Climate Letter #1550

A new study has important information about the way carbon is sequestered in soils (International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis).  “A new global assessment shows that human impacts have greatly reduced plant-fungus symbioses, which play a key role in sequestering carbon in soils. Restoring these ecosystems could be one strategy to slow climate change.”  The numbers involved are indeed very large:  “…ecosystems encompassing mycorrhizal vegetation store on the order of 350 gigatons of carbon globally, compared to just 29 gigatons stored in non-mycorrhizal vegetation…..Human activities such as agricultural practices have altered 50-75% of the Earth’s terrestrial ecosystems, transforming natural areas with previously strong carbon sequestering mycorrhizal plant-associations to much weaker relationships…..This study identifies a potential mechanism that could be used to decrease atmospheric CO2 via enhanced soil carbon storage.”

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–The full study is available, and clearly deserves more attention than received so far:
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An iconic Alaskan glacier has started to melt (USA Today).  “Taku is one of the thickest known alpine glaciers in the world, measuring 4,860 feet from surface to bed.”  A glaciologist who thinks Taku should not yet be melting talks about this development, and also about what else is happening to glaciers around the world.
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Aviation emissions have an impact on air quality even larger than on climate (MIT Institute of Physics).  Researchers at MIT have quantified all of the various impacts that result from flying.  “Aviation emissions are an increasingly significant contributor to anthropogenic climate change.  They cause five per cent of global climate forcing.”  When all things are considered, the team found that growth in aviation causes twice as much damage to air quality as to the climate.  They see opportunities for mitigation, but trade-offs will be required to do so.
–Note:  Most estimates of aviation emissions do not include indirect sources and are thus well below the 5% figure quoted here.
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The contribution of plastics to climate change is large and growing (Quartz).  “…recent research has found plastics account for 3.8% of global greenhouse gas emissions…..virtually all plastic is made from oil, gas, or coal. That means at every stage in its life—from extraction, to refining, to disposal—plastic contributes to climate change…..And we are on the edge of a new plastic boom.  The petrochemical industry is set to triple its plastic production by 2050. At that rate, emissions from plastic production alone will account for 15% of global emissions by 2050.”  Plastic waste also emits greenhouse gases as it deteriorates.
–Speaking of plastic waste, this report from the Associated Press is perhaps the most disturbing I have ever seen.  Midway Atoll is right at the center of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
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A comparison of ten different pathways toward the achievement of economic gains through processes of active reduction of CO2 emissions (UCLA).  The main purpose of this new study was to encourage investment in R&D based on a wide variety of practical incentives offering reasonable prospects for gain.
Carl

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