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Archive for December 6th, 2012
Climate Change Will Hurt Winter Resorts in California, Across US: Report
Posted by NBC: None Given on December 6th, 2012
NBC: Climate change will have a severe negative impact on the $12.2 billion winter sports industry, affecting the tourism economy in 38 states including California, a new report warns.
With dozens of mountain resorts from Mount Shasta to Big Bear Lake, California is second only to Colorado economic activity from skiing, snowboarding, and the snowmobile industry -- and the state thus has much to lose, according to the report.
Designed to galvanize both politicians and winter sports business leaders...
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Global decline of big trees in old-growth forests worrying, argue scientists
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on December 6th, 2012
Mongabay: The decline of large trees is putting biodiversity and forest health at risk globally, warn researchers writing in the journal Science.
In a commentary published Friday, December 7, David Lindenmayer, William Laurance, and Jerry Franklin argue that large trees typically found in old-growth forests play a critical ecological role, offering niche habitats for wildlife, storing large amounts of carbon, and providing abundant fruit, foliage, and flowers. But they note that a spate of studies suggest...
Damning Review of Gas Study Prompts a Shakeup at the University of Texas
Posted by New York Times: Andrew C. Revkin on December 6th, 2012
New York Times: The University of Texas said today that it has accepted the findings of a damning independent review of the preparation of a report on potential impacts of shale gas drilling by the school`s Energy Institute. The school said it will undertake six recommended actions, the most significant being the withdrawal of papers from the Energy Institute`s Web site related to the report until they are submitted for fresh expert review.
In its news release, the university said that the lead investigator,...
You Need to See This Movie
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on December 6th, 2012
EcoWatch: A December 2012 Siena College poll shows that upstate New Yorkers oppose fracking by an astounding margin of 45-39. Those numbers surprise New York politicians who can generally count on the support of upstaters for virtually any industrial or commercial enterprise that promises even the faintest chance of economic development for New York`s impoverished rural communities.
Matt Damon and John Krasinski`s new film Promised Land answers the question of why even the poorest rural communities are...
Review: ‘Chasing Ice’ attempts to melt away the doubt surrounding climate change
Posted by Examiner: Tom Santilli on December 6th, 2012
Examiner: If seeing is believing, then all sides of the climate change argument should at least be able to agree that glaciers are melting all over the world at record rates. Chasing Ice accepts that skeptics are not going to be convinced by hearing statistics, so instead it takes the viewer on a visual journey, for us to see what is happening with our own eyes.
Chasing Ice is a short (only 76 minutes long) and to-the-point documentary (one of 15 that was just named to the Oscar short-list of possible nominees)...
The Global Climate Crisis & Animal Agriculture: Doha and Beyond
Posted by Huffington Post: Mia MacDonald on December 6th, 2012
Huffington Post: Delegates from the world's governments, and a range of scientists, advisers, and advocates have gathered in Doha, Qatar for the 18th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP18) to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). As the conference enters its final days, they'll be working to hammer out a deal that paves the way for a new global agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs).
Most of negotiators at COP18 are looking at fossil fuels and energy inefficiency as the...
Drought expands, concerns mount about wheat and rivers
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on December 6th, 2012
Reuters: Drought continued to expand through the central United States even as winter weather sets in, wreaking havoc on the nation's new wheat crop and on movement of key commodities as major shipping waterways grow shallow.
Unseasonably warm conditions have exacerbated the harm caused by the lack of needed rainfall. The average temperature for the contiguous United States last month was 44.1 degrees Fahrenheit, 2.1 degrees above the 20th century average, and tying 2004 as the 20th warmest November on...
As water risks rise, good infrastructure and governance are key – experts
Posted by AlertNet: Saleem Shaikh and Sughra Tunio on December 6th, 2012
AlertNet: Efficient infrastructure work and good governance will be key to reducing the impacts of worsening climate-linked flooding around the world, water experts and officials told a water management conference at the UN climate talks.
Faulty construction and poor governance systems so far have multiplied the impacts of disasters, causing avoidable loss of lives and livelihoods, they said.
Mats Eriksson, programme director at the Stockholm International Water Institute, said that decision-making,...
Impacts of Climate Change On Rare Tropical Plants Expected to Vary Considerably
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on December 6th, 2012
ScienceDaily: Research led by the University of York has found that the impacts of climate change on rare plants in tropical mountains will vary considerably from site to site and from species to species.
While some species will react to climate change by moving upslope, others will move downslope, driven by changes in seasonality and water availability. The researchers believe that this predicted variation, together with the long-term isolation and relative climatic stability of the mountains, may shed light...
The UK’s new dash for gas is a dangerous gamble
Posted by New Scientist: Paul Ekins on December 6th, 2012
New Scientist: The British government's new emphasis on gas power and fracking puts the climate and consumers at risk, says environmental policy researcher Paul Ekins
Following hard on the heels of the British government's Energy Bill, with its apparent incentives for large quantities of new power from nuclear and renewables, UK chancellor George Osborne has now unveiled his gas generation strategy - building up to 40 new power plants - and given a clear nod to potential shale gas and the fracking that will...