Dramatic and unprecedented plumes of methane - a greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide - have been seen bubbling to the surface of the Arctic Ocean by scientists undertaking an extensive survey of the region. The scale and volume of the methane release has astonished the head of the Russian research team who has been surveying the seabed of the East Siberian Arctic Shelf off northern Russia for nearly 20 years.

Scientists estimate that there are hundreds of millions of tons of methane gas locked away beneath the Arctic permafrost, which extends from the mainland into the seabed of the relatively shallow sea of the East Siberian Arctic Shelf.

One of the greatest fears is that with the disappearance of the Arctic sea ice in summer, and rapidly rising temperatures across the entire Arctic region, which are already melting the Siberian permafrost, the trapped methane could be suddenly released into the atmosphere leading to rapid and severe climate change.

Each methane molecule is about 70 times more potent in terms of trapping heat than a molecule of carbon dioxide. However, because methane it broken down more rapidly in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, scientist calculate that methane is about 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a hundred-year cycle.

A total of 950 natural catastrophes were recorded last year, 90% of which were weather-related events such as storms and floods, according to Munich RE. The reinsurance business says that this total makes 2010 the year with the second-highest number of natural catastrophes since 1980. This greatly exceedes the average for the last ten years which was 785 events per year. The global distribution of natural catastrophes in 2010 was however comparable to that of previous years.

Munich RE estimates that losses from the natural catastrophes in 2010 totalled US$130 billion, of which approximately $37bn was insured.

The high number of weather-related natural catastrophes and record temperatures both globally and in different regions of the world provide further indications of advancing climate change.

For example, the warming water temperatures helped to fuel the intensity of hurricanes. In terms of the number and intensity of the storms, 2010 was one of the severest hurricane seasons of the past 100 years, although damage was limited because favourable conditions meant thay were largely confied to sea areas.

The year 2010 is almost certain to rank in the top 3 warmest years since the beginning of instrumental climate records in 1850, according to data sources compiled by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The global combined sea surface and land surface air temperature for January–October 2010 was estimated at 0.55°C (± 0.11°C) above the 1961–1990 annual average of 14.00°C. At present, 2010's nominal value is the highest on record, just ahead of 1998 (January-October anomaly +0.53°C) and 2005 (0.52°C). However, the final ranking of 2010 will not become clear until November and December data are analysed in early 2011. According to WMO, preliminary operational data from 1-25 November indicate that global temperatures from November 2010 are similar to those observed in November 2005, indicating that global temperatures for 2010 are continuing to track near record levels.

Concentrations of the main greenhouse gases have reached their highest levels recorded since pre-industrial times, according to the World Meteorological Organization’s 2009 Greenhouse Gas Bulletin.

... more at: WMO Press Release

This report has been produced by the African Smallholder Farmers Group, a network of International NGOs committed to creating an enabling environment for marginalised farmers across Africa.

The main thrust of the report is that donors and governments have been neglecting smallholder farmers in their development plans, yet the majority of the rural poor in Africa are smallholders and their main chance to lift themselves out of poverty must come from improved access to decision-making, knowledge, technology, assets, markets and equal opportunities, applied to their farming activities. 

The report showcases examples of successful new initiatives that are facilitating a transformation in rural livelihoods, and makes specific recommendations to the UK government to mainstream these approaches in their programmes, in order to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

The full report is available at: http://www.concern.net/sites/concern.net/files/resource/2010/07/4615-asfgfinalreport.pdf

British policy on agriculture, at home and abroad, was made at a time when world food supplies were considered secure. We now know that food supply cannot be taken for granted because of ongoing decline in soil fertility, competition from bio-fuels and vulnerability to climate change.

In the next two years, DEFRA will renegotiate the Common Agricultural Policy, DFID must decide how to respond to world food crises and DECC will negotiate international deals on CO2 reduction.

There is growing international experience with a new farming technology – zero tillage – that improves soil health and allows high levels of food production to be sustained with lower inputs, less pollution and greater biodiversity.

A concerned group of UK agricultural scientists, including members of the Tropical Agricultural Association (TAA), the UK No-Till Alliance, and theNRgroup met together at Elterwater in the Lake District to formulate an Open Letter to the new UK Government. The letter was sent to the ministers for DEFRA, DFID and DECC on 8th July, 2010.

Download the full text of the letter here (pdf 882 KB)
or view the letter here

For more information on Conservation Agriculture, see also:

Conservation Farming Unit, Zambia	http://www.conservationagriculture.org/CFU/index.html
	http://www.act-africa.org/

Page last updated December 31, 2011