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Archive for February, 2016
Climate change scientist says past floods help predict future weather
Posted by CBC: None Given on February 26th, 2016
CBC: A leading Canadian scientist says Canada is on the front line of climate change, and researchers are studying once-in-a-century weather events to predict what can be expected in the future.
Francis Zwiers is director of the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium at University of Victoria. He is speaking across the country, including in Halifax on Saturday, about climate change and whether extreme events are more frequent and intense than in the past.
"We talk about different kinds of events, we...
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Study: California methane leak largest in U.S. history
Posted by Climate Central: Bobby Magill on February 26th, 2016
Climate Central: The gas leak that forced the evacuation of 1,800 homes in the mountains above Los Angeles late last year was the largest methane leak in U.S. history and shows the climate risks of aging natural gas infrastructure, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Science.
The Aliso Canyon leak near the Porter Ranch neighborhood was so big that it emitted 97,100 tons of methane -- the equivalent of the annual greenhouse gas pollution from 572,000 cars, according to the study, which used aircraft...
Arctic warming: Rapidly increasing temperatures are ‘possibly catastrophic’ for planet
Posted by Independent: Ian Johnston on February 26th, 2016
Independent: The rapidly warming Arctic could have a “catastrophic” effect on the planet’s climate, a leading scientist has warned.
Dr Peter Gleick, president of the Pacific Institute in California, said there was a growing body of “pretty scary” evidence that higher temperatures in the Arctic were driving the creation of dangerous storms in parts of the northern hemisphere.
According to a graph on the US National Snow and Ice Data Centre’s website, there were 14.2 million km squared of sea ice on 24 February....
Fiji cyclone disaster is a sign of future challenges
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 26th, 2016
ClimateWire: Small island states and environmentalists say the devastating cyclone that lashed Fiji on Saturday illustrates why the world must get serious about helping climate-vulnerable countries cope with warming.
Cyclone Winston was the most damaging storm ever to hit the small Pacific nation. The death toll was at 36 yesterday. Fiji’s representatives spent yesterday assessing the damage and securing aid.
“The government of Fiji’s first concern is to provide humanitarian emergency assistance, food,...
California cut water use 17.1% in January, falling short of target for the first time
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 26th, 2016
LA Times: When Gov. Jerry Brown called for a statewide 25% cut in urban water use last April, drought-weary Californians snapped quickly into compliance.
They slashed consumption enough to easily exceed Brown`s order for four straight months, cheering state water regulators.
But as temperatures cooled and the calendar turned to fall, conservation slowed. And on Thursday, officials said the state`s cumulative water savings fell below 25% for the first time in eight months of reporting, to 24.8%.
Officials...
Greenpeace Launches Investigation Into Radiation Impacts of Fukushima Disaster on Pacific Ocean
Posted by Blue and Green: None Given on February 26th, 2016
Blue and Green: Greenpeace Japan today announced it is conducting an underwater investigation into radiation contamination from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean. The survey will be conducted from a Japanese research vessel using a one of a kind Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), fitted with sensitive gamma radiation spectrometer and sediment sampler.
On the opening day of the investigation, Mr Naoto Kan, the former Prime Minister of Japan and leader at the time of the nuclear accident,...
18 elephants to be flown to US zoos as drought puts pressure on Swaziland wildlife
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 26th, 2016
Guardian: Eighteen elephants, due to be culled because the intense drought in southern Africa has left a national park in Swaziland without food, could be flown to zoos in the US. It is hoped that moving them will give endangered rhinos more chance of survival.
The three male and 15 female elephants from parched Hlane national park are being held temporarily by a local conservation group pending a court case brought by US animal welfare groups concerned about their export.
But they are planned to be...
Vital to food output, bees and other pollinators at risk
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 26th, 2016
Reuters: Bees and other pollinators face increasing risks to their survival, threatening foods such as apples, blueberries and coffee worth hundreds of billions of dollars a year, the first global assessment of pollinators showed on Friday.
Pesticides, loss of habitats to farms and cities, disease and climate change were among threats to about 20,000 species of bees as well as creatures such as birds, butterflies, beetles and bats that fertilize flowers by spreading pollen, it said.
"Pollinators are...
Biggest methane leak US history at old Calif well
Posted by ClimateWire: Gayathri Vaidyanathan and Debra Kahn on February 26th, 2016
ClimateWire: Southern California Gas Co.'s Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility. The methane leak, plugged Feb. 12, is the biggest source of emitted gas in U.S. history, according to scientists. Photo courtesy of Flickr.
The well blowout in Aliso Canyon near Los Angeles was the largest methane leak in U.S. history and could cost the world more than $100 million in climate damage, experts said.
The well emitted 97,100 tons of methane over four months into the dry foothills just north of Los Angeles'...
Thailand plans steps worth $285 million to help drought-hit rice farmers
Posted by Reuters: Patpicha Tanakasempipat on February 26th, 2016
Reuters: Thailand, the world's second-biggest rice exporter, on Friday announced measures worth around $285 million to help farmers in the country who have been hit hard by a severe drought and low prices for their crop. The Southeast Asian nation is facing what some experts say is its worst drought in decades. While this has crimped rice output, it has not buoyed prices given huge stocks of about 12 million tonnes that Thailand is trying to offload, the legacy of a subsidy scheme undertaken by the previous...