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Archive for July, 2014
Report: Gulf and Atlantic Coasts Not Prepared for Sea-Level Rise
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 23rd, 2014
National Geographic: The U.S. Atlantic and Gulf Coasts are not ready for the increased flooding and stronger storms that are expected from climate change, scientists say.
The National Research Council report, released today, warns that the past few years have seen "a dramatic rise in coastal-storm-related losses" along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, thanks to an increase in population and a rise in the number of homes and other structures built in at-risk areas.
"There's a huge sense of urgency here," says Greg...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Report: Gulf and Atlantic Coasts Not Prepared for Sea-Level RiseFire season in West expected to get more intense
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 23rd, 2014
Associated Press: Despite widespread drought in the West and expectations of an above-average wildfire season, wildfires have burned less than half the 10-year average area so far this summer. U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell said Wednesday that largely has been a matter of luck, with the hot windy weather known as “red flag” days not lining up with the lighting strikes that start most fires, particularly in California. But that is changing, he said from Washington, D.C. Eighteen large fires were burning in...
Tanzania: Climate change could mean low crop yield, more malaria cases
Posted by Daily News: John Kulekana on July 23rd, 2014
Daily News: EXPERTS say Tanzania is currently suffering high economic costs due to extreme events due to climate change. The costs include low crop yields due to drought and floods, as well as increased cases of malaria and other diseases. Tanzania's economy is dependent on the climate, since a large proportion of the gross domestic product (GDP) is associated with climate sensitive activities, particularly agriculture. Therefore climate variability, such as extreme events like droughts and floods, has led...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Tanzania: Climate change could mean low crop yield, more malaria cases‘Water cops’ to monitor water crisis and drought in California
Posted by Blue and Green: Ilaria Bertini on July 23rd, 2014
Blue and Green: Bay Area water agencies are considering hiring new temporary employees to keep water usage in the area under control, after residents were advised to conserve water to mitigate the effect of the worst drought on record that has been hitting the region since February. Santa Clara Valley Water District will decide whether to spend $500,000 (£293,000) to hire up to 10 new temporary employees in order to monitor water usage and waste in the region, after attempts to make citizens save water did not...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on ‘Water cops’ to monitor water crisis and drought in CaliforniaDrier Dust Bowl: Waiting for relief in rural America
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 22nd, 2014
Washington Post: The water could start at any time.
Every few hours, Anita Pointon refreshes the Web site that tells when it’s coming, because the work begins as soon as they know. Her husband, Chuck, 62, will set out to walk the farm with a moisture probe to see which fields are the driest. One run of water covers only about 18 acres of their 500, so they have to choose carefully.
As rural America wilts, this is how those left working its powder-dry land get by: At the appointed hour, Chuck turns the head...
Tinderbox Explodes in Wildfires Across Northwest
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 22nd, 2014
New York Times: A cool, wet spring that drew out luxuriant growth in parts of the Pacific Northwest, followed by a ferociously hot and dry early summer, has created a fire-season tinderbox across the Pacific Northwest that exploded over the past week with dozens of wildfires burning hundreds of thousands of acres and forcing thousands of residents from their homes.
More than 3,500 people, including fire crews from all over the country and National Guard troops in Washington and Oregon, have been battling the...
Activists say arrests made in protest at Utah tar sands mine project
Posted by Reuters: Jennifer Dobner on July 22nd, 2014
Reuters: Sheriff's deputies in Utah arrested nearly two dozen environmental protesters who chained themselves to fences and construction equipment on Monday at a tar sands mining project in the remote Book Cliffs mountains, an activist group said.
The Tar Sands Resistance group said about 80 activists set up a "blockade" at the PR Springs mine to highlight what it said would be huge environmental damage if it goes ahead.
"These projects do nothing but devastate the land and pollute the water and air,"...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Activists say arrests made in protest at Utah tar sands mine projectGlobal warming emissions from meat consumption rising rapidly
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 22nd, 2014
Mongabay: Greenhouse gas emissions from livestock production have increased by more than 50 percent over the past 50 years and are set to zoom higher as the developing world consumes more meat, finds a new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
The research is based on analysis of the impacts of livestock production per calorie consumed, including water and fertilizer use, land area requirements, and other factors. It went beyond carbon dioxide, evaluating...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Global warming emissions from meat consumption rising rapidlyClimate: Meat turns up the heat as livestock emit greenhouse gases
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 21st, 2014
ScienceDaily: Eating meat contributes to climate change, due to greenhouse gasses emitted by livestock. New research finds that livestock emissions are on the rise and that beef cattle are responsible for far more greenhouse gas emissions than other types of animals. It is published by Climactic Change.
Carbon dioxide is the most-prevalent gas when it comes to climate change. It is released by vehicles, industry, and forest removal and comprises the greatest portion of greenhouse gas totals. But methane and...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Climate: Meat turns up the heat as livestock emit greenhouse gasesCalifornia marks warmest winter and spring on record
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 21st, 2014
Reuters: California had its warmest winter and spring on record this year, leading to stresses on water resources and agriculture, as well as increased risk of wildfire in the most populous U.S. state, the National Weather Service said Monday. In an overview of the nation's weather released on the agency's website, meteorologists said temperatures in California were about 5 degrees Fahrenheit above normal during the first six months of 2014, and just over 1 degree hotter than the previous record. "Despite...