Global Warming "Undeniable"

Melting glaciers, more humid air and eight other key indicators show that global warming is undeniable, scientists said on Wednesday, citing a new comprehensive review of the last decade of climate data.

Without addressing why this is happening, the researchers said there was no doubt that every decade on Earth since the 1980s has been hotter than the previous one, and that the planet has been warming for the last half-century.

This confirms the findings of the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which reported in 2007 with 90 percent certainty that climate change is occurring. The IPCC also said that human activities contribute to this phenomenon.

The new report was released after U.S. Senate Democrats delayed any possible legislation to curb climate change until September at the earliest. Prospects for U.S. climate change legislation this year are considered slim. That is even wishful thinking, as there are too many vested interests operating to conspire against the legislation. Yet, the US is doing a lot more than Australia and investments in both wind and solar energy are increasing quickly, and are impressive, almost in spite of political apathy at legislator level, but probably not at President level.

Released by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as "The 2009 State of the Climate Report," the new report draws on the work of 303 scientists from 48 countries, including data from last year. NOAA is the US premier government agency invloved with weather and climate.

The 10 key planet-wide indicators of a warming climate identified by the report are:
-- Higher temperatures over land
-- Higher temperatures over oceans
-- Higher ocean heat content
-- Higher near-surface air temperatures (temperatures in the troposphere, where Earth's weather occurs)
-- Higher humidity
-- Higher sea surface temperatures
-- Higher sea levels
-- Less sea ice
-- Less snow cover
-- Shrinking glaciers

The seven indicators expected to rise in a warming world rose over the last decade, the report said; the three indicators expected to decline did so over that same period.


Article continues: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE66S0GK20100729

Yet, despite this the world political leaders - including Australia continue to fluff about, making lots of additional hot air and doing really very little.

Change to both mitigate and cope will be painful..............but the sooner we start, the easier it will be!!

Compadre Zoysia for Roadsides and Median Strips

We have long advocated zoysia, especially seed sown versions such as Compadre, for use in transport corridors.

One of Australia's largest road organisations, the NSW RTA is now using zoysia for road corridor use, median strips and similar road applications.

They find the slower growth is a big advantage ........less mowing, maybe only one third as much mowing, as well as reduced intrusion into plants used in association with the grass. Previously, intrusion by faster growing species such as couch and kikuyu meant large maintenance budgets and regular spraying to eliminate ingress by the grass into adjacent plant communities such as Dianella spp, and similar lower growing species.

The use of seed sown Compadre zoysia offers significant cost advantages over turf sod in similar circumstances, and will achieve the same effect. There will be some added maintenance and management during the establishment phase of about 12 weeks, but by using hydroseeding on a weed free seed bed a first class result can be achieved. Zoysia's require less fertiliser in comparison to most other grasses, while still achieving adequate to good quality. Sometimes that fertiliser can be nil!!

It has been done in Darwin........and I am sure it can be done in your area too, if warm and wet in the summer.

One of the transport corridors done in Darwin was the nature strip around the bottom roundabout in McMinn street, near the Waterfront. And the roundabout was also done with another zoysia - Zoysia tenuifolia - also known as petting grass, which needs almost never being cut.

Contact us for more details. Compadre zoysia seed is also available.