The population of honeybees is falling dramatically, primarily due to loss of plant diversity. So says a French study published this week 'Biology Letters', which reflects the BBC.
The scientists found that bees that feed on pollen producing various types of plants have a stronger immune system than those that feed on one species. Bees need to have a good immune system to sterilize food for their colony.
Another study concluded that both bees and wild flowers, some are reducing their population by leaps and bounds. And two years ago, another study led by British scientists and Holland warned that the diversity of bees and other insects was decreasing as it reduced the diversity of plants from which they fed.
Prevent infections in their hive
Now, a team led by Cedric Alaux at the National Institute for Agricultural Research in France, in Avignon, shows a possible link between dietary variety of bees and the strength of your immune system.
Insects that fed with a mixture of five different types of pollen had higher levels of glucose oxidase (GOX) to bees eat pollen from one flower type, even if it had higher protein content.
Glucose oxidase Bees produce honey and to protect food from microbial larvae. So protect your colony from possible infection.
Significant economic losses
Furthermore, a study by the University of Reading suggests that the bee population in the UK is declining twice as fast than the rest of Europe.
In the U.S. the problem is even worse. There, entire colonies have disappeared. The consequences for the economy are evident at both the British and U.S. government have begun to invest in research to find out why this is.
In the U.S. the loss of bees has been found in hives are transported to various parts of the country to pollinate important crops. For example, lead to a plantation of bananas, which have only one type of pollen. Furthermore, in the U.S. the problem could also result from a loss of diversity of bees.
In France, the government has launched a project to plant flowers in an attempt to stop the decline of their bees.
jueves, 21 de enero de 2010
The UN has postponed the deadline for Copenhagen to reduce emissions
The secretary of the UN Climate Change, Yvo de Boer, has decided to postpone the deadline of Jan. 31, set by the agreement of the Copenhagen Summit for countries to commit to specific numbers to reduce their CO2 emissions.
In what marks a further setback in the fight against global warming, the UN representative has acknowledged that it is unrealistic that all countries undertake before the end of next week, and admits now that the deadline set by the agreement of the Danish capital is "flexible".
"I do not expect everyone to respect the deadline. Countries are not obliged to accede, but to indicate whether they want to associate with the Copenhagen agreement," explained de Boer in a press conference in Bonn.
It was assumed that the commitments agreed to January 31 represented the first step established by the minimum agreement reached at the last day of the Conference on Climate, which fell far short of initial expectations. The fundamental objective of the pact is to ensure that all countries cut their emissions so that global temperatures rise no more than 2 degrees.
To date, only 10 days of the deadline, only 20 of the 192 participating countries joined the agreement.
Cooling Off Period
De Boer acknowledged that the Copenhagen summit did not yield results as satisfactory as those that were expected, but a foundation for further work. "Now we are in a period of reflection, which will discuss," he said.
The UN representative said that Copenhagen served to establish some key points important as the financial conditions to mitigate the economic effects that will combat climate change in developing countries.
From Bonn, De Boer urged industrialized countries to reserve their respective budget allocations for this purpose, as it has done already, as noted, the European Commission (EC).
The Copenhagen agreement established a total fund of 10,000 million between 2010 and 2012 to help the most vulnerable countries cope with climate change impacts, and 100,000 million annually from 2020 to mitigation and adaptation.
The hope of Mexico
De Boer also said that in early February to prepare for travel to Mexico with President Felipe Calderón, the next climate summit in December 2010.
The executive secretary curbed expectations of a binding agreement already in Mexico and noted that 15 to 20 countries with which it has held talks in recent weeks, hoping that the next summit out "conclusions" that can later be converted into a "legal package .
He also stressed that Mexico "can not be the last word" in relation to targets for reducing polluting gases, since the figures currently being considered are still far from what is required by the scientific community to really tackle climate change .
He recalled that scientists speak of a reduction of 50 percent-80 in the case of industrialized countries until mid-century.
In what marks a further setback in the fight against global warming, the UN representative has acknowledged that it is unrealistic that all countries undertake before the end of next week, and admits now that the deadline set by the agreement of the Danish capital is "flexible".
"I do not expect everyone to respect the deadline. Countries are not obliged to accede, but to indicate whether they want to associate with the Copenhagen agreement," explained de Boer in a press conference in Bonn.
It was assumed that the commitments agreed to January 31 represented the first step established by the minimum agreement reached at the last day of the Conference on Climate, which fell far short of initial expectations. The fundamental objective of the pact is to ensure that all countries cut their emissions so that global temperatures rise no more than 2 degrees.
To date, only 10 days of the deadline, only 20 of the 192 participating countries joined the agreement.
Cooling Off Period
De Boer acknowledged that the Copenhagen summit did not yield results as satisfactory as those that were expected, but a foundation for further work. "Now we are in a period of reflection, which will discuss," he said.
The UN representative said that Copenhagen served to establish some key points important as the financial conditions to mitigate the economic effects that will combat climate change in developing countries.
From Bonn, De Boer urged industrialized countries to reserve their respective budget allocations for this purpose, as it has done already, as noted, the European Commission (EC).
The Copenhagen agreement established a total fund of 10,000 million between 2010 and 2012 to help the most vulnerable countries cope with climate change impacts, and 100,000 million annually from 2020 to mitigation and adaptation.
The hope of Mexico
De Boer also said that in early February to prepare for travel to Mexico with President Felipe Calderón, the next climate summit in December 2010.
The executive secretary curbed expectations of a binding agreement already in Mexico and noted that 15 to 20 countries with which it has held talks in recent weeks, hoping that the next summit out "conclusions" that can later be converted into a "legal package .
He also stressed that Mexico "can not be the last word" in relation to targets for reducing polluting gases, since the figures currently being considered are still far from what is required by the scientific community to really tackle climate change .
He recalled that scientists speak of a reduction of 50 percent-80 in the case of industrialized countries until mid-century.
The UN admits he was wrong in predicting the melting of Himalayan glaciers
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has admitted that not enough scientific evidence about the rapid melting of Himalayan glaciers, as predicted in the Fourth Assessment Report published in 2007, and has apologized for his mistake.
For the year 2035 these glaciers could be gone altogether, the report of the IPCC, a body set up by the UN. This is the paragraph in question: "Glaciers in the Himalayas are receding faster than anywhere else in the world and if the current pace continues, the probability of disappearing by 2035 and perhaps sooner is very high if the Earth keeps warming at the current rate.
However, this forecast was made without properly implement control standards required by the IPCC, the agency said. As explained, it was erroneous both the calculation of the mass of ice melt as the estimated date of disappearance of glaciers. These data came from, "the testimony of an expert" and not a reference article that has been reviewed by another expert, as required by the IPCC.
The general conclusion remains valid
The IPCC said that despite this, the report's overall conclusion is still valid. It is not known if the Himalayan ice will run out but you lose it. The mass loss of glaciers in Asia and Latin America will accelerate during the twenty-first century.
Because the glaciers have an important role in the hydrological cycle, the melting could lead to water shortages as well as changes in the seasonality of flooding in areas that receive water from melting ice.
This error could be an argument for the deniers of climate change in order to undermine the credibility of the climatologists.
For the year 2035 these glaciers could be gone altogether, the report of the IPCC, a body set up by the UN. This is the paragraph in question: "Glaciers in the Himalayas are receding faster than anywhere else in the world and if the current pace continues, the probability of disappearing by 2035 and perhaps sooner is very high if the Earth keeps warming at the current rate.
However, this forecast was made without properly implement control standards required by the IPCC, the agency said. As explained, it was erroneous both the calculation of the mass of ice melt as the estimated date of disappearance of glaciers. These data came from, "the testimony of an expert" and not a reference article that has been reviewed by another expert, as required by the IPCC.
The general conclusion remains valid
The IPCC said that despite this, the report's overall conclusion is still valid. It is not known if the Himalayan ice will run out but you lose it. The mass loss of glaciers in Asia and Latin America will accelerate during the twenty-first century.
Because the glaciers have an important role in the hydrological cycle, the melting could lead to water shortages as well as changes in the seasonality of flooding in areas that receive water from melting ice.
This error could be an argument for the deniers of climate change in order to undermine the credibility of the climatologists.
martes, 19 de enero de 2010
Environment ministers from the EU to postpone its decision on cutting emissions
Europe has the "vocation" and "will" to reduce its CO2 emissions by 30% in 2020 compared to 1990 levels, but that goal will take place only if other countries make efforts "comparable" to the European Union, Efe reported.
The problem is that the EU itself has not yet defined what "comparability", a term that can be interpreted as equal effort or effort within the capacity of each country.
This was recognized by Secretary of State for Climate Change, Teresa Ribera, after chairing the informal council of environment ministers of the EU, meeting in Seville today.
In the same press conference, the EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said the EU's objective remains to reach agreement "global, ambitious and binding", something "we could not get in the Copenhagen Climate Summit .
However, "the disappointment that came out of this Summit can now be used to advance and ask everyone and get a stronger commitment at the meeting in Mexico (November 2010), the agreement we all want," he said.
Diplomatic efforts
For his part, Minister of Climate and Energy of Belgium (a country that will chair the EU after Spain), Paul Magnette, has said that Europe must take advantage of their networks and international contacts to make a great diplomacy scale and get far more concrete progress in the Copenhagen agreement.
Magnette meant that Europe must continue working to ensure that all countries that attended the Copenhagen summit will announce their emission reduction commitments, which is still unknown, since the agreement was signed at the summit was only Danish a statement of intent that countries must be accomplished before next January 31.
The emissions reduction target to be carried out in Europe will be fixed, in fact, next week at the meeting of the Council of Permanent Representatives in Brussels, called Coreper, which is to decide whether the EU finally committed to a reduction emissions of 30% in 2020 compared to 1990 levels or remains at 20%.
For now, it appears that only has taken clear that the target of 20% is "clear", but a commitment beyond that number will depend on what other countries do, something that will not be known next week .
But even apart from what other countries decide, as the most polluting emerging, it appears that within the EU there is little consensus on the possibility of reducing emissions by 30%, as is the case in Poland or Italy , as environment minister even said, in comments reported by EFE-Dow-Jones, that "after the failure of Copenhagen, raised 30% is surreal."
Others, however, as Spain, Britain, Germany and France are in favor of that goal.
UN Advocacy
What I do agree that the 27 is that the UN is the "only place to be conducting" negotiations on climate change.
"From Europe, the sentiment is clear that the place must perform these negotiation processes is large United Nations," which is "the only forum for global reach," said Teresa Ribera.
"If there are other forums or restricted spaces, from a sectoral or geographical reasons, should be forums that help, forums complementary to the UN, never substitutes," he underlined.
Bank was responding to Jonathan Pershing, the United States representative at the last summit in Copenhagen, who recently described the meetings of the UN to "chaotic" and has advocated that the climate negotiations take place only between most polluting countries.
The problem is that the EU itself has not yet defined what "comparability", a term that can be interpreted as equal effort or effort within the capacity of each country.
This was recognized by Secretary of State for Climate Change, Teresa Ribera, after chairing the informal council of environment ministers of the EU, meeting in Seville today.
In the same press conference, the EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said the EU's objective remains to reach agreement "global, ambitious and binding", something "we could not get in the Copenhagen Climate Summit .
However, "the disappointment that came out of this Summit can now be used to advance and ask everyone and get a stronger commitment at the meeting in Mexico (November 2010), the agreement we all want," he said.
Diplomatic efforts
For his part, Minister of Climate and Energy of Belgium (a country that will chair the EU after Spain), Paul Magnette, has said that Europe must take advantage of their networks and international contacts to make a great diplomacy scale and get far more concrete progress in the Copenhagen agreement.
Magnette meant that Europe must continue working to ensure that all countries that attended the Copenhagen summit will announce their emission reduction commitments, which is still unknown, since the agreement was signed at the summit was only Danish a statement of intent that countries must be accomplished before next January 31.
The emissions reduction target to be carried out in Europe will be fixed, in fact, next week at the meeting of the Council of Permanent Representatives in Brussels, called Coreper, which is to decide whether the EU finally committed to a reduction emissions of 30% in 2020 compared to 1990 levels or remains at 20%.
For now, it appears that only has taken clear that the target of 20% is "clear", but a commitment beyond that number will depend on what other countries do, something that will not be known next week .
But even apart from what other countries decide, as the most polluting emerging, it appears that within the EU there is little consensus on the possibility of reducing emissions by 30%, as is the case in Poland or Italy , as environment minister even said, in comments reported by EFE-Dow-Jones, that "after the failure of Copenhagen, raised 30% is surreal."
Others, however, as Spain, Britain, Germany and France are in favor of that goal.
UN Advocacy
What I do agree that the 27 is that the UN is the "only place to be conducting" negotiations on climate change.
"From Europe, the sentiment is clear that the place must perform these negotiation processes is large United Nations," which is "the only forum for global reach," said Teresa Ribera.
"If there are other forums or restricted spaces, from a sectoral or geographical reasons, should be forums that help, forums complementary to the UN, never substitutes," he underlined.
Bank was responding to Jonathan Pershing, the United States representative at the last summit in Copenhagen, who recently described the meetings of the UN to "chaotic" and has advocated that the climate negotiations take place only between most polluting countries.
martes, 5 de enero de 2010
The director of Greenpeace Spain received its first visit in jail
Twenty days after his arrest, the director of Greenpeace Spain, Juan Lopez de Uralde, has received the first visit of his family in jail. His wife, Koro Castilian, and his brother have met with him Tuesday in Vestre prison Fængsel Danish, where it will remain in custody until 7 January, when the court hearing be held.
Lopez de Uralde and three other activists from the environmental organization were arrested for crashing a gala dinner that Queen Margrethe gave on December 17 world leaders attending the climate summit in Copenhagen.
The campaigns director of Greenpeace Spain, Mario Rodriguez said that the negotiations have made to the authorities agreed to let his family visit the director of Greenpeace have not been easy ", but believes that this fact" does not increase hopes "about what will happen on January 7 in the judicial process.
Rodriguez thanked the Spanish government's "intensity" of his work and his "concern" about the situation, but calls for increased efforts to enable the "waters back on track, especially now that Spain has the EU presidency, and now "has a specific gravity did not have before."
Mobilization during the holidays
"President Zapatero can not allow Spain and the European Union are known worldwide for disproportionate measures citizens who peacefully protested against the greatest threat facing humanity, climate change," he said after a meeting with the political counselor of the Embassy of Denmark.
Since they were arrested, Greenpeace has organized many events and protests to demand his immediate release.
On Tuesday, the Three Kings carried coal to the Embassy of Denmark in Madrid (C / Serrano n º 26) and held a vigil Wednesday in several Spanish cities to demand the release of detainees.
Depending on what happens during the court hearing on January 7, Greenpeace will set the strategy to follow in the coming weeks.
Lopez de Uralde and three other activists from the environmental organization were arrested for crashing a gala dinner that Queen Margrethe gave on December 17 world leaders attending the climate summit in Copenhagen.
The campaigns director of Greenpeace Spain, Mario Rodriguez said that the negotiations have made to the authorities agreed to let his family visit the director of Greenpeace have not been easy ", but believes that this fact" does not increase hopes "about what will happen on January 7 in the judicial process.
Rodriguez thanked the Spanish government's "intensity" of his work and his "concern" about the situation, but calls for increased efforts to enable the "waters back on track, especially now that Spain has the EU presidency, and now "has a specific gravity did not have before."
Mobilization during the holidays
"President Zapatero can not allow Spain and the European Union are known worldwide for disproportionate measures citizens who peacefully protested against the greatest threat facing humanity, climate change," he said after a meeting with the political counselor of the Embassy of Denmark.
Since they were arrested, Greenpeace has organized many events and protests to demand his immediate release.
On Tuesday, the Three Kings carried coal to the Embassy of Denmark in Madrid (C / Serrano n º 26) and held a vigil Wednesday in several Spanish cities to demand the release of detainees.
Depending on what happens during the court hearing on January 7, Greenpeace will set the strategy to follow in the coming weeks.
domingo, 3 de enero de 2010
A year dump in the world's biodiversity
It's one of those terms that every time we hear most often, as climate change or global warming. Biodiversity or biological diversity, often appears in the media and the main reason is that is being lost, largely due to human action.
United Nations has declared 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity (IYB) to warn of the alarming situation in which our planet is. And that, experts say, 10,000 to 50,000 species disappear each year, many of them before being scheduled.
Biodiversity is the insurance policy for the survival of our species
Biodiversity is the key to that nature continue to provide the goods we need, food, energy and medicine, a kind of insurance policy for survival of our species. Ecosystems regulate climate, water quality and air. However, as species are degraded or destroyed, it also diminishes their ability to continue providing those services. Humans are part of this wealth and have the ability to protect or destroy it.
Throughout 2010, United Nations organize conferences, exhibitions and activities to try to sensitize the public and governments about the importance of the variety of life on Earth for human welfare and the consequences of their loss. "Biodiversity is the very web of life," said Hamdallah Zedan, executive secretary of Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), "For the poorest of the world is a matter of life or death. For Humanity Overall, the loss of biodiversity erodes their quality of life. "
Unmet goals
This convention came into force in 1993 and has been ratified by most UN countries that pledged to use resources sustainably. In 2002, world leaders put a target date of 2010 to significantly reduce biodiversity loss. However, the goal has not been fulfilled and we need a review as stated in the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon during his speech on biodiversity: "We need a new approach and new endeavors."
Theo Oberhuber, coordinator of campaigns 'Ecologists in Action', considers it essential that society be aware of the importance of halting biodiversity loss: "When we talk about the subject, most people think of the polar bear or Siberian Tiger, flagship species but distant. We want people to understand that biodiversity is the sum of all living beings on the planet and the relationships among species, and we rely entirely on it. Most of the resources we need to life has its origin in protecting biodiversity is so fundamental to human welfare and to curb poverty and climate change. "
The environmental organization presented motions to encourage municipalities to undertake concrete actions in areas such as transport or urban planning: "They have great expertise in environmental issues and not being put in place," said Oberhuber.
Individual actions
Anne Lewis, director of the Biodiversity Foundation, said that "Spain is home to a sample as representative of global biodiversity that looks like a miniature continent. On its territory is located more than 80% of vascular plants and 50% of the fauna of the European territory and nearly 50% of habitats that has been prioritized in the field to keep the European Union. The desire of the Foundation for the year 2010 is "that people take ownership of the term, as used in everyday life.
There are many gestures which, on a personal level, every citizen can take to protect biodiversity. Use your car less, generate less waste, reduce water consumption by using diffusers to the taps, do not buy exotic species as pets, monitor the temperature of the heating and air conditioning or choose from are some actions we can to care for Planet.
United Nations has declared 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity (IYB) to warn of the alarming situation in which our planet is. And that, experts say, 10,000 to 50,000 species disappear each year, many of them before being scheduled.
Biodiversity is the insurance policy for the survival of our species
Biodiversity is the key to that nature continue to provide the goods we need, food, energy and medicine, a kind of insurance policy for survival of our species. Ecosystems regulate climate, water quality and air. However, as species are degraded or destroyed, it also diminishes their ability to continue providing those services. Humans are part of this wealth and have the ability to protect or destroy it.
Throughout 2010, United Nations organize conferences, exhibitions and activities to try to sensitize the public and governments about the importance of the variety of life on Earth for human welfare and the consequences of their loss. "Biodiversity is the very web of life," said Hamdallah Zedan, executive secretary of Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), "For the poorest of the world is a matter of life or death. For Humanity Overall, the loss of biodiversity erodes their quality of life. "
Unmet goals
This convention came into force in 1993 and has been ratified by most UN countries that pledged to use resources sustainably. In 2002, world leaders put a target date of 2010 to significantly reduce biodiversity loss. However, the goal has not been fulfilled and we need a review as stated in the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon during his speech on biodiversity: "We need a new approach and new endeavors."
Theo Oberhuber, coordinator of campaigns 'Ecologists in Action', considers it essential that society be aware of the importance of halting biodiversity loss: "When we talk about the subject, most people think of the polar bear or Siberian Tiger, flagship species but distant. We want people to understand that biodiversity is the sum of all living beings on the planet and the relationships among species, and we rely entirely on it. Most of the resources we need to life has its origin in protecting biodiversity is so fundamental to human welfare and to curb poverty and climate change. "
The environmental organization presented motions to encourage municipalities to undertake concrete actions in areas such as transport or urban planning: "They have great expertise in environmental issues and not being put in place," said Oberhuber.
Individual actions
Anne Lewis, director of the Biodiversity Foundation, said that "Spain is home to a sample as representative of global biodiversity that looks like a miniature continent. On its territory is located more than 80% of vascular plants and 50% of the fauna of the European territory and nearly 50% of habitats that has been prioritized in the field to keep the European Union. The desire of the Foundation for the year 2010 is "that people take ownership of the term, as used in everyday life.
There are many gestures which, on a personal level, every citizen can take to protect biodiversity. Use your car less, generate less waste, reduce water consumption by using diffusers to the taps, do not buy exotic species as pets, monitor the temperature of the heating and air conditioning or choose from are some actions we can to care for Planet.
Suscribirse a:
Entradas (Atom)