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Archive for July, 2012
When the rains don’t fall
Posted by Inter Press Service: Amantha Perera on July 22nd, 2012
Inter Press Service: For many Sri Lankans, the effects of climate change can be summed up in one word: rainfall.
"The biggest impact (of climate change) is rainfall or the lack of it," W L Sumathipala, one of Sri Lanka's foremost experts in changing climate patterns, told IPS on a scorching hot and humid day in Colombo.
"The availability of water can effect multiple things in Sri Lanka from crops to power generation to the currency," Sumathipala, who formerly headed the climate change unit at the Ministry of...
Reducing L.A.’s reliance on Delta is good for all
Posted by Sacramento Bee: Dayna Bochco on July 22nd, 2012
Sacramento Bee: Southern Californians have a reputation for wasting water. But that's more fiction than fact. We're actually a model for wise water use. Thanks to conservation and efficiency, the city of Los Angeles uses no more water today than it did 40 years ago, despite adding 1 million residents. And the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power's new water plan shows how we Southern Californians can avoid the false choice between healthy rivers and a healthy economy simply by continuing to use our water resources...
China: Beijing’s heaviest rain in 6 decades kills at least 10 people; 10 killed elsewhere in storms
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 22nd, 2012
Associated Press: The heaviest rain to hit Beijing in six decades killed at least 10 people and left cars and buses submerged, and 10 other storm deaths were reported elsewhere as China braced Sunday for more downpours.
The rain Saturday night knocked down trees in Beijing and trapped cars and buses in waist-deep water in some areas. In Tongzhou district on the capital's eastern outskirts, two people were killed by collapsed roofs, one person was fatally struck by lightning and a fourth was electrocuted by a fallen...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on China: Beijing’s heaviest rain in 6 decades kills at least 10 people; 10 killed elsewhere in stormsA Hungry World Population? Oh Well, Let Them Eat Ethanol!
Posted by Forbes: None Given on July 22nd, 2012
Forbes: …Here come the corn riots. Climate change policies--much more than the vagaries of climate–are now beginning to create the instabilities that cooler heads have been warning about for years. Corn prices on the Chicago Board of Trade are now at or near record levels, around $8.30 per bushel for spot delivery. The rise in recent weeks has been dramatic, driven by the perception of declining yields caused by hot and dry conditions mainly in the upper Midwest. Much of this corn is beyond redemption...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on A Hungry World Population? Oh Well, Let Them Eat Ethanol!United States: Do you think climate change is partly to blame for the fires in the West this summer? Yes
Posted by Denver Post: Jeffrey Bennett on July 22nd, 2012
Denver Post: Colorado is burning. It's still early summer, and already we've lost several lives and hundreds of homes, with economic damages that may approach or exceed $1 billion.
The wildfires serve as tragic reminder that for all our technological prowess, we remain dependent on the natural world. Most of the time, we are served well by nature's beauty and bounty, but we still look small and impotent against natural disasters. This reality has always been a part of the human experience, and it's unlikely...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on United States: Do you think climate change is partly to blame for the fires in the West this summer? YesThere’s Still Hope for the Planet
Posted by New York Times: David Leonhardt on July 22nd, 2012
New York Times: YOU don’t have to be a climate scientist these days to know that the climate has problems. You just have to step outside. The United States is now enduring its warmest year on record, and the 13 warmest years for the entire planet have all occurred since 1998, according to data that stretches back to 1880. No one day’s weather can be tied to global warming, of course, but more than a decade’s worth of changing weather surely can be, scientists say. Meanwhile, the country often seems to be moving...
Beijing’s heaviest rainfall in 60 years kills 10
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 22nd, 2012
Reuters: The heaviest rain storm in six decades to hit Beijing killed at least 10 people and caused widespread chaos, flooding streets and stranding 80,000 people at the city's main airport, state media reported on Sunday.
The storm, which started on Saturday afternoon and continued late into the night, flooded major roads and sent torrents of water tumbling down steps into underpasses.
In the suburb of Tongzhou, two people died in a roof collapse and another person killed was struck by lightning, the...
United Kingdom: Dairy farmers step up the pressure on supermarkets over cuts to milk prices
Posted by Guardian: Dan Glaister on July 21st, 2012
Guardian: It was a scene that seemed to belong more to the French countryside, where outbreaks of rural militancy are commonplace: at dusk last Thursday, 80 tractors and farm vehicles, accompanied by about 500 dairy farmers, gathered in protest around a milk processing plant in Somerset. The farmers blocked the depot for several hours, refusing to let milk in or out, only relenting as night turned to morning and the more traditional activities of the dairy farmer beckoned.
The protest was replayed at two...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on United Kingdom: Dairy farmers step up the pressure on supermarkets over cuts to milk pricesTop Ten Impacts Climate Change Is Making Worse Right Now
Posted by ThinkProgress: Rebecca Leber and Ellie Sandmeyer on July 21st, 2012
ThinkProgress: The onslaught of extreme weather and record temperatures this year have had an impact on people globally, directly through drought and temperature, and more indirectly impacting food prices and public transportation.
Here are 10 impacts we`re seeing right now that climate change is very likely worsening, in some cases playing a major role:
Rising Food Prices
Over half of the Continental U.S. is now facing severe drought--the worst in fifty years. As a result of extreme temperatures and little...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Top Ten Impacts Climate Change Is Making Worse Right NowDrought grips U.S., including Indian country
Posted by Indian Country: None Given on July 21st, 2012
Indian Country: Two-thirds of the United States is gripped in drought, the most severe bout since the 1950s, the National Climatic Data Center says in its latest report.
June’s hot, dry weather not only spawned devastating wildfires but is also hitting the cornbelt, USA Today reported, and we can expect to see that reflected in food prices later in the year.
“In the 18 primary corn-growing states, 30 percent of the crop is now in poor or very poor condition,” meteorologist Rich Tinker of the Climate Prediction...