Archive for October 1st, 2014

When Can A Big Storm Or Drought Be Blamed On Climate Change?

Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 1st, 2014
National Public Radio: Nowadays, when there's a killer heat wave or serious drought somewhere, people wonder: Is this climate change at work? It's a question scientists have struggled with for years. And now there's a new field of research that's providing some answers. It's called "attribution science" - a set of principles that allow scientists to determine when it's a change in climate that's altering weather events ... and when it isn't. The principles start with the premise that, as almost all climate scientists...
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Aral Sea’s Eastern Basin Is Dry for First Time in 600 Years

Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 1st, 2014
National Geographic: Once the fourth largest lake in the world, Central Asia's shrinking Aral Sea has reached a new low, thanks to decades-old water diversions for irrigation and a more recent drought. Satellite imagery released this week by NASA shows that the eastern basin of the freshwater body is now completely dry. "It is likely the first time it has completely dried in 600 years, since medieval desiccation associated with diversion of Amu Darya [river] to the Caspian Sea," Philip Micklin, an Aral Sea expert...
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Republicans craft 2015 plan to force Obama’s hand on Keystone

Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 1st, 2014
Reuters: Republicans plan to put approval of the long-delayed Keystone XL oil pipeline on a fast track early next year if they win a U.S. Senate majority in November, finally forcing President Barack Obama to make a tough call on the controversial plan. The $10 billion Keystone project to connect Canadian oil sands with U.S. refineries will top the list of Republican energy priorities if they gain control of the Senate after the Nov. 4 midterm elections. It could come as a stand-alone measure or attached...
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