Liberty
Matters News Service
January 20, 2006
What a Gas
It's not just the cows anymore. German scientists think they have uncovered a previously unknown source of methane gas: ordinary, run of the mill, plants. For years environmentalists have warned of the dangers posed by methane-gas-passing bovines, never suspecting that little plants were contributing the gassy mixture too. Now, researchers at the Max-Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg, Germany, say living plants produce 10 to 30 percent of methane found in the atmosphere, annually. By measuring the amounts of methane produced by plants in controlled studies, the scientists observed the gas increased with rising temperatures and exposure to sunlight. Dr. Frank Keppler and team discovered living plants produce 10 to 100 times more methane than dead plants. David Lowe, of the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research in New Zealand says that may explain satellite images of "incredibly large plumes of methane above tropical forests." The scientists say their findings could explain why concentrations of the gas have almost tripled in the last 150 years, and it likely wasn't because of cows. Lowe says questions abound about how such a large source of methane could have been ignored for so long. Perhaps the "best available science" isn't very reliable in this instance or as a basis for endangered species designation either.
New Source of Global Warming Gas
Found: Plants
Europe Not Living Up to Kyoto Promises
European countries that enthusiastically embraced the draconian demands of the Kyoto Protocol are falling woefully behind their pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Interestingly, the United States vilified for refusing to penalize her citizens for living well, is managing to keep emissions levels within reasonable bounds. According to a Wall Street Journal article, since Kyoto was adopted in 1997, most European countries have seen an increase in greenhouse gas emissions. 13 of the 15 original European Union (EU) signatories are expected to miss their 2010 emissions targets by as much as 33 percentage points. Denmark has posted a 6.3 percent increase in emissions since 1990, the base year used in Kyoto, and is projected to miss their 2010 Kyoto goals by 25.2 percentage points. The Bush administration has continued to encourage states, municipalities and private industry to reduce emissions that actually cause pollution, resulting in a slight decrease in emissions of 0.8 percent between 2000 and 2002. American greenhouse emissions have risen 15.8 percent since 1990, but it is a much better record than that of her European and Asian critics. To top it off, the U. S. economy is growing much faster than Europe's.
Roadless Forests Coming to Virginia
Governor Mark R. Warner (D-VA), appears to be the first governor to request the forests of his state be subjected to the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule. The rule would severely restrict road construction and commercial activities in Virginia's George Washington and Jefferson National Forests. The 2001 rule was repealed last May, to the consternation of environmentalists, but was replaced by a process requiring individual governors to petition for more or less protection of their forests, according to the wishes of the states' residents. It is interesting that an eastern state would desire restrictions that could negatively impact the state's ability to control wildfire and disease, but Governor Warner reportedly has presidential aspirations so maybe there is a method to his madness. "Roadless areas in Virginia's national forests are critically important for wildlife habitat and help safeguard drinking water for thousands of Virginians, Warner said. "I have determined it is in the best interest of the Commonwealth to have these areas protected in their current undeveloped state for current and future generations." Most state citizens have no idea that Governor Warner is fulfilling the goals of the Wildlands Project in his state.
Governor Warner Petitions Federal
Government to Protect Roadless Areas in Virginia's National Forests
www.TakingLiberty.us
Judge Shoots Down Alaska Wolf Control Efforts
Superior Court Judge Sharon Gleason has told the Alaska Board of Game to cease its aerial wolf control program because the state failed to properly follow regulatory requirements. The program allowed licensed hunters to track and shoot wolves from aircraft and since it was launched in 2003, hundreds of the beasts have been eliminated. The program was adopted to protect populations of moose and caribou from being wiped out by the 7,000 to 11,000 wolves that flourish there. Wolves are not considered threatened or endangered in Alaska. The program has been under fire from animal rights groups and other environmentalists who reside in relative safety in big cities across America. Governor Frank Murkowski defended the program and said it will continue after the necessary adjustments are made. "I stand firmly behind the state's predator control programs which are based upon sound science. I look forward to prompt and appropriate action," he said. Vic Van Ballenberghe, former Board of Game member during Democrat Governor Tony Knowles' administration, praised the judge's ruling and said the current [Republican] administration has cut corners and launched wolf control programs for political rather than scientific reasons.