An increasing concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere is the most predictable of the global changes that will alter the environment for our biological industries. Predicted temperature changes for New Zealand are lower than the global average prediction (Niwa, 2011) but, because atmospheric CO2 is relatively well mixed, the rate of change in CO2 will be the same as experienced across the globe. CO2 is rising because of the burning of previously sequestered fossil fuels and changes in land use, in particular the conversion of old growth forest to cropland. Predicting future CO2 concentrations is important because of the direct impact of atmospheric CO2 concentration on terrestrial ecosystems and because CO2 is the most abundant anthropogenic greenhouse gas and thus directly influences potential changes in climate.
Identification of methanogen-specific inhibitors and cross-reactive vaccine antigens
Type
Technical paper
Published