Fantasy meets reality

 

 

 

 

WWII has such a grip on our imagination 70 years after the end of the conflict   In the past year alone we’ve had Benedict Cumberbatch in The Imitation Game, Brad Pitt in Fury and Kristin Scott Thomas in Suite Française. Why is it, asks the acclaimed author of Ardennes 1944: Hitler’s Last Gamble, that we replay the events of World War Two again and again?   This year alone we've had Benedict Cumberbatch in The Imitation Game and Kristin Scott Thomas in Suite Francaise. No other period marked, changed or ended so many people’s lives as World War Two (WWII) Otto von Bismarck once remarked that ‘The only thing we learn from history is that nobody learns from history.’  Yet the real trouble is that people seem to learn the wrong things, especially the mistaken idea that history somehow repeats itself.  All too often, politicians and the media feel compelled to make comparisons with World War Two as an instant reference point in a crisis or conflict – even though both the world order and warfare itself have changed. So why does this particular conflict continue to dominate our thinking 70 years on? In 1995, after all the commemorations for the 50th anniversary of the end of WWII, most people – myself included – expected interest in the subject to collapse. We were all wrong.  Indeed, such history has never been so popular in books, films and on television. But why should it also have such an effect on the young? I think it is because we now live in a demilitarised society – a health-and-safety environment almost devoid of personal risk and moral decisions.  +5 WWII continues to captivate us because no other period offered such huge moral choices (pictured: Hitler salutes the Luftwaffe, 1939) Those brought up in this new civilian age are therefore intrigued by intensely personal questions: would I have survived both the physical and psychological strains? Would I have shot or mistreated civilians and prisoners if ordered? No other period marked, changed or ended so many people’s lives as WWII.  The memory and experience was so intense for those who survived it that even today, old men and women who have poor day-to-day memory can vividly remember key wartime moments.  I think it continues to captivate us because no other period offered such huge moral choices. Some years ago, there was a debate prior to the Booker Prize about historical fiction and the new popularity of history.  Natasha Walter wrote of her exasperation that so many novelists preferred historical settings for their novels over contemporary periods.  +5 Winston Churchill outside 10 Downing Street, 1943 Robert McCrum tackled the same question but from the opposite direction, arguing that it was no wonder that novelists preferred the past, or that readers went for history, because moral dilemma and conflict forms the basic element of human drama.  Society today, on the other hand, feels obliged to be ‘non-judgemental’, which deprives the writer, and the reader, of this essential element. We are also grimly fascinated by an intensity of fighting and suffering which is beyond our imagination today.  Stalingrad, for example, was one of the most monstrous and inhuman battles ever known.  Even many of the participants were astonished long afterwards that they had survived the physical and psychological stress, which included not just fear of the enemy but also fear of execution by their own side.  Soldiers and civilians were crushed pitilessly between the two totalitarian regimes, with Red Army snipers at Stalingrad, for example, ordered to shoot starving Russian children who had been tempted with crusts of bread by German infantrymen to fill their water bottles in the Volga.  Even in the west, during the winter battle of the Ardennes in 1944, Allied soldiers tasted the savagery of the Eastern Front. More enlightened attitudes today, above all a greatly increased respect for human life, combined with a reduced respect for authority, have also changed the public’s perceptions of warfare.  Armies in WWII were forced to accept that a certain percentage of their casualties came from ‘friendly fire’, but today any such incident is treated as a major scandal that should never have happened. Wider change, socially and technologically, over the late Eighties and Nineties, have also changed our relationship with history.  Traditional social structures with collective loyalties have faded, replaced by a rampant individualism.  +5 People crowd on top of a van during VE Day celebrations in London on 8th May 1945 In the past, history tended to be written in collective terms – the history of a country or an industry or a regiment.  But a new generation which had shrugged off the ideals of corporate loyalty suddenly wanted to know about the experiences and suffering of individuals caught up in huge events and with no control over their own fate.  This new generation belongs to a post-Cold War society which knows little of military discipline, wars and conscript armies. At the D-Day commemoration last year in Normandy, I was amazed by the vast number of young re-enactors from a wide range of countries all dressed in British and American uniforms from the period. So why is it always WWII that grabs our imagination and not, say, the Vietnam War, or the Korean War?  As the wide variety of demonstrations mounted by dedicated re-enactors at The Daily Mail Chalke Valley History Festival in Wiltshire show, it is WWII, followed some way behind by the Napoleonic Wars, which continues to seize the imagination. Perhaps the influence comes from television and the big screen, because we are now living in a post-literate society where the moving image is king.  Over the last decade there was a dearth of feature films set in WWII, not least, according to one industry insider, because Hollywood studios felt that killing aliens – the sort of racism we can all feel good about – was preferable to killing Germans or Japanese. But producers have fallen in love again with the war movie. Recently we have seen Brad Pitt in Fury, a tank-battle frenzy of steel and fire that will no doubt be repackaged as a video game.  Crowd carry Union Jack through streets on VE Day 1945 +5 Perhaps the influence of WWII comes from television and the big screen, because we are now living in a post-literate society where the moving image is king (pictured: poster for the 1969 film The Battle Of Britain) And we have had Benedict Cumberbatch in The Imitation Game, based on the code-breakers of Bletchley Park, which though superbly acted, had a distorted storyline and characterisation that played fast and loose with history.  The priorities of the entertainment industry do not respect historical truth. But politicians and the media are little better. Some three months before the 2003 Iraq war started, I was asked to write an article on why the Battle of Baghdad would be another Stalingrad.  I tried to explain my refusal to pen an article by saying that history never repeats itself, either as tragedy or farce. (That was just one of Karl Marx’s very rare jokes, which people still seem to take at face value.)  Saddam Hussein was not Hitler, as Tony Blair and the neo-cons in the Department of Defense pretended.  Surely we should have learned that lesson when Anthony Eden tried to argue in 1956 that Egypt’s President Nasser was another Hitler and must be confronted over his nationalisation of the Suez Canal. More to the point, warfare has changed. Yet the neo-cons in Washington persuaded themselves that an overwhelming military victory would be just that.  They actually argued that, like the Germans and the Japanese in 1945, the Iraqis would do what they were told. Things turned out very differently.  It was probably the first successful war in modern history which was lost within weeks, if not days, of the ceasefire. They even suffered from a greater delusion: the ‘reverse domino theory’.    Producers have fallen in love again with the war movie. Recently we have seen Brad Pitt in Fury, a tank-battle frenzy of steel and fire that will no doubt be repackaged as a video game Brad Pitt as battle-hardened soldier in trailer for WWII film... In the Sixties, policy strategists in think-tanks had argued that if Vietnam fell to Communism, then the whole of south-east Asia would do the same in a domino effect.  Forty years later, the neo-cons convinced themselves that if they could turn Iraq into a democracy, then the whole Middle East would follow suit. It’s important to highlight this muddled thinking on the subject of warfare in our unmilitaristic age – whether it is using Blackadder to teach World War One in the classroom or the media’s compulsion to look backwards and draw inaccurate comparisons.  Wars are the most unpredictable events in the story of humanity, which is why we are tempted to search the past for guidance and explanation.  In the dying days of WWII, both Hitler and Goebbels convinced themselves that Germany would be saved, just like Prussia facing defeat in the Seven Years War.  Even Winston Churchill made the mistake of arguing that we should study the past to understand the future, but history is never predictive. It does not follow patterns. Amazing WWII footage of Spitfire deployment and the dig leader... Wars are the most unpredictable events in the story of humanity, which is why we are tempted to search the past for guidance and explanation (pictured: a spitfire at the Duxford Air Show, 2014) One could argue that the whole of the so-called ‘War on Terror’ was misdirected by the way that President Bush immediately compared the 9/11 attacks to Pearl Harbor.  This resurrected the mentality of state-on-state warfare, when in fact the threat from Al Qaeda was an international security issue. Other false parallels followed thick and fast, as Western statesmen tried to sound Rooseveltian or Churchillian.  And today we see Vladimir Putin trying to live up to the shadow of Stalin’s wartime leadership.  The effect can be disastrous, from his attempts to justify the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact and Soviet takeovers of bordering nations, to trying to taint Ukraine with ‘fascism’. World War Two has become the dominant reference point for almost all subsequent conflicts, but this could hardly be more misleading.  If one needs a good reason for studying the subject, it is to fight the dangerous misconceptions which it still produces.    Britain celebrated the liberation of Europe, these war re-enactors dress as NAZIS for World War Two festival Men turned up to WWII festival in full Nazi uniforms, including swastikas Haworth's 1940s Weekend, in Yorkshire, was held to commemorate VE Day Visitors to the annual event said they should 'hang their heads in shame' Organisers had appealed for people not to wear the costumes after last year's festival was also hijacked by people in Nazi outfits A festival to remember the sacrifices made by millions of Britons during the Second World War has been tarnished by Nazi re-enactors turning up in German uniforms. Just days after Britain celebrated the 70th anniversary of VE Day, a handful of visitors to Haworth 1940s Weekend turned up wearing the distasteful outfits as veterans gathered at the charity event. Men wearing Nazi costumes sporting swastikas and SS emblems were seen casually sipping on beer as they walked through the Yorkshire village.   Visitors to a Second World War festival in Yorkshire caused outrage by turning up wearing Nazi uniforms +9 One man wore a replica Nazi uniform to that of German General Sepp Dietrich, who was in charge of the Panzer division +9 Men wearing Nazi costumes sporting swastikas and Nazi emblems were seen casually walking through Haworth village (pictured) during the celebrations As many as 40,000 people were at the event over the weekend, which highlights the heroics of those who fought in WWII while also raising money for armed forces charities. This year's festival is not the first to be hijacked by Nazi re-enactors, with local traders last year forced to put up signs warning people wearing German costumes that they would not be allowed into shops.  Organisers appealed for people not to wear the disrespectful uniforms, but once again people flouted the ban. One man at the event, who was born during the war and did not wish to be named, said: ‘How is dressing as a Nazi a celebration of the 70th anniversary of VE Day – these people should hang their heads in shame.  ‘I cannot comprehend how grown men might think it’s a good idea to parade around the streets of Yorkshire looking like Nazis. Will they have a Hitler lookalike along next year? ‘I am not alone in thinking this is very wrong. My father fought the Nazis and many people in Yorkshire lost family in the Second World War to people dressed just like that ‘It’s not supposed to be a fancy dress party. For the sake of all those who lost their lives in the war this should not be allowed to happen on the streets of Britain - it is outlawed in Germany and rightly so.’ +9 Haworth's 1940s weekend highlights the heroics of those who fought in WWII while also raising money for armed forces charities Revellers dress in 1940s costume for annual Haworth celebrations +9 Aside from the Nazi uniforms, hundreds of people dressed in traditional 1940s costume, as well as RAF and Army uniforms from WWII +9 Organisers appealed for people not to wear Nazi uniforms after similar costumes were worn last year, as shown in this 2014 picture Haworth's WWII weekend is set to raise more than £20,000 for the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA). A spokeswoman for the charity said: 'Whilst we cannot stop people from wearing these outfits, visitors are actively discouraged from wearing such uniforms to the event.  'Many people lost their lives in the Second World War and the last thing we'd want is for those people to be mocked or disrespected in any way. 'We seek guidance from the local police to make sure it is discouraged but unfortunately it is not something we have control over. All we can do is urge people not to but some feel the need to wear these costumes. 'This year's Haworth 1940s weekend was dedicated to the 70th anniversary of VE Day and in aid of SSAFA who provides support for all those who served, young and old alike and has done for 130 years.' Pat Bailey, from the Royal British Legion, said: ‘It is in such poor taste. A lot of people will be appalled by the timing of this.’    Local traders were last year forced to put up signs warning people wearing German costumes they would not be allowed into shops +9 Last year's festival (pictured) was also hijacked by Nazi re-enactors who wore distasteful uniforms Some visitors to the village, near Bradford, were seen wearing garments from SS uniforms - the Third Reich paramilitary organisation responsible for many of the atrocities against humanity in WWII. Nikki Carroll, who organises the event, said: 'We don't welcome people who turn up in these uniforms and we have had issues in the past. 'It's a free country and people can wear what they want but we do not welcome them. 'It's been a very special occasion what with it being the 70th anniversary of VE Day and it being the 20th time we've hosted the event. 'One of the most fantastic moments was the remembrance service which was attended by veterans, as well as the whole community.'  Aside from the Nazi uniforms, hundreds of people dressed in traditional 1940s costume, as well as RAF and Army uniforms from WWII.

Now YOU can fly in a Spitfire! Flight school is first in the UK to offer trips in the historic WWII planes ... and for £10,000, you can even fly in formation Boultbee Flight Academy, Sussex, first to offer passenger flights in aircraft Flights cost from £2,750 up to £10,000 for two people flying in formation Almost British 2,000 RAF pilots fought in the Battle of Britain in 1940 More than 74 years after the Battle of Britain, aviation buffs will be able to take to the skies in the very same planes in which thousands of heroic RAF pilots fought for their country against the Luftwaffe. Boultbee Flight Academy, based in Sussex, has become the first in the country to offer passenger flights inside Spitfires. From £2,750, Britons can experience what it feels like to soar in one of two reconditioned fighter planes - which were seen as a key aircraft in Britain's survival during the Second Wold War. +3 Take to skies: Britons will be able to experience flying in reconditioned WWII spitfires A 50-minute flight to the white cliffs of The Needles at Alum Bay, Isle of Wigh will cost £4,750, while a package for two - involving flying in formation, comes to £10,000.  Passengers can enjoy a 30 or 50-minute flight in the two-seater planes, which has a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine and recorded speeds of up to 400mph. Matt Jones, managing director of Boultbee Flight Academy, said: 'Flying on one of these iconic war birds is an exceptional experience that everyone should have the opportunity to try.  Prince Harry climbs into a Spitfire at Boultbee Flight Academy Bracing archive footage of WW2 RAF Spitfire airplanes +3 Patriots: 1,878 RAF pilots participated in the Battle of Britain in 1940 THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN The WWII air campaign by the German Air Force occurred over several months in 1940. The UK suffered devastating aerial bombings as the Luftwaffe attempted to destroy Britain's air defences. The RAF's efforts prevented Hitler's plans to invade Britain and was a crucial turning point in the war, marking Germany's first major defeat. 348 British pilots were killed during the campaign. 'Trust me when I say that it is the most emotional, historical and exhilarating experience available in aviation today, and we very much look forward to sharing the aircraft with everyone who comes to visit.' The new offer, which sees the Spitfires take off from Goodwood Aerodrome in Chichester, West Sussex, is also being hailed as a way to conserve the Vickers Supermarine Spitfires for years to come. Mark added: 'Their involvement will contribute significantly to ensuring Spitfires keep flying well into the future.' Boultbee Academy is the only accredited Spitfire training school in the world.  The full experience, including briefing and flight, lasts four hours and is available in morning and afternoon slots.  SPITFIRES: FAITHFUL PLANES THAT FOUGHT THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN   More than 20,000 Spitfires were built in 24 different 'Marks' The plane first flew in the RAF in 1938 and was retired by 1957 One of the proposed names for the fighter was 'The Shrew' Its designer RJ Mitchell only lived long enough to see the prototype fly in 1937 The Mark 1 fought during the Battle of Britain. The Mark IX was used over Normandy Making a propeller to fit a restored plane today costs £55,000 Fuel costs £500 an hour and the insurance is £50,000 a year Top speed:362mph Maximum height: 19,000ft Weapons:Eight Browning machine guns Wingspan:11.23metres     Fantasy meets reality Paris-based art director Nicolas Amiard has created an impressive portfolio of Star Wars-inspired portraits Manipulating iconic cityscapes, he has artfully blended battleships into the background of recognisable snaps Utilising the likes of Paris, London and Venice, the artist has interjected the Millennium Falcon and others This Parisian art director is giving the JJ Abrams Force Awakens special effects team a run for its money. Nicolas Amiard has created an impressive portfolio of fantastical Star Wars-inspired portraits, complete with battleships superimposed into some of the world's most famous cityscapes. These digital portraits showcase parts of London, Paris and Rio de Janeiro, among others, with the battleships artfully blended into the background. By manipulating the colours of the ships, he's able to interject them into the iconic snaps seamlessly, making it look as though the otherworldly items have always been there.  And if the ships look familiar, it's because they should - he features the likes of the Millennium Falcon, a Star Destroyer and Tie Fighter. For more from the graphic designer who has worked for the likes of UNICEF and Disneyland Paris, visit Amiard's website.  +8 Parisian art director Nicolas Amiard has created a portfolio of Star Wars-inspired cityscapes, using cities like Paris. Pictured: An Imperial Cruiser behind the Eiffel Tower +8 The images have been flawlessly digitally manipulated, like this portrait of a rebel fighter in Tokyo +8 By manipulating the colours of the ships, Amiard is able to seamlessly blend them into the background of the destinations. In Rio, a trade federation ship is parked in the shadow of Christ the Redeemer +8 In his London shot, the capital's city streets are blocked by a gigantic Tie Fighter that has crashed next to a red phone booth +8 In New York City, the Millennium Falcon is shown washing up onto the shore of the Financial District +8 Amiard depicted a snowy scene in Russia with one of the ships that Padme used to travel between planets +8 This cityscape has been transformed by a massive imperial battleship partially hidden by skyscrapers +8 An iconic Venice gondola ride would be far more shocking if you happened upon a gigantic X-wing rebel fighter floating in the canal

State of the planet

 

 

 

 

 

Mankind will be extinct in 100 years because of climate change, warns expert Writer David Auerbach has highlighted the danger of global warming In 2010 a prominent scientist said humanity would be gone by 2100 The recent G7 summit in Germany sought to address climate change But scientists have criticised the lack of meaningful action Humans will be extinct in 100 years due to overcrowding, declining resources and climate change, according to a prominent scientist. The comments were first made by Australian microbiologist Dr Frank Fenner in 2010, but engineer and science writer David Auerbach has reiterated the doom-laden warning in his latest article. He criticises the recent G7 summit for failing to deal with the problems facing the survival of humanity, such as global warming and exhausting Earth's resources. Mr Auerbach goes on to say that experts have predicted that 21st century civilisation faces a similar fate to the inhabitants of Easter Island, who went extinct when they overexploited their natural habitat. Scroll down to video +3 Writer David Auerbach has highlighted the danger of global warming. In 2010 a prominent scientist said humanity would be gone by 2100. The recent G7 summit in Germany (pictured) sought to address climate change. But scientists have criticised the lack of meaningful action G7 leaders arrive at summit with climate change on the agenda ‘Homo sapiens will become extinct, perhaps within 100 years,’ Dr Fenner told The Australian in 2010. He later passed away in November 2010 at the age of 95. 2015 TO BE THE HOTTEST YEAR The world is on course to have its hottest year on record, according to climate change experts, who fear global warming is set to send temperatures soaring. There have already been a number of temperatures records set in 2015 with Antarctica experiencing its two warmest days ever recorded in March this year. Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Venezuela and Laos have all set national temperature records in the past five months, while globally January to April this year has been the warmest on record at 0.68°C above average. The past 12 months have already been the warmest on record. According to The Times, Professor Adam Scaife, who leads the monthly to decadal climate prediction research at the Met Office, said: 'There's a pretty good chance of the global record being broken this year.' Earlier this year, it was revealed that 2014 was the hottest on record - but now 2015 looks set to surpass that. ‘A lot of other animals will, too. It's an irreversible situation. 'I think it's too late. I try not to express that because people are trying to do something, but they keep putting it off.’ At the G7 talks in Bonn in Germany earlier this month, governments failed to come up with a clear plan to cut emissions in the coming years. It emerged that countries' current pledges for greenhouse gas cuts will fail to achieve a peak in energy-related emissions by 2030. This will likely result in a temperature rise of 2.6°C by the end of the century, the International Energy Agency said. ‘When the G7 called on Monday for all countries to reduce carbon emissions to zero in the next 85 years, the scientific reaction was unanimous: That’s far too late,’ Mr Auerbach wrote. ‘At this point, lowering emissions is just half the story - the easy half. The harder half will be an aggressive effort to find the technologies needed to reverse the climate apocalypse that has already begun.’ He noted that ‘dangerous’ climate change was already here, but the question now was whether ‘catastrophic’ climate change could be avoided. +3 +3 Scientists have warned that Earth is warming to unreasonable levels and could be uninhabitable to humans in the next 100 years (artist's illustration left). The widely agreed goal is that global temperatures must be kept below a rise of 2°C by the end of the century by limiting emissions (stock image right) Earlier this week, Nasa released new data that showed how temperature and rainfall patterns will change around the world by 2100. This map, produced using the data, shows the maximum daily temperatures in July under scenarios that predict carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere will reach 935 parts per million The widely agreed goal is that global temperatures must be kept below a rice of 2°C by the end of the century. A 5°C increase, as predicted to occur by 2100 at the moment, would cause widespread flooding, famine, drought and mass extinction. ‘Even the 2°C figure predicts more than a metre’s rise in sea levels by 2100, enough to displace millions,’ Mr Auerbach noted in his Reuters article. But he said that current targets are simply not enough to keep under this 2°C target. The US has suggested cutting emissions by up to 28 per cent by 2025 from 2005 levels, the EU 40 per cent from 1990 to 2030, and China an unspecified amount. ‘Ultimately, we need a Cold War-level of investment in research into new technologies to mitigate the coming effects of global warming,’ he concluded. ‘Without it, the UN’s work is a nice gesture, but hardly a meaningful one.’   Climate change is causing the planet to behave in mysterious ways, scientists claim Temperatures in the Arctic are warming twice as fast as rest of the globe Scientists claim this could lead to unusual and unexplained natural events This includes drunken trees which form due to firm soil turning into mud Methane bubbles could also cause icy regions to ignite when released Research this week challenged view that thawing lakes cause warming Scientists were baffled by the mysterious craters that appeared in northern Russia earlier this month. Researchers now believe these craters may have been created by a build-up of methane over centuries that then erupting out of the thawing ground. But strange, unexplained holes are just the beginning of what could be a series of mysterious happenings on the planet – all caused by melting Arctic ice, scientists believe. Scroll down for video +4 Pictured are 'drunken forests' in Fairbanks, Alaska. This phenomenon is caused by the permafrost melting beneath the trees causing solid soil to turn to mud; the result is that they lean to one side WHAT ARE DRUNKEN TREES? Permafrost is leading to ‘drunken trees’ as the firm soil slowly transforms into mud causing the plants that grow in them to lean to one side. Some trees survive their soil eroding and continue to grow. Others collapse or drown as the subterranean ice melts. As they are staggered across the landscape, people often refer to them as 'drunken trees.' According to a report by David Biello in Scientific American, temperatures across the Arctic are warming roughly twice as fast as the rest of the globe. ‘At some point, we might get into a state of permafrost that is not comparable to what we know for 100 years or so, some new processes that never happened before,’ geologist Guido Grosse of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research told Mr Biello. A similar process is taking place in the melting regions of the Arctic where lakes, known as thermokarsts, which are lakes that break down plant material into methane. This methane can then escape out of the lake or the ground, and once lit, could set ice on fire. Permafrost is also leading to ‘drunken trees’ as the firm soil slowly transforms into mud causing the plants that grow in them to lean to one side. +4 An ecologist ignites a large methane bubble that was trapped by the autumn freeze. One of the largest concerns about thawing permafrost is the sudden release of methane from the Arctic +4 Scientists were baffled by the mysterious craters that appeared in northern Russia earlier this month. Researchers now believe they were created by a build-up of methane over centuries Russian expedition looks into mysterious hole in Siberia Some trees survive their soil eroding and continue to grow. Others collapse or drown as the subterranean ice melts. Nasa claims that arctic permafrost soils have accumulated vast stores of organic carbon - an estimated 1,400 to 1,850 billion tonnes of it.  That's about half of all the estimated organic carbon stored in Earth's soils. In comparison, about 350 billion tonnes of carbon have been emitted from all fossil-fuel combustion and human activities. Most of the Arctic’s sequestered carbon is located in thaw-vulnerable topsoils within 3 meters of the surface. 'Permafrost soils are warming even faster than Arctic air temperatures - as much as 1.5 to 2.5 degrees Celsius in just the past 30 years,' said Nasa's Charles Miller. 'As heat from Earth's surface penetrates into permafrost, it threatens to mobilise these organic carbon reservoirs and release them into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide and methane, upsetting the Arctic's carbon balance and greatly exacerbating global warming.' But separate research earlier this week suggested that some Arctic lakes store more greenhouse gases than they emit into the atmosphere. This counters a widely-held scientific view that thawing permafrost accelerates atmospheric warming. The study shows that permafrost rich in organic material will see the growth of mosses and other plants flourish, leading to greater amounts of carbon absorption. Supported by the National Science Foundation, the study was published this week in the journal Nature and focused on thermokarst lakes. +4 A study says ice-rich lakes in Alaska and Siberia are cooling the atmosphere. The research challenges the widely-held view that thawing lakes cause warming. Found in the Arctic and cold mountain regions, thermokarst lakes (shown) occur when permafrost thaws and creates surface depressions that fill with water     Will methane in the Arctic speed up global warming? New source of gas found in North Pole - and there may be more of it than first thought Vast water hydrates in the Arctic are reservoirs for abiotic methane Methane is 20 times more effective in trapping heat than carbon dioxide These reservoirs are secure as the methane is trapped in the sediments But elsewhere scientists have found methane leaking beneath the Arctic Methane, the principle component in natural gas, is usually produced by organic material decomposing. But there is another form of the deadly gas, dubbed abiotic methane, that is created by chemical reactions in the crust beneath the seafloor. Now scientists have found vast deep water gas hydrates in the Arctic that are reservoirs for abiotic methane – a gas which is 20 times more effective in trapping heat than carbon dioxide. +3 The gas forms through a process called serpentinisation. Serpentinisation occurs when seawater reacts with hot mantle rocks exhumed along large faults within the seafloor  The reservoirs are secure, and scientists don't believe they will impact climate change. Instead, they say similar formations could someday be used to store methane, that can later be used as fuel. One reservoir was recently discovered on the ultraslow spreading Knipovich ridge, in the deep Fram Strait of the Arctic Ocean. 'This ultraslow spreading ridge shows that the Arctic environment is ideal for this type of methane production,' said Joel Johnson associate professor at the University of New Hampshire. The Center for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Climate and Environment (Cage) estimates that up to 15,000 gigatonnes of carbon may be stored in the form of hydrates in the ocean floor. +3 Scientists have found vast deep water gas hydrates in the Arctic that are reservoirs for abiotic methane – a gas which is 20 times more effective in trapping heat than carbon dioxide. One such reservoir was recently discovered on the ultraslow spreading Knipovich ridge (pictured), in the deep Fram Strait of the Arctic Ocean. 'But this estimate is not accounting for abiotic methane. So there is probably much more,' said Cage director Jürgen Mienert. METHANE AND GLOBAL WARMING Methane is the second-largest greenhouse gas contributor to climate change. The gas is 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide in trapping heat and is currently being targeted by government in an attempt to mitigate global warming. Methane pollution has declined by 11 per cent since 1990 even as the governments has pushed for greater use of natural gas. But the longer view on methane pollution show that it will rise.  The Obama administration points to studies that show that methane pollution is projected to increase to a level equivalent to over 620 million tonnes of carbon dioxide pollution in 2030, if no action is taken. However, methane is also the principle component in natural gas. It is a lucrative fuel source, which could contain more energy than all the world's oil, coal and gas put together.  They believe the gas forms through a process called serpentinisation. 'Serpentinisation occurs when seawater reacts with hot mantle rocks exhumed along large faults within the seafloor,' said Johnson. 'These only form in slow to ultraslow spreading seafloor crust. The optimal temperature range for serpentinisation of ocean crust is 200 – 350 degrees Celsius.' Methane produced by serpentinisation can escape through cracks and faults, and end up at the ocean floor, causing a concern for future global warming. But in the Knipovich Ridge it is trapped as gas hydrate in the sediments. 'In other known settings the abiotic methane escapes into the ocean, where it potentially influences ocean chemistry,' says Johnson. 'But if the pressure is high enough, and the subsea floor temperature is cold enough, the gas gets trapped in a hydrate structure below the sea floor.' Bünz says that there are many places in the Arctic Ocean with a similar tectonic setting as the Knipovich ridge. Rather than causing a concern, the study claims that active tectonic environments may serve as a stable area for long-term storage of methane carbon in deep-marine sediments. But other types of methane in the Arctic are causing a concern for scientists.  Last year Dr Jason Box who claims that methane will be the main driver of climate change if it escapes into the atmosphere. He tweeted: 'If even a small fraction of Arctic sea floor carbon is released to the atmosphere, we're f'd' The scientist, based at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, tweeted the provocative statement after a Swedish study found methane leaking beneath the Arctic. Some of this methane – which is over 20 times more potent than CO2 at trapping heat - is now making it to the ocean's surface. Scientists at Stockholm University called the discovery 'somewhat of a surprise,' which, according to Dr Box, is an understatement. +3 Samples of the gas hydrates will provide more knowledge on abiotic methane. But they need to be drilled, as they are 140 metres under the ocean floor   ‘The water table is dropping all over the world’ – NASA warns we’re on the path to global drought   June 2015 – WATER CRISIS — Drought-stricken California is not the only place draining underground aquifers in the hunt for fresh water. It’s happening across the world, according to two new studies by U.S. researchers released Tuesday. One-third of Earth’s largest groundwater basins are being rapidly depleted says new study. Twenty-one of the world’s 37 largest aquifers — in locations from India and China to the United States and France — have passed their sustainability tipping points, meaning more water is being removed than replaced from these vital underground reservoirs. Thirteen of 37 aquifers fell at rates that put them into the most troubled category. “The situation is quite critical,” said Jay Famiglietti, senior water scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the studies’ principal investigator. And it’s difficult to see it getting better soon. These groundwater reserves take thousands of years to accumulate and only slowly recharge with water from snowmelt and rains. Now, as drilling for water has taken off across the globe, the hidden water reservoirs are being stressed. Underground aquifers supply 35 percent of the water used by humans worldwide. Demand is even greater in times of drought. Rain-starved California is currently tapping aquifers for 60 percent of its water use, up from the usual 40 percent. In another finding from the studies led by the University of California Irvine, scientists say that some of these aquifers may be much smaller than previously thought. Only a few of the aquifers have been mapped in detail and most estimates of aquifer water reserves have “uncertainty ranges across orders of magnitude,” according to the studies. The new studies used NASA’s GRACE satellites to take unprecedentedly precise measurements of the groundwater reservoirs hidden beneath the ground. The satellites detected subtle changes in the gravitational pull of the earth’s surface. Water is exceptionally heavy and exerts a greater pull on orbiting spacecraft. As the satellites flew overhead, slight changes in aquifer water levels were charted over a decade, from 2003 to 2013. “The water table is dropping all over the world,” Familglietti said. “There’s not an infinite supply of water.” –National Post

State of the planet:   Pictures reveal beauty in the bleakest parts of the world Pictures capture highly-flammable methane trapped just inches below surface of frozen lake Bubbles are formed when plants on the lake bed release methane gas, which freezes as it reaches the lake surface Scientists believe that if the temperature of the planet continues to rise, gas could be released into the atmosphere Stunning photographs taken at Lake Abraham in Canada by Darwin Wiggett Despite their beautiful appearance, these strange white bubbles trapped just inches under the surface of this frozen ice are in fact highly-flammable pockets of toxic gas methane with potentially deadly effects. The bubbles are formed when plants on the lake bed release methane gas, which freezes as it nears the cold surface of the lake, with further bubbles stacking up below.  These stunning photographs of the phenomenon were captured on the frozen ice over Lake Abraham, located in Alberta, Canada, among the foothills of the Rocky mountains.   Phenomenon: Despite their beautiful appearance, these strange white bubbles trapped just inches under the surface of this frozen ice are in fact highly-flammable pockets of toxic gas methane Ice work: Canadian photographer, Darwin Wiggett, 52, risks his life on the potentially unstable frozen lakes in order to capture the perfect picture The artificial lake was created in 1972, with the construction of the Bighorn Dam, and named after Silas Abraham, an inhabitant of the Saskatchewan River valley in the nineteenth century. Canadian photographer, Darwin Wiggett, 52, risks his life carefully navigating the potentially unstable frozen lakes in order to capture the perfect picture. He said: 'Keeping your fingers working, staying warm, making sure you or your equipment does not blow away and being safe on the ice is the hardest part. 'It's very dangerous because the lake is a man-made reservoir and the water levels change over the winter season cause sheets of ice to collapse and seams of the ice to weaken where the lake water and shoreline meet. 'You need to be able to read ice conditions well to know if you are safe. Crampons, cold weather clothing gear and experience in high winds are necessary for those wanting to venture on the ice.' Methane is a deadly greenhouse gas and 25 times more heat than carbon dioxide, unless you burn it first. Some lakes, have 'hot spots' where the methane bubbling is so strong that ice never forms, leaving open holes big enough to spot from an aeroplane. With over 20 years of experience, Darwin can spend days out on the ice waiting for the right conditions. Darwin added: 'I have been shooting on Abraham Lake for 10 years and leading workshops and tours with my partner Samantha Chrysanthou and our company oopoomoo. 'Not counting the years of perfecting the art and craft of photography, a good shot can be almost immediate, if conditions are good, and can take days if conditions are not favorable. 'My friends and family love my photos but they don't get why we choose to go out in the cold to do photography.'       Frozen solid: The bubbles form when methane gas is released by plants on the lake bed. The gas rises and as it reaches the colder surface of the lake freezes, forming these spectacular formations, with more bubbles stacking up below   Four new craters have been spotted by scientists in the Yamal peninsula, in Siberia May be caused by gas from underground and fear craters becoming more common due to rising temperatures Bright flash of light seen close to one crater which led to theories that buried gas pockets in the soil may be igniting Another new crater has been found less than six miles from a major gas plant and experts have called for an urgent investigation into the phenomenon Four new mysterious giant craters have appeared in the Siberian permafrost in northern Russia, sparking fears that global warming may be causing gas to erupt from underground. Scientists spotted the new holes, along with dozens of other smaller ones, in the same area as three other enormous craters that were spotted on the Yamal Peninsula last year. The craters are thought to be caused by eruptions of methane gas from the permafrost as rising rising temperatures causes the frozen soil to melt. Scroll down for video  +10 Unexplained: The first of the new craters discovered, named B1 (pictured above), shows signs of an huge eruption of gas It has sparked fears that the craters could become more common as climate change continues to warm and led to warnings that the area is facing a looming natural disaster. One of the more popular theories is that the giant hole was caused by a phenomenon known as a pingo. This is a subsurface accumulation of ice that has been covered by land. When the ice melts it can leave behind a gaping hole that it once filled. The other favoured theory is that the hole was caused by an explosion of methane underground. TheYamal Peninsula is rich in natural gas, and a mixture of water, salt and gas could result in an explosion.  However in an article for Drilling and Oil magazine, Professor Bogoyavlensky there were no traces of the gas found in the soil nor were there any charred rock. Instead he suggests it could also have been caused by an eruption of gas from the underground reservoir, possibly as pressure has increased as temperatures have risen. The other theory is that it was caused by a meteorite, but most experts have ruled this possibility out as the phenomenon does not resemble normal impact craters. One of new craters, surrounded by at least 20 smaller holes, is just six miles from a major gas production plant. Experts have predicted there could be up to 30 more are waiting to be discovered. Scientsts, however, are still largely baffled by the exact processes causing the craters. Professor Vasily Bogoyavlensky, deputy director of the Moscow-based Oil and Gas Research Institute, part of the Russian Academy of Sciences, has called for 'urgent' investigation of the new phenomenon amid safety fears. Until now, the existence of only three Siberian craters had been established when great caverns in the frozen landscape were spotted by passing helicopter pilots. 'We know now of seven craters in the Arctic area,' Professor Bogoyavlensky told The Siberian Times. 'Five are directly on the Yamal peninsula, one in Yamal Autonomous district, and one is on the north of the Krasnoyarsk region, near the Taimyr peninsula. 'We have exact locations for only four of them. 'The other three were spotted by reindeer herders. 'But I am sure that there are more craters on Yamal, we just need to search for them. I would compare this with mushrooms. 'When you find one mushroom, be sure there are few more around. I suppose there could be 20 to 30 craters more.' Two of the newly-discovered large craters - also known as funnels to scientists - have turned into lakes, revealed Professor Bogoyavlensky. 'It is important not to scare people, but this is a very serious problem. 'We must research this phenomenon urgently to prevent possible disasters. We cannot rule out new gas emissions in the Arctic and in some cases they can ignite.'  +10 Explosion? This crater (named B3) was spotted near to Antipayuta in the Yamal Peninsula after locals saw a flash of light nearby +10 This map shows the location of the new craters (labelled B1-4) along with the previously discovered holes marked with black dots +10 The top satellite image shows an accumulation of ice beneath the surface, known as a pingo, while a more recent image shows a lake has formed in a crater scientists have called B2, surrounded by smaller holes Professor Bogoyavlensky said that the parapet of the craters suggested an eruption of gas from a shallow underground reservoir.  The first hole was spotted in 2013 by helicopter pilots 20 miles from a gas extraction plant at Bovanenkovo, on the Yamal Peninsula. An examination of the area using satellite images, comparing landscapes in the past with the present day, has alerted Russian experts to the prospect that the phenomenon is more widespread than first thought. Mysterious hole in the ground spotted at 'the end of the world'   +10 Abyss: This crater, called B1, was first spotted 18 miles (30 km) from the Bovanenkovo by passing helicopter pilots +10 Simmering: Methane gas can be seen bubbling up out of this lake in the Yamal region and is thought to be an old crater Experts are particularly interested in a crater they have named B2, which just six miles to the south of the Gazprom gas field at Bovanenkovo. Old satellite imagery shows no sign of craters at the site but more recent images show there is now a lake there measuring about 5,000 square metres. The lake is thought to have formed in a hole that is 100 metres by 50 metres in diametre and is surrounded by 20 smaller holes filled with water that are around one to two metres wide. Residents living near to another of the craters, close to Antipayuta on the Yamal Peninsula, reported seeing a flash of light. This has led some to conclude that it was the result of gas trapped in the permafrost exploding. Professor Bogoyavlensky said: 'We need to answer now the basic questions: what areas, and under what conditions, are the most dangerous? Russian expedition looks into mysterious hole in Siberia   +10 Last year scientists took a closer look at one of the older craters by climbing 54 feet down its frozen sides +10 When this crater was discovered in 2014, theories ranged from a man-made hoax, to aliens or a meteorite 'These questions are important for the safe operation of the northern cities and infrastructure of oil and gas complexes.' There is already scientific concern that Lake Baikal, the largest and oldest freshwater lake in the world, but well outside the Arctic Circle, could be at risk of similar gas explosions. Scientists have previously said there is growing evidence that rising temperatures in the region could be the main catalyst triggering the blasts. It is thought permafrost at the sites could have one million times more methane hydrates locked inside than ordinary gas.  One expert estimated that the total explosive power of the craters has been the equivalent of about 11 tonnes of TNT. +10 Scientists are attempting to visit all of the craters, like above, to better understand how they were formed +10 In the winter the sides of the craters freeze, like above, making it easier for scientists to take samples There are also two tectonic fault lines across the Yamal Peninsula, with another possibility being that the blow-outs are caused by a deadly combination of heat leaving these rifts, a higher than normal air temperature, and the 'fire ice' melting. Professor Bogoyavlensky revealed one picture of a Yamal lake showing signs of what he calls 'degassing'. 'This haze that you see on the surface shows gas seeps from the bottom of the lake to the surface,' he said. 'We call this process 'degassing'.' He is not sure if this lake, too, was previously a crater 'or if the lake formed from another process. 'More important is that the gases from within are actively seeping through this lake.' Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2965385/Are-Siberia-s-mysterious-craters-caused-climate-change-Scientists-four-new-enormous-holes-northern-Russia.html#ixzz3dde1xRqy Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook The images were selected from 10,000 submissions to the Environmental Photographer of the Year competition The photographs reveal how climate change, population growth and poverty are impacting the world around us A new exhibition of 111 pictures will go on display at the Royal Geographical Society in London before going on tour They give a beautiful but bleak view of the world around us – revealing in unflinching detail the impact that we are having on the environment. The images have been selected from more than 10,000 submissions to the Environmental Photographer of the Year competition to be shown in a new exhibition. They reveal how climate change, population growth, poverty and natural disasters are all impacting the world around us. +10 This picture of Mount Kenya, taken in 2014, shows the extent of melting of the Lewis Glacier on Mount Kenya. the line of fire shows the tip of the glacier in 1987 and since then it has receeded 120 metres. Photographer Simon Norfolk used petrol to create the fire as a way of illustrating how the burning of fossil fuels is behind much of man's impact on climate change that is causing glaciers worldwide to melt But they also show how innovation, sustainable development and biodiversity can help to improve our world. One bleak image shows the receding glaciers on Mount Kenya, while another reveals toxic sulphur fumes coming from a gold mine in Indonesia. They range from a simple but striking photograph showing a plastic bag snagged on a tree, to the scene inside an abandoned supermarket in Namie City, which lies inside the Fukushima no-go zone following the nuclear power plant disaster and tsunami in 2011. Launched in 2007 by the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM), the competition aims to demonstrate the link between the environment and social issues. Nigel Hendley, interim chief executive at the CIWEM said: 'The Environmental Photographer of the Year competition provides a platform to raise awareness of environmental issues fundamental to our organisation - climate change, environmental pollution, water resource management, wastewater and flood risk management. +10 Titled 'The Devil’s gold', this picture from the Ijen Kawah volcano, in Eastern Java, Indonesia, shows how miners brave the toxic fumes to venture to search for sulphur, known as Devil's gold. lpan, 27, a sulfur miner for ten years, is seen emerging from the fumes with sulphur +10 A former resident Namie City is shown standing in an abandoned supermarket in the Fukushima no-go zone. Fresh produce, now several years out of date, still sits on the shelves just as it was left when the city was evacuated after the nuclear power plant meltdown in 2011 'Entries for the 2015 award were of the highest standard ever. They engage with thought-provoking topics and challenge us to question the impact we are having on the planet, both as individuals and human society.' The exhibition is to go on show at the Royal Geographical Society in London from 22 June before beginning a tour of forest venues around Britain.  +10 Although strangely simple, this plastic bag snagged on a tree in the Bolivian Altiplano delivers a powerful message about the accumulation of plastic bags in the environment. The world consumes over one million plastic bags every minute +10 This dramatic image shows what remains of the abandoned village of Geamana in the Apuseni Mountains of Romania. The village was deliberately flooded to form a tailings pond for a vast copper mine and 400 families were evacuated to give the toxic waste somewhere to go. The top of a church tower and a few isolated houses are all that remain sticking out of the contaminated sludge +10 In a swirling mass of orange, a sandstorm suddenly enveloped parts of Kuwait in the image above. The storm in 2011 shut down Kuwait's International Airport and the dust reduced visibility to less than 500 metres while in some areas, there was reportedly no visibility at all Hayley Skipper, curator of arts development for Forestry Commission England and a member of the selection panel, said: 'It was an extraordinary experience to look at the ten thousand images.  'An intense focus is required to absorb the quantity, and quality, of the imagery and the context of each photograph.  'There is an extraordinary sense of resilience in many of the images selected this year, as we all adapt to the challenges and conditions of our environment across the globe.' +10 Two women, dressed in purple and holding hair weaves, stand in the doorway of a waterside hair and beauty salon in Makoko, Nigeria +10 A fisherman checks his nets in Vietnam, where fishing is one of the major economic sectors. The marine economy is expected to account for 53 to 55 percent of GDP by 2020 and to comprise more than 60 percent of the country’s export turnover +10 A lone barber shop stands in Konya, Turkey, with its electricity supply still working while all around it is crumbling and dark. Konya is best known as a busy university city and an economic boom town but this photograph tells a somewhat different story +10 A family watching television waits for flood water to recede in Chittagong, Bangladesh. In the past few years, rising sea levels have become an increasing problem in the city, resulting in frequent flooding of residential and business areas