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Archive for July 10th, 2012
Panel attacks flood defence cuts
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 10th, 2012
BBC: Four times as many homes and firms risk flooding in the next 20 years if the UK does not prepare for climate change, a government advisory panel has said.
The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) blames the government for cutting funds for flood defences.
It says these will be needed more than ever if climate projections prove accurate.
The Environment Department said money for flood defences was "being spent more effectively than ever before".
A spokesman added: "The committee has acknowledged...
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Flood protection to cost UK at least £860m by 2015, ministers warned
Posted by Guardian: Fiona Harvey, on July 10th, 2012
Guardian: Protecting householders from devastating floods of the kind seen over the last few weeks across the UK will cost at least £860m by 2015, the government's climate change advisers have warned.
Since the start of May, more than 3,000 properties have been flooded, while 55,500 properties have received a flood warning from the Environment Agency and more than 31,000 were protected by flood defences.
But far from maintaining the expenditure needed, ministers have been drastically reducing the amount...
England flood risk to rise fourfold by 2035: report
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 10th, 2012
Reuters: The risk of flooding for many English homes and businesses could increase fourfold by 2035 if more action to deal with the impact of climate change is not taken, government advisers said on Wednesday.
As severe floods continue to batter parts of Britain after the wettest June since records began, the climate advisers said more investment and better planning for new housing in flood plains was needed.
"We must take adaptation more seriously if we are to manage the growing risks of floods and...
2011 Texas drought was 20 times more likely due to warming, study says
Posted by MSNBC: Miguel Llanos on July 10th, 2012
MSNBC: The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration issued a warning that previously unusual weather is now becoming more and more common, in part due to the changes occurring at the two poles of the Earth. NBC's Anne Thompson reports.
Trying to get beyond the standard scientific disclaimer that no single weather event can be pinned on global warming, government scientists on Tuesday unveiled a new framework: what are the odds of a specific event being impacted by warming?
They tested...
Siberian wildfire smoke means rosy sunsets in Seattle
Posted by MSNBC: Miguel Llanos on July 10th, 2012
MSNBC: The Pacific Northwest and Canada's British Columbia can thank Russia for some fantastic sunsets in recent days. Smoke from several dozen wildfires in Siberia has been wafting over the Pacific, turning the skies a brilliant red and orange at dusk. The downside has been some rather hazy daylight at times.
"It isn't uncommon for smoke from large wildfires in Siberia to be lofted high enough into the atmosphere that winds push plumes of it across the Pacific Ocean to North America," NASA noted on...
Insurance premiums may increase to ensure flood-hit homeowners get cover
Posted by Guardian: Jill Insley on July 10th, 2012
Guardian: UK householders face higher home insurance premiums so that those in high flood risk areas can still get cover.
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) says that the insurance industry and the government are discussing a scheme to ensure that 200,000 households affected by flooding will be able to renew their policies next year.
The scheme, proposed by the ABI, means a cap on premiums. Any house that would normally incur a much higher premium because of flood risk will have the extra paid...
Extreme weather: Get ready to see more of it, scientists say
Posted by CNN: Moni Basu on July 10th, 2012
CNN: A map of significant climate events for the United States in June looks almost apocalyptic: hellish heat, ferocious fires and severe storms leaving people injured, homeless and even dead.
That followed a warm winter and early season droughts. News came Monday that the mainland United States experienced its warmest 12 months since the dawn of record-keeping in 1895.
And on Tuesday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released a report calling 2011 a year of extreme weather....
U.S. agency likens Enbridge oil spill response to “Keystone Kops”
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 10th, 2012
Reuters: Enbridge's massive oil pipeline spill in Michigan in 2010 was caused by a complete breakdown of company safety measures, while its employees performed like "Keystone Kops" trying to contain it, the National Transportation Safety Board said on Tuesday.
The rupture of Enbridge's pipeline spilled more than 20,000 barrels of heavy crude into the Kalamazoo River in Michigan, in July, 2010.
"This investigation identified a complete breakdown of safety at Enbridge," NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman said...
Texas drought, British heat linked to climate change
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 10th, 2012
Reuters: Climate change increased the odds for the kind of extreme weather that prevailed in 2011, a year that saw severe drought in Texas, unusual heat in England and was one of the 15 warmest years on record, scientists reported on Tuesday.
Only on msnbc.com AP Images for The Center for Public Integrity Deadly black lung surges back in coal country Scranton slashes workers' pay to minimum wage Hiker awaiting help ends up rescuing his rescuer AFP - Getty Images Future constitution at heart of Egypt power-struggle...
The Heat, The Fires, The Flooding: Is Climate Change To Blame?
Posted by National Public Radio: Eyder Peralta on July 10th, 2012
National Public Radio: Every time there's been a bout of severe weather, like the heat wave in the northeast, the wild fires in the west and flooding across the U.K, the talk, naturally, turns to climate change.
The big question: How much does global warming have to do with severe weather?
The Guardian has a story today that states unequivocally that "climate change researchers have been able to attribute recent examples of extreme weather to the effects of human activity on the planet's climate systems for the first...