U.S. insurance companies vulnerable to extreme weather, changing climate – 2012 drought expected to cost $20 billion

Contact: Peyton Fleming, fleming@ceres.org, 617-247-0700 x 120, 617-733-666020 September 2012 Worsening weather in a warming world poses a growing risk to the financial stability of insurance companies and has broad ramifications for the economy and society, according to a new report. Stormy Future for U.S. Property and Casualty Insurers: The Growing Costs and Risks of […]

Expert highlights survival concerns for Pakistan as climate changes

Islamabad, 22 September 2012 (The International News) – Increasing threats due to negative impacts of climate change are the cause of major survival concerns for Pakistan, particularly in terms of its water security, food security, and energy security considerations. An official of Climate Change Ministry said the government has taken short- and long-term measures that […]

Climate change severely impacting food prices – ‘The U.S. is taking a wrecking ball to the climate convention’

By Jaya Ramachandran, Arab News 16 September 2012 (SRPC) – While there are hardly any signs of substantive and forward-looking agreements being reached at the UN climate change conference from Nov. 26 to Dec. 7, in Doha, latest research cautions that impact of climate change on future food prices is being underestimated. “By the end […]

Arctic sea ice melt ‘may bring harsh winter to Europe’ – ‘We’re in uncharted territory’

By Stephen Leahy, www.guardian.co.uk14 September 2012 Uxbridge, Canada – The record loss of Arctic sea ice this summer may mean a cold winter for the UK and northern Europe. The region has been prone to bad winters after summers with very low sea ice, such as 2011 and 2007, said Jennifer Francis, a researcher at […]

2012 wildfire season likely to break U.S. record for most acres burned

Caption by Adam Voiland19 September 2012 Wildfires have burned throughout the western United States for months. Major blazes first emerged in New Mexico in May, then began to turn up in Colorado and Idaho in large numbers. Most recently, fires have surged in California and Washington. […] The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s […]

Summer drought proves deadly for Colorado bears

18 September 2012 (CBS NEWS) ASPEN, Colorado – Colorado wildlife officials predicted drought conditions this spring indicated a deadly summer for bears. Now it’s known just how bad the year has been, CBS station KCNC reports. Colorado Parks and Wildlife had to kill more than 30 bears this summer after animals foraging for food ventured […]

Report: The Age of Western Wildfires

18 September 2012 (Climate Central) – The 2012 wildfire season isn’t over yet, but already this year is shaping up to be the one of the worst on record in the American West. According to the National Interagency Fire Center, with nearly two months still to go in the fire season, the total area already […]

Struggling with drought, Texas town removes police chief, librarian

By Marques G. Harper   14 September 2012 JONESTOWN – Struggling with the economic effects of a two-year drought, Jonestown has shed its police chief and head librarian. With revenue down — fees from boat launches and building permits have dropped significantly, officials have said — the Lake Travis community’s City Council late Thursday unanimously approved […]

Food security effects of climate change will be felt in 10 years

Contact: Esther Harward, Press Officer, University of Leeds, +44 113 343 4196, e.harward@leeds.ac.uk 12 September 12 Research released today shows that within the next 10 years large parts of Asia can expect increased risk of more severe droughts, which will impact regional and possibly even global food security. The report, led by the University of […]

Georgia governor declines to declare drought

By Neela Banerjee16 September 2012 FAYETTEVILLE, Georgia (Los Angeles Times) – In this southern suburb of Atlanta, the lawns skirting the million-dollar homes are lush, and the swimming pools full. But farther south, the Flint River has thinned into mud flats at a time of year when surges of white water would normally be crashing […]

Social media & sharing icons powered by UltimatelySocial