Climate Change Wiping Out Frog Population

From The Imperial College London:

The researchers, from Imperial College London and two Madrid institutions, found a correlation between significant warming of the local climate in Spain between 1976 and 2002 and the emergence of the fungal disease Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (BD) in the area.

The fungus infects amphibians' skin and is believed to cause disease by interfering with the skin’s ability to absorb water. As a result of BD, the common midwife toad is now virtually extinct in the area of Spain studied by the researchers, the Penalara Natural Park, where it was once thriving.

The researchers suggest it is likely that increases in the number of BD-related mass mortalities are due to a combination of factors relating to climate change.

"This is a wake up call that we are losing biodiversity fast. Climate change appears to be changing patterns of disease and previously resistant species are becoming highly infected and even, in a number of cases, becoming extinct," he added.

Big Car, Big Fee

From The New Zealand Herald:

A London council is planning to charge residents who drive gas-guzzling cars significantly more for permits to park outside their homes in a bid to tackle pollution.

"If you've got an electric car you'll pay nothing, if you've got a small car you might go down by 50 per cent, if you have an average car your charge will probably go down a bit or up a bit," council leader Serge Lourie said.

"But if you've got a large car we'll be charging you significantly more. And if you've got a large Jag, for example, you'll be paying 200 per cent more."

Tilling The Green Soil

As reported in The Boston Herald:

Gary Larsen, who grows corn and soybeans in western Iowa, is among a growing number of farmers who are concerned about the potential effects of global warming.

“We don’t know how the world could actually turn out, but doing absolutely nothing and sticking your head in the sand is not an option,” said Larsen, a 63-year-old grandfather who lives near Elk Horn.

William Niebur, vice president of DuPont Crop Genetics Research and Development, said the evidence of climate change includes the migration of successful corn production north 100 miles over the past three decades.

Improved soil management methods are reducing greenhouse gases. No-till farming, for example, where farmers plant crops without using machines to plow or turn over the soil, cuts down on energy use and keeps carbon in the ground instead of releasing it into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.

Farmers also are planting crops that require less fertilizer and herbicides; using alternative fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel; capturing methane gas from livestock for energy production; and harnessing wind power.