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Archive for September, 2012
Wildfires have grown larger, more frequent
Posted by Press-Enterprise: None Given on September 19th, 2012
Press-Enterprise: An analysis of fire records going back to 1970 found that the largest fires have occurred in the last decade, a finding that points in part to the effects of climate change, researchers said.
What`s more, according to the Climate Central study of U.S. Forest Service data, the fire season is now 75 days longer than it was in the 1970s, it was reported in the Press-Enterprise today.
This is an interactive map of active wildfires from Climate Central.
A typical fire season used to run mid-May...
‘Extreme’ weather is the new norm
Posted by Guardian: Connie Hedegaard on September 19th, 2012
Guardian: It has been a summer full of reports of extreme weather, of unparalleled scope and severity. Among the highlights: one of the warmest years on record in the US, record-high temperatures in central and eastern Europe, the wettest summer in the UK, the heaviest rainfalls in northern India and the Philippines and the most severe droughts in the US and east Africa.
In short, climate change and weather extremes are not about a distant future. Formerly one-off extreme weather episodes seem to be becoming...
Report: U.S. Energy Policy Is “All Wet” When It Comes To Hidden Costs
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 19th, 2012
Yahoo!: Huge demands on increasingly scarce water are a major hidden cost of a "business as usual" approach to American electricity generation that needs to be more fully understood by policymakers and the public, according to a new Synapse Energy Economics, Inc. report prepared for the nonprofit and nonpartisan Civil Society Institute (CSI) and the Environmental Working Group (EWG).
The new analysis, "The Hidden Costs of Electricity: Comparing the Hidden Costs of Power Generation Fuels," is available...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Report: U.S. Energy Policy Is “All Wet” When It Comes To Hidden CostsTo Protect Species And Ecosystems Major Changes Are Needed
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 19th, 2012
redOrbit: A landmark study has found that climate change is likely to have a major impact on Australia’s plants, animals and ecosystems that will present significant challenges to the conservation of Australia’s biodiversity.
The comprehensive study by CSIRO highlights the sensitivity of Australia’s species and ecosystems to climate change, and the need for new ways of thinking about biodiversity conservation.
“Climate change is likely to start to transform some of Australia’s natural landscapes by 2030,”...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on To Protect Species And Ecosystems Major Changes Are NeededPeru’s fog catchers net water supplies
Posted by Guardian: Dan Collyns on September 19th, 2012
Guardian: Sandwiched between the cool ocean currents of the Pacific Ocean and the Andean foothills, Peru's coastal capital is a meteorological anomaly. Lima is the second-largest desert city after Cairo, yet it has a cooler and more humid climate than its subtropical latitude might suggest. Rainfall is extremely low – less than 4cm annually – but humidity can reach 98%.
The city – home to a third of Peruvians, nearly 9 million people – is dependent on three rivers that flow from the Andes, the Rimac, Chillon...
Video: Debating the Complex Impacts of Shale Gas Fracking
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 19th, 2012
Yale Environment 360: At a panel discussion at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies this week, a group of experts tackled the controversial drilling method known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, and complex questions about impacts on the environment, human health, and the U.S.’s energy future. During the discussion, former Shell Oil president John Hofmeister said natural gas made accessible by fracking is more than a “bridge fuel.” Natural gas, he said, is “a highway to the future, and yes, a highway...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Video: Debating the Complex Impacts of Shale Gas FrackingProtecting mangroves cheaper than building coastal protection – official
Posted by AlertNet: Johann Earle on September 19th, 2012
AlertNet: Keeping coastal mangrove forests intact or replanting them is cheaper than building man-man structure to protect coastlines threatened by climate change, according to the head of the International Union for Conservation for Nature (IUCN).
"Our message is, 'Don't assume that man-made or engineered solutions are the only ones to protect our coasts and rivers and to provide drinking water. We are not against engineering in the absence of natural solutions, but look at what nature has to offer,''...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Protecting mangroves cheaper than building coastal protection – officialStudy may predict how climate change fosters Great Lakes dead zones
Posted by Great Lakes Echo: Matthew Hall on September 19th, 2012
Great Lakes Echo: Scientists are studying how extreme weather associated with climate change may produce more of the algae that creates dead zones in the Great Lakes and elsewhere. Figuring it out may help them manage the threat algae poses with projected climate changes. Climate change presents a “perfect storm” for the Great Lakes because the sequence and intensity of extreme weather creates just the right conditions for blooms to flourish, said R. Jan Stevenson, co-director for Michigan State University’s Center...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Study may predict how climate change fosters Great Lakes dead zonesUK shale gas could create 4,200 jobs a year, say engineers
Posted by BusinessGreen: None Given on September 19th, 2012
BusinessGreen: Developing the UK's shale gas reserves could create thousands of skilled jobs, but is not a "silver bullet" to solve the country's energy problems, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) said yesterday.
A position paper (PDF) circulated to parliamentarians outlined its support for the controversial energy source, alongside a mixed portfolio of generation technologies.
But it adds a successful industry requires a clear strategy from government, development of a strong regulatory environment,...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on UK shale gas could create 4,200 jobs a year, say engineersCameron slips behind with homework for ‘greenest government ever’
Posted by BusinessGreen: None Given on September 19th, 2012
BusinessGreen: As the Prime Minister returns from summer recess to start the new Parliamentary term, businesses have issued a new "report card" slamming progress on his much-heralded ambition to lead "the greenest government ever".
The UK Green Building Council issued its assessment earlier this week, scoring Cameron and his cabinet against ten policies, such as the Green Deal, zero carbon new buildings and the planning system.
Based on a school grading system, Cameron received an E minus for the zero carbon...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Cameron slips behind with homework for ‘greenest government ever’