Nasa readies satellite to measure atmospheric CO2

WASHINGTON: NASA is preparing a July 1 launch for its first satellite dedicated to measuring atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that plays a key role in climate change.

CO2 levels have reached their highest point in at least 800,000 years, according to the US space agency.

The Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) satellite is very similar to its predecessor, OCO-1, which was destroyed during its launch in February 2009.The satellite will help provide a more complete and global picture of man-made and naturally occurring CO2 emissions as well as the effects of carbon "sinks," like oceans and forests, which absorb and trap the gas.

"Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere plays a critical role in our planet´s energy balance and is a key factor in understanding how our climate is changing," said Michael Freilich, director of NASA´s Earth Science Division.

"With the OCO-2 mission, NASA will be contributing an important new source of global observations to the scientific challenge of better understanding our Earth and its future," he added in a statement.

The OCO-2 satellite will be launched on a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, aiming for an orbit at 438 miles (705 kilometers) above the Earth´s surface.

NASA envisions it becoming the lead satellite for a six-strong fleet that will circle the Earth every 99 minutes, allowing nearly simultaneous observations across the globe.OCO-2, designed to operate for at least two years, will take measurements of carbon emissions and carbon sinks around the world to help scientists analyze how they change over time.

In April, monthly concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere surpassed 400 particles per million in the northern hemisphere, which NASA said was the highest level in at least the past 800,000 years.

Human activities -- including the burning of fossil fuels like oil, natural gas and coal -- are blamed for emitting nearly 40 billion tonnes of CO2 in the atmosphere each year, leading to an unprecedented accumulation of the greenhouse gas.

Climate scientists have concluded that the increase of CO2 emissions from human activities, especially from fossil fuels and deforestation, have upset the planet´s natural carbon cycle, prompting rising temperatures and planet-wide climate change.

Currently, less than half of the CO2 emitted by human activities remains in the atmosphere, scientists say.

Measurements of CO2 levels taken by the new satellite will be combined with data obtained by land-based observatories, airplanes and other satellites. (AFP)

Ukraine readies for new president amid glimmers of hope

KIEV: Ukraine will swear in its new president Saturday, amid glimmers of hope for a solution to a crisis that has pitted it against its giant Russian neighbour.

Ukraine´s new leader, Petro Poroshenko, will take the oath in Kiev´s parliament the day after he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, widely seen in Ukraine as the country´s nemesis, during World War II commemorations in northern France.

"The dialogue has begun, and that´s a good thing," Poroshenko said on Ukrainian television after the brief encounter.

He added that a Russian representative would travel to Ukraine for talks Sunday amid the first bilateral steps towards resolving their differences.

Putin and Poroshenko on Friday also jointly called for a ceasefire in the troubled southeast of Ukraine in a potential breakthrough in a crisis that has poisoned Moscow´s relations with the West.

Poroshenko, a 48-year-old billionaire, was elected with 54.7 percent of the votes in presidential elections on May 25.His inauguration ceremony will be attended by a range of foreign VIPs, including US Vice President Joseph Biden and European Council President Herman Van Rompuy.

Poroshenko will assume the presidency as the formal successor of Viktor Yanukovych, who was ousted in February after bloody street fighting in downtown Kiev and who is now living in exile in Russia.

Heavy task ahead
Ahead for Poroshenko lies the tough task of bringing his country closer to Europe, a crucial issue for many who took part in the movement that brought down the previous administration.

He must also try to end the recession that has plagued the country for the past two years, but above all he must unite his country even as it teeters on the brink of civil war.

A step in that direction may have been taken in France, when he shook hands with Putin.

The meeting, on the sidelines of the events in Normandy to mark the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings, was the first between the two men since Poroshenko won Ukraine´s presidential election.

Moscow had previously said it was ready to work with the new president but stopped short of explicitly recognising him as the legitimate leader of the Ukrainian people.

US President Barack Obama, who also met with Putin in France on Friday, told NBC Nightly News that Russia has to recognise Poroshenko as legitimate if it wants to resolve months of crisis.

"Mr. Putin should be working directly with Mr. Poroshenko and the government of Ukraine to try to resolve differences between the two countries," Obama said.

Russia also needs "to stop financing and arming separatists who have been wreaking havoc in the eastern part of the country," Obama added.

Tensions in southeastern Ukraine have mounted in recent days with the government admitting on Thursday that it had lost control of three border posts that were being routinely attacked by the rebels.

On Friday, insurgents shot down a Ukrainian military cargo plane near Slavyansk, a hotbed of rebel activity. The crew reportedly managed to eject before impact.

Also near Slavyansk on Friday, one police officer was killed and two others injured in a mortar attack.