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Archive for August 16th, 2014
Europe’s Forests Suffer Effects of Climate Change
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 16th, 2014
Climate Central: Climate change is here, it's happening now, and for the last few decades it has been demonstrably bad news for many of Europe's forests.
A report published in the journal Nature Climate Change shows that damage from wind, bark beetles, and wildfires has increased significantly in Europe's forests in recent years.
An international team of researchers say in a report from the European Forest Institute that climate change is altering the environment, and it is long-lived ecosystems like forests...
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Humans now major cause of alpine glacier melt, researchers say
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 16th, 2014
Christian Science Monitor: Retreating alpine glaciers in a warming world may seem to have an obvious connection. But glaciers respond to environmental changes, well, glacially. At any point, it's hard to tell how much of a glacier's retreat is due to human-triggered factors now and how much is due to natural factors that might have held sway years ago, researchers say.
Now comes an analysis estimating that between 1990 and 2010, some 69 percent of the mass lost by the world's alpine glaciers can be traced to human influence...
Extinction or ‘translocation’ as impacts climate change increase?
Posted by ClimateWire: Niina Heikkinen on August 16th, 2014
ClimateWire: Climate change is altering the way some scientists are trying to save endangered plant and animal species from extinction.
For nearly 100 years, conservationists have focused preservation efforts on maintaining species' historical ranges and reintroducing captive-bred species to boost dwindling populations. Now, some scientists are experimenting with a new approach.
"What's changed over the years is we introduce [species] into areas where they have never been before," said Philip Seddon an...
Enviros push ‘public trust’ as trump card over oil and gas influence
Posted by EnergyWire: Ellen M. Gilmer on August 16th, 2014
EnergyWire: Last Dec. 19 was a gratifying day for John Dernbach. In 162 pages the state's highest court had resurrected a provision in Pennsylvania's Constitution that had long ago faded into obscurity. The forgotten measure is an environmental rights amendment nestled in Article 1, among core protections of civil rights and due process. The amendment gives people a right to clean air, pure water and conservation of natural resources. It hands environmentalists an opportunity to transform the natural gas debate...
Real conservatives are conservationists
Posted by Herald Extra: Barry Bickmore on August 16th, 2014
Herald Extra: Why is it that some political conservatives have been so obstinate in opposing any government action to address human-caused climate change? The answer is that they aren’t real conservatives. Real conservatives favor working toward a truly free and equitable society by intelligently considering our options and choosing those that will cause the least social upheaval and loss of individual freedom. This minimalist approach to managing change stems from a healthy respect for “the Law of Unintended...
Fact-checking Obama’s rules on carbon and coal plants
Posted by PolitiFact: Steve Contorno on August 16th, 2014
PolitiFact: President Barack Obama’s second-term promise to tackle climate change has clashed with election-year politics. Much of the political debate has focused on the Environmental Protection Agency’s newly proposed regulations on existing power plants. If enacted, the rules would curb carbon emissions that scientists say cause global warming. Misinformation about these new regulations started even before the EPA released them. In the days leading up to the EPA’s June 2 announcement, the U.S. Chamber...
Water in the West: The west gets thirstier as water supplies dwindle
Posted by Post Independent: None Given on August 16th, 2014
Post Independent: The soothing sound of the Colorado River as it meanders its way across Colorado’s Western Slope is the sound of a thriving economy, a fragile environment and an impending crisis. The state of water supplies in the arid West is volatile, and forecasts are grim. Lake Powell and Lake Mead are at alarmingly low levels, while populations across the West are swelling past the capacities of current water supplies. The Colorado River Basin is facing a battle of sorts as the state works to create a water...