Past Programs
Climate Change - 2008
2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000
Double influence on changing climate
11/10/2008
Using ice cores from Antarctica and Greenland, the sun's activity over the past 10,000 years can be reconstructed. It shows cycle variations. Ken McCracken suggests there are two contributors to climate change - increased carbon dioxide and methane due to human activity and a changing sun cycle. He says we're entering a cooling period from the sun, as sun spots decrease in frequency, but we shouldn't diminish our concern or efforts in reducing production of greenhouse gas.
The next 50 years
20/09/2008
The next 50 years, next 100 years and beyond will be unique in history in that one species, us, will have the power to affect the future of the entire planet. If we continue burning coal, then by 2050, the risk of serious climate change from carbon dioxide building up in the atmosphere will be very real. Martin Rees is calling for a huge effort for research on carbon capture and storage.
The risk of sea level rise
23/08/2008
In 2008, 634 million people live within 10km of coasts. Mara Bún compares recent predictions with actual changes in sea level, and considers the consequences if sea levels continue to rise.
Great Southern Oceans - New Taronga exhibit opens
26/07/2008
Taronga Zoo in Sydney in undergoing a 12-year multimillion-dollar redevelopment. David Fisher reports on the opening of a major exhibit, Great Southern Oceans showing Australia's marine wildlife.
Exotic species invade warming southern waters
19/07/2008
Water temperatures are rising along the Antarctic Peninsular. There are signs that animals and plants from northern waters are moving south. King crabs are encroaching on pristine ancient environments. The organisms which have adapted to small temperature ranges, e.g. minus one degree to zero, are not suited to temperatures just one or two degrees higher. This contrasts with tropical species which can survive in a temperature range of 20 degrees. Warming is a major threat to Antarctic life.
Malaysian and Indonesian peat swamps drained and burnt for palm oil production
12/07/2008
Most peat swamps are in the Indo Malaysian region. Peat a spongy wet mass and can support trees up to 70m in height. The environment is water-logged with high acidity, up to pH of 2. Dropped leaves don't decompose. Cellular contents leak out, but leaf structure remains. Peat swamps are estimated to have formed over 5,000 years. As well as a large range of plants, surprisingly there is diverse animal life as well. But peat swamps are being destroyed originally for timber but now for palm oil for American fast food and as a biofuel. Peat swamps are drained and the peat is burnt.
Business leaders discuss climate
07/06/2008
Scientists and leaders from business and government met in Canberra in May 2008 to discuss the need for action over climate change. Tim Flannery explains the urgency and suggests a radical solution. Tim Costello says climate change is causing poverty and undoing 50 years of development work in the world's poorest countries. The group discussed the technologies available for saving energy, and the options ahead for reducing carbon output through carbon trading. Alexandra de Blas reports from the forum.
Midges as environmental indicators
31/05/2008
Midges comprise many kinds of very small two-winged flies. They are abundant in freshwater lakes and being very sensitive to temperature, are good environmental indicators. Cores from lakes show diversity and abundance of midges. They can reveal the temperature record going back 15,000 years. An assemblage of midges shows what the temperature was at any time. 2mm core intervals show changes every 10 years. Temperature can change quite quickly. 11,000 years ago, the Gulf Stream switched off and temperatures in Europe plunged 5 degrees. This happened over just 10 years. Things got cold very quickly. It was end of the ice age. Temperatures were increasing, and ice was melting. The result was large quantities of freshwater in the north Atlantic Ocean. The ocean current which drives the Gulf Stream was diluted. This switched the Gulf Stream off and plunged Europe into an Ice Age for 1,000 years. Today the Gulf Stream is thought to be 30% weaker. When the Gulf Stream returned, temperatures shot up quickly again.
Natural burial
17/05/2008
Cremation in a coffin produces 160Kg of carbon dioxide. An alternative is cardboard coffins and biodegradable shrouds. Some are suggesting the establishment of burial grounds in forests, so that decomposing bodies eventually become sequestered into the wood of trees, rather than becoming gaseous carbon dioxide, adding to an already overloaded atmosphere.
Climate policy needed to reduce risks of the unknowns in future climate
10/05/2008
Is it possible that natural fluctuations of the Earth's climate could have caused the temperature record since 1880? Steven Schneider says there is overwhelming evidence that the change is due to human activity. Don Aitkin recently criticised the Kyoto process and the need for climate policy (Ockham's Razor April 17 and May 4 see links below). Stephen Schneider says climate policy is needed for cooperative solutions.
Unicellular organisms in Antarctica - response to extended darkness and temperature change
03/05/2008
Andrew McMinn describes the challenges of 24 hours of darkness, and 24 hours of daylight, and the amazing transmission that takes place over about 6 weeks.
Andrew McMinn studies phytoplankton and zooplankton and observes how they cope with the extended darkness.
He suggests these organisms can survive in the darkness in low temperatures. It won't be so easy in the dark at higher temperatures.
Prospects for coral reefs
12/04/2008
Charlie Veron looks at threats to the Great Barrier Reef. The crown of thorns starfish and sediment runoff pale compared to the looming threats of warmer and more acidic seas.
Scott Dooney from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts explains how the ocean removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The water becomes more acidic and this harms marine species. The major impact will be organisms which build shells, such as lobsters, clams, scallops, oysters and crabs. Half the value of commercial fish stocks will be affected by increased acidity. These species could drop in abundance by 50% by the middle of the century. The process is irreversible.
Gretchen Hoffman describes experiments which simulate climatic conditions of the future and explains how these conditions affect some species.
Nancy Knowlton says we're facing an environmental catastrophe in coral reefs. Recent bleaching events have lead to major and widespread death of coral.
Balancing Nature 3 - The Philippines
09/02/2008
Balancing Nature 2 - Vietnam
02/02/2008
Balancing Nature 1 - Australia
26/01/2008
Meltdown in Greenland
05/01/2008
Daniel Grossman takes us to both ends of the Earth, to gain firsthand accounts of the latest research on the state of the world's ice cover in this new era of climate change. He takes us on a global tour from the massive ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica, and the sea ice of the far north and south, introducing us to leading scientists in the field. We hear about the implications of melting ice the world over and it's implications for the world's ecosystems, its wildlife and consequences for human habitation.
Meltdown of Arctic sea ice
05/01/2008
Daniel Grossman takes us to both ends of the Earth, to gain firsthand accounts of the latest research on the state of the world's ice cover in this new era of climate change. He takes us on a global tour from the massive ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica, and the sea ice of the far north and south, introducing us to leading scientists in the field. We hear about the implications of melting ice the world over and it's implications for the world's ecosystems, its wildlife and consequences for human habitation.
