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More comprehensive study needed on Carbon Sinks & Global Warming: Inez Fung

Global Warming Inez Fung

 

As a part of Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study’s ‘Lectures in the Sciences’ series, professor of atmospheric sciences and co-director of the University of California, Inez Fung told the world that we needed a more precise way to measure the growing carbon emissions. While saying that the emission of greenhouse gases has in fact grown at an exponential rate, she also said that the two major sinks of carbon; namely the oceans & the woods might be loosing their ability to absorb Carbon Dioxide.


While she talks about a better & far more accurate way of measuring the emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, she also stresses on the urgent need to cut down the burning of fossil fuel. While for me the feeling is not as overwhelming hearing this as I have by now gotten used to this theory, it should not surprise anyone who keeps in touch with the latest news on global warming. A couple of weeks ago, scientists from UK made the startling revelation for the first time about how oceans were loosing their ability to act as sinks for Carbon Dioxide. While the reasons for this are still unclear, Inez stuns us by saying that even the woods are loosing their ability to absorb CO2

She says that with growing climate changes & prolonged seasons of leaf shedding due to prevalent drought, the woods also lose an ability of absorbing the greenhouse gases due to reduction in the process of Photosynthesis. While the theory sounds pretty convincing, it poses new problem to all those who want to keep the global temperatures under check. Fung says that the scientific community needs a better & more accurate measurement of Carbon emissions & absorption & that a satellite launched in 2008 would go a long way in providing some substantial data. She also expresses concern over global rates of increase in CO2 in the atmosphere. While scientists predicted the rate of increase to be around 1.1%, in reality it has crept up to 3%.

This is the third high profile scholar who has expressed grave concerns about the greenhouse emission & global warming in the past 2 days. It is high time we act & be pro active in reducing the burning of fossil fuels.

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