Colorado floods likely to incur economic cost greater than $2 billion

19 September 2013 (EQECAT) – Colorado floods in September 2013 are expected to cause economic damages greater than $2 billion. Heavy rains, flash floods, and mudslides impacted some of the most populous counties. Flooding has resulted in multiple fatalities with an estimated 1,500 homes destroyed, and thousands more damaged in over 17 counties. Most of […]

Big business funds effort to discredit climate science, warns UN official – ‘Vested interests are paying for the discrediting of scientists all the time’

Fiona Harvey and Graham Readfern 20 September 2013 (The Guardian) – Big companies are paying contrarians to undermine the work of climate scientists, according to a top UN official speaking before the release of a landmark review of climate science this week by international researchers next Friday. Halldór Thorgeirsson, a director who reports to the […]

Typhoon Usagi hits southern China, killing at least 25 – ‘Usagi has devastated the eastern part of Guangdong’

23 September 2013 (CNN) – At least 25 people have died after Typhoon Usagi slammed into the coast of southern China, state media reported Monday. Bringing strong winds and heavy rain, Usagi forced the relocation of hundreds of thousands of people, the cancellation of hundreds of flights and the closing of a major shipping lane. […]

Arctic on course for ice-free summer ‘within decades’, scientists say – ‘There is very little thick multi-year ice left covering these great areas’

By Suzanne Goldenberg, US environment correspondent  20 September 2013 (theguardian.com) – The Arctic is on course for an ice-free summer within the next few decades, as scientists on Friday declared that sea ice in the region had fallen to one of the lowest annual minimums on record. On 13 September, the expanse of frozen water […]

Norway abandons Mongstad carbon capture plans – ‘The development of technologies to capture and store CO2 has taken longer, been more difficult and more costly than expected’

20 September 2013 (BBC News) – The outgoing government in Norway has buried much-vaunted plans to capture carbon dioxide and store it underground amid mounting costs and delays. The oil and energy ministry said the development of full-scale carbon dioxide capture at Mongstad oil refinery had been discontinued. It said it remained committed to research […]

China battens down the hatches, crosses fingers as Typhoon Usagi strikes – Hong Kong officials warn residents of ‘astronomically’ high tides and storm surge

By Kenneth Rapoza 21 September 2013 (Forbes) – It’s 08:30 in southeast China. And people from Hong Kong to Shenzhen are bracing for what will likely go down as the strongest storm of 2013. Typhoon Usagi, called a “monster super storm” by the Washington Post, and the “hell storm” by the Drudge Report is already […]

Graph of the Day: Harp seal strandings and sea ice decline, 1991-2010

ABSTRACT: The effects of climate change on high latitude regions are becoming increasingly evident, particularly in the rapid decline of sea ice cover in the Arctic. Many high latitude species dependent on sea ice are being forced to adapt to changing habitats. Harp seals (Pagophilus groenlandicus) are an indicator species for changing high-latitude ecosystems. This […]

More than 100 killed in Mexico landslides, flooding – Heavy rain drenched two-thirds of the country over the last week

ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) – With a low, rumbling roar, an arc of dirt, rock and mud swept down the hillside in the remote mountain village of La Pintada, sweeping houses in its path, burying half the hamlet and leaving 58 people missing in its mad race to the river bed below. It was the biggest […]

United Nations climate report will not sway U.S. deniers

21 September 2013 (AFP) – The upcoming UN report on climate change is not likely to rattle US deniers of global warming who hold sway in the halls of power, experts say. A hefty analysis of the latest science on global climate change, the report is packed with recommendations for policymakers. It will be released […]

Video: Russian guards ‘storm Greenpeace ship’ protesting Arctic drilling platform – Thirty activists held in ‘illegal boarding of a peaceful protest ship’

Petition: Tell Russia to Release Greenpeace Activists 20 September 2013 (Channel 4 News) – Russian officials with guns storm a Greenpeace ship protesting oil drilling in Russia’s Arctic waters. Thirty activists, including six Britons, are still being held, the environmental group says. The Arctic Sunrise crew were placed under armed guard at 7pm on Thursday […]

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