Blogging the End of the World™
(Climate Commission) – The length, extent, and severity of this heatwave are unprecedented since records began. This is the longest period ever for such persistently high temperatures. For seven days running, from 2–8 January 2013, the average daily maximum temperature for the whole of Australia was over 39 °C, easily breaking the previous record of […]
By Gwynn Guilford30 April 2013 (The Atlantic) – China might be cracking down on luxury spending in watches, cars, banquets and really foul liquor. But the market for pricey fish parts continues relatively unabated. US border officials recently busted a ring smuggling bladders of an endangered fish used for medicinal Chinese soups (here are some […]
By Cameron Atfield4 May 2013 (Sydney Morning Herald) – The United Nations has put the Queensland and federal governments on notice that the Great Barrier Reef could be added to a list of endangered world heritage sites. In a draft decision released Friday night, expected to be adopted when UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee meets in […]
By Maria Gallucci2 May 2013 (InsideClimate News) – It has been more than a month now, and Amber Bartlett has had enough of hotels and apartments and trailer homes. Of crowded rooms whose thin walls amplify the bickering of her four children. Of piles of toys and clothes overflowing from drawers and suitcases. Of not […]
GENEVA, 2 May 2013 (WMO) The World Meteorological Organization’s Statement on the Status of the Global Climate says that 2012 joined the ten previous years as one of the warmest — at ninth place — on record despite the cooling influence of a La Niña episode early in the year. The 2012 global land and […]
By Andrew Freedman 3 May 2013 (Climate Central) – The last time there was this much carbon dioxide (CO2) in the Earth’s atmosphere, modern humans didn’t exist. Megatoothed sharks prowled the oceans, the world’s seas were up to 100 feet higher than they are today, and the global average surface temperature was up to 11°F […]
By Dr. Jeff Masters2 May 2013 (wunderground.com) – A rare and historic May snowstorm continues to pelt Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin with snowfall amounts unprecedented in the historical record for the month of May. Winter Storm Achilles has brought 15.5″ of snow to Owatonna, Minnesota, about 50 miles south of Minneapolis. This is (unofficially) the […]
By Eric W. Dolan1 May 2013 (The Raw Story) – The United States has failed to take action to mitigate climate change thanks in part to the large number of religious Americans who believe the world has a set expiration date. Research by David C. Barker of the University of Pittsburgh and David H. Bearce […]
Australia’s iconic marsupial is at risk from shrinking habitats, road traffic and dog attacks – and increasingly, global warming By Neena Bhandari for IPS, part of the Guardian Environment Network 30 April 2013 SYDNEY (guardian.co.uk) – Australia’s iconic marsupial is under threat. Formerly hunted almost to extinction for their woolly coats, koalas are now struggling […]
(Climate Commission) – Between 22 and 29 January 2013 extreme rainfall occurred over the east coast of Queensland and the New South Wales coast north of the Illawarra, resulting in severe flooding (BoM, 2013b). Many areas received daily rainfalls greater than 400 mm, with many breaking daily rainfall records (BoM, 2013b) (see Figure 2, Figure […]
