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Archive for September 2nd, 2010
Climate change gets wet
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 2nd, 2010
Discover Magazine: One of the most important gases affecting the global climate is both incredibly familiar and persistently mysterious--water vapor. Researchers know that atmospheric water traps heat and insulates the earth, but even after years of intensive study, the magnitude of the effect has remained obscure. By analyzing global water vapor and temperature satellite data for the lower atmosphere, Texas A&M University atmospheric scientist Andrew Dessler and his colleagues found that warming driven by ...
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Soaring water risks spell opportunity for investors
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 2nd, 2010
Business Green: Ahead of the launch of World Water Week on Monday, new research suggests rising water risks around the world are presenting huge commercial opportunities for water infrastructure firms and investors. The latest results from Standard & Poor's Global Water Index, released yesterday, reveal that utilities and other water-related firms are outperforming the wider stock market as demand for water infrastructure continues to rise. Over the past five years, the total return from ...
‘Red list’ alert for tiny crayfish
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 2nd, 2010
Australian Broadcasting Corporation: Several species of southern Australian crayfish have been named on a threatened species list. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has included more than a dozen burrowing crayfish species on its updated Red List, released today. The crayfish are only found in southern Australia and the United States. Tasmanian scientist Dr Niall Doran, who was involved in the assessment, says the tiny species plays an important role in the environment. "They ...
Pakistan: Dr Samar warns of devastating floods every year
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 2nd, 2010
APP: Dr Samar Mubarakmand Wed-nesday warned that the country might experience unprecedented floods every year because of global warming, saying in case of not building more dams and adopting precautionary measures, it could prove more disastrous. In an exclusive interview, he said global warming and melting of glaciers was a main reason for the weather system, which forced heavy rains. Industrialised nations were responsible for environmental pollution as they burnt natural fuels in ...
Researchers study link between climate, wildfire
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 2nd, 2010
AP: Scientists from universities in Montana, Colorado and Idaho announced today the start of a 5-year, $3.85 million research project into how a changing climate will influence wildfires. The project is being pursued in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and researchers in Australia and New Zealand. The goal is to identify how human activities and climate change drive fires. "One thing is clear: The frequency and severity of fires have increased around and world and this is ...
Mich., Wis. to cooperate on climate change issues
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 2nd, 2010
AP: Michigan and Wisconsin plan to work together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and determine the best strategies to adapt to climate change as part of an effort to protect the Great Lakes region. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment announced the agreement Thursday. Michigan DNRE Director Rebecca Humphries in July asked Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Secretary Matt Frank to formalize plans to work together, and a memorandum of understanding ...
Report confirms rapid glacier melting
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 2nd, 2010
Himalayan: The United States Geological Survey in its report -- published in collaboration with 39 international scientists -- says that glaciers throughout the Asia region -- Russia, China, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan -- are retreating. However, the report says the time period for the retreat is different among the glaciers. "In Bhutan, 66 glaciers have decreased by 8.1 per cent over the last 30 years. Rapid changes in the Himalaya ...
Amazon at lowest level in over 40 years in Peru: experts
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 2nd, 2010
AFP: The Amazon, the world's biggest river, is at its lowest level in over 40 years near its source in northeastern Peru, causing havoc in a region where it is used as the only form of travel, authorities said. According to officials in Loreto province, the Amazon on Tuesday in the northeast city of Iquitos fell to 105.97 meters (347.67 feet) above sea level, 50 cm (1.6 feet) lower than it was in 2005, so far the lowest reference point in four decades. Low levels have brought ...
Disasters show ‘screaming’ need for action – climate chief
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 2nd, 2010
AFP: UN climate chief Christiana Figueres on Thursday warned that a string of weather calamities showed the deepening urgency to forge a breakthrough deal on global warming this year. Speaking before some 40 countries were to address finance, an issue that has helped hamstring UN climate talks, Figueres said floods in Pakistan, fires in Russia and other weather disasters had been a shocking wakeup call. "The news has been screaming that a future of intense, global climate disasters ...
21% of Africa’s freshwater plants and animals threatened
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 2nd, 2010
Mongabay: 21 percent of African freshwater plant and animal species are threatened with extinction, according to a five year assessment of 5,167 freshwater species by 200 scientists. The IUCN study cites pollution, invasive species, increased water diversion for agriculture, and dams as the chief threats to aquatic biodiversity. "Freshwaters provide a home for a disproportionate level of the world's biodiversity. Although they cover just one per cent of the planet's surface, freshwater ...