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Archive for May 16th, 2014
Scientists vow to do a better job of portraying climate change
Posted by Pekin Daily Times: Philip Maddocks on May 16th, 2014
Pekin Daily Times: Following critical remarks made by Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida about the way scientists depicted the effects of human activity on climate change in the latest National Climate Assessment, the authors of the report are vowing to write a more compelling narrative the next time around.
“We haven’t heard the senator question the science or the math in the report, so I think if we improve the story arc, possibly bring in a love interest of some sort, and a car chase, and organize the work in three,...
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Emails Reveal North Carolina Officials’ Close Ties With Fracking Lobby Groups
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on May 16th, 2014
EcoWatch: In North Carolina, Halliburton and other fracking industry interests helped write a fracking chemical disclosure bill. But when that bill ended up requiring disclosure of harmful chemicals to the state environmental agency, the bill was killed and replaced with one that further limited disclosure of the chemicals used in fracking.
A cache of emails obtained by Greenpeace has revealed the cozy relationship between the hydraulic fracturing industry and North Carolina’s Mining and Energy Commission....
What’s To Blame California’s Early Fire Season?
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 16th, 2014
National Public Radio: John Laird, the secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency, discusses how to fight fires differently, as well as the role climate change may play in the frequency of fires in California.
Future Ice Melt Patterns In Antarctica
Posted by Planetsave: None Given on May 16th, 2014
Planetsave: One of the main impacts of climate change is sea level rise, brought about through melting of the world’s ice sheets and glaciers, as well as through thermal expansion of the oceans. The vast majority of world’s fresh water is locked up in the massive ice sheets covering Antarctica and Greenland. Of the two, Antarctica is by far the larger, holding about twelve times as much ice as Greenland. While the antarctic continent has not yet contributed a great deal to rising sea levels, it has the potential...
The Alarming Effects of Pesticides on Young Brains
Posted by EcoWatch: Nicole D'Alessandro on May 16th, 2014
EcoWatch: In Plastic: A Toxic Love Story, journalist Susan Freinkel concludes that we have reached a crisis point--and that we’re starting to realize our love affair with plastic isn’t such a healthy one.
In a conversation with the Green Divas, Freinkel highlights another ubiquitous toxin in our lives: pesticides. Discussing her recent article in The Nation, Freinkel weighs in on the amount of chemicals we are exposed to every day, from flame retardants to BPA, and focuses on the effects that organophosphate...
Colorado River Meets Gulf of California for First Time in 16 Years
Posted by Nature World: None Given on May 16th, 2014
Nature World: For the first time in 16 years, the Colorado River met the Gulf of California on Thursday, restoring water flow to a long barren area.
Water conservationists led the artificially induced "pulse flow" as part of a flood experiment to help the Colorado River reach the sea, News Tonight Africa (NAT) reported. The water traveled nearly 100 miles from a barren delta at the Morelos Dam just south of where California, Arizona and Mexico meet.
The project was made possible by a bi-national agreement...
The California Drought Is Far From Over, And The Entire State Is Suffering
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 16th, 2014
Huffington Post: For a few days last month, it rained in San Francisco. Residents across the city cheered a welcomed respite from a drought that has crippled California for more than two years -- but the celebration turned out to be premature.
On Thursday, for the first time this century, the U.S. Drought Monitor declared that all of California is in a “severe” drought, with many areas of the state in an even worse condition, from "extreme" to "exceptional," the poorest possible rating.
“This is a once-in-a-generation...
Lethal Flooding in Balkans Brings EU to the Rescue
Posted by Environment News Service: None Given on May 16th, 2014
Environment News Service: European countries formerly divided by the Bosnian war are today united by catastrophic flooding and the European Union is rushing to their rescue.
The European Union Civil Protection Mechanism was activated late Thursday at the requests of Serbia and of Bosnia and Herzegovina due to severe flooding that has inundated large areas of both countries.
The flooded Drina River, which forms the border between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, May 15, 2014. (Photo by Jelena)
On Thursday, the government...
Miami Underwater Before Congress Acts on Climate Change
Posted by National Journal: Ronald Brownstein on May 16th, 2014
National Journal: Miami will likely be underwater before the Senate can muster enough votes to meaningfully confront climate change. And probably Tampa and Charleston, too--two other cities that last week's National Climate Assessment placed at maximum risk from rising sea levels.
Even as studies proliferate on the dangers of a changing climate, the issue's underlying politics virtually ensure that Congress will remain paralyzed over it indefinitely. That means the U.S. response for the foreseeable future is likely...
Wildfires Come Hard and Fast Southern California
Posted by ClimateWire: Anne C. Mulkern, Nathanael Massey on May 16th, 2014
ClimateWire: Parts of San Diego County resembled an inferno yesterday as nine fires roared along the edges of suburbs and through the countryside. In the afternoon, thick, black smoke spiraled into the air above San Marcos, 40 miles northeast of San Diego International Airport, while firefighters battled a spate of new flare-ups in the chaparral-covered hillsides below. The fires have forced tens of thousands to evacuate, including personnel from the shuttered San Onofre nuclear power plant and Marine Corps...