Another 1930s Dust Bowl drought possible this century

By Marlene Cimons14 June 2013 (LiveScience) – Drought has beset the Earth since before farming began. In developing nations, it brings suffering and death. In wealthier countries like the United States, it brings economic devastation when crops wither and die, and forests burn. The United States continues to feel the aftereffects of the 2012 drought […]

Climate talk shifts from curbing CO2 to adapting – ‘Many of the other developed countries have gone way ahead of us in preparing for climate change’

First of a two-part package on adapting to climate change. Tomorrow: Snapshots of what cities are doing around the world. By Seth Borenstein, with contributions from Karl A. Ritter in Bonn, Germany, Jennifer Peltz in New York, and Tony Winton in Miami 15 June 2013 WASHINGTON (AP) – Efforts to curb global warming have quietly […]

Coal remains world’s fastest growing fossil fuel: BP review

By Gareth Carpenter; Edited by James Leech12 June 2013 London (Platts) – Coal remained the world’s fastest-growing fossil fuel in 2012, despite the rate of consumption slipping below the 10-year average of 4.4% during the year, according to the BP 2013 Statistical Review of World Energy released Wednesday. Total global coal consumption in 2012 rose […]

Congressmen who voted for sequestration cry foul as effects hit home – ‘Cuts should be focused on wasteful spending and not on programs like the Lakota that are vital to national security’

By Paul McLeary31 May 2013 (Defense News) – In the latest installment of the defense industry and their Congressional representatives rallying to save DoD acquisition programs that directly affect their district/state/business, EADS North America and American Eurocopter held a rally on Thursday in Columbus, Mississippi to try and “save” the UH-72A Lakota helicopter program. In […]

Carbon dioxide and the Earth biome – Research uncovers new data

By Melissa Hathaway, guest blogger14 June 2013 It has been well publicized over the last 30 – 40 years that carbon dioxide is driving the greenhouse effect, resulting in: global warming; carbon cycle imbalances; the melting of the polar caps; and changes to the deep sea currents which carry warm water from the equator towards […]

UK wheat crop ‘down by third after extreme weather’ – Wettest autumn since records began, followed by coldest spring in 50 years have devastated British wheat

By John Vidal, environment editor 12 June 2013 (The Guardian) – The wettest autumn since records began, followed by the coldest spring in 50 years, has devastated British wheat, forcing food manufacturers to import nearly 2.5m tonnes of the crop. “Normally we export around 2.5m tonnes of wheat but this year we expect to have […]

Thousands more forced from home by record floods in Germany

  By Rick Noack12 June 2013 Stendal, Germany (CNN) – Floods continued to devastate communities alongside the surging River Elbe in Germany’s northeastern Saxony-Anhalt state Wednesday. Hundreds of people are being evacuated from their homes in the towns of Stendal and Aken, with the army using helicopters and amphibious vehicles to help move them to […]

Black Forest wildfire most destructive in Colorado history – 24.5 square miles burned, 39,000 people ordered to evacuate, 2 killed

By Jenny Deam13 June 2013 COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (Los Angeles Times) – The Black Forest wildfire, still raging out of control, became deadly with the grim discovery Thursday of two people killed while apparently trying to flee their home. El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa said the victims were found about 2 p.m. in their […]

Graph of the Day: Atlantic salmon biomass decline, 1960s-2009

Atlantic salmon under NASCO management. a-c) Time series of the biomass of the three stocks of Atlantic salmon; line denotes establishment of NASCO (1983). d) Current state of the North American Atlantic salmon stocks. Data from ICES (2009) and NASCO (2008). Graphic: Sarika Cullis-Suzuki High Seas, High Risk: A Global Evaluation of The Effectiveness Of […]

Tanzania: Zanzibar’s encroaching ocean means less fresh water

By Erick Kabendera12 June 2013 ZANZIBAR (IPS) – Khadija Komboani’s nearest well is filled with salt water thanks to the rising sea around Tanzania’s Indian Ocean island of Zanzibar. And until recently, the 36-year-old mother of 12 from Nungwi village in Unguja on the northernmost part of Zanzibar, spent most of her day walking to […]

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