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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 4, NUMBER 9, SEPTEMBER 1991

PROFESSIONAL PUBLICATIONS...
GENERAL INTEREST AND POLICY

Item #d91sep1

"Limits of Market-Based Strategies for Slowing Global Warming: The Case of Tradeable Permits," D.G. Victor (Dept. Polit. Sci., Mass. Inst. Technol., Cambridge MA 02139), Policy Sci., 24, 199-222, 1991.

Considers a global system of tradeable permits for the sources and sinks of the major greenhouse gases, finding that not enough is currently known about these gases to accurately monitor such a system, with the possible exception of CO₂. The administrative costs may be much larger than the benefits. One alternative is a more limited system that includes only CO₂; this finding applies to other greenhouse control mechanisms as well.

Item #d91sep2

"A Review of the Role of Temperate Forests in the Global CO₂ Balance," R.C. Musselman (Rocky Mtn. Exper. Sta., Forest Serv., 240 W. Prospect, Ft. Collins CO 80526), D.G. Fox, J. Air Waste Mgmt. Assoc., 41(6), 798-807, June 1991.

Although the role of temperate forests is difficult to determine, there is little doubt that increases in atmospheric CO₂ and global warming would have major effects on these ecosystems. Indirect effects of changes in global carbon balance on regional climate and on microenvironmental conditions, particularly temperature and moisture, may be more important than direct effects of increased CO₂ on vegetation. Conditions favorable to forest growth and development may exist in the northern latitudes, while southern latitude forests may undergo drought stress. Forest managers should be aware of the global as well as local impact their management decisions will have on the atmospheric carbon balance of the ecosystems they oversee.

Item #d91sep3

"Chlorinated Solvents: Will the Alternative Be Safer?" K. Wolf (Inst. Res. & Tech. Assistance, 1429 S. Bundy Dr., Los Angeles CA 90025), A. Yazdani, P. Yates, J. Air Waste Mgmt. Assoc., 41(8), 1055-1061, Aug. 1991.

Two of the five solvents considered (methyl chloroform and CFC-113) contribute to ozone depletion. The alternative compounds in some cases pose health and environmental problems that are likely to be as serious; in other cases, the alternatives have not been examined for their health and environmental effects. This case study demonstrates that regulations on chlorinated solvents and their potential alternatives are inconsistent and conflicting.

Item #d91sep4

The Ecologist, 21(4), Aug. 1991.

"Discord in the Greenhouse: How WRI is Attempting to Shift the Blame for Global Warming," P. McCully (The Ecologist, Corner House, Station Rd., Sturminster, Newton, Dorset DT10 1BB, UK), 157-165. The latest annual report from the influential World Resources Institute surprised many environmentalists by claiming that industrialized and non-industrialized countries share equal responsibility for global emissions of greenhouse gases. However, WRI has used highly questionable estimates for the releases of greenhouse gases from developing countries and their methodology contains some very dubious science. WRI's claim that the index is especially suitable for diplomatic purposes is specious and should be rejected.

"Ecological Taxes, Energy Policy and Greenhouse Gas Reductions: A German Perspective," R. Loske (Min. Economics, Small Bus. & Technol., State of Nordrhein-Westfalen, POB 1144, 4000 Düsseldorf 1, Ger.), 173-176. The main political parties in Germany agree that energy-related greenhouse-gas emissions should be reduced through taxes, and the ruling coalition favors a charge on carbon dioxide emissions. However, a comprehensive energy tax is more desirable as it would take account of the wider nonclimatic impacts of energy use, would encourage energy saving rather than source substitution, and would not favor nuclear power.

Item #d91sep5

Special Issue: "Operational Satellites: Sentinels for the Monitoring of Climate and Global Change," G. Ohring, E.P. McClain, J.O. Ellis, Eds., Global Planet. Change, 4(1-3), July 1991.

Constitutes proceedings of the OPSAT '90 conference (Washington, D.C., Oct. 1990), sponsored by NOAA. Fifty papers are included in sections labeled Atmospheric Variables, Surface Variables, Calibration of Operational Satellite Instruments, Availability and Accessibility of Operational Satellite Data, and Future Satellite Systems: Plans of the Space Agencies.

Item #d91sep6

Special Issue: "Symposium on Global Climatic Effects of Aerosols," Atmos. Environ., 25A(11), 1991. (Pergamon Press, 395 Saw Mill River Rd., Elmsford NY 10523; Headington Hill Hall, Oxford OX3 0BW, UK.)

Contains 24 papers from the symposium sponsored by the American Association of Aerosol Research (Oct. 1989, Reno, Nev.). About half the papers concern smoke aerosols such as may result from nuclear war. Many of the rest relate to aerosols as cloud condensation nuclei, and the relative contributions of natural and anthropogenic sources of sulfur compounds. The third topic is the role of aerosols in stratospheric ozone depletion. Several review papers are included.

Item #d91sep7

Intl. Environ. Affairs, 3(2), Spr. 1991.

"A Sound Footing for Controlling Climate Change," R.J. Swart (RIVM, Bilthoven, Neth.), M.J.M. Hootsmans, 124-136. Explores the use of long-term environmental goals to specify short-term emissions control policies. Long-term goals are proposed: allowing natural ecosystems to adapt to climate change, securing world food supply, and establishing sustainable economic development. Based on the adaptive capabilities of terrestrial and marine ecosystems, quantitative targets are derived for global mean sea level rise (below 0.1° C per decade) and temperature change (less than 1° C above pre-industrial levels). These can be translated into short-term emissions targets.

"The Global Environment Facility," E. Helland-Hansen (U.N. Development Prog.), 137-144. Discusses UNDP's operational understanding of the GEF, established November 1990 to provide financial resources to developing countries.

Item #d91sep8

"The Global Consequences of Increasing Tropospheric Ozone Concentrations," J. Fishman (MS-401A, NASA-Langley, Hampton VA 23665), Chemosphere, 22(7), 685-695, 1991. Measurements show that tropospheric ozone is increasing at 1-2% per year; the amount of atmospheric warming it causes should be comparable to or even exceed that from the increase in CO₂.

Item #d91sep9

Environment, 33(5), June 1991.

"The Environmental Consequences of the Gulf War," F. Warner, 7-9; 25-26. An assessment of the Kuwait oil fires based on the SCOPE study of the environmental impacts of nuclear war finds that climatic effects are likely to be slight.

"The Use of Analogies in Forecasting Ecological and Societal Responses to Global Warming," M.H. Glantz (NCAR, POB 3000, Boulder CO 80307), 10-13; 27-33. Until computer models can forecast the regional impacts of global climate change, analogies will be useful for understanding responses. But they must be used with care lest they be misapplied to justify a particular policy agenda.

Item #d91sep10

"Some Challenges in the Use of General Circulation Model Output in Climate-Impact Studies," R.M. Cushman (Oak Ridge Nat. Lab., Oak Ridge TN 37831), The Environ. Professional, 13, 16-24, 1991.

Although GCMs are excellent research tools for studying climate, use of their output in regional climate impact studies stretches the limits of their capabilities, and reliable climate impact predictions are not currently possible. Some challenges in using GCM output are discussed and examples given of how these problems have been dealt with (e.g., relating model geography to actual geography, or deriving projected future climate change from the difference between the control and perturbed climate model simulations).

Item #d91sep11

Special Issue: "The Politics of the Global Environment," J. Intl. Affairs, 44(2), Winter 1991. Single issues ($7, outside N. America add $4 postage) are available from JIA, Box 4, Intl. Affairs Bldg., Columbia Univ., New York NY 10027. Following are seven of the nine papers by scholars and policy practitioners which explore the ability of existing political systems and institutions to cope with exponentially growing problems.

"ECO '92: Critical Challenges and Global Solutions," M.F. Strong (under secretary general of the 1992 U.N. Conference on Environment and Development), 287-300. Conflicts between the developing and developed worlds are a problem for the 1992 U.N. conference; nongovernmental groups must influence states in the direction of sustainable policies.

"Political Mobilization, Agenda Building and International Environmental Policy," S. Kamieniecki (Dept. Political Sci., Univ. Southern California), 339-358. Analyzes the political processes by which environmental issues reach decision makers in the industrialized nations and the Third World.

"Key Environmental Issues for Developing Countries," G.S. Hartshorn (V. Pres., Conservation Sci., World Wildlife Fund), 393-402. The issues are species extinction, global climate change, sustainable development and population growth.

"Development for People and the Environment," R. Sandbrook (Exec. Dir., Intl. Inst. Environ. Devel., London, U.K.), 403-420. Demonstrates that economic and environmental policies toward the developing world have usually been made in isolation, with environmental goals inevitably losing out.

"Sustainability: A Task for the North," E.U. von Weizsäker (Dir., Inst. European Environ. Policy, Bonn, Ger.), 421-432. The greatest contribution that the industrialized world can make to global environmental policy is the radical transformation of advanced economies toward sustainability, which would be examples to the developing world and lead to quantum jumps in social welfare in the North.

"Multilateral Cooperation and Global Change," P.S. Thacher (World Resour. Inst., Washington, D.C.), 433-456. Despite underfunding and often paralyzing political problems, the U.N. remains in a unique position to confront the challenge of safeguarding the Earth's future.

"The Emergence of International Environmental Law," O. Schachter (Professor Emeritus, Intl. Law, Columbia Univ., New York, N.Y.), 457-494. In a decentralized system international law develops largely out of state practice and international treaties; therefore, it cannot solve the most difficult international environmental issues such as global warming, though it has a certain contribution to make.

Item #d91sep12

Special Issue: "Global Change," GeoJournal, 20(2), Feb. 1990. Published by Kluwer. A collection of ten papers by U.S. and Soviet authors, constituting the first project of the new Study Group on Historical Geography of Global Environmental Change of the International Geophysical Union. Emphasizes historical changes in human impact, landscape evolution, and alteration of biospheric processes.

"Global Change: Some Concepts and Problems of Geographical Research," (a few results of the Soviet-American Project), J.R. Mather (Dept. Geog., Univ. Delaware, Newark DE 19716), 85-94.

"The 'Earth Transformed' Program," W.B. Meyer (Grad. Sch. Geog., Clark Univ., Worcester MA 01610), B.L. Turner II, 95-99.

"Problems and Approaches in Historical Geography of Global Environmental Change," V.V. Annenkov (Inst. Geog., USSR Acad. Sci., Staromonetny 29, Moscow 109017, USSR), 101-106.

"Experiences and Perspective in Compiling Long-Term Remote Sensing Data Sets on Landscapes and Biospheric Processes," S.N. Goward (Dept. Geog., Univ. Maryland, College Pk. MD 20742), 107-114.

"Change in the Anthropogenic Geochemical Impact on the Biosphere," N.F. Glazovsky (Inst. Geog., USSR Acad. Sci., addr. above), 115-119.

"Evidence of Recent Changes in Global Snow and Ice Cover," R.G. Barry (CIRES, Univ. Colorado, Boulder CO 80309), 121-127.

"Historical Changes of the Regional and Global Hydrological Cycles," R.K. Klige (Inst. Water Problems, USSR Acad. Sci., Sadovaya-Chernogryazskaya 13/3, Moscow 103064, USSR), 129-136.

"Some Long-Term and Short-Term Geographical Tasks in the `Global Change' Programme," A.V. Drozdov, V.M. Kotlyakov (Inst. Geog., USSR Acad. Sci., addr. above), 137-141.

"The Human Ecology of Global Change: Unresolved Questions," W.C. Clark (JFK Sch. Govt., Harvard Univ., 79 Kennedy St., Cambridge MA 02138), 143-150.

"New Global Environment Programmes and Sustainable Development--A Geographical Perspective," W. Manshard (Inst. Kulturgeog., Univ. Freiburg, Werderring 4, 7800 Freiburg i. Br., Ger.), 151-156.