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Archive for October, 2013
One year after Sandy, New Jersey towns accelerate dune building, despite holdouts
Posted by ClimateWire: Evan Lehmann on October 26th, 2013
ClimateWire: That stubby dune is now at the center of a major shift that stands to strengthen local officials against oceanfront homeowners who refuse to surrender thin strips of their beach property to the federal government for a much more ambitious program of dune construction.
The change came in July, when the state Supreme Court reversed a lower court ruling that granted $375,000 to Harvey Cedars homeowners Harvey and Phyllis Karan after the town took a section of their beach through eminent domain. The...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on One year after Sandy, New Jersey towns accelerate dune building, despite holdoutsWashington, D.C. gathering shows liberal disdain for Keystone XL
Posted by Greenwire: Jean Chemnick on October 26th, 2013
Greenwire: President Obama's political friends yesterday left him very little room to maneuver on the politically controversial Keystone XL pipeline, taking turns panning the project at a Center for American Progress event attended by some of the most influential Democrats in Washington, D.C.
Former Vice President Al Gore issued the bluntest indictment of the project, comparing American's "addiction" to fossil fuels to a heroin addict's need for a fix.
"You know, junkies find veins in their toes when...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Washington, D.C. gathering shows liberal disdain for Keystone XLPhilippines: To fight climate change, Mindanao’s farmers look to agroforestry
Posted by GMA Network: Kim Luces on October 26th, 2013
GMA Network: As farmers suffer the brunt of global warming's relentless advance, agroforestry seems a viable technique for a better quality and higher yield of harvest despite worsening climate conditions. Around 400 farmers in Columbio and Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat, and 400 more farmers from Lanuza, Surigao del Sur are looking into agroforestry to cope with diverse forms of economic shocks and climate vulnerabilities, said Dante A. Dalabajan, Project Manager of Oxfam's Building Resilient and Adaptive Communities...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Philippines: To fight climate change, Mindanao’s farmers look to agroforestryThe lessons of Superstorm Sandy
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 26th, 2013
Living on Earth: It's been a year since Hurricane Sandy brought devastating floods to the east coast and destroyed many homes and businesses. Urban Planning Professor Elliott Sclar joins host Steve Curwood to discuss what lessons were learned from Hurricane Sandy about how to protect our coasts and cities in a warming world.
Transcript
CURWOOD: From the Jennifer and Ted Stanley Studios in Boston, this is Living on Earth. I'm Steve Curwood. Just a year ago Superstorm Sandy mowed a path of destruction from the...
Congress takes little-noticed climate action
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 26th, 2013
Living on Earth: ProPublica reporter Theo Meyer recently discovered something remarkable. Last year Congress passed a transportation bill with a clause that directed FEMA to take climate change into account for flood insurance. But Meyer tells host Steve Curwood that so far FEMA hasn't made much progress.
Transcript
CURWOOD: Superstorm Sandy got a boost from unusually warm waters in the West Atlantic, warmth that is expected to increase in years ahead as the climate changes. And though the US Congress has yet...
Australia: Climate Council links New South Wales bushfires to climate change
Posted by Australian Broadcasting Corporation: Simon Lauder on October 26th, 2013
Australian Broadcasting Corporation: Scientists say there is a very real link between the recent bushfires in New South Wales and climate change.
As the Federal Government continues to reject claims that recent bushfires are linked with climate change, a report by scientists has stirred the debate further by saying the two are indeed linked.
The Climate Council, which was called the Climate Commission before it was recently de-funded by the Coalition Government, says climate change is increasing the probability of extreme fire...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Australia: Climate Council links New South Wales bushfires to climate changeAustralia: Climate debate must stick to the science: Professor
Posted by Sydney Morning Herald: Heath Aston on October 26th, 2013
Sydney Morning Herald: The author of a report that lays bare the connection between climate change and extreme bushfires has expressed his ''frustration'' with Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Environment Minister Greg Hunt for their refusal to accept scientific consensus on climate change.
Professor Will Steffen, who co-authored the soon-to-be-released bushfire report by the Climate Council, was responding to Mr Abbott's assertion in a newspaper interview with leading climate sceptic Andrew Bolt that drawing a link between...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Australia: Climate debate must stick to the science: Professor5 cities doing big things to reduce their risks from extreme weather: Report
Posted by Weather Channel: None Given on October 26th, 2013
Weather Channel: From this September's historic Colorado floods to the upcoming anniversary of Superstorm Sandy, there's been no shortage of extreme weather events over the past year that show why the world's major cities need to become more resilient in the face of climate change.
The Center for American Progress released a report this week on the cities across America that are doing just that, highlighting the steps five major cities are taking after experiencing major natural disasters in the recent past, and...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on 5 cities doing big things to reduce their risks from extreme weather: ReportClimate change could put $6 trillion in fossil fuel reserves at risk
Posted by Quartz: Todd Woody on October 26th, 2013
Quartz: The International Energy Agency last year warned that if humanity is to have any hope of avoiding catastrophic climate change, a third of the world’s fossil fuel reserves must be put off limits until 2050. That prompted HSBC Global Research to estimate that some oil giants could lose up to half their market value. In other words, we’re talking about trillions of dollars in revenues going up in smoke if governments ever get their act together and issue a no-burn order.
Now 70 investors that control...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Climate change could put $6 trillion in fossil fuel reserves at riskMangroves Help Guyana Defend Against Changing Climate
Posted by Inter Press Service: Desmond Brown on October 26th, 2013
Inter Press Service: Theola Fortune can recall how residents of Victoria would ridicule her and others every time they went into the east coast village to warn residents about the importance of mangroves and the need to protect them.
"They would accuse us of breeding mosquitoes in the community," Fortune said. Yet scientists say that mangrove trees, which grow mainly in tropical and subtropical regions, can shield cities and towns from rising seas and storm surges by creating a natural barrier where the ocean meets...