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Archive for April 28th, 2011
Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s Answer to Climate Change: Start Prayi
Posted by RollingStone: None Given on April 28th, 2011
RollingStone: Wild weather is once again upon us. Tornadoes have ravaged the midwest and the south (nearly 200 people have been killed in five states as of this morning). Meanwhile, Texas is suffering from the state's worst drought since the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. Crops are in danger, drinking water supplies are dwindling. Wildfires have engulfed 1.8 million acres of land, destroying 400 homes.
You might think that there's not much a politician can do about this. But you're wrong.
The other day, Texas Governor...
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World not prepared for climate conflicts – security experts
Posted by AlertNet: Laurie Goering on April 28th, 2011
AlertNet: Accelerating climate change and competition for limited supplies of water, food and energy are poised to ignite long-simmering conflicts in fragile states, monopolising the world's military resources and hampering development efforts, security experts say.
Defusing these new 21st century conflicts -- or at least preparing governments and citizens to cope with them -- will require a broad range of innovative interventions, a gathering at Britain's Department for International Development (DFID)...
Feds say Rio Grande flow could drop significantly
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 28th, 2011
Associated Press: The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has issued a dire prediction for the future of the Rio Grande. The government says the river's water supply could decline 7 to 14 percent on average by midcentury as a result of a warmer climate. The forecast was presented during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee meeting in Santa Fe Wednesday. The state climatologist told the gathering much of New Mexico is experiencing extreme drought conditions with below-average river flows because of a dry winter....
173 killed as storms pummel the South
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 28th, 2011
Associated Press: Massive tornadoes tore a town-flattening streak across the South, killing at least 266 people in six states and forcing rescuers to carry some survivors out on makeshift stretchers of splintered debris. Two of Alabama`s major cities were among the places devastated by the deadliest twister outbreak in nearly 40 years.
As day broke Thursday, people in hard-hit areas surveyed obliterated homes and debris-strewn streets. Some told of deadly winds whipping through within seconds of weather alerts...
Indonesia ‘Hot Spot’ of Climate Change, President Says
Posted by Jakarta Globe: None Given on April 28th, 2011
Jakarta Globe: Indonesia sits at the epicenter of global climate change and as such is central to the solutions that will determine the future, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on Thursday.
In his keynote address on the opening day of the Business for the Environment (B4E) Global Summit 2011 in Jakarta, Yudhoyono challenged participants to come up with solutions that could propel the country and the global community toward a green economy.
“Indonesia is a hot spot for climate diplomacy,” he said. ...
WWF warns of massive forest loss
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 28th, 2011
United Press International: More than 568 million acres of forest worldwide will disappear by 2050 if no action is taken, a new WWF report warns.
The report calls on governments and businesses to unite around a goal of zero net deforestation and forest degradation, or ZNDD, by 2020 as a global benchmark to avoid dangerous climate change and reduce biodiversity losses.
"We are squandering forests now by failing to sort out vital policy issues such as governance and economic incentives to keep forests standing," said Rod...
Indian Ocean’s waters may fuel Atlantic’s gulf stream, Miami study shows
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 28th, 2011
Bloomberg: Waters “leaking” from the Indian Ocean into the south Atlantic may counter a predicted slowdown in the system of currents that includes the Gulf Stream and warms Europe, scientists said.
The flow from the Indian Ocean’s Agulhas system into the Atlantic may be increasing by 1.4 million to 4 million cubic meters of water per second every decade, researchers led by Lisa Beal at the University of Miami said in Nature. The water then joins the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation that includes...
Texas wildfires continue to rage amidst historic drought conditions
Posted by Climate Central: Dave Levitan on April 28th, 2011
Climate Central: State and local emergency responders battle wildfires near Swenson, Texas. Credit: Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System
Justin Myers shuttled back and forth, day after day: he fought the Swenson fire, then the Cooper Mountain fire for days on end, then the previously contained Swenson fire lit up again and he was back at it. And then, of course, he would come home to see if fires had crept any closer to his own ranch in Stonewall County, northwest of Abilene, Texas.
"We fought fire every...
Coal is back, even as the Obama administration pushes green energy
Posted by I Watch News: None Given on April 28th, 2011
I Watch News: Big coal is hardly in retrenchment mode. Four of the nation’s five biggest coal companies saw sales rise in 2010, even as the Obama administration blocks expansion of coal mines and focuses on greener energy.
Most of the 1 billion tons of coal produced every year is used to generate electricity in the United States, said Carol Raulston, a spokeswoman for the National Mining Association, a trade group. Growth in production from 2009 to 2010 is attributed to an improving economy, which creates greater...
Water currents of South Africa could stabilize climate in Europe
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 28th, 2011
EurekAlert: Water currents of South Africa could stabilize climate in Europe
An international team of marine scientists studies the effects salt water from the Agulhas Current can have on global warming
One of the ocean currents which particularly interests oceanographers and climatologists is the Gulf Stream. This current, originating in the Gulf of Mexico, transports enormous amounts of warm tropical waters to the North Atlantic and is the cause of Europe's habitable climate. Climate predictions point...