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Archive for February 18th, 2014
5 reasons why climate change is back in the news
Posted by CNN: Tom Cohen on February 18th, 2014
CNN: In the space of 48 hours, Secretary of State John Kerry likened climate change to a weapon of mass destruction, Newt Gingrich called Kerry delusional, Sunday talk shows argued about it and President Barack Obama announced another executive action to combat it.
After what seemed like a lull in political focus on the issue, why is everyone talking about it this week?
A convergence of events and factors -- blizzards in the East and drought out West, an administration acting on oft-stated intentions,...
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Councils must show ‘zero tolerance’ to houses built on flood plains
Posted by Telegraph: Steven Swinford on February 18th, 2014
Telegraph: Councils should block developers seeking to make a "quick buck" from building on flood planes as part of a "zero tolerance" approach, insurers have warned.
Insurers criticised developers for trying to erect "cheap and cheerful" developments in areas at risk of flooding following a meeting with ministers in Downing Street.
Under a new flood insurance regime, which comes into force in 2015, new homes will not be covered if they are built on flood plains.
The scheme is designed to guarantee...
Texas Town Seeks Fracking Ban
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on February 18th, 2014
EcoWatch: The Denton Drilling Awareness Group (Denton DAG) today announced they are collecting signatures for a ballot initiative to ban hydraulic fracturing within city limits. If approved by voters, Denton would become the first major Texas city to ban fracking, and the first city in the country to ban fracking after permits had been previously granted.
“The city and the state have repeatedly failed us,” said Maile Bush, whose family is impacted by fracking-enabled oil and gas development. “My family...
North Carolina riverbed coated by toxic coal ash, officials say
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 18th, 2014
Associated Press: Federal officials said Tuesday that toxic coal ash has coated the bottom of a North Carolina river as many as 70 miles downstream of a Duke Energy dump where a massive spill occurred two weeks ago.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service advised that a massive pile of coal ash about 75ft long and as much as 5ft deep has been detected on the bottom of the Dan river near the site of the February 2 spill. Deposits varying from 5in deep to less than 1in coated the river bottom across the state line into...
Australia’s Heat Wave Frequency Tops Projections for 2030
Posted by Guardian: Oliver Milman on February 18th, 2014
Guardian: The government has been urged to better articulate the dangers of climate change after a report that shows the frequency of heat waves in parts of Australia has already surpassed levels previously predicted for 2030.
The Climate Council report highlights that Adelaide, Melbourne, and Canberra all experienced a higher average number of hot days between 2000 and 2009 than was expected to occur by 2030.
Research by the CSIRO forecast that Melbourne would experience an average of 12 days over 35°C...
Can California Farmers Save Water and the Dying Salton Sea?
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 18th, 2014
National Geographic: Standing atop a rocky outcrop on the southeastern edge of the Salton Sea in southern California, Bruce Wilcox pointed to the wooden ruins of a boat dock that dates back to the 1960s, when the region was a marina that attracted sport fishermen and celebrities. On a sunny day last December, the dock sat hundreds of feet from the water, rendered obsolete by the shoreline's steady withdrawal. No boats were visible anywhere on the shimmering blue water.
"The marina's been dry for the last five or six...
Arctic thaw significantly worsens global warming risk
Posted by New Scientist: Jeff Hecht on February 18th, 2014
New Scientist: Melting ice is cooking the planet. Shrinking Arctic sea ice means the ocean is absorbing more energy from the sun, and it's now clear the effect is twice as big as thought - adding significantly to heating from greenhouse gases.
Arctic temperatures have risen 2 °C since the 1970s, leading to a 40 per cent dip in the minimum summer ice coverage in the Arctic Ocean. Open water soaks up more sunlight than ice, so as the ice retreats the ocean absorbs more energy, warming it and causing even more...
Drought Aided the Spread of Typhus
Posted by Nature World News: J. Travis Smith on February 18th, 2014
Nature World News: By combining epidemiological data with climate data, researchers at the University of Arkansas were able to provide evidence that drought contributed to the spread of epidemic typhus in Mexico from 1655 to 1918.
Typhus, not to be confused with typhoid fever, can cause delirium, severe muscle pain, joint pain, rash, fever and headache. The mortality rate is estimated between 10 percent and 60 percent for the typhus strain studied, according to the US National Library of Medicine. The study, published...
Flood victims could have to wait a year until they can return home
Posted by Telegraph: Steven Swinford on February 18th, 2014
Telegraph: Flood victims could be unable to return to their homes for more than a year as repairs are carried out, insurers have warned the government.
Ministers were told at a Downing Street summit that it could take an average of six to nine months for flooded home to be repaired and redocrated.
In some cases, however, the damage and contamination cold be so severe that it could take up to 14 months to repair.
The insurers criticised Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, after he suggested that a year...
How the Spreading Symptoms of Climate Change Can be Deadly
Posted by ClimateWire: Daniel Lippman on February 18th, 2014
ClimateWire: The hallmarks of a warming climate, heavier rains, more severe droughts, rising sea levels and longer growing seasons, are spreading a variety of pathogens throughout the world. Malaria is moving to the highlands. Lyme disease is spreading across the U.S. Northeast and eastern Canada. Outbreaks of cholera will increase with more unsafe water. Those are three of the diseases that are becoming part of a growth field in medical research amid concerns that tropical diseases are moving north and south...