Front line of the fight against global warming

SCIENTISTS from Scotland's six main research institutes briefed ministers yesterday on climate change research, showcasing how to tackle the problem.

The conference was organised to update the ministers responsible for climate change and environment on some of the projects being carried out at Scotland's leading environmental, agricultural and biological research institutes. The projects include:

• Developing measures to slow down the release of carbon from soils – an important source of greenhouse gases

• Using anaerobic bacteria to ferment waste plant material and create the fuels of the future – ethanol and butanol – to reduce the burning of fossil fuels

• Developing new crops and plants that are more resilient to heat and drought

Scientists have also identified a new way to cut greenhouse gases – by reducing flatulence in sheep and cattle.

Researchers at the Rowett Research Institute near Aberdeen are developing a feed additive that can inhibit the production of methane that occurs naturally as part of the animal's digestive process.

Yesterday, the academics warned that as our climate changes, Scotland is expected to experience warmer, drier summers and milder, wetter winters.

THREAT TO PLANT LIFE

CLIMATE change is threatening the giant panda. There are fears that the bamboo on which the panda depends may be at risk from global warming. Botanists at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) are collaborating with colleagues in China in a project to help secure the long-term survival of the giant panda. They are identifying and surveying bamboo species in the mountains of China. Climate data will then be used to predict how these areas will be affected by climate change. The RBGE is also involved in research to predict and monitor the impact of climate change on Scotland's native plants. Plants such as mosses, lichens and ferns are often extremely sensitive to climatic conditions.

BACTERIA BONUS

BURNING fossil fuels is a major contributor to climate change. Scientists at the Rowett Research Institute are trying to develop an alternative power source. They are investigating the potential of using anaerobic bacteria to ferment waste plant material. This would produce organic compounds such as ethanol and butanol, or hydrogen, for use as fuels. The use of anaerobic bacteria means is not produced as a by-product of the fermentation. There is potential to extract the genes that engineer the enzymes responsible for these processes from the anaerobic bacteria. Micro-organisms such as yeasts, which are simple to grow, might then be used on an industrial scale to produce organic fuels.

CROP SOLUTIONS

THE Scottish Crop Research Institute is involved in identifying threats from new plant pests and pathogens. Information will be used to research cost-effective control measures that are environmentally benign. SCRI has already deployed solutions to combat root rot in soft fruit and late blight on potatoes. These techniques will be used to combat new and emerging disease threats. Another area of research is developing new crops and plants that can survive heat or drought. Based at Invergowrie, the SCRI is also analysing long-term climate records for the local area. The analysis will examine crop yields and outbreaks of diseases to provide a detailed assessment of the impact of climate change.

WATER WATCH

THE Macaulay Institute has a number of sites around Scotland that are collecting long-term data on how climate change is affecting our water cycle.

Scientists are assessing the impact of future temperature and moisture changes on the release of dissolved organic carbon into rivers and streams. This can significantly increase water treatment costs. Increases in erosion due to climate change can potentially damage salmon spawning areas and other sensitive freshwater species such as pearl mussels. The Macaulay Institute is working closely with SCRI and the RBGE in a project examining the diversity in species in Scotland's Caledonian pinewoods.

DISEASE RESEARCH

SCIENTISTS at the Moredun Research Institute are investigating a range of sheep and cattle diseases many of which are caused by internal and external parasites. The numbers of these parasites are increasing due to milder winters and warmer summers.

Moredun scientists are leading research into parasitic roundworm infections in sheep. This will allow a picture to be built up of which parasite species are present in the UK and how they are changing over time. They are also investigating resistance to anti-parasitic drugs.

Two human infections – Lyme's disease and West Nile virus – may also become a greater risk in Scotland due to climate change.

LEARNING TO ADAPT

THE Scottish Agricultural College offers education and training to help industries adapt to the impact of climate change.

It is measuring carbon footprints on farms and identifying ways of improving energy management. International summer schools are held at the college, which has campuses in Aberdeen, Ayr and Edinburgh to train scientists across Europe.

The college is also involved in monitoring disease in domestic and wild animals. It was one of its laboratories that discovered that a dead swan found in Fife in 2006 was infected with the H5N1 bird flu virus – the first case of its kind in the UK. The college also monitors the occurrence of weeds, pests and diseases of plants.