better maritime environment. Through an interdisciplinary approach, the primary objective of this event is to bring together experts and political leaders to discuss common international policies for the Ocean. Oceans' pollution is one of the top priority problems that needs to be addressed. The abusive and undue use of the sea as a garbage dump as well as other inorganic products, represent serious risks to the subsistence of marine fauna and flora. Most importantly, they constitute a threat to human life that must be fought while preserving the oceans and the well-being of people.

Portugal, a country with long maritime traditions and with an ongoing process of extension of its continental shelf, has responsibilities and obligations in guaranteeing the sustainability of the oceans. Therefore, the country wants to lead a high level international movement that works toward the sustainable use of the oceans, in an inclusive and joint manner.

A polluted and improperly used sea, with higher concentrations of heavy materials and plastic particles, means less oxygen in the air that we breathe and a lower quality of the marine resources that we consume.

Marine pollution has a direct impact on human life through chemicals, toxins and on other harmful microparticles in the ocean water.

The international conference taking place in parallel to the forum's inter-ministerial meeting will focus on the topic «Oceans and Human Health» and will feature the interventions of Carlos Moedas, European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation and Vladimir Ryabinin, Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC-UNESCO).

 

Leonor Beleza, President of the Champalimaud Foundation, Lora Fleming, Director of the European Centre for Environment and Human Health and Lasse Gustavsson, Executive Director in Europe for Oceana, are others of the renowned experts attending the conference.

The high-level speakers present in Lisbon reveal the importance of the oceans' sustainability topic. Their presence also shows that there is a growing awareness of the need to take urgent measures that can defend the sea from the abuses and pressures of a modern society, that thinks in the immediate and does not project itself in the future.

«Portugal is conscious of the risks posed to the oceans. We are creating a mobilizing movement for maritime countries that understand the importance of clean oceans and that, together, can develop the necessary measures to leave future generations a healthier and more productive sea», says the Minister of the Sea, Ana Paula Vitorino.

«This is not rhetoric, we want action in a movement that will expand in the future to countless other countries with concerns about the sustainable use of the oceans», she added.

The inter-ministerial meeting, chaired by Ana Paula Vitorino, will be attended by ministers from various coastal states, namely the CPLP, from Mediterranean countries as well as from Europe and the North Atlantic. At the end, a declaration of intent will be adopted by the countries represented at the Lisbon meeting.

«We have a responsibility to safeguard the future of the oceans. By doing so, we are contributing to a better human development», said the Minister of the Sea, Ana Paula Vitorino, stressing the importance of the Oceans Meeting bringing together more than 50 country delegations and international organizations committed to the future of the oceans and, consequently, of humanity.

Contact: José Barata
JLM & Associados

Related articles

CO2 removal cannot save the oceans if we pursue business as usual

Shifting winds, ocean currents doubled endangered Galápagos penguin population

What's the annual value of trees? $500 million per megacity, study says

Researchers focus on 10 cities on 5 continents.

Istanbul, Turkey, City Park.

In the megacities that are home to nearly 10 percent of the world's 7.5 billion people, trees provide each city with more than $500 million each year in services that make urban environments cleaner, more affordable and more pleasant places to live.

In a recent study published in the online journal Ecological Modelling, an international team of researchers reported that in the 10 megacities they studied, tree-based ecosystem benefits had a median annual value of $505 million, which is equivalent to $1.2 million per square kilometer of trees. From another perspective, the value was $35 per capita for the average megacity resident.

The study's lead author, Dr. Theodore Endreny of the College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) in Syracuse, New York, said the value of trees' services could easily be doubled by simply planting more of them.

"Megacities can increase these benefits on average by 85 percent," Endreny said. "If trees were to be established throughout their potential cover area, they would serve to filter air and water pollutants and reduce building energy use, and improve human well-being while providing habitat and resources for other species in the urban area."

The study estimated existing and potential tree cover, and its contribution to ecosystem services in 10 megacity metropolitan areas across five continents and biomes (a large, natural community of plants and animals that occupies a major habitat). The cities were Beijing, China; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Cairo, Egypt; Istanbul, Turkey; London, Great Britain; Los Angeles, United States; Mexico City, Mexico; Moscow, Russia; Mumbai, India; and Tokyo, Japan.

The researchers estimated the benefits of tree cover in reducing air pollution, stormwater runoff, energy costs associated with heating and cooling buildings, and carbon emissions. "Trees have direct and indirect benefits for cooling buildings and reducing human suffering during heat waves," Endreny said. "The direct benefit is shade which keeps the urban area cooler, the indirect benefit is transpiration of stormwater which turns hot air into cooler air."

Urban trees perform services most people are unaware of, including removal of airborne particulate matter dangerous to human respiration by capture on leaves; energy savings in the form of cooling and insulation from both summer sunlight and winter winds; and carbon sequestration, which occurs when trees absorb and store carbon dioxide as they mitigate climate change.

"Placing these results on the larger scale of socio-economic systems makes evident to what extent nature supports our individual and community well-being by providing ecosystem services for free," said one of Endreny's co-authors, Professor Sergio Ulgiati of University Parthenope of Naples, Italy. "A deeper awareness of the economic value of free services provided by nature may increase our willingness to invest efforts and resources into natural capital conservation and correct exploitation, so that societal wealth, economic stability and well-being would also increase. As a follow-up of this joint research, we have created in our university an Urban Wellbeing Laboratory, jointly run by researchers and local stakeholders."

Citation: T. Endreny, R. Santagata, A. Perna, C. DeStefano, R.F.Rallo and S. Ulgiati; Implementing and managing urban forests: A much needed conservation strategy to increase ecosystem services and urban wellbeing; Ecological Modelling, Volume 360, Pages 325-335 (24 September 2017); DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2017.07.016.

Contact: Claire B. Dunn
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

 

Some land conservation measures unpopular among property owners

Since private landowners are critical partners in efforts to save coastal marshes, identifying the best strategies will be essential to success.

Fence Creek, Madison, Connecticut. Credit: UConn.

While popular with conservation groups, coastal easements that prevent development in order to protect marshland from changes brought about by climate change and rising sea levels are not favored by property owners, according to a new study by the University of Connecticut and Virginia Tech.

The findings, based on the results of surveys conducted in 2015 of 1,002 owners of Connecticut coastal properties, suggest that relying on education about sea level rise and the ecosystem benefits of marshes alone will not protect land from future changes. Since private landowners are critical partners in efforts to save coastal marshes, identifying the best strategies will be essential to success.

The study, conducted by Christopher Field and Chris Elphick of UConn and Ashley Dayer of Virginia Tech, followed two major storms -- Hurricane Irene in 2011 and Hurricane Sandy in 2012 -- providing a valid measure of whether experience influences attitudes about taking action to lessen future risks.

Landowners in the study indicated skepticism about granting easements based on concerns as to whether they will be offered a fair price in exchange for keeping land as open space where marshes can migrate as seas rise. They also indicated worry that environmental organizations "might not act fairly or transparently in their efforts to encourage tidal marsh migration," the researchers write in an article published in the Aug. 7 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

In the study area alone -- the Connecticut coast -- there are an estimated 30,000 landowners in the zone projected to become tidal marsh by 2100, and millions of people globally live near tidal marshes. Whether they decide to leave room for marshes to move inland or instead build seawalls that harden shorelines means the difference between saving tidal wetlands and their many ecological, economic, and recreational benefits, or losing them altogether.

While surveyed landowners whose properties flooded during the hurricane were 1.4 times more likely to say they may be willing to sell their vulnerable land outright, the real world results call those stated intentions into question. Federal buyout programs after both hurricanes acquired fewer than 100 properties in the study area, although many more were eligible, the study states.

If land protection agreements with nonprofits and government agencies aren't the answer, what offers greater promise for the future of marshes?

Surveyed landowners responded favorably to the idea of restrictive covenants, even though they typically do not include financial incentives. Under restrictive covenants, an entire neighborhood agrees to forgo building seawalls and other shoreline armoring structures. However, note the researchers, these strategies tend to be counterproductive in the long run, because they divert erosion and flooding to adjoining properties.

Coastal landowners also liked the notion of future interest agreements. Under these programs, private landowners agree to accept the fair market value of their property at the time of signing if future flooding reduces the value by more than half. That future flooding would mean dry upland has been allowed to turn into coastal marsh.

The study was funded by Connecticut Sea Grant, UConn, and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Field is a postdoctoral fellow in the UConn Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Elphick is an associate professor of conservation biology in the UConn ecology and evolutionary biology department and the Center of Biological Risk; and Dayer is assistant professor of human dimensions at Virginia Tech's College of Natural Resources and Environment.

The article, "Landowner behavior can determine the success of conservation strategies for ecosystem migration under sea-level rise," offers broad implications for how to best design programs to mitigate other climate change effects. But further analysis is needed, say the researchers.

Citation: Christopher R. Field, Ashley A. Dayer, and Chris S. Elphick;  Landowner behavior can determine the success of conservation strategies for ecosystem migration under sea-level rise; PNAS 2017 (August 8, 2017); DOI:10.1073/pnas.1620319114. 

Contact: Judy Benson
University of Connecticut

 

Related articles

Research spotlights a previously unknown microbial 'drama' playing in the Southern Ocean

CO2 removal cannot save the oceans if we pursue business as usual

Atlantic/Pacific ocean temperature difference fuels US wildfires

New study shows that difference in water temperature between the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans together with global warming impact the risk of drought and wildfire in southwestern North America.

Black Forest, Colorado, fire. Credit: NASA.

An international team of climate researchers from the US, South Korea and the UK has developed a new wildfire and drought prediction model for southwestern North America. Extending far beyond the current seasonal forecast, this study published in the journal Scientific Reports could benefit the economies with a variety of applications in agriculture, water management and forestry.

Over the past 15 years, California and neighboring regions have experienced heightened drought conditions and an increase in wildfire numbers with considerable impacts on human livelihoods, agriculture, and terrestrial ecosystems. This new research shows that in addition to a discernible contribution from natural forcings and human-induced global warming, the large-scale difference between Atlantic and Pacific ocean temperatures plays a fundamental role in causing droughts, and enhancing wildfire risks.

"Our results document that a combination of processes is at work. Through an ensemble modeling approach, we were able to show that without anthropogenic effects, the droughts in the southwestern United States would have been less severe," says co-author Axel Timmermann, Director of the newly founded IBS Center for Climate Physics, within the Institute for Basics Science (IBS), and Distinguished Professor at Pusan National University in South Korea. "By prescribing the effects of man-made climate change and observed global ocean temperatures, our model can reproduce the observed shifts in weather patterns and wildfire occurrences."

Maps showing the differences in sea surface temperature and total soil water on land in the period between October 2011 and September 2017. The maps on the left represent the observed or reanalyzed data, the central maps depict the simulation of ocean and external impacts combined, and the maps of the right show the forecast given on Jan. 1 of the preceding year. Credit: Chikamoto Y. et al.

The new findings show that a warm Atlantic and a relatively cold Pacific enhance the risk for drought and wildfire in the southwestern US. "According to our study, the Atlantic/Pacific temperature difference shows pronounced variations on timescales of more than 5 years. Like swings of a very slow pendulum, this implies that there is predictability in the large-scale atmosphere/ocean system, which we expect will have a substantial societal benefit," explains Yoshimitsu Chikamoto, lead author of the study and Assistant Professor at the University of Utah in Logan.

The new drought and wildfire predictability system developed by the authors expands beyond the typical timescale of seasonal climate forecast models, used for instance in El Niño predictions. It was tested with a 10-23 month forecasting time for wildfire and 10-45 for drought. "Of course, we cannot predict individual rainstorms in California and their local impacts months or seasons ahead, but we can use our climate computer model to determine whether on average the next year will have drier or wetter soils or more or less wildfires. Our yearly forecasts are far better than chance," states Lowell Stott, co-author of the study from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

Bringing together observed and simulated measurements on ocean temperatures, atmospheric pressure, water soil and wildfire occurrences, the researchers have a powerful tool in their hands, which they are willing to test in other regions of the world: "Using the same climate model configuration, we will also study the soil water and fire risk predictability in other parts of our world, such as the Mediterranean, Australia or parts of Asia", concludes Timmermann. "Our team is looking forward to developing new applications with stakeholder groups that can benefit from better soil water forecasts or assessments in future fire risk."

Citation: Yoshimitsu Chikamoto, Axel Timmermann, Matthew J. Widlansky, Magdalena A. Balmaseda & Lowell Stott; Multi-year predictability of climate, drought, and wildfire in southwestern North America; Scientific Reports, 2017; 7 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-06869-7.

Contact: Jung Gyu Kim
Institute for Basic Science

 

Related articles

Oceans slowed global temperature rise, scientists report

Birds, bugs and blanket bogs - Scientists warn an entire eco-system is under threat

Antibiotics come with environmental side effects

Report published in Microchemical Journal wins Elsevier's Atlas award.

Many of the more than 4,000 prescription medications used for human and animal health ultimately find their way into the environment. They can pollute directly from pharmaceutical manufacturing plants or from humans and animals. As these chemicals make their way into terrestrial and aquatic environments, they can affect the health and behavior of wildlife, including insects, fish, birds, and more. Credit: © AL GRANBERG

Researchers writing in Microchemical Journal are bringing attention to the fact that commonly used antibiotic drugs are making their way out into the environment, where they can harm microbes that are essential to a healthy environment. Their review article has been selected for the Elsevier Atlas Award, which recognizes research that could significantly impact people's lives around the world or has already done so.

"The amount of antibiotics is very, very low -- there are normally nanograms per liter of these molecules found in natural environments," said Dr. Paola Grenni, a microbial ecologist at the National Research Council's Water Research Institute in Italy. "But the antibiotics and also other pharmaceuticals can have an effect even in low concentrations, the so-called environmental side-effects."

When people take antibiotics, their bodies break down and metabolize only a portion of the drugs. The rest is excreted and enters wastewater. Because wastewater treatment plants aren't designed to fully remove antibiotic or other pharmaceutical compounds, many of those compounds reach natural systems where they can accumulate and harm microbes in nature.

That's a big concern, Dr. Grenni said, because many microbial species found in the environment are beneficial, playing important roles in natural cycles of nutrients, primary production and climate regulation. Some microbes also degrade organic contaminants, such as pesticides.

The review paper published by Dr. Grenni along with colleagues Drs. Valeria Ancona and Anna Barra Caracciolo highlights commonly used antibiotic compounds and their active ingredients. Some of those medications are used to treat people. Many others are used in veterinary medicine, especially to treat farm animals including cattle, pigs and poultry.

The release of antibiotics into natural systems is a "real-life experiment" with consequences that aren't yet fully known. Dr. Grenni and her colleagues say there's a need for more specific protections of environmental microbes given their importance to functioning ecosystems.

It's important for nations to work to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use and the release of those antibiotics that are needed into the environment. To that end, efforts should be made to equip wastewater treatment plants for removal of those compounds and to devise methods to improve the degradation of antibiotics once they reach natural environments. Members of the public can help by taking care to use antibiotics only when they are truly needed, and by disposing of expired medications properly.

"There are only a few researchers working in this field, but it's very important," Dr. Grenni said. "We need to know the different molecules we normally use that are in the environment and the effect they have. We need more research in this field."

Citation: Paola Grenni, Valeria Ancona and Anna Barra Caracciolo; Ecological effects of antibiotics on natural ecosystems: a review; Microchemical Journal (10 February 2017); DOI: 10.1016/j.microc.2017.02.006.

Contact: Jason Awerdick
Elsevier

 

Related articles

Research spotlights a previously unknown microbial 'drama' playing in the Southern Ocean

CO2 removal cannot save the oceans if we pursue business as usual

Sea temperature changes contributing to droughts

Sea Surface Temperature (SST) July 23, 2017. Credit: NOAA Office of Satellite and and Product Operations.

Fluctuations in sea surface temperature are a factor in causing persistent droughts in North America and around the Mediterranean, new research suggests.

A team from the universities of Exeter, Montpellier and Wageningen analysed data from 1957-2002 and found sea surface temperatures in the North Pacific and North Atlantic became increasingly variable, and extremes lasted for longer. Ocean temperatures are a major driver of conditions on land, and the researchers showed that the changes they observed correlated with increases in land temperature variability, and persistence of extreme temperatures. This in turn was associated with persistent droughts in North America and on land around the Mediterranean.

"Our evidence shows that larger and more persistent variations in sea surface temperature have occurred in the North Atlantic and North Pacific and these contributed to more extreme and persistent temperature anomalies on parts of the world's land surface," said Professor Tim Lenton, of the University of Exeter.

The researchers, who systematically scanned monthly temperature data to look for trends, note that such extended periods of high or low temperatures can have an effect "greater than the sum of their parts".

"For instance, a long heatwave can have greater impacts on human mortality than the sum of individual hot days, and multi-year droughts can have greater agricultural economic impacts than the sum of individual dry years," Professor Lenton said.

An ongoing drought in the Eastern Mediterranean, which began in 1998, has been described by NASA as the "worst drought of the past nine centuries" in the region. There have also been persistent droughts in the south west of North America in recent years, often referred to as the "California Drought".

Citation: Timothy M. Lenton, Vasilis Dakos, Sebastian Bathiany & Marten Scheffer; Observed trends in the magnitude and persistence of monthly temperature variability; Scientific Reports, 2017; 7 (1); DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-06382-x.

Contact: Alex Morrison
University of Exeter

 

Related articles

Ocean warming leads to stronger precipitation extremes

Oceans slowed global temperature rise, scientists report

High sea surface temperatures may affect immune competence of California sea lions (Constantine Alexander's Journal)

New study exposes negative effects of climate change on Antarctic fish

Renewable-energy technologies can help meet the increased cooling demand in cities due to climate change

By Science for Environment Policy

The available and emerging renewable technologies suitable for urban environments have been assessed in a recent study. Wind and solar technology can now be integrated into building design, and smart grids and metering can more efficiently manage energy production and demand at a local level. Investing in community-level renewable-energy projects can, therefore, help meet the future energy needs of towns and cities.

Providing for the increasing demand for energy and mitigating the effects of climate change are major challenges facing society. By 2050, 70% of the world’s projected population of nine billion will live within urban areas¹, which are likely to face significant environmental challenges. For example, higher temperatures will increase the energy demand for cooling (e.g. from air conditioning).

Renewable-energy technologies in the urban environment, such as solar and wind power, are increasingly regarded as an important solution to deal with climate change and energy security. Certain cities have already made progress in integrating renewable energy. For example, Rotterdam has adopted an Energy Approach Plan called REAP, where renewable technologies are brought into urban planning. In addition, Copenhagen aims to achieve 100% of its energy from renewables, in order to become the first carbon-neutral capital by 2025.

This study examined the potential role of renewable and zero-carbon technologies in meeting the growing energy demand for cooling. From existing literature, the researcher reviewed the emerging and more established renewable-energy technologies and how they can, or have been, integrated into towns and cities. Technologies outlined include micro-wind turbines, suitable for a built-up environment; how to incorporate solar panels in urban areas; and the role of information, computer technology and smart metering to manage energy use.

Emerging technologies include a variety of wind-turbine designs, which reduce the impact of erratic wind flow in built-up environments, and solar cells that are incorporated into pavements and floors, which are being piloted at the Solaroad project in the Netherlands. The efficiency of urban energy supply can also be improved on a local scale with small Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plants (which combine the production of heat and power). In Denmark, over 50% of the country’s energy demand is met by CHP connected to district heating and cooling systems. CHP can also be used with renewable technologies such as solar power.

Building owners have previously been discouraged from incorporating renewable technologies due to high costs and aesthetic and technical considerations. However, the researcher suggests that new technologies, such as micro-wind turbines, may be a more attractive prospect. There has also been considerable research into integrating solar-cell technology into building design. For example, a recent development has been to create dye-sensitised solar cells (DSCs) that can be incorporated into glazing facades. For example, replacement of the glazing facades in an office building in Palermo, Sicily, produced 112,000 kilowatt (kW) of electricity annually and also reduced energy consumption from air conditioning due to the extra shading provided². Hybrid technologies can also have a significant role in increasing renewable use. Windrail technology can be installed on rooftops and produces electricity from both wind and solar energy.

The researcher says that the technologies summarised demonstrate that renewables could cope with the potential increases in cooling demand in the urban environment. She says the use of renewables is hampered by two factors:

• most incentives for their installation are at the individual level, limiting community or district-level incentives, which might have a larger impact on total energy produced.
• the high initial investment required limits those on lower incomes from installing renewable technologies.

Information and Computer Technology and smart grids are suggested as a way to overcome these barriers. Smart grids — electricity supply networks that use digital technology to monitor and react to variations in usage — are described as a potential revolution in towns and cities to replace the centrally controlled grids of the 20^th century. The researcher says smart grids, smart meters and district-level energy-gathering data can allow better balancing of energy generation. This allows for a better response to energy demand and can improve efficiency, reliability and interconnection of energy supply, and a reduction in energy costs. For example, a study assessing the use of smart metering in hospitals indicated a reduction of energy costs of 25–30%.

Community-scale demonstrations, such as the LEAF Microgrid in Italy, show that all energy needs can be supplied from renewables (achieving a zero-energy goal) by combining renewable and energy-management technologies to balance supply and demand. Smart meters also help individual users to manage their own consumption. At the Technical University of Crete, smart meters installed throughout the campus, combined with an awareness-raising campaign, led to a 17% reduction in energy consumption.

The researcher says that renewable-energy use in the future can be part of a more sustainable way of living within urban communities. Generating renewable energy at a neighbourhood or district scale means less infrastructure is needed to transfer energy to where it is needed. The researcher says that incentives should be provided for joint public and private renewable-energy projects at community or district level, where the energy produced can be used by local residences.

1. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
2. Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne. Conference Paper: Benefits of a translucent building envelope made of DSC-integrated glass blocks. 

Citation: Kolokotsa, D.; Smart cooling systems for the urban environment, using renewable technologies to face the urban climate change; Solar Energy (2017); DOI:10.1016/j.solener.2016.12.004.

Contact: Dionysia Kolokotsa

 

 

Global diet and farming methods 'must change for environment's sake'

New born calf of a Friesian red and white cow. Back in 1993 there were only 17 real Friesian red and white cows left. Today, thanks to enthusiasts and a breeding program, there are about 300. Credit: Uberprutser (CC 3.0)

Reducing meat consumption and using more efficient farming methods globally are essential to stave off irreversible damage to the environmental, a new study says.

The research, from the University of Minnesota, also found that future increases in agricultural sustainability are likely to be driven by dietary shifts and increases in efficiency, rather than changes between food production systems.

Researchers examined more than 740 production systems for more than 90 different types of food, to understand the links between diets, agricultural production practices and environmental degradation. Their results are published today in the journal Environmental Research Letters.

Lead author Dr Michael Clark said: "If we want to reduce the environmental impact of agriculture, but still provide a secure food supply for a growing global population, it is essential to understand how these things are linked."

Using life cycle assessments - which detail the input, output and environmental impact of a food production system - the researchers analysed the comparative environmental impacts of different food production systems (e.g. conventional versus organic; grain-fed versus grass-fed beef; trawling versus non-trawling fisheries; and greenhouse-grown versus open-field produce), different agricultural input efficiencies (such as feed and fertilizer), and different foods.

The impacts they studied covered levels of land use, greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), fossil fuel energy use, eutrophication (nutrient runoff) and acidification potential.

Dr Clark said: "Although high agricultural efficiency consistently correlated with lower environmental impacts, the detailed picture we found was extremely mixed. While organic systems used less energy, they had higher land use, did not offer benefits in GHGs, and tended to have higher eutrophication and acidification potential per unit of food produced. Grass-fed beef, meanwhile, tended to require more land and emit more GHGs than grain-fed beef."

However, the authors note that these findings do not imply conventional practices are sustainable. Instead, they suggest that combining the benefits of different production systems, for example organic's reduced reliance on chemicals with the high yields of conventional systems, would result in a more sustainable agricultural system.

Dr Clark said: "Interestingly, we also found that a shift away from ruminant meats like beef - which have impacts three to 10 times greater than other animal-based foods - towards nutritionally similar foods like pork, poultry or fish would have significant benefits, both for the environment and for human health.

"Larger dietary shifts, such as global adoption of low-meat or vegetarian diets, would offer even larger benefits to environmental sustainability and human health."

Co-author Professor David Tilman said: "It's essential we take action through policy and education to increase public adoption of low-impact and healthy foods, as well the adoption of low impact, high efficiency agricultural production systems.

"A lack of action would result in massive increases in agriculture's environmental impacts including the clearing of 200 to 1000 million hectares of land for agricultural use, an approximately three-fold increase in fertilizer and pesticide applications, an 80 per cent increase in agricultural GHG emissions and a rapid rise in the prevalence of diet-related diseases such as obesity and diabetes.

Professor Tilman added: "The steps we have outlined, if adopted individually, offer large environmental benefits. Simultaneous adoption of these and other solutions, however, could prevent any increase in agriculture's environmental impacts. We must make serious choices, before agricultural activities cause substantial, and potentially irreversible, environmental damage."

Citation: Michael Clark & David Tilman; Comparative analysis of environmental impacts of agricultural production systems, agricultural input efficiency, and food choice; Environmental Research Letters, 2017; 12 (6): 064016; DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/aa6cd5.

Contact: Simon Davies

 

Related articles

Happy World Oceans Day!

Plastic found in stomachs of over 1 in 6 large pelagic fish sampled in Mediterranean Sea

View of 'nature as capital' uses economic value to help achieve a sustainable future

Post-communist countries may struggle more with Natura 2000 implementation

Interview with EU Commissioner Vella on LIFE

Amazonia's future will be jeopardized by dams

Building the hundreds of hydroelectric dams proposed for the Amazon River Basin will cause massive environmental damage all the way from the eastern slopes of the Andes to the Atlantic Ocean, according to new findings by an international team of researchers that includes a University of Arizona hydrologist.

The Amazon River and its watershed--the largest river system on Earth--cover 6.1 million square kilometers (2.4 million square miles) and includes nine countries.

"The Amazon is the most important river basin on the planet. It's a microcosm of our issues of today involving environment, energy and health of the planet," said co-author Victor Baker, University of Arizona Regents' Professor of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences.

The 428 current and proposed dams will have environmental impacts throughout the entire system, the team reports in the June 15 issue of the journal Nature. About one-third of the 428 dams are built or are under construction.

While these hydroelectric dams have been justified for providing renewable energy and avoiding carbon emissions, little attention has been paid to the major disturbances dams present to the Amazon floodplains, rainforests, the northeast coast of South America and the regional climate, the researchers write.

Generally, only the local environmental impact of a dam is considered, not the regional or system-wide effect.

"The river and its individual pieces cannot be separated out," Baker said. "That an individual dam assessment can be separated from the rest of the system isn't scientifically valid."

The research team conducted a large-scale assessment of how the current and future dams will affect the entire Amazon Basin. The researchers developed a Dam Environmental Vulnerability Index to quantify their assessment. The DEVI ranges from one to 100, with 100 being the most vulnerable.

The DEVI incorporates overall changes to the river systems from dams, including the potential land use changes, erosion, runoff, changes in sediment deposition, the effects on the region's rich biodiversity and impacts to the regional food supply.

The researchers found the watershed of the Madeira River, the largest Amazon tributary, will sustain the greatest negative impacts from the current and future dams. The team assigned that region a DEVI above 80.

This map of South America shows the watershed of the Amazon River, the largest river system on Earth. The watershed, which stretches from the eastern slopes of the Andes to the Atlantic coast, covers 6.1 million square kilometers (2.4 million square miles) and includes nine countries. Credit: Earth Observatory, NASA.

This map shows the Dam Environmental Vulnerability Index for various areas of the Amazon Basin. The DEVI incorporates multiple measures of the environment to show how vulnerable an area is to damage from dam-building. The most vulnerable area is the Madeira River watershed, shown in red (DEVI of 80-100), following by the areas colored salmon pink (DEVI of 60-80). The darker blue regions are the least vulnerable areas (DEVI of 0-20). The green dots show the location of dams that are existing and under construction. The yellow dots represent dams that are planned. Credit: Edgardo Latrubesse, The University of Texas at Austin.

Lead author Edgardo Latrubesse, a geography and the environment professor at the University of Texas at Austin, said, "The impacts can be not only regional, but also on an interhemispheric scale. If all the planned dams in the basin are constructed, their cumulative effect will trigger a change in sediment flowing into the Atlantic Ocean that may hinder the regional climate."

The paper by Latrubesse, Baker and their 14 colleagues is titled, "Damming the Rivers of the Amazon Basin." A complete list of authors and their affiliations is at the bottom of this news release.

The National Science Foundation, NASA, the National Geographic Society, LLILAS-Mellon, the Brazilian Council for Scientific and Technological Development-CNPq and CAPES Foundation funded the research.

Rivers in the Amazon Basin move like a dance, exchanging sediments across continental distances to deliver nutrients to a mosaic of wetlands, Latrubesse said.

Sediment transported by rivers provides nutrients that sustain wildlife, contribute to the regional food supplies and modulate river dynamics that result in high habitat and biotic diversity for both aquatic and nonaquatic organisms.

Many current and proposed dams are located far upstream in the Andean region. Research indicates the Andes provide more than 90 percent of the sediment to the entire Amazon Basin. Dams trap the nutrient-rich sediment and prevent it from moving downstream.

The Madeira River is home to the most diverse fish population in the Amazon. Since the huge Santo Antônio and Jiaru dams were constructed on the Madeira, the river's average sediment concentration decreased by 20 percent. Researchers expect the 25 dams planned for further upstream will trap additional nutrient-rich sediment behind them.

The largest preserved mangrove region of South America is along the coastline of northeast Brazil and the three Guianas and needs sediment from the Amazon, Latrubesse said.

Baker added that the cumulative impacts from the dams affect rainfall and storm patterns from the Amazon Basin to the Gulf of Mexico. In addition to changes in sediment flow, those impacts include the storage of water behind the dams, the water flows and the timing of flows to the mouth of the river.

The study's authors conclude, "Citizens of the Amazon Basin countries will ultimately have to decide whether hydropower generation is worth the price of causing profound damage to the most diverse and productive river system in the world. If those decisions are made within the context of a comprehensive understanding of the fluvial system as a whole, the many benefits the rivers provide to humans and the environment could be retained."

Citation: Edgardo M. Latrubesse, Eugenio Y. Arima, Thomas Dunne, Edward Park, Victor R. Baker, Fernando M. d’Horta, Charles Wight, Florian Wittmann, Jansen Zuanon, Paul A. Baker, Camila C. Ribas, Richard B. Norgaard, Naziano Filizola, Atif Ansar, Bent Flyvbjerg & Jose C. Stevaux; Damming the rivers of the Amazon basin; Nature 546, 363–369 (15 June 2017); DOI:10.1038/nature22333. 

Contact: Mari N. Jensen
University of Arizona

 

Related articles

Retreating sea ice linked to changes in ocean circulation, could affect European climate

Warmer, lower-oxygen oceans will shift marine habitats

Location isn't everything but timing is for certain spawning fish

Marine reserves can help mitigate climate change

An international team of scientists has concluded that "highly protected" marine reserves can help mitigate the effects of climate change and suggests that these areas be expanded and better managed throughout the world.

Globally, coastal nations have committed to protecting 10 percent of their waters by 2020, but thus far only 3.5 percent of the ocean has been set aside for protection - and less than half of that (1.6 percent) is strongly protected from exploitation. Some scientists have argued that as much as 30 percent of the ocean should be set aside as reserves to safeguard marine ecosystems in the long-term.

Results of the study, which evaluated 145 peer-reviewed studies on the impact of marine reserves, is being published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"Marine reserves cannot halt or completely offset the growing impacts of climate change," said Oregon State University's Jane Lubchenco, former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Administrator and co-author on the study. "But they can make marine ecosystems more resilient to changes and, in some cases, help slow down the rate of climate change.

"Protecting a portion of our oceans and coastal wetlands will help sequester carbon, limit the consequences of poor management, protect habitats and biodiversity that are key to healthy oceans of the future, and buffer coastal populations from extreme events," Lubchenco said. "Marine reserves are climate reserves."

The scientists say marine reserves can help protect ecosystems - and people - from five impacts of climate change that already are taking place: ocean acidification, rising sea levels, an increase in the severity of storms, shifts in the distribution of species, and decreased ocean productivity and availability of oxygen.

Lead author Callum Roberts, from the University of York, said that many studies already have shown that marine reserves can protect wildlife and support productive fisheries. The goal of this peer-reviewed literature-study was to see whether the benefits of marine reserves could ameliorate or slow the impacts of climate change.

"It was soon quite clear that they can offer the ocean ecosystem and people critical resilience benefits to rapid climate change," Roberts said.

The benefits are greatest, the authors say, in large, long-established and well-managed reserves that have full protection from fishing and mineral extraction, and isolation from other damaging human activities.

The study notes that ocean surface waters have become on average 26 percent more acidic since pre-industrial times, and by the year 2100 under a "business-as-usual" scenario they will be 150 percent more acidic. The authors say coastal wetlands - including mangroves, seagrasses and salt marshes - have demonstrated a capacity for reducing local carbon dioxide concentrations because many contain plants with high rates of photosynthesis.

"Unfortunately," Lubchenco said, "these ecosystems are some of the most threatened coastal areas and have experienced substantial reductions in the past several decades. Wetland protection should be seen as a key element in achieving greater resilience for coast communities."

Coastal wetlands, along with coral and oyster reefs, kelp forests and mud flats, can help ameliorate impacts of rising sea levels and storm surge. The average global sea level has risen about seven inches since 1900, and is expected to increase nearly three feet by the year 2100, threatening many low-lying cities and nations. The dense vegetation in coastal wetlands can also provide protection against severe storms, which are increasing in intensity in many parts of the world.

Climate change already is having a major impact on the abundance and distribution of marine species. Phytoplankton communities are changing in response to warming, acidification and stratifying oceans, and upper trophic level species are being affected, threatening global food security. Climate change interacts with and exacerbates other stressors like overfishing and pollution, the researchers say.

Reducing some stressors can increase the resilience of species and ecosystems to impacts of other stressors.

"We have seen how marine reserves can be a haven for some species that are under duress from over-fishing or habitat loss, and as a 'stepping-stone' for other species that are recolonizing or moving into new areas," Lubchenco said. "Reserves also promote genetic diversity and provide protection for older fish and other marine organisms. In short, reserves are one of the most powerful tools in our adaptation toolbox. Reserves enhance the resilience of marine ecosystems, and thus our resilience."

Lubchenco, who recently completed a two-year term as the first U.S. Science Envoy for the Ocean, has been involved in research at Oregon State on the interactions between people and marine ecosystems. She has led pioneering studies on coastal hypoxia (so-called "dead zones") and innovative ways to achieve sustainable fishing and other uses of the ocean.

The authors point out that effectiveness of marine reserves is often challenged by lack of staff, equipment and funding; inconsistent management; lack of communication with industry and local communities; and concerns about displacing fishing activities. But, they point out, these challenges can be resolved. Their findings that reserves enhance the resilience of marine ecosystems suggests that reserves may offer the best hope to adapt to a changing climate.

"Marine reserves will not halt, change or stop many of the threats associated with climate change affecting communities within their boundaries," they write. "We contend, however, that existing and emerging evidence suggests that (marine reserves) can serve as a powerful tool to help ameliorate some problems resulting from climate change, slow the development of others, and improve the outlook for continued ecosystem functioning and delivery of ecosystem services."

Citation: Callum M. Roberts, Bethan C. O’Leary, Douglas J. McCauley, Philippe Maurice Cury, Carlos M. Duarte, Jane Lubchenco, Daniel Pauly, Andrea Sáenz-Arroyo, Ussif Rashid Sumaila, Rod W. Wilson, Boris Worm, and Juan Carlos Castilla; Marine reserves can mitigate and promote adaptation to climate change; PNAS, June 2017 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1701262114.

Contact: Jane Lubchenco
Oregon State University

 

 

Related articles

View of 'nature as capital' uses economic value to help achieve a sustainable future

Global sea levels have risen 6 meters or more with just slight global warming

Birds, bugs and blanket bogs - Scientists warn an entire eco-system is under threat

Research spotlights a previously unknown microbial 'drama' playing in the Southern Ocean