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Archive for September 19th, 2012
Arctic ice shrinks 18% in a year, sounding climate change alarm bells
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 19th, 2012
Guardian: Sea ice in the Arctic shrunk a dramatic 18% this year to a record low of 3.41m sq km, according to the official US monitoring organisation the National Snow and Ice Data Centre in Boulder, Colorado.
Scientists and environment groups last night said the fall was unprecedented and the clearest signal yet of climate change.
The data released showed the arctic sea beginning to refreeze again in the last few days after the most dramatic melt observed since satellite observations started in 1979....
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Protecting mangroves is cheaper than building coastal protection, expert says
Posted by Christian Science Monitor: Johann Earle on September 19th, 2012
Christian Science Monitor: Keeping coastal mangrove forests intact or replanting them is cheaper than building man-made structures to protect coastlines threatened by climate change, according to the head of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
“Our message is, ‘Don’t assume that man-made or engineered solutions are the only ones to protect our coasts and rivers and to provide drinking water. We are not against engineering in the absence of natural solutions, but look at what nature has to offer,’...
CALL FOR PAPERS: Announcing Major Kerala, India Ecology Conference
Posted by Water Conservation Blog on September 19th, 2012
Dr. Glen Barry of Ecological Internet to serve as Academic Convener, and present on the global biodiversity, ecosystem and biosphere imperatives for biocentric land planning and strengthened legal protections for Kerala's Asian elephants - and their corridors, particularly the Sigur plateau - as an umbrella species for other ecological values.
Dear forest protection colleagues,
I am pleased to announce a major international conference on conservation of India's forests, wild life, and ecology; and to issue a call for academic papers and attendance. The conference will occur in mid-December, 2012, in Kerala, India, located in the Western Ghats, which is known for its lush ecosystems, tremendous biodiversity - including viable Asian elephant populations - and high levels of human development, as well as human encroachment upon these vital ecosystems. Noted ecologist Dr. Madhav Gadgil, author of the important and controversial Kerala ecological land sensitivity designations, as well as Dr. V. S. Vijayan, Chairman of Salim Ali Foundation and Former Chairman of Kerala Bio-Diversity Board, have indicated they will be participating in the conference.
The Kerala Eco Conference will emphasize global aspects of Kerala's ecological sustainability issues, placing issues of Western Ghats' broad environmental challenges within the larger international perspective of climate change, mass ...
Wildfires have grown larger, more frequent
Posted by Press-Enterprise: None Given on September 19th, 2012
Press-Enterprise: An analysis of fire records going back to 1970 found that the largest fires have occurred in the last decade, a finding that points in part to the effects of climate change, researchers said.
What`s more, according to the Climate Central study of U.S. Forest Service data, the fire season is now 75 days longer than it was in the 1970s, it was reported in the Press-Enterprise today.
This is an interactive map of active wildfires from Climate Central.
A typical fire season used to run mid-May...
‘Extreme’ weather is the new norm
Posted by Guardian: Connie Hedegaard on September 19th, 2012
Guardian: It has been a summer full of reports of extreme weather, of unparalleled scope and severity. Among the highlights: one of the warmest years on record in the US, record-high temperatures in central and eastern Europe, the wettest summer in the UK, the heaviest rainfalls in northern India and the Philippines and the most severe droughts in the US and east Africa.
In short, climate change and weather extremes are not about a distant future. Formerly one-off extreme weather episodes seem to be becoming...
Report: U.S. Energy Policy Is “All Wet” When It Comes To Hidden Costs
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 19th, 2012
Yahoo!: Huge demands on increasingly scarce water are a major hidden cost of a "business as usual" approach to American electricity generation that needs to be more fully understood by policymakers and the public, according to a new Synapse Energy Economics, Inc. report prepared for the nonprofit and nonpartisan Civil Society Institute (CSI) and the Environmental Working Group (EWG).
The new analysis, "The Hidden Costs of Electricity: Comparing the Hidden Costs of Power Generation Fuels," is available...
To Protect Species And Ecosystems Major Changes Are Needed
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 19th, 2012
redOrbit: A landmark study has found that climate change is likely to have a major impact on Australia’s plants, animals and ecosystems that will present significant challenges to the conservation of Australia’s biodiversity.
The comprehensive study by CSIRO highlights the sensitivity of Australia’s species and ecosystems to climate change, and the need for new ways of thinking about biodiversity conservation.
“Climate change is likely to start to transform some of Australia’s natural landscapes by 2030,”...
Peru’s fog catchers net water supplies
Posted by Guardian: Dan Collyns on September 19th, 2012
Guardian: Sandwiched between the cool ocean currents of the Pacific Ocean and the Andean foothills, Peru's coastal capital is a meteorological anomaly. Lima is the second-largest desert city after Cairo, yet it has a cooler and more humid climate than its subtropical latitude might suggest. Rainfall is extremely low – less than 4cm annually – but humidity can reach 98%.
The city – home to a third of Peruvians, nearly 9 million people – is dependent on three rivers that flow from the Andes, the Rimac, Chillon...
Video: Debating the Complex Impacts of Shale Gas Fracking
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 19th, 2012
Yale Environment 360: At a panel discussion at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies this week, a group of experts tackled the controversial drilling method known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, and complex questions about impacts on the environment, human health, and the U.S.’s energy future. During the discussion, former Shell Oil president John Hofmeister said natural gas made accessible by fracking is more than a “bridge fuel.” Natural gas, he said, is “a highway to the future, and yes, a highway...
Protecting mangroves cheaper than building coastal protection – official
Posted by AlertNet: Johann Earle on September 19th, 2012
AlertNet: Keeping coastal mangrove forests intact or replanting them is cheaper than building man-man structure to protect coastlines threatened by climate change, according to the head of the International Union for Conservation for Nature (IUCN).
"Our message is, 'Don't assume that man-made or engineered solutions are the only ones to protect our coasts and rivers and to provide drinking water. We are not against engineering in the absence of natural solutions, but look at what nature has to offer,''...