Author: aqserveproject

Source: https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/07/after-40-years-researchers-finally-see-earths-climate-destiny-more-clearly  By Paul Voosen Jul. 22, 2020  Clouds aren’t expected to dampen global warming—one reason why the planet is likely to respond sharply to carbon emissions. ISS Expedition 7 Crew/EOL/NASA  It seems like such a simple question: How hot is Earth going to get? Yet for 40 years, climate scientists have repeated the same unsatisfying answer: If humans double atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) from preindustrial levels, the planet will eventually warm between 1.5°C and 4.5°C—a temperature range that encompasses everything from a merely troubling rise to a catastrophic one. Now, in a landmark effort, a team of 25 scientists has significantly narrowed the bounds on this critical factor, known as climate sensitivity. The assessment, conducted under the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) and publishing this week in Reviews of Geophysics, relies on three strands of evidence: trends indicated by contemporary warming, the latest understanding of the feedback effects that can slow or accelerate climate change, and lessons from ancient climates. They support a likely...

Source: https://emme-care.cyi.ac.cy/saint-joesph-university-of-beirut-joins-emme-care-regional-professorship-programme/  2020-07-14 In the framework of Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East – Climate and Atmosphere Research’s (EMME-CARE) Regional Professorship Programme, aiming to strengthen, expand and enhance collaboration networks in the EMME region to tackle air pollution and climate change and their impacts, the Cyprus Institute has entered into a formal collaboration agreement with the Saint-Joseph University of Beirut (USJ) in Lebanon. Collaboration between the two institutions will cut across a number of areas: the exchange of students, researchers and faculty, through ERASMUS and other programmes, internships and sabbatical programmes, but also joint research efforts involving the exchange of ideas, methodologies and data, as well as the pursuit of joint publications as a result of joint research or funding opportunities for joint projects. Additionally, the two institutions will provide access to each other’s research infrastructures, which a focus on the analysis of the chemical speciation of aerosols, as well as examine the potential of dual postgraduate programmes or joint supervision. As part of the...

Source: https://emme-care.cyi.ac.cy/new-care-c-project-to-develop-a-bioaerosol-network-aimed-at-detecting-the-presence-of-sars-cov-2/ July 2020 Researchers of the Climate and Atmosphere Research Center of the Cyprus Institute and the Cyprus Institute of Neurology & Genetics, in collaboration with the Nicosia General Hospital, and with the support of the Republic of Cyprus’ Ministry of Health and Ministry of Interiors, are developing and evaluating the benefits of implementing an easy-to-operate Bioaerosol Network aimed at detecting the presence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, within indoor atmospheric environments. The objective of the project is to demonstrate the value of a “Bioaerosol Network” for monitoring the presence of airborne SARS-CoV-2 within large indoor public areas (such as shops, offices, residential buildings and others). This is to alert on the potential risk of local contamination, and allow for immediate mitigation actions (such as shutdowns and disinfections). If operated continuously, such bioaerosol networks could act as early warning systems to geolocate the presence of new infectious clusters, information which is strategic for combating the large-scale spreading of the virus. According to...

Source: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/07/best-ways-tackle-air-pollution-climate-change-together/  06 Jul 2020 Richard Fuller Electrifying public transport is one way to lower both air pollution and carbon emissions Image: REUTERS/Rodrigo Garrido  Prevailing wisdom holds that measures to tackle air pollution will also tackle climate change, and vice versa - but this is not always the case.A new report has identified the most effective interventions for addressing both issues at once. When we look at air pollution and climate change, we see two dire situations: 1. People, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), are becoming ill and dying prematurely because of the poor quality of the air they breathe. Air pollution is linked to an estimated 4.2 million premature deaths a year, according to the World Health Organization.   When indoor air quality is considered, that number rises by an estimated 2.9 to 4.3 million deaths a year, according to The Lancet Commission.  2. Glacial ice is melting, droughts are becoming more prolonged, extreme weather events are more common, and cities around the world are reporting...

Source: https://euobserver.com/green-deal/148778  By Elena Sánchez Nicolás Brussels, 29. Jun, 07:05  Air pollution causes around 400,000 premature deaths every year in the EU (Photo: Friends of the Earth Scotland)  The European Commission now estimates that a majority of member states are off-target to deliver on their air pollution reduction commitments for 2020 and 2030. In its first report on progress towards EU air pollution targets, the commission said that member states need to step up efforts to make sure their citizens can breathe clean air. Every year, air pollution causes about 400,000 premature deaths in the EU and hundreds of billions of euros in health-related external costs. "We need more effective measures to cut pollution in member states and to tackle air emissions across sectors, including agriculture, transport and energy," EU commissioner for the environment, Virginijus Sinkevičius, said on Friday (26 June). The analysis, based on EU countries' emissions projections submitted to the commission last year, estimates that just 10 member states will meet its 2020 air pollution reduction...

Source: https://cyprus-mail.com/2020/06/26/room-for-improvement-but-cyprus-on-track-to-lower-polluted-air-emissions/  By Jonathan Shkurko June 26, 2020 A EU study published on Friday revealed that, like most European countries, Cyprus needs to step up efforts across all sectors to make sure citizens can breathe clean air, preventing respiratory diseases and premature death. The study points out how Cyprus did not submit a national plan outlining its emissions reduction commitments before the deadline set for May 24, 2019. However, it also said that the country was currently complying with a EU directive obliging member states to lay down national plans for air pollution control programmes. “As a result of this compliance with existing measures, Cyprus is not obliged to adopt additional policies,” the report said. “The study shows that Cyprus is planning to meet its commitments to reduce emissions by 2030.The reports shows that the main contributors to polluted air emissions stem from energy production, industrial factories’ combustion, road transport, solvent use and agriculture.Moreover, the overview of the Cyprus national plan to lower polluted air emissions shows...

Source: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200624-has-covid-19-brought-us-closer-to-stopping-climate-change?ocid=ww.social.link.twitter  By Emily Kasriel  25th June 2020  “I was so worried about the dangers of going too far,” says Sally Capp, Lord Mayor of Melbourne, when she now thinks about her pre-pandemic leadership on the environment. The leader of Australia’s second most populated city believes Covid-19 has helped her clarify what’s important to her as an individual and as mayor. “I have become much more resolute about my values, prioritising humanity and protecting the environment, so they can play a larger role in driving my agenda.”  The pandemic has created the most significant economic shock since the Great Depression, besides being a public health crisis like no other in living memory. The existential threat that it has posed has set many individuals, cities and national leaders on a new track. In Capp’s case, it has meant taking very different decisions on the environment, leading in a way that focuses on what’s truly important. Capp believes this trend needs to continue post Covid-19. There is indeed a large movement to “build...