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Archive for February 14th, 2014
Looming storm to end flooded Britons’ respite from deluge
Posted by Bloomberg: Alex Morales on February 14th, 2014
Bloomberg: Princes William and Harry helped flood protection efforts on the River Thames west of London as a new storm hit the U.K. with drenching rains, threatening to prolong the risk of inundations for another week.
The princes, second and fourth in line to the British throne, joined members of the Household Cavalry and Network Rail staff lugging sandbags to shore up defenses in the riverside Berkshire village of Datchet, video footage from the Guardian newspaper’s website shows.
Hundreds of homes...
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Extreme weather comes to Congress and the nation
Posted by ClimateWire: Evan Lehmann and Stephanie Paige Ogburn on February 14th, 2014
ClimateWire: As the second Arctic blast in two weeks began to cover the South with a blanket of ice and snow, more politicians were beginning to wonder what governments can't do to better protect citizens against unusual weather.
Yesterday morning at a Washington, D.C., hearing, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) indicated he might not believe in climate change. But that didn't stop him from supporting efforts to cool down the construction of coastal homes in a period when more of them are at risk from storms and rising...
U.K. probes whether strange, wet winter is part of a changing climate
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 14th, 2014
Scientific American: As Great Britain finds itself in the clutches of an extreme weather event, its scientists are inching closer to attributing this winter's unusual spate of floods and storms to climate change. As usual, however, they are moving cautiously.
"In terms of the storms and floods of winter 2013/2014, it is not possible, yet, to give a definitive answer on whether climate change has been a contributor or not," concluded the United Kingdom's Met Office in a lengthy report published this week.
But the...
Britain hammered by ocean surges and ‘most exceptional rainfall in 248 years.’
Posted by Vancouver Observer: Roger Annis on February 14th, 2014
Vancouver Observer: England is experiencing the worst flooding since the catastrophic flood of 1953. December and January saw the heaviest rainfall since record keeping began in 1910. More heavy rains and storms are forecast in the weeks to come.
The hardest hit areas are in the southwest and sections of the Thames River Valley. The water levels in low-lying Somerset county are expected to take months to recede.
Rail service has been disrupted. A section of the rail line connecting Devon and Cornwall counties...
United Kingdom: Greens calls for clear-out of ‘climate change deniers’
Posted by BBC: Ross Hawkins on February 14th, 2014
BBC: The Green Party of England and Wales has called for a purge of government advisors and ministers who do not share its views on climate change.
Any senior advisor refusing to accept "the scientific consensus on climate change" should be sacked, it said.
Party leader Natalie Bennett said the rule must apply to all senior advisors, including those with no responsibility for environmental issues.
David Cameron says he suspects recent storms are linked to climate change.
Speaking recently,...
Lord Stern’s climate change warning: warmer and wetter UK ‘not a coincidence’
Posted by Blue and Green: Tom Revell on February 14th, 2014
Blue and Green: The record-breaking weather and severe flooding currently affecting many areas of the UK are part of an escalating trend, a leading economist and expert on climate change has warned.
Writing for the Guardian Lord Stern, the chair of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics, describes the possible consequences of ignoring this pattern.
“Four of the five wettest years recorded in the UK have occurred from the year 2000 onwards. Over...
Rachel Maddow Exposes Dirty Deal in Duke Energy Toxic Coal Ash Spill
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on February 14th, 2014
EcoWatch: Hear the latest on the 73 Olympic-size swimming pools worth of toxic sludge that Duke Energy dumped into North Carolina waterways starting Super Bowl Sunday in this Rachel Maddow interview with Michael Gerrard, professor of environmental law at Columbia University. Gerrard talks about a North Carolina federal investigation into this coal ash leak disaster.
For more information on this third largest coal ash spill in U.S. history, read Waterkeeper Alliance’s four-part series: part one, part two,...
Wild Winter Weather Rages — But Not in Sochi
Posted by LiveScience: Marc Lallanilla on February 14th, 2014
LiveScience: Once again, the eastern United States has been pummeled by a winter storm that's dumped massive amounts of snow on sidewalks and roadways, many of which are still icy from the last snowstorm.
Government offices in Washington, D.C., were shuttered, as the region was blanketed by almost a foot (30 centimeters) of snow. Boston is enduring heavy snow combined with wind gusts of up to 40 mph (64 km/h), and ice-covered roadways throughout the Carolinas were littered with abandoned cars.
Revelers...
United Kingdom: Students call on universities reduce investments in fossil fuels
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 14th, 2014
Guardian: Students around the UK will tell their universities on Friday to reduce their investments in fossil fuels, in an effort to change the UK's investment practices.
The day of action will see student bodies of many higher educational institutes publicising their opposition to investments by their universities into oil and gas-related funds.
At Oxford University, at least 10 common rooms have passed motions in favour of cutting off investment into fossil fuels. The results are not yet known. The...
New storm strikes flood-hit southern England
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 14th, 2014
Guardian: A second major storm in three days has struck with strong winds and heavy rainfall once more lashing southern England.
The Met Office has warned that a month's worth of rain could fall in some places on Friday and that winds could reach 80mph. After a brief lull in the weather on Thursday, it said that further flooding, uprooted trees and damage to buildings were all possible.
The Environment Agency urged residents in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, West Berkshire and Reading, along with communities...