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Global Climate Change Digest
A Guide to Information on Greenhouse Gases and Ozone Depletion
Published July 1988 through June 1999

FROM VOLUME 2, NUMBER 1, JANUARY 1989

PERIODICALS

Item #d89jan51

Climate Alert, 1(4), Winter 1988, 8 pp. (Published by Climate Institute; see NEWS, this Global Climate Change Digest issue--Jan. 1989.)

Includes articles on activities of nations around the world on climate concerns, steps taken by Brazil to slow rain forest destruction, the draft EPA report on effects of global warming, future Institute conferences, and a calendar of events.

Item #d89jan52

Atmosphere, 1(3), Fall 1988, 12 pp. (Published by Friends of the Earth International, 530 7th St. SE, Washington DC 20003.)

Published quarterly with information on ozone protection. This issue contains items on the Montreal Protocol, the Antarctic ozone hole, CFC industries, actions of various countries, and environmental advocate developments.

Item #d89jan53

"Crusader on the Beach," B.L. Collier, New York Times Mag., 64-79, Dec. 4, 1988.

Reviews the career of marine geologist Orrin H. Pilkey Jr. of Duke University who has studied beach erosion and the influence of structures on erosion. He believes that sea level is rising steadily due to the greenhouse effect and will inundate low-lying islands and threaten shoreline settlements. Pilkey's philosophy is that shorelines migrate, and that beach erosion is a common event, not a natural disaster.

Item #d89jan54

"Doing Something About the Weather," S.H. Schneider, World Monitor, 1(3), 28-37, Dec. 1988.

Stephen Schneider, climatologist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, presents his approach to controlling climate. Maintains that, the longer we wait to establish scientific certainty that the greenhouse effect has arrived, the greater the dose of climate change the world will have to adapt to over many more generations. Making America more energy efficient and ultimately more economically competitive is a good strategic policy regardless of climate change forecasts. Urges action now.

Item #d89jan55

"Demystifying the Tropics," A.K. Biswas, Development Forum, 16(6), 1, 14, Nov.-Dec. 1988. (Published by U.N. Dept. Public Info.)

This article, by the president of the International Society of Ecological Modeling, is based on a UNEP-sponsored book Climate and Development. It provides insights on the ways in which climate fosters or inhibits developmental progress. Explains that our knowledge of the nature and distribution of tropical rainfall and temperature, tropical soil taxonomy and tropical species is limited. Without more information to develop alternatives to climate change, it is not possible to develop sustainable, productive systems in the tropics that are appropriate to specific regions and conditions.

Item #d89jan56

Wilson Quarterly, 12(5), Winter 1988.

"Climatology," D. Morgan, 101-116. Presents a historic perspective of human fascination with climate and explanations of climate change. Discusses the rise of the science of climatology this century with its many interacting variables and disciplines. Notes that the discoveries of Willard Libby, inventor of radiocarbon dating, and Harold Urey, creator of isotope analysis, greatly aided climatology.

"Coping with Change," S. Lagerfeld, 117-128. Presents an overview of possible climate changes worldwide due to increased CO₂ production and increased greenhouse effect. Particularly notes the ability of farmers in North America to respond to normal weather fluctuations as an ability to cope with moderate warming. However, if we do not restrain the output of CO₂ and other greenhouse gases, global temperatures could climb by nine degrees, beyond the range of coping.

"Climate--Background Books," 129-131. Synopsis of 16 books providing a scholarly overview of climate history and theories.

Item #d89jan57

"The Heat is On," C. Flavin, WorldWatch, 1(6), 10-20, Nov.-Dec. 1988. (Published by Worldwatch Institute.)

The author quotes respected scientists in emphasizing that global warming is here and is going to get worse. Presents and critiques present U.S. legislation on global warming. Maintains that international action may have to precede rather than follow national actions to control climate. An international fund to invest in energy efficiency and reforestation, paid for by a tax on fossil fuel consumption, is a possible solution.

Item #d89jan58

"Growing Food in a Warmer World," L.R. Brown, J.E. Young, ibid., 31-35.

Suggests weather events of the last two years show the time has come to rethink international grain reserve policies. Ensuring an adequate level of grain stocks requires taking into account not only year-to-year variations in the weather but also short-term variations and the uncertain effects of rising temperatures. If the international community is not able to cooperate to reduce the sources of greenhouse gases responsible for the warming, food security could replace military security as the dominant issue of the nineties and beyond.

Item #d89jan59

"Holes Emerge in Ozone Treaty," C.P. Shea, ibid., 44-46.

Analysts at the U.S. Congress Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) say that the goal of the Montreal Protocol, to halve worldwide CFC consumption by 1999, is overly optimistic when the treaty's exemptions and uncertainties are taken into account. If the protocol's ultimate objective of phasing out all CFC use is to occur, all nations including developing countries must rapidly step up their reduction efforts.

Item #d89jan60

"No Escape from the Global Greenhouse," S. Pain, New Scientist, 38-43, Nov. 1988.

This article is based on the World Wildlife Fund's Conference on the Consequences of the Greenhouse Effect for Biological Diversity, held in Washington, D.C. in October 1988. Discusses the rapidity with which a variety of habitats could change throughout the world and the likelihood that many species would either not relocate these habitats or fail to adapt. Among the more important effects might be the loss of synchrony in migratory species. Disruption of delicate balances in the Arctic ecosystem could lead to serious effects there and elsewhere in the world. Conservationists must minimize the loss of species and habitats in the face of global climatic change.

Item #d89jan61

"Global Hothouse?" J.T. Bohlen, Defenders, 63(6), 9 ff., Nov.-Dec. 1988.

Reviews the World Wildlife Fund Conference described above. Proposals put forward for immediate national and global action include 1) reduction of at least 50% in use of fossil fuels and a shift to renewable energy sources, 2) cooperative research among climatologists and biologists, 3) inclusion of climate assessments in future conservation plans, 4) a new look at forest management, and 5) rethinking coastal policies.

Item #d89jan62

"Report on the Greenhouse Effect," M. Brower, Nucleus, 10(3), 1-4, Fall 1988. (Published by Union of Concerned Scientists.)

Physicist Michael Brower reviews the causes of the greenhouse effect. The Union will concentrate on strategies to improve energy efficiency and utilize alternate sources to minimize the effect.

Item #d89jan63

Amicus J., 10(4), Fall 1988. (Published by Natural Resources Defense Council.)

"The E Word," P. Borrelli, p. 2. The publication's editor concludes that the time has come for the American society to return to efficiency to tackle the greenhouse problems created mostly by industrialized nations.

"Nowhere to Hide," B. Babbitt, 3-6. The former governor of Arizona explains the emergence of a new, interdependent world economy. America should take the lead in a Biosphere Protection Act that integrates trade, aid and debt policies. Also, proposes a Nobel Prize for environmental science and leadership.

"Global Tomorrow," T.B. Stoel Jr., 21-27. In advice to the president-elect the director of NRDC's international program and chair of Project Blueprint calls for an immediate global environmental summit meeting of world leaders. Project Blueprint has prepared over 500 environmental recommendations for the new administration. Blueprint summaries can be obtained from: Publications Dept. G, NRDC, 122 E. 42nd St., New York NY 10168. Postage is $2.50.

Item #d89jan64

"Fighting the Greenhouse Effect: What Must Be Done," R.A. Kerr, TransAtlantic Perspectives, 18, 3-5, Autumn 1988. See also Science, July 1, 1988. (Published by the German Marshall Fund of the United States.)

The Bellagio report, prepared following conferences cosponsored by WMO, UNEP and the International Council of Scientific Unions, recommends some immediate responses to the greenhouse threat, many of which can be justified solely on other grounds. In "The Changing Atmosphere and Global Stewardship," p. 5, Jill Jaeger of the Beijer Institute recommends increased collaboration between scientists and policymakers to ensure scientific research is directed toward answering the questions policymakers are likely to ask.

Item #d89jan65

"The Greenhouse Effect," J. Gribbin, New Scientist, "Inside Science" section, 4 pp., Oct. 22, 1988.

Explains how the greenhouse effect keeps the earth comfortably warm. Describes University of East Anglia research to determine how weather patterns would change if the world warms due to enhanced greenhouse effect.

Item #d89jan66

"A Piece of the Sky is Missing," C. Sagan, Parade Mag., 18-23, Sep. 11, 1988.

Carl Sagan of Cornell University reviews causes of ozone depletion and effects of increased ultraviolet radiation on all life, especially the vast quantities of ocean plankton.

Item #d89jan67

WorldWatch, 1(5), Sep.-Oct. 1988.

"Stabilizing Climate," L.R. Brown, p. 2. No country acting on its own can restore climate stability but we all can shift to climate-sensitive energy strategies.

"A Green Fix to Global Warming," S. Postel, 29-36. The co-author of "Reforesting the Earth" explains the potential of reforestation for averting climatic change, based on recent research on the global carbon cycle.

Item #d89jan68

"The Case of the Thinning Ozone," H. Savage, The National Voter, 9-10, 20, Aug. 1988. (Published by League of Women Voters.)

Sketches the history of knowledge and reaction to ozone layer destruction from 1974 to present.