Continental Scientific Drilling Project of the Cretaceous Songliao Basin (SK-1) in China is the first reference to provide the results of the first part of scientific drilling project at the Songliao Basin in the Daqing oil field, the largest known oil field in China. The project has two major objectives: one is to correlate the oceanic and continental records and determine the principal drivers of climate change in order to assist in future climate change predictions and its influence on the earth's environment. The second is to further test the theory of terrestrial genesis of hydrocarbons, and to explore the formation of intra-continental sedimentary basins, as many are major hydrocarbon provinces. In addition, this project provides the scientific basis for exploration of the Daqing Oilfields, which have a yearly production of forty million tons of oil. The world is entering a new exciting era to explore in which scientific drilling will provide a quantum leap in our understanding of its deep earth and history. Continental Scientific Drilling Project of the Cretaceous Songliao Basin (SK-1) in China will play an important role in promoting scientific drilling and earth system science research.

Climate change is perhaps the most important issue of our time and yet despite the urgency of the problem, the measures necessary to mitigate it have not been implemented. International cooperation has not been forthcoming and there remains a general reluctance towards any major change of lifestyle. Given the urgency of the problem, why has so little been done? In Climate Ethics Joerg Tremmel and Katherine Robinson identify the reasons behind this crucial paradox and propose a way forward. In the first part of the book the authors provide an accessible account of the basics of climate change. In clear and accessible terms they explain the science behind climate change and demystify the complicated terminology that so often hinders a proper understanding of the subject. They identify the substances that cause climate change, reveal which industries are responsible and which aspects of people's everyday lives have the highest emissions connected with them. They explore the consequences of ignoring climate change and, importantly, analyse the obstacles to addressing the issues. In the second part of the book the authors introduce the concept of climate ethics, and explore its importance at a personal, national and international level. They place it firmly at the centre of any successful resolution of the challenges associated with climate change. They review the classical theories of justice and how they relate to climate change, and they examine the complex ethical and moral questions that need to be addressed if long-term solutions are to be found. What moral responsibility do we have to future generations? How should we share out emission rights? Do we take into account past emissions, allowing those who have historically caused more pollution fewer emissions rights than developing countries? Who is to finance the measures to abate climate? And just what is the fairest approach to the politics of climate change on a global scale? The result is an original and timely engagement with one of the most pressing problems facing us and future generations.

About the BookThere are many books on global warming written entirely from a layman's perspective, and there is a great deal of scientific literature on this subject. But few if any books attempt to bridge the science to those who lack a rigorous background in mathematics, physics and chemistry - but who may be working on careers in environmental science and policy. The new text is designed to introduce the field of global climate change from a scientific perspective - but written in a way that is accessible to students with some or little science background. It reviews the basic principles of climatic thermodynamics and atmospheric chemistry and then goes on to explain historic trends and changes due to the burning of fossil fuels and other human-based activity on earth. It includes loads of reference sources and citations from current political and scientific work will help students study further if they desire. Highlights include: A broad overview of the thermodynamics of climate, the biosphere and earth chemistry An overview of climate data in the context of geological time A clear explanation of the physics of the greenhouse effect - from black body radiation to heat trapping effects of CO2, methane and Nitrous Oxide Methods of modeling climate predictions The economics of fuel choices in the broadest context of climate change

Believe in climate change. Or don't. "It doesn't matter. "But you'd better understand this: the best route to rebuilding our economy, our cities, and our job markets, as well as assuring national security, is doing precisely what you would do if you were scared to death about climate change. Whether you're the head of a household or the CEO of a multinational corporation, embracing efficiency, innovation, renewables, carbon markets, and new technologies is the smartest decision you can make. It is the most profitable, too. And, oh yes, you'll help save the planet.
In "Climate Capitalism," L. Hunter Lovins, the coauthor of the bestselling "Natural Capitalism," and the sustainability expert Dr. Boyd Cohen prove that the future of capitalism in a recession-riddled, carbon-constrained world will be built on innovations that cutting-edge leaders are bringing to the market today. These companies are creating jobs and driving innovation.

This book addresses the links between climate change and the threats it poses to sustainable development, from a distance education perspective. Discussing current trends and challenges in sustainable development education, climate literacy and innovations in climate change education, it contributes to the global debate on the implementation of education for sustainability. It also assesses the role that e-learning can play in this process, addressing pedagogical concepts as well as the wide range of technological options now available.

This compendium contains a collection of key papers from the journal "Energy Policy," offering a valuable reference point on the role of flexibility mechanisms in the mitigation of climate change. Originally published between December 1999 and August 2001, all of these articles concern particular aspects of the Kyoto mechanisms or variations on the theme of flexibility that have evolved elsewhere.
For better or for worse, flexibility mechanisms have become a part of the institutional architecture of energy policy in the 21st Century.
As the contributions to this compendium illustrate, this fact has both positive and negative connotations. Flexibility mechanisms have the potential to unleash exciting market-led emission reduction initiatives, and to promote both technological and institutional innovation. At the same time, the complexity of establishing credible and robust arrangements, in which practicality and viability are balanced with appropriate safeguards against loopholes and gaming, should not be underestimated. In the longer term, the flexibility mechanisms may turn out to be unhealthy distractions from the much more important task of restructuring domestic energy systems. Or they might just turn out to be indispensable instruments for achieving the deep cuts in emissions that climate change demands. One thing, however, is abundantly clear: climate policy has guaranteed that energy policy will never be the same again.

This book offers a concrete contribution towards a better understanding of climate change communication. It ultimately helps to catalyse the sort of cross-sectoral action needed to address the phenomenon of climate change and its many consequences. There is a perceived need to foster a better understanding of what climate change is, and to identify approaches, processes, methods and tools which may help to better communicate it. There is also a need for successful examples showing how communication can take place across society and stakeholders. Addressing the challenges in communicating to various audiences and providing a platform for reflections, it showcases lessons learnt from research, field projects and best practices in various settings in various different countries. The acquired knowledge can be adapted and applied to other situations.

This book presents the spatial and temporal dynamics of land use and land cover in the central Tibetan Plateau during the last two decades, based on various types of satellite data, long-term field investigation and GIS techniques. Further, it demonstrates how remote sensing can be used to map and characterize land use, land cover and their dynamic processes in mountainous regions, and to monitor and model relevant biophysical parameters. The Tibetan Plateau, the highest and largest plateau on the Earth and well known as "the roof of the world," is a huge mountainous area on the Eurasian continent and covers millions of square kilometers, with an average elevation of over 4000 m. After providing an overview of the background and an introduction to land use and land cover change, the book analyzes the current land use status, dynamic changes and spatial distribution patterns of different land-use types in the study area, using various types of remotely sensed data, digital elevation models and GIS spatial analysis methods to do so. In turn, it discusses the main driving forces, based on the main physical environment variables and socioeconomic data, and provides a future scenario analysis of land use change using a Markov chain model. Given its scope, it provides a valuable reference guide for researchers, scientists and graduate students working on environmental change in mountainous regions around the globe, and for practitioners working at government and non-government agencies.

Australia's response to climate change must truly baffle outsiders. Why do our leaders pretend that they are leading the world in the battle against global warming? When do environmental risks outweigh economic benefits? Why dig deeper when the rest of the world is looking for alternatives to coal? This is an essay about 'quarry vision,' the belief that Australia's greatest asset is its mineral and energy resources - coal above all. How has this distorted our national politics and stymied action on climate change? In this powerful essay about the national interest, Guy Pearse dissects the Rudd government's climate change response- from the Garnaut report to the silver bullet of 'clean coal' and beyond. He exposes the shadowy world of the carbon lobbyists; how they think, operate and advance their agenda. He discusses the future of the coal industry and challenges the economic orthodoxy. Quarry vision, he argues, is a trap and a blind faith we can no longer afford. 'A generation ago, our leaders showed courage and vision in pushing for unilateral trade liberalisation - they knew it was good for Australia no matter how fast others acted. They were right to turn Australia's economy outward, and the establishment they challenged was wrong. Today the generation that was right on trade liberalisation has much of it wrong on climate change. They now wear the establishment mantle, and it is their turn to be challenged.' GUY PEARSE, QUARRY VISION Guy Pearse is a former member of the Liberal Party and was a speechwriter for former environment minister Robert Hill. He has also been an industry lobbyist, consultant and spin doctor. In 2007 he exposed the politics behind Australia's response to climate change on Four Corners and in his book High & Dry.

Climate Change: Alternate Governance Policy for South Asia provides an assessment of climate change issues through the socioeconomic lens of one of the world's poorest, most populous regions. Although climate change is a global issue, localized solutions have become increasingly necessary to address political, economic and cultural factors in underdeveloped regions. Identifying successes, gaps and shortcomings in existing policies and regional laws relating to climate change, this book evaluates the sustainability of current practices, examining mitigation strategies and suggesting a comprehensive, innovative model of sustainable policies and governance strategy specific to the region. While the book approaches climate change, policy and mitigation from a regionally-focused standpoint, it has an underlying philosophy of Think Global, Act Local, making it universally applicable to anyone interested in climate change and its effects.

This book provides a unique and comprehensive assessment of the changes that have been taking place in the Himalayas. It describes in detail all the aspects of change, both natural and cultural, along with their implications, and suggests policy measures to help mitigate them. The book is divided into two major sections - on natural changes and cultural changes - and 11 chapters: an introduction, six addressing changes that concern natural aspects, and four exploring cultural changes and presenting the book's conclusions. The content is based on a study conducted using a participatory observation/empirical method. Time series data from secondary sources is also included, helping to analyze the various changes. The findings are presented in the form of color graphs, models, maps, photographs, and tables. The book offers a valuable resource for policymakers, and will prove equally useful for all other stakeholders, e.g. researchers, students and development agents.

The book principally addresses climate change and describes the remedial strategies for developing countries based on the 'Clean Development Mechanism' of the 'Kyoto Protocol'. It provides a very comprehensive account of the array of proposals and economic instruments devised by the international community - including the Joint Implementation and Emissions Trading initiatives of the Protocol - to abate global warming. The effects of other major atmospheric, land and water pollutants from industries and domestic sources are also covered.

This book systematically introduces readers to the framework of China's ETS pilots, exploring their design and operating process, the current state of the carbon market, and various barriers encountered. To do so, it deconstructs the Guangdong ETS, which is the largest and most representative of China's seven ETS pilots. The book subsequently describes and evaluates all seven pilots in terms of their efficiency, macro and micro effects, the method involved in the DEA model, the CGE model, and cost-benefit analysis. In turn, in the assessment section it demonstrates how some ETS pilots have failed to control carbon emissions due to inordinately high emissions quotas issued by the local government etc. Further, it argues that ETS should focus on those industries with large emissions and high mitigating potential for the time being, and then gradually expand the scale of its coverage. As China's national ETS is slated for launch on the basis of the lessons learned from the ETS pilots, the book offers a timely and valuable resource for all those who want to understand and forecast the development of China's ETS. It includes a wealth of descriptions and explanations of Chinese government policies involving carbon emissions control, making it a unique resource.

This book focuses on the role of higher education institutions in addressing climate change mitigation and adaptation challenges, contributing to the development of this fast-growing field. Further, it includes the results of empirical research and offers ideas regarding on-going and future research initiatives. The contributions also * showcase the research and projects on issues pertaining to climate change at universities from across the globe; * document and promote ideas and experiences acquired in the execution of research projects, especially successful initiatives and best practices; and * introduce methodological approaches and projects that offer a better understanding of climate change across society and economic sectors. The book is structured around two parts: lessons learned from climate change research, education, studies and projects. Each part focuses on mitigation and adaptation respectively, with many responses of the two modalities overlapping. This book is a valuable resource for researchers and practitioners in the fields of environment, human geography, business and economics, as well as academics and students, as it presents education, communication and awareness-raising projects on matters related to climate change at universities in both industrialised and developing countries, often in cooperation with government bodies, NGOs and other stakeholders.

This book focuses on managing risks and building resilience to climate change, showcasing experiences from research, field projects and best practices to foster climate change adaptation in Eastern Europe that can be implemented elsewhere. Climate change affects countries in Eastern Europe, i.e. the Western Balkans and Southeast Europe in a variety of ways. Apart from severe floods, there are reports of decreasing water reserves in the southern regions, and of gradual changes in biodiversity and agricultural production. In the South Caucasus area, for instance, climate change models project a decline in precipitation and suggest that it will continue to become drier this century. Many Eastern European countries, especially the non-EU ones, have weak national climate policies, and transboundary collaborations, as well as limited public engagement in matters related to climate change. As a result, climate change poses a serious threat to their economic stability and development and to the sustainable development of the region. The above state of affairs illustrates the need for a better understanding of how climate change influences Eastern Europe, and for the identification of processes, methods and tools that may help the countries and the communities in the region to adapt. There is also a perceived need to showcase successful examples of how to cope with the social, economic and political problems posed by floods/droughts in the region, especially ways of increasing the resilience of agriculture systems and of communities. Addressing this need, the book presents papers written by scholars, social practitioners and members of government agencies involved in research and/or climate change projects in Eastern Europe.

Monitoring drought’s slow evolution and identifying the end of a drought is still a big challenge for scientists, natural resource managers, and decision makers. This comprehensive two-volume set with contributions from over 200 experts, and featuring case studies representing numerous countries throughout the world, discusses different aspects of drought from types, indices, and forecasting to monitoring, modeling, and mitigation measures. It also addresses how climate change is impacting drought and decision-making concluding with lessons learned about science, policy, and managing uncertainty. Features: Provides a global perspective on drought prediction and management and a synthesis of the recent state of knowledge. Covers a wide range of topics from essential concepts and advanced techniques for forecasting and modeling drought to societal impacts, consequences, and planning Presents numerous case studies with different management approaches from different regions and countries. Addresses how climate change impacts drought, the increasing challenges associated with managing drought, decision making, and policy implications. Includes contributions from hundreds of experts around the world. Professionals, researchers, academics, and postgraduate students with knowledge in Environmental Sciences, Ecology, Agriculture, Forestry, Hydrology, Water Resources Engineering, and Earth Sciences, as well as those interested in how climate change impacts drought management, will gain new insights from the experts featured in this two-volume handbook.

Adapting to Climate Change in Europe: Exploring Sustainable Pathways - From Local Measures to Wider Policies is a scientific synthesis of a four-year project on adaptation activities in Europe. It combines scientific assessments with real-world case descriptions to present specific tools and methods. This book aims at ensuring sustainable solutions in adaptation to climate change. The challenge of adaptation is still at an early stage; this book fills relevant gaps in current knowledge on climate adaptation, providing a crucial set of tools to support effective decision-making. It acts as a guide to practitioners and decision-makers along different steps of on-going adaptation processes. Adapting to Climate Change in Europe contains methods and tools for improving stakeholder's participation and analyzing costs and benefits of different adaptation measures. It is an essential resource for researchers, graduate students, and experts and policymakers working in climate change and adaptation.