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Archive for June 1st, 2015
Ted Cruz Continues ‘Coddle’ His Fossil Fuel Funders in Wake of Deadly Texas Floods
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on June 1st, 2015
EcoWatch: On paper at least, Texas Senator and declared 2016 presidential candidate Ted Cruz is an intelligent man. He graduated cum laude from Princeton University where he was a debate champion. He went onto Harvard Law School where he graduated magna cum laude and was primary editor of the Harvard Law Review.
But when Cruz talks about the climate, many people feel he sounds like the most ignorant and fact-challenged of his far-right followers.
Last week, as destructive floods swept his home state,...
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Climate change boosts rain in Africa’s Sahel region: study
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 1st, 2015
Reuters: Rising greenhouse gases have boosted rainfall in the Sahel region of Africa, easing droughts that killed 100,000 people in the 1970s and 1980s, in a rare positive effect of climate change, a study said on Monday. The report adds to debate about the causes of a greening of the Sahel region, south of the Sahara Desert from Senegal to Sudan. It said a continued rise in greenhouse gas emissions was likely to help more rainfall in the region in future. "Amounts of rainfall have recovered substantially,"...
The Population Bomb, Then and Now
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 1st, 2015
New York Times: I hope you’ll spare a few minutes to watch the latest Retro Report video — an examination of the “woe is me” scare put into us in a big way in 1968 by the specter of an exploding “population bomb.” The film centers on Paul R. Ehrlich, who went from studying butterfly populations to becoming a bestselling author and frequent Johnny Carson guest. Clyde Haberman has written a companion article for The Times that describes the main points in the video report. Here’s an excerpt: After the passage...
Stanley warns on climate risk to Aussie children
Posted by Business Spectator: John Conroy on June 1st, 2015
Business Spectator: Australian children are the ones who will be most likely to suffer from increased cases of disease and infection as a result of climate change, former Australian of the Year and leading paediatrician Professor Fiona Stanley has warned. A new report by Doctors for the Environment Australia (DEA), a national organisation of medical doctors which raises awareness about the link between health and the environment, finds changing weather conditions are expected to make some illnesses like gastroenteritis...
Study finds frog decline could be related water warming, copper pollution
Posted by KTVA: Sierra Starks on June 1st, 2015
KTVA: New evidence supports theories that water pollution from road runoff may increase mortality and abnormalities in frogs.
Scientists at Alaska Pacific University, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the University of California, Davis, found that wood frog tadpoles were attacked by dragonfly larvae sooner and more often in warmer water with increased copper pollution - as opposed to cooler, copper-free water.
Fish and Wildlife says in cool, clean water, tadpoles have a "fighting chance" to...
Drought scourges Utah farms
Posted by LA Times: John M. Glionna on June 1st, 2015
LA Times: This year, the state suffered its warmest and least-snowy winter since the late 1800s, when Utah was still a territory. The lowest-elevation snowpack has melted, and most of the higher altitudes will be quick to follow.
"This is one of those years farmers will tell their grandkids about," said Utah state hydrologist Randall Julander. "About just how dry it was and how bad it was."
This is how bad it is: Drought now grips 40% of the West, with no end in sight: globally, nine of the 10 warmest...
The heat and the death toll are rising in India. Is this glimpse of Earth’s future?
Posted by Guardian: Catherine de Lange on June 1st, 2015
Guardian: Roads have twisted in the heat. Hospitals are overwhelmed by thousands of dehydrated people, the poor, the elderly and children among the worst hit. Urgent instructions to wear wide-brimmed hats and light-coloured cotton clothes, use umbrellas and drink lots of fluid have been issued by the government.
India is struggling to cope with one of the deadliest heatwaves to hit the subcontinent. And its attempt to do so is raising a question for the whole planet – how can humans cope with the kinds...
Rapid Arctic ice loss linked extreme weather changes in Europe and US
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 1st, 2015
Guardian: The string of massive snowstorms and bone-chilling cold on the US east coast, as well as flooding in Britain and record temperatures in Europe, are linked to rapid ice loss in the Arctic, new research appears to confirm.
While the rapidly-thawing Arctic cannot be held responsible for specific weather events like the “snowmageddon” in 2009, Hurricane Sandy, or European heatwaves, researchers at Rutgers university said it appears to be a prime reason why the polar jet stream – a ribbon of winds...
Texas welcomes sunshine after days floods that killed 25
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 1st, 2015
Reuters: Sunshine and drier weather were forecast for most of flood-weary Texas after days of heavy rain, giving swollen rivers a chance to recede and relief workers and residents time for assess the damage and start a massive clean-up, officials said on Sunday.
Severe flooding has killed at least 25 people and prompted U.S. President Barack Obama to declare a disaster in the state, which has endured record rainfall in May.
Flooding this week turned streets into rivers, ripped homes off foundations,...