By Claire Asher 28 February 2018 (Mongabay) – The scale of hydroelectric development in the Andean Amazon is far more extensive than previously thought, with numerous headwater dams fragmenting river habitats, disrupting natural systems, and affecting the lives and livelihoods of 30 million downstream Amazon basin inhabitants, according to a new study published in Science […]
By Bob Henson 5 March 2018 (Weather Underground) – The rugged coast of New England has never recorded a one-two high-water punch like it’s gotten this winter with the nor’easters dubbed Grayson (4 January 2018) and Riley (2-3 March 2018). These storms produced two of the three highest water levels ever measured in Boston Harbor, […]
By Ed Crooks 3 February 2018 NEW YORK (Financial Times) – ExxonMobil, the largest US energy group, has said it believes there is little risk that it will not be able to produce all of its proved oil and gas reserves, even in a world where government policies are set to limit the threat of […]
By Rinchen Norbu Wangchuk 1 March 2018 (The Better India) – Even though the month of March has just begun, parts of this country are already experiencing a taste of what promises to be a scorching summer. On Wednesday, the Indian Meteorological Department warned the districts of Raigad, Ratnagiri, and Mumbai in Maharashtra that the […]
6 March 2018 (Associated Press) – The Arctic winter has ended with more news that is worrying even the scientists who watch the effects of climate change closely.The region experienced its warmest winter on record. Sea ice hit record lows for the time of year, new US weather data revealed on Tuesday.“It’s just crazy, crazy […]
5 March 2018 (UN) – Increased hunger and food insecurity, fuelled by conflict and climatic challenges, continues to inflict suffering on populations in different parts of the world, forcing them to remain dependent on humanitarian assistance, a new United Nations report has warned.According to the Crop Prospects and Food Situation report, issued Monday by the […]
By Jean Twenge 4 March 2018 (IFLS) – Around 2012, something started going wrong in the lives of teens.In just the five years between 2010 and 2015, the number of U.S. teens who felt useless and joyless – classic symptoms of depression – surged 33 percent in large national surveys. Teen suicide attempts increased 23 […]
By Kat Kerlin 2 March 2018 (UC Davis) – Spring is arriving earlier, but how much earlier? The answer depends on where on Earth you find yourself, according to a study led by the University of California, Davis.The study, published in Nature’s online journal Scientific Reports, found that for every 10 degrees north from the […]
18 December 2017 (World Bank) – The majority of the world’s countries are governed by democratic regimes. Elections are one of the most well-established mechanisms available to citizens to strengthen accountability and responsiveness to their demands. The 2017 World Development Report on Governance finds that although they have become the most common mechanism to elect […]
By Alistair Gray 28 February 2018 NEW YORK (Financial Times) – Overdue US credit card debt has reached a seven-year high, underlining the difficulties faced by many consumers in spite of the strong performance of the economy.Banking sector data show consumers were at least three months behind repayments or considered otherwise distressed on $11.9 billion […]