Chuyên mục: Biến đổi khí hậu – Climate change

What is Blue Carbon?

~ Trần Đình Hoành ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

Blue carbon is the term for carbon captured by the world’s ocean and coastal ecosystems.

National Ocean Service

This is an image of a mangrove, but did you know it is also an image of a sink? A carbon sink.
Yes, this is an image of a mangrove, but did you know it is also an image of a sink? A carbon sink. Don’t know what that is? Read below.
Did you know?

NOAA’s National Estuarine Research Reserves and their partners are working to make wetlands conservation and restoration profitable while lessening greenhouse gas emissions through blue carbon financial markets. These markets balance projects that feature heat-trapping emissions with contributions that take carbon out of the atmosphere. Efforts thus far have produced the first-ever U.S. guide that makes salt marsh restoration eligible for international carbon markets; research that documents carbon storage capabilities in the marsh; workshops and school curricula on the topic; and newsletters and technical assistance.

Something that has a significant effect on our daily lives and is stored within the largest system of water on our planet must be a household name, right? Not necessarily. Have you ever heard of blue carbon? Chances are the answer is no, but perhaps you know more than you realize.

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Big Oil’s Big Lies: How the industry denied global warming – 2 parts

~ Phạm Thu Hương ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

Big Oil’s Big Lies: How the industry denied global warming – Part 1 | People and Power

Big Oil’s Big Lies: How the industry denied global warming – Part 2 | People and Power

Al Jazeera English – 9-2-2023

More than 40 years ago, the world’s largest and most profitable oil companies began to understand the effects their products were having on our climate. Their own scientific research told them so – well before it became common knowledge.

But for the next four decades – time we could have better spent transitioning to greener forms of energy – they sought to discredit and downplay evidence of global warming and the calamities it would lead to; wildfires, rising sea levels, extreme storms and much else besides. Tiếp tục đọc “Big Oil’s Big Lies: How the industry denied global warming – 2 parts” →

Xung đột nguồn nước: Đi tìm lời giải?

~ Phạm Thu Hương ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

tiasang –  – Thanh An

Ô nhiễm môi trường và biến đổi khí hậu khiến cơn khát “giọt nước, giọt vàng” xuất hiện thường xuyên ở nhiều vùng đất, qua đó châm ngòi cho những xung đột nguồn nước.

Dòng Vu Gia – Thu Bồn là khởi nguồn của xung đột nguồn nước diễn ra trong nhiều năm. Nguồn: Báo Đà nẵng.

Một tương lai ngày càng khát

Chảy qua hai xã cạnh nhau là Đại Đồng và Đại Quang, huyện Đại Lộc (tỉnh Quảng Nam), suối Mơ và suối Thơ không chỉ có vẻ đẹp nguyên sơ thu hút nhiều du khách mà còn là nguồn cấp nước quan trọng cho người dân nơi đây. Tuy nhiên, cuộc sống xoay quanh hai con suối không thơ mộng như cái tên của nó: “Hầu như năm nào ở đây cũng xảy ra xung đột nghiêm trọng vào mùa khô do khan hiếm nước. Cả hai xã đều cho rằng nguồn nước không được quản lý và phân bổ công bằng. Xung đột vẫn diễn ra hằng năm và vẫn chưa tìm được biện pháp phù hợp để giải quyết vấn đề”, PGS.TS. Huỳnh Văn Chương, Chủ tịch Hội đồng Đại học Huế, kể lại sau chuyến khảo sát về tình trạng tranh chấp nước ở khu vực này vào năm 2019.

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The Nord Stream gas pineline leaks the worst ever greenhouse gas event? Why it happened and what are the damages to the climate?

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

*Nord Stream is a network of natural gas pipelines run under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany

Nord Stream gas leaks may be biggest ever, with warning of ‘large climate risk’

theguardian.com

‘Colossal amount’ of leaked methane, twice initial estimates, is equivalent to third of Denmark’s annual CO2 emissions or 1.3m cars

gas leak bubbling to surface of Baltic Sea
Scientists estimate the leaks could release up to 400,000 tonnes of methane into the atmosphere. Photograph: Danish Defence/AFP/Getty

Seascape: the state of our oceans is supported by

Scientists fear methane erupting from the burst Nord Stream pipelines into the Baltic Sea could be one of the worst natural gas leaks ever and pose significant climate risks.

Neither of the two breached Nord Stream pipelines, which run between Russia and Germany, was operational, but both contained natural gas. This mostly consists of methane – a greenhouse gas that is the biggest cause of climate heating after carbon dioxide.

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Why rivers shouldn’t look like this

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkmJRJaPBXE

The quintessential image of a river you might recognise from post cards and paintings – nice and straight with a tidy riverbank – is not actually how it is supposed to look. It’s the result of centuries of industrial and agricultural development. And it’s become a problem, exacerbating the impact of both extreme flooding and extreme drought. Josh Toussaint-Strauss looks into how so many rivers ended up this way, and how river restoration is helping to reestablish biodiversity and combat some of the effects of the climate crisis

‘This is what a river should look like’: Dutch rewilding project turns back the clock 500 years

‘We make nature here’: pioneering Dutch project repairs image after outcry over starving animals

Josh Toussaint-Strauss Ali Assaf Joseph Pierce Nick Hildred Ryan Baxter, Source: The Guardian

Pakistan’s nationwide power cuts highlight escalating economic crisis

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

Washingtonpost.com

By Pamela Constable and Shaiq Hussain January 24, 2023 at 4:39 a.m. EST

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Three weeks ago, Pakistani authorities ordered all markets, restaurants and shopping malls to close early, part of an emergency plan to conserve energy as the country of 220 million struggled to make overdue payments on energy imports and stave off a full-fledged economic collapse.

But the measures were too little, too late. On Monday morning, the country’s overburdened electrical system collapsed in a rolling wave of blackouts that began in the desert provinces of Baluchistan and Sindh but quickly spread to nearly the entire country, including the densely crowded cities of Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi.

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The Global Energy Crisis 2021-2023 and Political Upheaval: Could It Get Worse?

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

energytracker.com

What started as a sharp post-pandemic rise in energy prices in mid-2020 has turned into a full-blown global energy crisis. How is this affecting the political stability of countries?

17 January 2023 – by Heba Hashem

Last updated on 24 January 2023

The world is going through a global energy crisis. Fuel costs affect many parts of daily life, including energy for heating and lighting, individual travel and commodities transportation.

The world is now facing a cost-of-living catastrophe. Millions of households are struggling to cover basic needs after energy prices spiked to levels not seen in decades.

Is There a Global Energy Crisis Today in 2023?

Actually, there is a global energy crisis. From Indonesia to the UK and Peru, people across the globe have taken their anger to the streets. As many as 92 countries witnessed protests against high fuel prices between January and September 2022. These include developed European countries like France, Spain and the UK.

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Arctic Ocean acidifying up to four times as fast as other oceans, study finds

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

theguardian.com

Scientists ‘shocked’ by rate of change as rapid sea-ice melt drives absorption of CO2 – with ‘huge implications’ for Arctic sea life

A thin layer of grey ice on a rocky shore
Norway’s Svalbard archipelago. Melting sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is driving faster warming and acidification, in a feedback loop known as Arctic amplification. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty

Acidification of the western Arctic Ocean is happening three to four times faster than in other ocean basins, a new study has found.

The ocean, which absorbs a third of all of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, has grown more acidic because of fossil fuel use. Rapid loss of sea ice in the Arctic region over the past three decades has accelerated the rate of long-term acidification, according to the study, published in Science on Thursday.

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Jacinda Ardern’s resignation shows burnout is real – and it’s nothing to be ashamed of

~ Trần Đình Hoành ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

Hilary Whiteman

Analysis by Hilary Whiteman, CNN

Updated 7:33 AM EST, Thu January 19, 2023

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern delivers her victory speech after being re-elected in a historic landslide win on October 17, 2020.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern delivers her victory speech after being re-elected in a historic landslide win on October 17, 2020.Lynn Grieveson/Newsroom/Getty ImagesCNN — 

Burnout is real – and it’s nothing to be ashamed of. That’s the conclusion trailblazing New Zealand leader Jacinda Ardern seems to have reached after almost six brutal years in office.

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Mekong farmers struggle as fertilizer prices rise

~ Phạm Thu Hương ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

Farmers harvest rice in Thailand’s northern Nan province. PHOTO: Paritta Wangkiat

mekong eye – By Phafan Nokaeo, Tran Nguyen and Sao Phal Niseiy

26 September 2022 at 8:25

Rising fertilizer costs decimate poor Mekong farmers’ livelihoods despite their vital role in feeding millions.

BANGKOK, THAILAND ― Skyrocketing prices for fertilizers and agricultural production has pushed farmers in the Mekong region into severe debt and poverty.

Many have been forced to abandon their farms or have been unable to pay their debts and have lost their land, despite their roles in ensuring food security for millions of people.   

“This is the worst year for farmers. Everything is more expensive, except rice prices, and they keep dropping,” said Prasert Tangthong, 58, a farmer with a small holding in Sing Buri province in central Thailand.

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Opinion: Energy importers must consider true ‘sustainability’ of Laos hydropower

~ Phạm Thu Hương ~ 1 bình luận

Proponents describe regional power grids as a way to promote economic growth, energy security and renewables in Southeast Asia, but this might come at a heavy cost

Lat Tha Hae temple in Luang Prabang province, Laos, half submerged by the Nam Ou 1 hydropower dam (Image: Ton Ka/China Dialogue)

Ming Li Yong

the third pole – August 23, 2022

On 23 June 2022, the import of 100 megawatts (MW) of hydropower from Laos to Singapore through Thailand and Malaysia was hailed as a historic milestone. Part of a pilot project known as the Lao PDR-Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore Power Integration Project (LTMS-PIP), this event represented Singapore’s first ever import of renewable energy, and also the first instance of cross-border electricity trade involving four countries from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

However, this development takes place amid rising concerns for the ecological future of the transboundary Mekong River and the millions of people who depend on it. A 2018 study by the Mekong River Commission concluded that further hydropower development on the river would negatively affect ecosystems, and would reduce soil fertility, rice production, fish yields and food security, while increasing poverty in the river basin.

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In the Mekong Basin, an ‘unnecessary’ dam poses an outsized threat

~ Phạm Thu Hương ~ 1 bình luận
  • A dam being built in Laos near the border with Cambodia imperils downstream communities and the Mekong ecosystem as a whole, experts and affected community members say.
  • The Sekong A dam will close off the Sekong River by the end of this year, restricting its water flow, blocking vital sediment from reaching the Mekong Delta in Vietnam, and cutting off migration routes for a range of fish species.
  • Experts say the energy to be generated by the dam — 86 megawatts — doesn’t justify the negative impacts, calling it “an absolutely unnecessary project.”
  • This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center’s Rainforest Investigations Network where Gerald Flynn is a fellow.

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Vietnam loses sacred cranes after habitat change

~ Phạm Thu Hương ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

In 2020 and 2022, no sarus cranes were spotted in Cham Trim National Park. PHOTO: Nguyen Van Hung

mekongeye – By Tran Nguyen

19 September 2022 at 8:05 (Updated on 22 September 2022 at 17:13)

A vulnerable bird that usually migrated to the wetlands of the Mekong Delta has become a rare visitor to the area

DONG THAP, VIETNAM – Twenty years ago, Nguyen Van Liet took scientists to the wetlands near his hometown of Tram Chim on Vietnam’s Mekong Delta to find sarus cranes, a vulnerable bird species according to the IUCN Red List, native to Southeast Asia, South Asia and Australia.

“We had to go very early so the cranes wouldn’t know it,” Liet said of the expedition, which aimed to study the crane’s movements using a navigation device. “After sedating them, attaching tracking devices to their legs, the crew found shelter to wait for them to wake up and leave safely.”

Memories of those trips will forever be a source of pride for the 58-year-old. His efforts, no matter how humble, have contributed to helping Tram Chim become known worldwide as a place to preserve this rare crane species, which are world’s tallest flying birds.

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Hợp tác cấp vùng về thương mại điện năng

~ Phạm Thu Hương ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

IUCN – 06 Th12, 2022

Trong lúc việc phát triển và mở rộng năng lượng mặt trời và gió sẽ là yếu tố quan trọng giúp Việt Nam giảm tiêu thụ than và đáp ứng yêu cầu trong lộ trình thực hiện các cam kết tại COP26, thì việc tăng cường nhập khẩu điện từ các nước láng giềng là một giải pháp bổ sung. Trong Kế hoạch Phát triển Điện lực 8 của Việt Nam (PDP 8) ban hành tháng 4 năm 2022 đã đưa ra dự đoán lượng điện nhập khẩu sẽ tăng từ 572 MW vào năm 2020 lên khoảng 4.000 MW vào năm 2025.

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Photo: A solar project invested by Trung Nam Group © Trung Nam Group

Tương lai thì nguồn điện nhập khẩu vào Việt Nam phần lớn sẽ đến từ CHDCND Lào và có thể từ Campuchia. Tuy nhiên, cách thức Việt Nam tham gia thương mại điện năng với các nước láng giềng này sẽ có ảnh hưởng trực tiếp đến việc phát triển các dự án phát điện ở các quốc gia này. Phần lớn nguồn điện năng mà Việt Nam nhập khẩu từ CHDCND Lào đến từ các đập thủy điện và các đập này có thể có tác động tiêu cực đáng kể cho Việt Nam.

Tiếp tục đọc “Hợp tác cấp vùng về thương mại điện năng” →