A recent report of Greenpeace stated that the use and manufacture of synthetic fertilizers is contributing to climate change. It claimed that total emissions from manufacture and the use of synthetic fertilizers in India in 2006-2007, generated 100 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2), which represents 6 per cent of the total Indian greenhouse gas emissions. Synthetic fertilizers are not a solution for sustainable agriculture and food security, said a Greenpeace campaigner.

Lemmings disappearing due to climate change    --

Scientists report that global warming is causing a drop in the numbers of Norwegian lemmings. These hamster-like rodents burst forth in large numbers from their sub-Arctic homes every three to five years in a frantic search for food. They live under a roof of fluffy snow, in a narrow gap created when warmth from the earth melts a thin layer of snow on the ground. Global warming has shortened the period during which the lemmings make their homes. Also, fast melting and refreezing creates a kind of snow that covers the moss, which is their food, with a layer of impenetrable ice. 

Climate change will cause ‘economic deserts’ in parts of world

Reduced rainfall and droughts due to climate change could render certain regions of the world 'economic deserts', unviable for people or agriculture, warned Achim Steiner, executive director of the UN Environment Programme. The vulnerable areas would be those which are already considered to be 'water scarce' because of dry weather and a lack of infrastructure to store and transport water. It is not just the developing countries, but the rich and developed countries that are also likely to face serious water shortages due to the effects of climate change, said Steiner. Suggested solutions include imposing restrictions on overuse of rivers and aquifers, efficient use of water, developing more technologies to recycle and desalinate water.

How plants adapt to climate change

Stomata are essential for the survival of plants. They enable the plant to take in carbon dioxide that is used for photosynthesis and release oxygen and moisture into the atmosphere, and also provide internal cooling to the plants. Researchers from the Stanford University have found that the formation of these microscopic pores called stomata is controlled by a specific signaling pathway that blocks activity of a single protein required for stomata development. Knowledge of this process  could be used to modify crops in order to maximize their productivity under changing climate conditions.

Soil affected by global warming 

A study carried out by scientists at University of Toronto, Scarborough, shows that global warming changes the molecular structure of organic matter in soil. Organic matter  makes the soil it fertile, prevents erosion, and supports plant life. The decomposition of organic matter provides energy and water to plants and microbes. The release of carbon is a by-product of this process. Rising temperatures could speed up this process  increasing the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. Simpson, the principal investigator, expressed concern that the loss of carbon from the soil will alter soil fertility and increase erosion.

Study on Black Carbon suggests that global warming might be overestimated 

Due to global warming, soils are expected to release more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which, in turn, will cause more warming. Climate models try to include these increases of carbon dioxide from the soil in their predictions of global warming. A new study done by researchers at  Cornell University suggests that if estimates of black carbon are incorporated in these predictions, the results would vary. Soil contains several forms of carbon- organic carbon from leaf litter and vegetation and black carbon from the burning of organic matter. Organic carbon takes a few years to decompose, as microbes eat it and convert it to carbon dioxide. But black carbon can take 1,000-2,000 years, on average, to convert to carbon dioxide. By including estimates of black carbon in soil from two Australian savannas into a computer model that calculates carbon dioxide release from soil, the researchers found that carbon dioxide emissions from soils were reduced by about 20 percent over 100 years, as compared to simulations that did not take estimates of black carbon into account.