Andes face glacial meltdown

2008 Jul 10

Melting glaciers in the Andes pose massive threats to the region - yet governments are reluctant to intervene

Glaciers in Peru are melting so quickly that by 2015 almost all of them may have disappeared. This is not just a problem for Peru but for the whole Andean Community of Nations, including Bolivia, Colombia and Ecuador. These countries generate around 73% of their electricity from hydro energy. Ironically, this renewable source of energy risks disappearing because of melting glaciers caused by climate change.

The report, Climate change knows no borders, provides a chilling reminder of the catastrophic impacts of climate change on the Andean region. The evidence predicting the rapid loss of glaciers and a fiercer, more frequent El Niño effect, where ocean temperatures rise along the coasts of Ecuador and Peru, causing droughts and floods, reveals an uncertain and potentially destructive future for the region. The El Niño of 1997/8 had a devastating impact, leaving thousands dead or homeless, crops ruined, roads and bridges left smashed. The bill ran into billions of dollars.

If this wasn't enough, climate change could lead to further losses of up to $30 billion a year by 2025 in the Andean region while the effect of melting glaciers could place 40 million people at risk of losing their water supply.

It seems ironic that the highest number of the Kyoto Protocol's clean development mechanism projects in the Andean Community relate to the resource facing the greatest threat – water. The climatic stresses causing the loss of glaciers, and in turn jeopardising what many regard as a key constituent of rural development through electrification, may result in a vicious cycle. The loss of this vital resource, combined with high prices and scant political enthusiasm for other renewable options – geothermal, wind and solar – may result in countries resorting to an increase in the use of fossil fuels.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jul/13/climatechange.colombia

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James Balog To Present Extreme Ice Survey At Conservation Alliance Breakfast

2009-11-09
Multi-media Presentation Focuses on Melting Glaciers Caused by Global Warming
Bend, Ore.,– The Conservation Alliance Breakfast at the January 2010 Outdoor Retailer Winter Market will feature guest speaker James Balog, a renowned photographer and adventurer, and founder of the Extreme Ice Survey. Balog’s presentation is a stunning look at the impact abrupt climate change is having on the world’s glaciers. The breakfast, which is open to the public, is Friday, January 22, 7:00-8:50 AM at The Marriott in Salt Lake City.

During his presentation, Balog will share stunning images and footage of glaciers melting worldwide. Balog’s team has installed 27 time-lapse cameras at 15 sites in Greenland, Iceland, Alaska, and the Rocky Mountains, and has produced dramatic footage of glaciers melting that demonstrates the immediacy of the global warming challenge.

“James’ work is the best illustration I’ve seen that global warming is an immediate problem, not something to deal with in 50 years,” said John Sterling, Executive Director of The Conservation Alliance. “We’re lucky that James and his team are out there documenting these changes, and equally lucky that he will share his story with us.”


Read more: http://tinyurl.com/y8grlfs

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California Hwy 101 Goes Electric

2009-10-01
The process of turning California’s Highway 101 into an electric roadway is beginning, and for a short period of time the charging stations that will be installed can be used for free. Beginning in October, Solarcity will be installing vehicle charging stations alogn Highway 101 between San Francisco and Los Angeles in order to reward those who have already made a move to adopt a cleaner lifestyle with clean technology in their vehicles.

Unfortunately, the free charging stations will be operable only for those driving Tesla Roadster electric vehicles over the next couple of months, but after the first stage of the implementation is complete, universal plugs will be installed to make the electric highway convenient to all drivers with various types of electric vehicles. Of course, once the charging technology becomes fully available to all drivers, the charging service will come at a cost.

Read more: http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/01/highway-101-in-california-goes-electric/

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Toxic legacy seeps from melting Alpine glaciers

2009-10-15

Swiss researchers have found that Alpine glaciers melting under the impact of climate change are releasing highly toxic pollutants that had been absorbed by the ice for decades.

They warned in a study abstract published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology that it could have a "dire environmental impact" on "pristine mountain areas" as global warming accelerates.

Much of the pollution was dumped on Europe's biggest mountain range by atmospheric currents from further afield, according to the researchers at three Swiss scientific institutes.

Their study of layers of sediment from an Alpine lake formed by a hydroelectric dam built in central Switzerland in 1953 revealed "sharp" build-ups of now banned chemical compounds from industry and farming, including dioxins and pesticides like DDT.

Read more: http://tinyurl.com/yhnljmy

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