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Mediterranean could be in driest spell for 900 years
Posted by Climate Home: Tim Radford on March 14th, 2016
Climate Home: The drought that has blighted the eastern Mediterranean since 1998 could be the worst in nine centuries, according to new research led by scientists from the US space agency Nasa.
They report in the Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres that they used a tree-ring chronicle – trees accurately reflect the rainfall conditions of each year in their annual growth – to establish what had happened.
They found that although the island of Cyprus and the bordering nations of Israel, Jordan, Lebanon,...
Global warming: Feb temperature rise ‘unprecedented’
Posted by Climate Home: Ed King on March 14th, 2016
Climate Home: February 2016 broke global temperature records, according to data released by NASA on Saturday.
Global surface temperatures were 1.35C above the 1951-1980 global average for the month, a development described by experts as "an ominous milestone towards a warmer planet."
"Perhaps even more remarkable is that February 2016 crushed the previous February record -- set in 1998 during the peak atmospheric influence of the 1997-98 super El Nino that`s comparable in strength to the current one -- by...
Indonesia warns of fire risk in haze-prone regions in March-April
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 14th, 2016
Reuters: Indonesia expects dryer than normal weather in several fire and haze-prone regions in western and central Indonesia in March and April, the state weather agency (BMKG) said on Monday, referring to a recent increase in fires and hotspots.
The region suffers every dry season from so-called haze caused by smoldering fires, often set deliberately to clear land for palm oil plantations on Sumatra and Borneo islands.
Fires were particularly bad in 2015 because of a prolonged dry season caused by...
Mountain Pakistan cuts forest loss, disaster risk with river power
Posted by Reuters: Saleem Shaikh and Sughra Tunio on March 14th, 2016
Reuters: In her home in the remote Hunza valley, Gul Mehreen smiles as she places a tea kettle on the electric stove in her immaculate kitchen. As she makes tea for guests, the farmer jokes about "how amazingly enjoyable" cooking has become since a small-scale hydropower generator was installed nearby. Her visitors nod and burst into happy laughter. In this picturesque village, perched above the gushing turquoise waters of the Hunza river, and with a view of the 8,000-metre Rakaposhi mountain, in Pakistan's...
Feb breaks global temp records ‘shocking’ amount
Posted by Guardian: Michael Slezak on March 14th, 2016
Guardian: Global temperatures in February smashed previous monthly records by an unprecedented amount, according to Nasa data, sparking warnings of a climate emergency.
The result was “a true shocker, and yet another reminder of the incessant long-term rise in global temperature resulting from human-produced greenhouse gases”, wrote Jeff Masters and Bob Henson in a blog on the Weather Underground, which analysed the data released on Saturday.
It confirms preliminary analysis from earlier in March, indicating...
Residents: Rubio Hasn’t “Done Shit” In “Florida’s Flint”
Posted by Daily Beast: None Given on March 14th, 2016
Daily Beast: Residents in coastal communities in Florida, say they have appealed to Rubio to help them with a growing ecological disaster in their community and have been largely ignored. If Sen. Marco Rubio loses the Florida primary next Tuesday, it won’t be because of the number of campaign offices he opened or the TV ads he didn’t buy. Instead, it likely will be because of the kind of senator Rubio’s Florida constituents believe he has been. Frustrated residents of several coastal Florida communities say...
Crisis puts water projects in top gear
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 13th, 2016
Times of India: The civic officials and elected representatives are in a huddle as the city stares at a severe water crisis. A series of meetings have been held in Mumbai and Pune to expedite pending water projects. Experts, however, say that traditional business-as-usual approach to water management will not help resolve the crisis permanently.
On its part, the PMC has accelerated the Bhama Askhed pipeline project. Guardian minister Girish Bapat called a meeting in Mumbai last week to discuss hurdles in the...
Alaskans use Arctic Science Summit Week to focus on climate change
Posted by Alaska Dispatch News: None Given on March 13th, 2016
Alaska Dispatch News: As eyes turn to Fairbanks this month for the 2016 Arctic Science Summit Week, residents are gathering to have their say on an urgent crisis facing Arctic communities: climate change.
The ASSW states its purpose is to “facilitate communication across academia, government agencies, local communities, industry, non-governmental organizations and other Arctic stakeholders.” With this goal in mind, the concurrent Fairbanks Rally for a Clean Energy Economy has stepped up communication on the part of...
Can you put a price on nature? A Californian nonprofit thinks it can
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 13th, 2016
Guardian: Everyone agrees that nature has value. It clothes, feeds and shelters us – and provides a spectacular playground. Yet we have never put a value on everything nature offers.
Now, environmental and sustainable business consultants want to change that by forcing corporate leaders to take stock of the economic impact of how they manage natural resources. By accounting for this so-called natural capital, the advocates hope to see more businesses adopting practices that are both good for the environment...
February smashes global temperature record, says Nasa
Posted by Telegraph: David Lawler on March 13th, 2016
Telegraph: February set global temperature records, Nasa announced on Saturday, deviating from historical norms by a wider margin than any month ever recorded, and raising further concerns about global warming.
It was the third consecutive month to break the record, which is calculated by setting the temperature for a particular month against the average temperature from that month between 1951-1980.
February was 2.43F (1.35C) above the norm, easily surpassing the 2.3F (1.14C) margin from January of this...