Satellite images could help scientists predict the consequences of climate change on the world's wildlife, new research shows.
A study by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) explains how photographs taken from space have allowed scientists to explore the relationship between vegetation and the number of herbivorous ungulates (hoofed animals).
The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) is a satellite-based measurement indicating the amount of healthy vegetation on the ground, and is already in use by scientists studying climate change.
A report by the ZSL, published in The American Naturalist, examined patterns of abundance for 13 species in 77 African national parks. Using the satellite measurements in combination with wildlife population densities estimated using traditional aerial and ground surveys, researchers were able to report a positive correlation between NDVI and the population size of ungulates on a continental scale.
Researchers claim the technique means there is now the potential to predict which species will die out first if climatic conditions change, giving conservationists a chance to focus on those species before it's too late.
Commenting on the report, ZSL researcher Dr Nathalie Pettorelli, said: "Several climatic models can be used to predict changes in NDVI, allowing scientists to forecast how climate change might affect vegetation. The correlation discovered means that the effects of climate change on wildlife could also ultimately be predicted quantitatively.
"This is a really important step forward in helping to determine conservation priorities in a changing climate"
Satellite images helping predict effect of climate change
Glasgow tackling carbon footprint
A transport organisation is tackling climate change by trying to reduce Glasgow's carbon footprint.
Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) is joining forces with the police, fire and health services to help cut carbon emissions in Scotland's biggest city.
The Climate Change Partnership for Glasgow is the only such union in Scotland to commit its members to specific carbon reduction targets.
The partners have promised to cut their combined CO2 emissions by more than 32,000 tonnes.
The benefit to the environment will be the same as creating an additional 160,000 mature trees or taking 1,620 cars off the streets.
The partners involved in the initiative are NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Strathclyde Police, Strathclyde Fire and Rescue, Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, Glasgow Housing Association, Culture and Sport Glasgow, Glasgow Council for the Voluntary Sector and Jobcentre Plus.
Together they produce over 226,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions every year.
Under the new partnership all will use innovative energy-saving projects to cut their carbon footprint by 6,500 tonnes every year.
They will do this through initiatives such as solar water heating, using biomass heating system and car sharing or using public transport more often.
Members will benefit from support and expertise within the partnership, along with the opportunity to share in any future funding secured by the group.
SPT chair Alistair Watson said in a statement: "We are working hard to improve our environmental performance and reduce the environmental impact of day-to-day operations.
"We are encouraging transport operators in our patch to adopt a greener approach too.
"Everyone has a responsibility to look after the environment and look after our fair green city in the process. "
James Coleman, chairman of the Glasgow Community Planning Partnership, said: "Most people accept that climate change is a threat to the planet and our communities, but it can be difficult for them to see where they fit in.
"By making this commitment to reduce emissions, our members can help to bring home the realities of environmental damage to every section of the community - and encourage them to play a part in securing a more sustainable, safer future for Glasgow."
Climate change is too big an issue to leave to the experts
Nicholas Stern (The G2 interview, 30 March) omits a more obvious retort to climate change sceptics. Many measures that are essential if mainstream thought is correct also work if the human impact on climate is negligible.
Food supplies face many risks, so bribing fishermen to catch fewer fish appears sensible, while feed changes and additives can drastically cut emissions, resource usage and waste from livestock. Elsewhere, alternatives to fossil fuels are worthwhile regardless, as are habitat conservation, improved recycling, reduced water usage, carefully managed silvaculture and a general reduction in waste.
If, as I believe, Stern has got it right, these measures are literally vital. If climate change proves to be a damp squib, they might still be life-savers.
Iain Climie
Whitchurch, Hants
Lord Stern takes to task leftwing critics who view climate change as a hobbyhorse of western elites. But he has little to offer to dampen this view when he ridicules lay views on the matter ("Taxi drivers ... People cutting hair"). Perhaps unwittingly, he rather exemplifies such an elitist view by insisting that we should above all listen to scientists when debating climate change. It is one thing to consult experts where they have expert knowledge to offer. It is another thing to leave it to them when deciding what to do.
Climate change is, indeed, such a huge issue that we cannot afford to leave it to elites and scientists. Now that the issue has arrived high on the political agenda, we should not try to push it back into technocratic circles.
Dr Reiner Grundmann
Birmingham
Nicholas Stern says some industries will experience dislocation if there is a cutback in fossil fuels, adding "just as the introduction of roads and trains caused dislocation in the market for horses and carts". In fact roads were pretty useful for horses and carts, which is why Macadam and others wanted to improve them in the 18th century. In the 19th century, railways greatly increased the demand for horses, carts and cabs. As FML Thompson put it in his Victorian England: The Horse-Drawn Society (1970): "Without carriages and carts the railways would have been like stranded whales, giants unable to use their strength, for these were the only means of getting people and goods right to the doors, of houses, warehouses, markets and factories."
Gavin Weightman
London
