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Extreme tornado outbreaks are on the rise, study says
Posted by Time: Justin Worland on March 3rd, 2016
Time: The average number tornado outbreaks that bring multiple twisters from a single weather event is on the rise in the U.S., according to new research, and the findings could change the way insurers and disaster preparedness officials respond to tornadoes.
The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, also shows an increased variability in the number of tornadoes from one outbreak to another. Higher variability means that large outbreaks that result in multiple tornadoes can be more...
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How Climate Change Could Spread Diseases Like Zika
Posted by Time: Justin Worland on January 30th, 2016
Time: For thousands of years, humans have taken every precaution to avoid mosquitoes and the diseases they carry, from Malaria to Zika. But while techniques for fighting the insects have improved dramatically over time, scientists say long-term climate change could soon make protecting humans from mosquitoes much more difficult.
The link between climate change and mosquito-borne illness centers around how rising temperatures may expand the area in which mosquitoes can thrive. Most such illnesses can...
World Agrees to Historic ‘Paris Agreement’ to Address Climate Change
Posted by Time: Justin Worland on December 12th, 2015
Time: Negotiators from nearly 200 countries reached an agreement Saturday on what they say signifies the most important international pact to address climate change since the issue first emerged as a political priority decades ago. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, who headed up the United Nations conference, commonly known as COP 21, said the final deal successfully resolved points of contention that had taken negotiations into overtime and called the agreement “the best possible text.” “We have...
Why Climate Change and Terrorism Are Connected
Posted by Time: Justin Worland on November 15th, 2015
Time: Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders used the terrorist attacks in Paris to call for action to address climate change at a primary debate Saturday. But, while the plea attracted ridicule across the political spectrum, many academics and national security experts agree that climate change contributes to an uncertain world where terrorism can thrive.
U.S. military officials refer to climate change as a "threat multiplier" that takes issues like terrorism that would pose a threat to national...
These Cities May Soon Be Uninhabitable Thanks to Climate Change
Posted by Time: Justin Worland on October 26th, 2015
Time: A number of cities in the Persian Gulf region may be unlivable the end of the century due to global warming if humans do not curb greenhouse gas emissions, according to new research. The study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, projects that by the end of the century heat waves in Doha, Abu Dhabi and Bandar Abbas could lead to temperatures at which humans physically cannot survive over a sustained period of time by around 2100. The threshold, estimated around 170ºF, takes into...
The Weird Effect Climate Change Will Have Plant Growth
Posted by Time: Justin Worland on June 11th, 2015
Time: Add the hindering of plant growth to the long and growing list of the ways climate change may affect life on our planet. The number of days when plants can grow could decrease by 11% by 2100 assuming limited efforts to stall climate change, affecting some of the world`s poorest and most vulnerable people, according to a new study in PLOS Biology.
Climate change affects a number of variables that determine how much plants can grow. A 7% decline in the average number of freezing days will actually...