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Latest Library Content tagged with "climate"

Managing the Risk of Climate Change to Wildlands of the Sierra Nevada PDF

This research paper is intended to identify issues relating to climate change that the Forest Service should consider as it revises its forest management plans in the Sierra Nevada. Climate change puts at risk the ability of ecosystems to continue to provide the values we expect from wildlands. Consequently, the role of management must change from enhancing the production of a few marketable goods and services to minimizing the loss of the biodiversity and productive capacity that make possible the delivery of services we value from wildland ecosystems.

Climate Change and Ecosystem Services: The contribution of and impacts on Federal Public Lands in the United States PDF

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (2007) reports a likely 2°C to 4.5°C temperature rise in the upcoming decades. This warming is likely to affect ecosystems and their ability to provide services that benefit human well-being. Ecosystem services valuation (ESV), meanwhile, has emerged as a way to recognize the economic value embodied in these services that is not currently reflected in markets.

Why should a climate bill fund natural resources projects in your community? VIDEO

Protecting our wild places – and preparing them for the unavoidable effects of climate change has many benefits that aren’t readily apparent at first glance. One of those benefits – the jobs that adapting our landscapes for a changing climate create – was the topic of discussion at a panel at the Good Jobs, Green Jobs conference, recently held in Washington DC. Listen to a few experts on restoration and adaptation talk about the importance of our wild places to a healthy environment and a healthy economy.

Projected climate change scenarios for Izembek National Wildlife Refuge PDF

Many areas in Alaska are already showing signs of climate change. In order to understand what these changes may be like, data from a composite of five down-scaled global circulation models was used to estimate decadal averages of future temperature and precipitation values within Izembek National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). These models assume a steady increase in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from fossil fuel combustion over the first several decades of the 21st century, followed by a gradual decline in emissions as several kinds of low-emission energy alternatives become more prevalent.

Energy Efficiency: Saving Energy Saves Lands PDF

The country has much to gain by being smarter with the energy we already produce. The suite of technologies and practices commonly referred to as "energy efficiency" is defined as the products, systems, building practices and materials, and other technologies that result in delivery of the same energy services using less energy than their conventional counterparts. Energy efficiency would save Americans money and would result in reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Efficiency is also critical to protecting wild lands.

The American public still wants action on energy and climate PDF

Following on the heels of December's failure to achieve a binding international agreement on climate and January's surprise election of a Republican Senator in Massachusetts running against the administration's healthcare reform plan, it is time to look again at the public strength of support for pending energy and climate legislation. Public polling suggests that the public's support for action is deep and resilient in favor of capping global warming pollution, increasing energy independence, and relying more on clean renewable sources of energy.

Analysis: Top Ten Carbon Storing National Forests in America PDF

National forests, national parks and other federally-owned forests in the Pacific Northwest and Southeast Alaska hold extraordinary amounts of carbon and therefore play an important role in defending against climate change. According to United States Forest Service data, the ten national forests in the United States that store the most carbon per forested acre are all located in western Oregon, western Washington and southeast Alaska. Moist late-successional forests west of the Cascade Range mountains are among the Earth's greatest carbon storing ecosystems.

A Visit to One of America's Top 10 Carbon Storing Forests VIDEO

Join The Wilderness Society’s forest guru, Mike Anderson, as he takes you to one of the United States’ top carbon storing national forests — the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in Washington state. As one of the most visited national forests in the United States, the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National forest is home to an abundance of recreational opportunities, old growth forests, glacier-covered peaks and spectacular rushing rivers.

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