RSS Feed
Archive for November 21st, 2012
Protecting New York from future superstorms as sea levels rise
Posted by PBS NewsHour: None Given on November 21st, 2012
PBS NewsHour: Transcript
JEFFREY BROWN: Now that New York and New Jersey have been hit by two destructive storms in less than two years, there's new urgency to questions about steps to better protect the region.
Hari Sreenivasan is back with that story, part of our series on Coping With Climate Change.
RONALD FORSTER,Staten Island resident: How are we doing in here?
HARI SREENIVASAN: Ronnie Forster has been working every day to put his Staten Island house back together again before Christmas. Forster's...
Posted in 
Vietnam: Climate change hikes flood risks
Posted by VNA: None Given on November 21st, 2012
VNA: Latest research estimates 39 percent of the Mekong Delta and more than 20 percent of HCM City would be flooded by the end of this century if sea levels rise by one metre.
Director of the Vietnam Institute of Meteorology Hydrology and Environment Tran Thuc said that the latest studies on the effects of climate change and rising sea levels also predicted the same problem would affect more than 10 percent of the Red Delta and 2.5 percent of the central region.
"The new research is more in depth...
Brazilian Indians’ water ‘poisoned’ in bitter land dispute
Posted by Survival International: None Given on November 21st, 2012
Survival International: A community of Brazilian Indians say their main source of water has been poisoned by one of the state’s most controversial ranches.
The Guarani from Ypo’i community in Mato Grosso do Sul state used a mobile phone to film the contamination, which spread quickly to cover much of the stream for two days.
The Indians said, ‘the children were bathing when they saw the white foam…we followed the stream up to the ranch, where we saw two large containers.’
The ranch in question belongs to Brazilian...
UN: World “actively moving in the wrong direction” on climate change
Posted by BusinessGreen: Will Nichols on November 21st, 2012
BusinessGreen: The gap between the steps required to avoid "dangerous" climate change and current policies is widening and without swift international action global emissions will move the world further beyond a safe temperature trajectory, the UN has today warned.
According to a major new report from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) report, mankind is currently responsible for 49 gigatonnes (Gt) of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions a year, but it needs to reduce emissions to around 44Gt by the end of the...
Why disaster warning and development go hand in hand
Posted by SciDevNet: Andrew Collins on November 21st, 2012
SciDevNet: To engage people in early action we must understand their experience, behaviour and constraints, says disaster policy expert Andrew Collins.
Disaster predictions have significant uncertainty that tends to undermine efforts to act on early warnings. In Bangladesh, for example, where there are extensive climatic hazards, people risk their lives by not taking refuge in a cyclone shelter, choosing instead to guard livestock or their homes.
Such risk-taking is repeated by poor people around the...
U.S. and Mexico Sign Deal on Managing Colorado River
Posted by New York Times: Ian Lovett on November 21st, 2012
New York Times: The governments of the United States and Mexico signed an agreement on Tuesday to overhaul how the two countries share and manage water from the Colorado River, which provides water to more than 33 million people in seven states and Mexico. Under the agreement, the two countries will share in both surpluses and water shortages. During drought years in the United States, less water will be sent to Mexico. In exchange, during years of plenty, Mexico will be allowed to store some of its water north...
Canada’s Crude Oil Export Pipelines Clogged
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 21st, 2012
Globe and Mail: The surge in Canadian oil production must now face a new reality: The biggest mover of crude says the pipes out of the country are full.
In recent years, estimates by analysts and energy consultants predicted that Canada stood to run out of room on export pipelines some time between 2014 and 2018. And it has become clear that the pipes are filling, amid rising oil output from both the oil sands and fast-growing U.S. oil fields.
But Enbridge Inc. has now formally declared the pipes full, meaning...
Climate Change Complexities in the Northern Hardwood Forests
Posted by Environmental News Network: David A Gabel on November 21st, 2012
Environmental News Network: For residents of the northeastern United States, the abundant woodlands of the northern Appalachians provide an excellent getaway from the congested coasts. These woods are composed typically of hardwood trees like Oak, Ash, Maple, and Birch, changing to evergreen varieties at the higher elevations. Climatologists predict that the northeast will experience warmer and wetter conditions as the climate continues to alter. However, until now, there has been no exhaustive study conducted to see how the...
We’re too close to the sea
Posted by Washington Post: James D. Fraser, Sarah M. Karpanty and Daniel H. Catlin on November 21st, 2012
Washington Post: Hurricane Sandy confirmed what Irene and Katrina had suggested: We will retreat from the edge of the sea. We should do so in a planned, organized manner that protects citizens' interests and the ecological, economic, recreational and aesthetic values of our coasts. This endeavor will require major changes in the way we manage coastal lands.
Coastal storms have killed thousands of people and have caused more than $250 billion in damages in the past 12 years. Costs are increasing with each...
Climate Change and Variability Drive Low Water Levels on the Great Lakes
Posted by National Geographic: Lisa Borre on November 21st, 2012
National Geographic: For people living around the Great Lakes, water levels this past month have appeared much lower than many will remember. The upper Great Lakes reached near-record low water levels in October. This was most evident on Lakes Michigan and Huron, where lake levels dropped to less than two inches (4 cm) above record lows and 28 inches (71 cm) below the long-term average. All five lakes, plus Lake St. Clair, remain below their long-term averages.
Rock and sand recently exposed by low water levels made...