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Archive for January 6th, 2016
Droughts hit cereal crops harder since 1980s
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 6th, 2016
ScienceDaily: Drought and extreme heat events slashed cereal harvests in recent decades by 9% to 10% on average in affected countries -- and the impact of these weather disasters was greatest in the developed nations of North America, Europe and Australasia, according to a new study led by researchers from McGill University and the University of British Columbia. At a time when global warming is projected to lead to more extreme weather, the study, published in Nature, provides the most comprehensive look yet...
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Scotland warned to expect further ‘heavy and prolonged’ rain
Posted by Guardian: Libby Brooks on January 6th, 2016
Guardian: Flood-weary communities across central and north-east Scotland have been told to expect further “heavy and prolonged” rain as the Met Office upgraded its weather warning for Thursday to amber “be prepared”.
With 25 flood warnings still in place from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa), residents of Aberdeenshire, Angus, Dundee and Perthshire have been advised to get ready for further disruption as water falls on already saturated ground and river levels rise accordingly.
With...
America’s Food System Could Be More Vulnerable to Climate Change Than We Thought
Posted by Mother Jones: Tim McDonnell on January 6th, 2016
Mother Jones: For billions of people around the world, the most immediate threat posed by climate change is at the dinner table, as staple crops face a steadily worsening onslaught of drought, heat waves, and other extreme weather events. The United States certainly isn't immune to these challenges; for proof, just look at California, where an unprecedented drought has cost the state's agriculture industry billions.
Still, the conventional thinking among many scientists is that developing countries, particularly...
Understanding climate change’s role in the UK’s recent floods
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 6th, 2016
New Scientist: IT`S an environmental whodunit. Last month, in streets that would normally be bustling with sales shoppers, the only sounds were the thrum of helicopters and the lapping of water against walls.
First Desmond, then Eva and Frank: three major storms slammed into the UK and Ireland during December, making it the wettest month ever recorded in the UK and causing flooding misery in northern England and Scotland. Now those affected want to know where to lay the blame.
"We`re living in a climate...
Californians warned to keep conserving water despite heavy rains
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 6th, 2016
Guardian: Forced by drought to conserve water, Californians were warned against reverting to old habits on Tuesday as the first of several storms spawned by a record-tying El Niño began drenching the state.
A series of storms lining up over the Pacific Ocean was welcome news in parched California, despite their potential for causing flash floods and mudslides. But authorities cautioned that even the wettest of winters can’t replenish depleted reservoirs and aquifers unless everyone keeps pitching in. ...
EPA Urged to Ban Widely-Used Pesticide Chlorpyrifos
Posted by Environment News Service: None Given on January 6th, 2016
Environment News Service: Under the threat of a court order, the Environmental Protection Agency last October proposed a ban on all agricultural uses of the Dow AgroSciences insecticide chlorpyrifos.
Now, more than 80,000 people have submitted comments to the EPA urging the agency to ban chlorpyrifos from use on all crops immediately.
First developed by Dow AgroSciences in the 1960s, chlorpyrifos is no longer patent protected and is now the active ingredient in dozens of pesticide products made by companies such as...
More than half of UK’s food sourced from abroad, study finds
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 6th, 2016
Guardian: More than half of the UK’s food and feed now comes from overseas, which is burdening poorer countries with the related environmental impact, a new study says.
More than two-thirds of the land needed to produce the UK’s food and feed is based abroad, researchers said, meaning 64% of the related greenhouse gases are emitted on foreign soil.
Since 1986, the size of this land has grown by 23% to match increasing demand, with associated CO2 emissions rising by 15%, the research published in theJournal...
UK carbon footprint from imported food revealed for first time
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 6th, 2016
New Scientist: Not much is growing in the UK - except its carbon footprint. The global impact of feeding the country has been estimated for the first time, revealing that 64 per cent of associated greenhouse gases are emitted abroad.
The UK now imports more than half its food and feed. Between 1986 and 2009, the amount of land used to grow the country`s food increased by 23 per cent, with 70 per cent of it located overseas.
Soya beans used for animal feed, cocoa and wheat take up the most foreign land, and...