The Sky May Be Falling, But We Can Fix It

June 8th, 2009 by Jeff Kart

When it comes to environmental news, doom and gloom often rules the day. And it’s easy to get discouraged. But scientists from Yale University say most polluted ecosystems can recover in as little as 5 or 10 years.

The study means it’s not too late to turn things around if societies commit to cleanup, restoration and sustainability, according to Yale’s analysis of 240 independent studies. The findings appear in this month’s issue of the peer-reviewed journal PLoS ONE.

Researchers from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies found that forests took 42 years on average to recover, ocean bottoms recovered in less than 10 years and ecosystems affected by stresses like invasive species bounced back in as little as five years. Human-induced disturbances took longer to shake off than natural events.

“The damages to these ecosystems are pretty serious,” Oswald Schmitz, a co-author, said in a statement from Yale.

“But the message is that if societies choose to become sustainable, ecosystems will recover. It isn’t hopeless.”

This analysis is pretty timely, with a recent proposal by the Obama administration to spend $475 million to help restore the Great Lakes, and the recent appointment of Cameron Davis, leader of an advocacy group called the Alliance for the Great Lakes, as the person to carry out the project.

(Image credit: tEdGuY49 via Flickr.)

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Tags: Obama, Pollution, restoration, yale

About the Author

Jeff Kart is typing about issues in the Great Lakes, from advanced biofuels to zero-emission vehicles. Jeff is an environmental journalist and social media evangelist based in Michigan, where the summers are short, the winters are cold, and the stories are plentiful.

http://www.energymap.dk/ global warming

however, this is not possible that the sky will fall. but yes there is a huge possibility that our earth may destroy due to climate changes
http://www.energymap.dk/ global warming

however, this is not possible that the sky will fall. but yes there is a huge possibility that our earth may destroy due to climate changes
Nick

It would be relevant except that there is no climate change. The hoax is on. Remember global cooling the 70’s? Please wake up people.
Nick

It would be relevant except that there is no climate change. The hoax is on. Remember global cooling the 70’s? Please wake up people.
Josh S

Ike is absolutely right. This seems either taken out of context, or completely lacking in common sense science.
Josh S

Ike is absolutely right. This seems either taken out of context, or completely lacking in common sense science.
http://windplans.blogspot.com Glen du Plessis

I have always believed that we will adapt or die, this however appears to be in the distant future. If industry finds out that a ecosystem can heal within 10-15 years. Then it will take another 50 years.

The idea that governments are going to change the policies if they know the damage is reversible is a problem. In the first place they supposed to phase out dirty energy. When they hear this news everything will stop or industry will jump from one ecosystem to the next.

Time will tell but I think that the cure to our environment is the the attitudes of generations to come. It then has to fall on our generation to inform and educate all. If that fails the high prices for energy will force people to live off the grid.

It has already started, people will adapt. It might be a little to late for some species though.
http://windplans.blogspot.com Glen du Plessis

I have always believed that we will adapt or die, this however appears to be in the distant future. If industry finds out that a ecosystem can heal within 10-15 years. Then it will take another 50 years.

The idea that governments are going to change the policies if they know the damage is reversible is a problem. In the first place they supposed to phase out dirty energy. When they hear this news everything will stop or industry will jump from one ecosystem to the next.

Time will tell but I think that the cure to our environment is the the attitudes of generations to come. It then has to fall on our generation to inform and educate all. If that fails the high prices for energy will force people to live off the grid.

It has already started, people will adapt. It might be a little to late for some species though.
Ike Solem

Global warming is not reversible.

Species extinction is not reversible.
Ike Solem, CA

Neither global warming nor species extinction can be recovered from on any relevant human timescale. For example, CO2 levels won’t naturally drop back to pre-industrial levels, and even more obviously, extinct species won’t come back to life.
Ike Solem

Global warming is not reversible.

Species extinction is not reversible.
Ike Solem, CA

Neither global warming nor species extinction can be recovered from on any relevant human timescale. For example, CO2 levels won’t naturally drop back to pre-industrial levels, and even more obviously, extinct species won’t come back to life.
http://www.elrst.com Edouard Stenger, France

This is – once again – most interesting news.

This means that even if climate change will continue, we can undo most of the harm we have done to our environment and to our beautiful planet.

This should be a major call for action to our governments.

Keep up the good work !
http://www.elrst.com Edouard Stenger, France

This is – once again – most interesting news.

This means that even if climate change will continue, we can undo most of the harm we have done to our environment and to our beautiful planet.

This should be a major call for action to our governments.

Keep up the good work !
http://jeffkart.com Jeff Kart

Also, from Yale:

“The researchers point out that a potential “pitfall” of the analysis is that the ecosystems may have already been in a disturbed state when they were originally examined. Many ecosystems across the globe that have experienced extinctions and other fundamental changes as a result of human activities, combined with the ongoing effects of climate change and pollution, are far removed from their historical, natural pristine state. Thus ecologists measured recovery on the basis of an ecosystem’s more recent condition.”
http://jeffkart.com Jeff Kart

Also, from Yale:

“The researchers point out that a potential “pitfall” of the analysis is that the ecosystems may have already been in a disturbed state when they were originally examined. Many ecosystems across the globe that have experienced extinctions and other fundamental changes as a result of human activities, combined with the ongoing effects of climate change and pollution, are far removed from their historical, natural pristine state. Thus ecologists measured recovery on the basis of an ecosystem’s more recent condition.”
http://jeffkart.com Jeff Kart

Jacob, you are right about CC.

But I think this study is less about climate change (despite the tag) and more about pollution that can be “cleaned up,” along with damage from natural events.
http://jeffkart.com Jeff Kart

Jacob, you are right about CC.

But I think this study is less about climate change (despite the tag) and more about pollution that can be “cleaned up,” along with damage from natural events.
Jacob

This is a bit misleading, many greenhouse gases stay in the environment for a lot longer than 10 years, and even if we stopped all air pollution today, we’d be locked into a certain amount of climate change down the road no matter what.
Jacob

This is a bit misleading, many greenhouse gases stay in the environment for a lot longer than 10 years, and even if we stopped all air pollution today, we’d be locked into a certain amount of climate change down the road no matter what.