Graph of the Day: Total number of disasters and losses worldwide, 1980-2012

18 November 2013 (World Bank) – Since the 1980s, there has been an upward trend in disaster losses. During the 1980–2012 period, estimated total reported losses due to disasters amounted to US$3.8 trillion. Weather-related or hydro-meteorological disasters accounted for 74% (US$2.6 tril- lion) of total reported losses, 87% (18,200) of total disasters, and 61% (1.4 […]

‘Whole world’ at risk from simultaneous droughts, famines, epidemics: scientists

By Nafeez Ahmed17 December 2013 (The Guardian) – An international scientific research project known as the Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project (ISI-MIP), run by 30 teams from 12 countries, has attempted to understand the severity and scale of global impacts of climate change. The project compares model projections on water scarcity, crop yields, disease, floods […]

California enters third consecutive dry winter, statewide drought worst on record – ‘Lack of rain and snow this winter could bring catastrophic losses to California agriculture’

By Kiley Kroh27 December 2013 (Center for American Progress) – As California enters its third consecutive dry winter, with no sign of moisture on the horizon, fears are growing over increased wildfire activity, agricultural losses and additional stress placed on already strained water supplies. The city of Los Angeles has received only 3.6 inches of […]

U.S. military wraps climate change response into master plans – ‘We are going to integrate climate change considerations into the normal processes, the day-to-day jobs of everybody’

By Cheryl Pellerin26 November 2013 WASHINGTON (American Forces Press Service) – The effects of climate change are already evident at Defense Department installations in the United States and overseas, and DOD expects climate change to challenge its ability to fulfill its mission in the future, according to the first DOD Climate Change Adaptation Roadmap [pdf]. […]

Locals marvel and worry at the ‘snow shortage’ in Siberia – ‘I cannot believe my eyes. This doesn’t happen.’

By Anna Liesowska17 December 2013 (Siberian Times) – We highlight December images taken in recent days in two Siberian cities Krasnoyarsk and Barnaul showing scenes that locals insist are unprecedented in living memory. The startling pictures from Krasnoyarsk show an almost total absence of snow yet as every school child around the world knows, snow […]

Australia Climate Council warns on big and frequent bushfires

By Matt Johnston9 December 2013 (Herald Sun) – Victorians should prepare for more intense bushfires to flare up more often, a report on climate change warns.  The Climate Council, which was the government funded Climate Commission before Prime Minister Tony Abbott removed it from the public purse, will release its report into bushfire risks today. […]

Arctic thaw tied to European, U.S. heatwaves and downpours: study

By Environment Correspondent Alister Doyle8 Dec 2013 OSLO (Reuters) – A thaw of Arctic ice and snow is linked to worsening summer heatwaves and downpours thousands of miles south in Europe, the United States and other areas, underlying the scale of the threat posed by global warming, scientists said on Sunday. Their report, which was […]

Rising temperatures challenge Salt Lake City’s water supply – Every degree Fahrenheit means an average decrease of 3.8 percent in annual water flow

1 November 2013 (CIRES) – In an example of the challenges water-strapped Western cities will face in a warming world, new research shows that every degree Fahrenheit of warming in the Salt Lake City region could mean a 1.8 to 6.5 percent drop in the annual flow of streams that provide water to the city. […]

Graph of the Day: Alaska statewide October temperature anomalies, 1918-2013

11 November 2013 (NOAA/NCDC) – The Alaska statewide average temperature during October 2013 was 8.8°F above the 1971-2000 average marking its warmest October on record in the 95-year period of record. The previous record warm October occurred in 1925, when the temperature was 7.7°F above average. Locally, the Fairbanks average October temperature of 36.1°F was […]

Dust, global warming portend dry future for the Colorado River – Rocky Mountain snowpack melts six weeks earlier than in the 1800s

14 November 2013 (CIRES) –  Reducing the amount of desert dust swept onto snowy Rocky Mountain peaks could help Western water managers deal with the challenges of a warmer future, according to a new study led by researchers at NOAA’s Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado Boulder. With […]

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