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Archive for October, 2013
The climate change era is upon us
Posted by Daily Climate: Jane Lubchenco and Thomas E. Lovejoy on October 28th, 2013
Daily Climate: We have been given a sobering glimpse into the speed of our changing climate and the vulnerabilities of our world. It turns out we must focus greater attention to the tropics, where so much of humanity and wildlife live, and to our oceans.
While policymakers posture, dither and deny, the unraveling has already begun.
A sophisticated analysis, published in the premier scientific journal Nature by a team of young scientists at the University of Hawaii, Manoa, shows that impacts of climate change...
Artist Blacklisted by Canada Over Criticism of Climate Policy Takes Show to U.S.
Posted by InsideClimate News: Katherine Bagley on October 28th, 2013
InsideClimate News: Three years ago, Franke James was a little-known artist who found herself blacklisted by the Canadian government for making art that lambasted the rapidly expanding tar sands. Infuriated and emboldened by the censure, James churned out a slew of pieces criticizing the government, published a book and in the process became one of Canada's most outspoken environmental activists. Now, the Toronto resident is embarking on a new mission. She wants to raise awareness in the United States about what she...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Artist Blacklisted by Canada Over Criticism of Climate Policy Takes Show to U.S.Enbridge files application to run pipeline across northern Minnesota; opponents gird for fight
Posted by MPR: Dan Kraker on October 28th, 2013
MPR: Canadian pipeline builder Enbridge will file applications this week to build a $2.5 billion oil pipeline across northern Minnesota. Opponents, though, are organizing already for a fight. The 610-mile "Sandpiper" line would carry more than 200,000 barrels per day from western North Dakota's Bakken fields to the company's terminal in Superior, Wis. The web of pipelines that transport Bakken oil now is straining to keep up with supply, so a new line is crucial, company officials say. While environmental...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Enbridge files application to run pipeline across northern Minnesota; opponents gird for fightFlooding, travel disruption and power cuts
Posted by Guardian: Andrew Culf on October 28th, 2013
Guardian: Storm-force winds gusting up to 99mph are battering southern parts of the UK, bringing widespread travel disruption, flooding and power cuts. The intense storm, which swept in overnight, was causing a chaotic start to the working week with roads impassable because of fallen trees and surface water, and major bridges closed because of the high winds. UK Power Networks said 140,000 homes were without power in southern counties, while Western Power Distribution said 6,000 homes were affected in the...
Climate change may make coastal flooding like Sandy’s more frequent
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 28th, 2013
CBS News: When Superstorm Sandy struck the New York and New Jersey area on Oct. 29, 2012, it caused more than $50 billion in damage, according to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Much of that cost came from coastal flooding that ravaged downtown Manhattan, Staten Island, parts of Brooklyn, and many New Jersey beach towns, among other areas.
Dr. Radley Horton, a climate scientist at Columbia University and NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, says three environmental...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Climate change may make coastal flooding like Sandy’s more frequentWater, wealth and whites – South Africa’s potent anti-fracking mix
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 28th, 2013
Reuters: Stretching across the heart of South Africa, the Karoo has stirred emotions for centuries, a stunning semi-desert wilderness that draws artists, hunters and the toughest of farmers.
It is now rousing less romantic passions.
If energy companies and the ruling African National Congress (ANC) get their way, it will soon be home to scientists and geologists mapping out shale gas fields touted as game-changers for Africa's biggest economy, and working out whether fracking will work here.
As with...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Water, wealth and whites – South Africa’s potent anti-fracking mixCaribbean Looks to the Sky for Water Security
Posted by Inter Press Service: Jewel Fraser on October 27th, 2013
Inter Press Service: A centuries-old system for ensuring water security is making a comeback in the Caribbean.
It`s known as rainwater harvesting, and it is now becoming a formal part of the region`s strategic planning in the face of not only more and stronger storms, but droughts as well. By 2100, there could be a 20 to 30 percent decrease in precipitation, research shows, making every drop count."The first thing to go in hurricanes is the water." -- Lovaan Superville of NIHERST
"Rainwater harvesting is, in fact,...
Heat Wave Prediction Pattern Identified
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 27th, 2013
National Geographic: Summertime heat waves in the United States tend to be preceded two weeks before by a distinctive atmospheric circulation pattern, climate models suggest.
The finding, detailed in this week's issue of the journal Nature Geoscience, could lead to improved probability forecasts of U.S. heat waves beyond the 1-week weather forecast range.
"We think once this pattern forms, it favors the formation of heat waves over the U.S.," explained Haiyan Teng, a climate scientist at National Center for Atmospheric...
The Mangroves’ Date With History
Posted by New York Times: Tahmima Anam on October 27th, 2013
New York Times: In his 1981 novel “Midnight’s Children,” Salman Rushdie describes the Sundarbans, the mangrove forest that traces the southwestern edge of Bangladesh, as “so thick that history has hardly ever found the way in.” For his characters, the forest is a site of magic and danger, a mythic place from which it is impossible to escape. Today, you can visit this eerie jungle, taking a boat from the town of Khulna and making your way slowly through the narrow islets of the Meghna River, finishing your journey...
Will Obama Ever Stand Up to the Oil Industry or Just Keep Bending?
Posted by AlterNet: Bill McKibben on October 27th, 2013
AlterNet: As the battle over the Keystone XL pipeline has worn on -- and it’s now well over two years old -- it’s illuminated the Obama presidency like no other issue. It offers the president not just a choice of policies, but a choice of friends, worldviews, styles. It’s become an X-ray for a flagging presidency. The stakes are sky-high, and not just for Obama. I’m writing these words from Pittsburgh, amid 7,000 enthusiastic and committed young people gathering to fight global warming, and my guess is that...
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