Wild Sheep Show How Environmental Change Can Override Natural Selection

Changing winter conditions are causing Scotland's wild Soay sheep to get smaller despite the evolutionary benefits of having a large body, researchers report in a study that shows how climate change can trump natural selection

By AAAS , USA

Climate Policy Resource.

Trade and Climate Change

The American Clean Energy and Security Act would be an important step forward in confronting climate change. But as it works its way through Congress there is still much that can be improved. The bill's approach to helping vulnerable U.S. industries through the transition to a low-carbon economy is particularly problematic: In pursuit of a sensible goal, Congress is taking steps other nations could see as protectionist.

By CFR,USA.

Climate Policy Resource.

Natural Resources of the Arctic Circle Revealed

Following an assessment of natural resources north of the Arctic Circle, researchers say that a full 30% of the world's undiscovered natural gas and 13% of its undiscovered oil could be found there. The research published in the latest edition of Science indicates that estimated Arctic oil reserves are relatively small compared to the known reserves in major petroleum exporting countries, so the researchers do not anticipate a major shift in the world's oil trade. However, they do expect the location and volume of predicted natural gas reserves inside the Arctic Circle to primarily benefit Russia. .

By AAAS, USA.

Climate Policy Resource.

Finding energy sources that are abundant, affordable, secure, and of limited threat to the environment is now a top concern for virtually every country in world, experts said at a seminar at AAAS in Washington, D.C.

By AAAS, USA..

Climate change Policy Resource.

FAIRBANKS, Alaska—The news came in mid-September that Arctic sea ice had shrunk to its second smallest size on record, but even before that, 2008 had given many Alaskans a troubling sense that things were somehow out-of-kilter. Record summer rainfall caused damaging floods and swamped backyard vegetable gardens. Floods and high gas prices disrupted subsistence hunting and fishing out in the Bush. And schools in Alaska's urban areas reported a surprising surge in students, apparently because families are moving from rural villages

By AAAS, USA..

Climate change Policy Resource.

Ancient Amazon Contained Urban Landscapes, Provides Lessons for Sustainable Development

The Amazon River basin was a very different place before the arrival of European colonists in 1492, characterized by densely populated urban landscapes, researchers report in the latest issue of Science. They describe an Amazonian history that is quite different from most modern perceptions of the indigenous people who once inhabited the world's largest rainforest. .

By AAAS, USA.

Climate Change Policy Resource.

AAAS Arctic Division Meeting to Explore Adaptation to Food, Energy and Climate Challenges

As many U.S. researchers and policymakers consider the potential impact of dramatically higher energy costs, potential food shortages and climate change, these interrelated issues are already reshaping daily life for many people who live in the Far North. Hundreds of Arctic scientists and community leaders will gather at the annual meeting of the AAAS Arctic Division next month to assess not only how to observe and measure these changes, but how humans can best adapt.

By AAAS, USA.

Climate Change Policy Resource.

Driven by Warming, Plants in Western Europe are Climbing to Higher Altitudes

To escape warming temperatures, some plants are taking up residence in higher, cooler locales, but the upward climb of these forest plants could disrupt mountain ecosystems, says new research in the 27 June issue of Science.Jonathan Lenoir and his research team surveyed 171 plant species in Western Europe and found an average upward shift of 29 meters per decade, give or take about 11 meters. The shift happened over the course of the 20th century, with the steepest climb occurring between 1971 and 1993, when the average shift was nearly 65 meters per decade.

By AAAS, USA.

Climate Policy Resource.

Study Shows Human-Caused Climate Change Responsible for Global Impacts

A vast array of physical and biological systems across the earth are being affected by warming temperatures caused by human activity, says a new Columbia study. These impacts include earlier leafing of trees and plants over many regions; movements of species to higher latitudes and altitudes in the Northern Hemisphere; changes in bird migrations in Europe, North America and Australia; and shifting of the oceans’ plankton and fish from cold- to warm-adapted communities. Based on an analysis of aggregated data, this study is the first to link observed global changes in diverse systems to human-caused, or anthropogenic, climate change. The study appears in the May 15 issue of the leading scientific journal Nature.

By Columbia University, USA.

Climate Policy Resource.

Facing an "Extreme Future," Nations—and Researchers—Must Collaborate, Experts Say

With the world facing stresses on energy, water, food supplies and social services that seem destined to grow more dire, 21st century science will have to adopt new, more global approaches in organization and funding to provide solutions, experts told an 8 May session of the 33rd annual AAAS Forum on Science and Technology Policy.

By AAAS, USA.

Climate Policy Resource.