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Archive for July 31st, 2015
Dwindling water supplies push Alberta developers toward sustainability
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 31st, 2015
Globe and Mail: "Water is not necessarily a renewable resource any more," Ms. Oxtoby said.
The City of Calgary has a population of 1.2 million people, with water rights for nearly three times that amount. However, Ms. Oxtoby's developments are just south of Calgary's border, in the Municipal District of Foothills - a distinction that could prove to be very expensive for her next project.
In 2006, the province put a moratorium on the South Saskatchewan River Basin; water extraction is no longer allowed from...
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Halfway to Hell: Global Temperatures Hit Critical Point, Warn Scientists
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on July 31st, 2015
EcoWatch: As 2015 shapes up to be the hottest year on record, scientists warn the world could be halfway towards surpassing countries’ self-set red line of 2C temperature rise.
New research commissioned by the New Scientist shows that four out of the five major surface temperature records are set to pass the 1C point this year, measured from the 1850-1899 average.
At 1C climate change is already affecting the world’s poorest and most vulnerable populations as warming brings escalating sea level rise...
Severe Droughts Affect Forests And CO2 Storage for Years, Study Shows
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 31st, 2015
Yale Environment 360: Severe drought can affect a forest's growth for up to four years, a period during which it is less effective at removing carbon from the atmosphere, a new study reports in the journal Science. Standard climate models have assumed that forests and other vegetation bounce back quickly from extreme drought, but that assumption is far off the mark, the researchers say. Looking at data from more than 1,300 forest sites dating back to 1948, they found that living trees took an average of two to four years...
This Map Shows What San Francisco Look Like After Sea Levels Rise
Posted by Mother Jones: Luke Whelan on July 31st, 2015
Mother Jones: Developers in the booming San Francisco Bay Area are busy planning everything from much-needed new housing to sports stadiums and gleaming tech campuses. But according to a new report just published by the San Francisco Public Press, many of these construction projects sit on land susceptible to rising waters due to climate change. And regulators and local governments are not doing much to prepare. The Public Press found 27 major commercial and residential developments that will be vulnerable...