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Archive for May 17th, 2014
Scientists: “Antarctic ice sheet collapse now unstoppable”
Posted by NBC: None Given on May 17th, 2014
NBC: The consequences of the warming planet are being quantified in a new report from ice researchers in the Antarctic. They say the collapse of the massive “West Antarctic Ice Sheet” has already begun, and the melting of this ice sheet into the ocean could raise sea levels by as much as 15 feet in the coming centuries. wo teams of scientists say the long-feared collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet has begun, kicking off what they say will be a centuries-long, “unstoppable” process that could raise...
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Climate Change Harms Fresh Water Quality
Posted by Chapelboro: Wilson Borntrager on May 17th, 2014
Chapelboro: A study published in Global Change Biology claims that the quality of fresh water is beginning to diminish in lower elevation forests, and that climate change is to blame. The director of the Institute for the Environment, and distinguished professor of geography at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Lawrence E. Band, states that the lower elevated watersheds are becoming greatly stressed due to the recent frequency of droughts in those areas. “If we become more dependent on upper...
Hotter nights may cause rice yields to fall
Posted by SciDevNet: None Given on May 17th, 2014
SciDevNet: Nights are getting hotter and scientists are sweating over the possibility that rice yields may fall as a result. Decreasing rice harvests mean higher prices. That would be a scary scenario in Asia where rice is considered not only a basic food staple but also a political commodity. Shortages of the commodity in 2007-2008 angered consumers across the region and caused some governments to wobble. A 35-year climate trending by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) under its Long-Term Continuous...
Canada: Will Toronto be resilient in the face of climate change?
Posted by Toronto Star: Christopher Hume on May 17th, 2014
Toronto Star: Toronto is celebrated for its diversity, but what about its resiliency?
As the planet heats up and weather grows ever more extreme, cities around the world are taking a second look at themselves with an eye to making sure they’re up to the task ahead.
So it was no surprise that the Global Cities Summit devoted a whole session to the subject of urban resiliency. The conference, one of the most international Toronto has hosted in some time, wrapped up Friday evening. Delegates from places as...
California Wildfires Spread Across Hills, Leveling Homes
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 17th, 2014
New York Times: With fire rolling swiftly down the hill toward their houses on Thursday, Jeff Brown, his brother and his grandmother were forced by sheriff’s deputies to flee the two homes here that the family has occupied since the 1960s.
Mr. Brown, 38, was back just an hour later. His house was untouched, but his grandmother’s home was gone — only the chimney still stood. “Damn, you can’t even tell there was a three-bedroom house here,” Mr. Brown said, as he walked across the property on Friday. “The trailer...
Methane emissions from fossil fuel exploitation may push Earth past climate tipping point
Posted by Summit Voice: None Given on May 17th, 2014
Summit Voice: As frackers desperately try to pump every last bit of gas from the ground before the global warming clock runs out, scientists warn that methane emissions could push Earth over a climate tipping point in just a few years.
“We have to control methane immediately, and natural gas is the largest methane pollution source in the United States,” said Robert Howarth, greenhouse gas expert and ecology and environmental biology professor at Cornell University. “If we hit a climate-system tipping point...