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Archive for March 19th, 2015
Arctic Ice Extent has Reached its Limit: Lowest on Record
Posted by Nature World: None Given on March 19th, 2015
Nature World: With winter at its end, it appears that the extent of Arctic sea ice has reached its limit. Worryingly, it's the lowest extent ever seen, reaching only about 5.61 million square miles. What's more, this is also one of the earliest maximum extents ever reached, with most seen much further into the end of the season.
Arctic sea ice is pretty self explanatory: it's frozen seawater that grows on the surface of the Arctic Ocean between fall and winter, and gradually recedes at the end of this period....
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This Winter Was Warmest on Record
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 19th, 2015
Agence France-Presse: This winter may have brought a deep freeze to much of the northeastern United States -- including record-breaking snowfall in Boston -- but it was the planet's warmest winter on record, climate scientists announced yesterday (March 18).
The average global temperature from December to February was 1.42 degrees Fahrenheit (0.79 degrees Celsius) higher than the 20th-century average of 53.8 degrees F (12.1 degrees C), according to a newly released report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's...
No Fracking in State Parks, Ohio House Democrats and Republicans Surprisingly Agree
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on March 19th, 2015
EcoWatch: In a surprising move for a polarized Ohio legislature controlled by far-right Republicans cozy with fossil fuel interests, its House Energy and Natural Resources committee voted 12-0 Tuesday to ban fracking in state parks. The full bill, which aims to speed up the drilling permitting process, was then passed unanimously on the House floor Wednesday. It now heads to the Senate.
Study: cost climate change to become ‘serious challenge’ by 2040
Posted by Blue and Green: None Given on March 19th, 2015
Blue and Green: Economists have said that the cost of climate change could increase significantly over the coming decades and become a “serious challenge” for businesses by 2040. They have urged businesses to consider the true financial costs of climate change in order to prepare for the future.
The study was led by the Global Climate Adaption Partnership with Daniel Black & Associates and researchers at the University of Manchester and the University of Bath. The study mapped key risk factors from climate change...
Australia Farmers Challenged by Climate Change
Posted by ClimateWire: Brittany Patterson on March 19th, 2015
ClimateWire: From tasteless carrots to sunburned apples, a new report by two University of Melbourne researchers paints a challenging picture for Australia's agricultural sector and the impacts of climate change in the decades to come.
Through the examination of 55 food commodities and a breakdown of the ways each of the country's multiple climate regions will be affected by climate change, the study concludes the quality of beef, chicken and even kangaroo will suffer.
The biggest challenge to come from...
Worsening conditions force Calif tighten water restrictions
Posted by Greenwire: Anne C. Mulkern on March 19th, 2015
Greenwire: With California's drought appearing to deepen, the state yesterday ordered local water agencies to impose and enforce conservation through limits on outdoor water use.
More than 400 water suppliers that serve 95 percent of Californians must activate existing conservation policies or enact new rules restricting outdoor irrigation. The California Water Resources Control Board said agencies without regulations already in place should start with restricting watering to twice per week.
Fines of...
Gov Jerry Brown, lawmakers to announce emergency drought bill
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 19th, 2015
LA Times: As California braces for a fourth consecutive year of drought, Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders on Thursday will unveil a $1-billion relief plan, two sources told The Times late Wednesday.
This will mark the second consecutive year in which the Legislature has had to act on emergency drought relief. In 2014, Brown signed a $687.4-million drought package, which offered aid to communities facing acute water shortages and food and housing assistance to those harmed by the drought.
Brown,...
Tighter California water restrictions to impact restaurants and hotels
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 19th, 2015
Guardian: As California enters year four of one of the most severe droughts in state history, officials on Tuesday welcomed a host of temporary water measures that limits landscape irrigation and restricts how restaurants and hotels use the vital resource. Under the new rules, districts that haven’t already restricted outdoor watering to two days per week are required to do so, restaurants and bars must ask customers if they want a glass of water before automatically serving one, and hotels and motels must...