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Archive for January 2nd, 2013
Canada: The Gloves are Off in the Youth Climate Change Fight
Posted by Huffington Post: Cameron Fenton on January 2nd, 2013
Huffington Post: It's fitting that in Canada, 2013 would be rung in not with a chorus of Auld Lang Syne, but instead to the sounds and sights of blockades, round dances and the drums of Idle No More. The Indigenous-led movement that is inspiring people around the globe comes after a year of political awakening across Canada -- a year that saw historic mobilizations from the Quebec student movement to Defend Our Coast.
But, the past year has also made the cold math of a warming world even starker. From record setting...
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Fires burn over a third more land than estimated
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 2nd, 2013
Mongabay: Scientists currently detect fires around the world using moderate resolution satellite imagery, however a new study in the Journal of Geophysical Research finds that this tool misses many of the world's smaller fires, which add up.
"Accounting for small fires increased total burned area by approximately by 35 percent, from 345 million hectares/year to 464 million hectares/year," the scientists write. They employed satellite thermal imaging to catch fires and burn scars that normal satellite images...
Oil Remains King, But Coal and Natural Gas Use Continue to Grow
Posted by EcoWatch: Worldwatch Institute on January 2nd, 2013
EcoWatch: Although oil remains the world’s leading energy source, coal and natural gas continue to grow in significance, according to new research conducted by the Worldwatch Institute for its Vital Signs Online service. Global consumption of coal increased 5.4 percent in 2011, to 3.72 billion tons of oil equivalent, while natural gas use grew 2.2 percent, to 2.91 billion tons of oil equivalent. Both are primary fuels for the world’s electricity market, and because they are often used as substitutes for one...
Climate Coverage Falls Further in 2012
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 2nd, 2013
Daily Climate: Widespread drought, super-storm Sandy, and a melting ice cap failed to revive the media's interest in climate change in 2012, with worldwide coverage continuing its three-year slide, according to a media database maintained by the nonprofit journalism site The Daily Climate.
The decline in the number of stories published on the topic -- 2.4 percent fewer than 2011 -- was the smallest since the United Nations climate talks collapsed in Copenhagen in 2009.
The press gallery at the UN climate...
Ice sheets of West Antarctica are warming fast
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 2nd, 2013
New Scientist: THE ice sheets of West Antarctica are warming much faster than we thought, suggesting swathes of it could melt and send global sea levels soaring.
Climatologists have struggled to work out whether Antarctica is warming, and how quickly, because it has few weather stations and the records from some are incomplete.
David Bromwich of Ohio State University in Columbus and his colleagues filled in the gaps for one key station using statistics and data from a climate model. They conclude that temperatures...
UK braced for yet more flooding with 76 serious flood warnings in place, including 13 in already-saturated Yorkshire
Posted by Independent: John Hall on January 2nd, 2013
Independent: Yorkshire residents are bracing themselves for yet more flooding today, after 13 separate warnings were issued across the region.
The majority of the flood warnings are in York and its surrounding villages, where much of the community is still trying to get back on its feet after serious localised flooding in November.
The Environment Agency said 76 flood warnings - meaning flooding is expected and immediate action should be taken - are in force nationwide today.
There are also 109 flood...
United Kingdom: Video: Seal who swam 50 miles along flooded river set to draw crowds
Posted by Independent: Ben Kendall on January 2nd, 2013
Independent: A seal believed to have swum more than 50 miles (80km) along a flooded river to a nature reserve is expected to become a visitor attraction.
The mammal, thought to be a common seal, has become a YouTube star after being filmed hopping into a lake at the Fen Drayton Lakes Reserve in Swavesey, Cambridgeshire.
It is believed to have made its way up the River Ouse from King's Lynn in Norfolk aided by floodwater.
Graham Elliott, of the RSPB, said the sighting was "surprising".
The seal has...
In U.S., the Lure of Export May Further Fuel Natural Gas Boom
Posted by Yale Environment 360: Shaun Goho on January 2nd, 2013
Yale Environment 360: Several years ago, the Hess Corporation’s plan to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal in Fall River, Massachusetts was the subject of heated controversy and fierce community opposition. But Hess was undeterred, amending its original design and proposing an “offshore berth” that would send the LNG to the shore through an underwater “cryogenic pipeline.”
In 2011, however, Hess suddenly announced it was abandoning the project, known as Weaver’s Cove. What killed the terminal? It was...
Chilling effect: How warmer winters could ruin fruit
Posted by Grist: Rachel Cernansky on January 2nd, 2013
Grist: Think of your favorite fruits and you might think of the warm climates they tend to thrive in. Florida oranges, Texas grapefruit, California strawberries - and grapes, figs, pears, and apricots. But here`s the funny thing: Most fruit trees have to chill. Literally. Unless they’re tropical, trees have what are called "chilling requirements": They need winter temperatures to drop to within a certain range - usually just above freezing - and remain there for a set period of time.
This allows the...
Study: Climate Change Is Having Significant Impact on Biodiversity
Posted by U-T San Diego: None Given on January 2nd, 2013
U-T San Diego: Plants and animals are shifting their ranges and life cycles in response to climate change, creating clashes between unfamiliar creatures or mismatches between animals and their food sources, according to a new national biodiversity report.
The analysis could expand the scope of conservation efforts, which for 40 years has focused predominantly on habitat changes, local wildlife experts said.
“Climate change has this incredibly large footprint of effects,” said Megan Owen, conservation program...