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Archive for February 16th, 2015
Taps Start to Run Dry in Brazil Largest City
Posted by New York Times: Simon Romero on February 16th, 2015
New York Times: Endowed with the Amazon and other mighty rivers, an array of huge dams and one-eighth of the world’s fresh water, Brazil is sometimes called the “Saudi Arabia of water,” so rich in the coveted resource that some liken it to living above a sea of oil. But in Brazil’s largest and wealthiest city, a more dystopian situation is unfolding: the taps are starting to run dry. As southeast Brazil grapples with its worst drought in nearly a century, a problem worsened by polluted rivers, deforestation and...
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7 Reasons to Drinking Plenty of Water
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on February 16th, 2015
EcoWatch: Our bodies are around 60 percent water, give or take.
It is commonly recommended to drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day (the 8×8 rule).
Although there is little science behind this specific rule, staying hydrated is important.
Here are seven evidence-based health benefits of drinking plenty of water.
1. Water Helps to Maximize Physical Performance
If we do not stay hydrated, physical performance can suffer.
This is particularly important during intense exercise or high...
Arctic upheaval: new book outlines challenges at the top of the world
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 16th, 2015
Mongabay: For most of us, the Arctic is not at the front of our minds. We view it as cold, stark, and, most importantly, distant. Yet, even in an age of vast ecological upheaval, one could argue that no biome in the world is changing so rapidly or so irrevocably. Two hundred plus years of burning fossil fuels has warmed up the top of our planet more quickly than anywhere else. The result? Sea ice is shrinking, glaciers are vanishing, southern species are invading, storms are worsening, floods are creeping...
NASA climate study warns unprecedented North American drought
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 16th, 2015
Guardian: California is in the midst of its worst drought in over 1,200 years, exacerbated by record hot temperatures. A new study led by Benjamin Cook at Nasa GISS examines how drought intensity in North America will change in a hotter world, and finds that things will only get worse. Global warming intensifies drought in several ways. In increases evaporation from soil and reservoirs. In increases water demand. It makes precipitation fall more as rain and less as snow, which is problematic for regions like...
Climate change hamper world food production: Scientists
Posted by Zee News: None Given on February 16th, 2015
Zee News: The acceleration climate change and its impact on agricultural production means that profound societal changes will be needed in coming decades to feed the world's growing population, researchers at an annual science conference said.
According to scientists, food production will have to be doubled over the next 35 years to feed a global population of nine billion people in 2050, compared with seven billion today.
Feeding the world "is going to take some changes in terms of minimising climate...
Climate change hampering world food production, say scientists
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 16th, 2015
Agence France-Presse: The acceleration in climate change and its impact on agricultural production means that profound societal changes will be needed in coming decades to feed the world's growing population, researchers at an annual science conference said.
According to scientists, food production will have to be doubled over the next 35 years to feed a global population of nine billion people in 2050, compared with seven billion today.
Feeding the world "is going to take some changes in terms of minimizing climate...
Satellites track snail disease risk
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 16th, 2015
BBC: Scientists are tracking snails from space in a bid to combat the spread of parasitic disease in Africa.
The satellite information is being used to predict where infections are likely to occur, enabling health agencies to better target their resources.
It is one example of the growing influence of space-borne data in new healthcare applications.
The development was reported at a meeting of American Association for the Advancement of Science in San Jose.
It is not possible, of course, to...
Swamps, wetlands may be key in fight against climate change
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 16th, 2015
Indo-Asian News Service: Swamps and wetlands could be 50 times more effective than rain forests in storing carbon, an Australian scientist researching the topic said Monday. Researchers at Victoria's Deakin University found swamps bank up to one-third of the carbon found in terrestrial soils, yet only occupy 4 percent of the planet's land surface. They are confident that wetlands will be a huge carbon sink that was missing in previous global carbon budgets. Senior lecturer in freshwater ecology, Rebecca Lester, told the...
Northeast hit blizzards, cold, after record snow
Posted by Reuters: Elizabeth Barber on February 16th, 2015
Reuters: The U.S. Northeast struggled to dig out on Sunday from the latest in a series of winter storms that made February the snowiest month in Boston's history, but bitter cold and huge drifts hampered the effort.
Blizzard conditions forced the cancellation of more than 1,800 U.S. airline flights, most of them into and out of airports in Boston and New York, where wind gusts of up to 60 miles per hour (97 kph) were predicted.
Temperatures are 25 to 30 degrees (14 to 17 degrees Celsius) below normal...
Geoengineering won’t solve climate change
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 16th, 2015
USA Today: Efforts to reduce emissions of climate-disrupting greenhouse gases are moving at a pace that is, well, glacial. Human activity continues to spew tens of billions of tons of carbon dioxide into the air every year. And even though a bone-chilling cold snap has the eastern U.S. shivering this week, the globe as a whole continues to warm at a scary pace.
So it's not surprising that some scientists, economists and politicians have begun to discuss a Plan B.
Variously known as solar geoengineering,...