Rebuilding the shores, increasing the risks – ‘The climate is changing, the ocean is rising, more storms are coming, and millions of Americans are in harm’s way’

By JUSTIN GILLIS8 April 2013 (The New York Times) – This might be a good time to take a look at the most important environmental law that nobody has ever heard of. The real estate industry fought that law bitterly in Congress, but lost, and it landed on Ronald Reagan’s desk in 1982. The president […]

Wellington water ban lifted – New Zealand’s worst drought in over 30 years may cost $2 billion

9 April 2013 (APNZ) – Wellington’s water ban has been lifted almost four weeks since sprinklers fell silent across the capital. Regional authorities introduced a total ban on outdoor water use in mid-March after revealing there were only 20 days of water supply left. They also started drawing water from the Hutt River and urged […]

Global warming could get worse quickly if huge amounts of extra heat absorbed by the oceans are released back into the air: study

By Environment Correspondent Alister Doyle; Editing by Peter Graff7 April 2013 OSLO (Reuters) – Climate change could get worse quickly if huge amounts of extra heat absorbed by the oceans are released back into the air, scientists said after unveiling new research showing that oceans have helped mitigate the effects of warming since 2000. Heat-trapping […]

Florida algae bloom causes record manatee deaths –‘When algae blooms coincide with manatee movement, it results in catastrophic mortality’

By MICHAEL WINES6 April 2013 (The New York Times) – Florida’s endangered manatees, already reeling from an unexplained string of deaths in the state’s east coast rivers, have died in record numbers from a toxic red algae bloom that appears each year off the state’s west coast, state officials and wildlife experts say. The tide […]

Rising seas swallow 8 U.S. cities in these climate change GIFs

By Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai6 April 2013 (Mashable) – Climate change and global warming may cause sea levels to rise and flood coastal cities across the world. Over the past century, the Global Mean Sea Level has risen by 4 to 8 inches. And according to estimates by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (PDF), it will […]

Argentina flood damage exceeds $500 million

7 April 2013 (Voice of Russia) – The material damage from the recent flood in La Plata, Argentina, exceeds $500 million, according to a report just released by the city authorities. 51 people died and more than 350,000 were displaced and almost one-fouth of local buildings were damaged by a long spate of torrential rains that […]

Phil Plait: The march of antireality continues

By Phil Plait5 April 2013 “Against unreason, the gods themselves contend in vain.” —with apologies to Friedrich Schiller (Slate.com) – Lately I’ve been trying to write more about science, rather than write about those who attack it. I love science, and I love promoting it. It gives us wonder, knowledge, advances in technology and medicine, […]

U.S. Midwest farmers looking for best crop in decades

5 April 2013 (Reuters) – A cool spring in the Midwest has farmers eager for soils to warm up before planting what is expected to be the region’s biggest crop in decades. Farmers this week could begin planting corn in many spots across the upper Midwest, according to insurance policies that cover costs if they […]

Stubborn drought tests Texas ranchers – U.S. cattle herd at lowest level in 60 years – ‘Beef will come back. But who’s going to be left to produce it?’

By STEPHANIE STROM5 April 2013 BLOOMING GROVE, Texas (The New York Times) – Gary Price is a rarity among cattle ranchers these days. He’s making money on his herd of 200 cows in this tiny town about an hour south of Dallas-Fort Worth. “The market is very good, and we’ve been able to keep what […]

Antarctic melt shakes up food chain

By Tim Barlass7 April 2013 (Sydney Morning Herald) – Major changes to the food chain, weather, and landscape of Antarctica have provided stark evidence of the impact of global warming, a report on a polar expedition has revealed. The preliminary report on the research by scientists from the Australian Antarctic Division and the Woods Hole […]

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