UN report shows climate change causing “dramatic rise” in economic losses – “The next one that is going to hit us with an explosion is heatwaves”

10 October 2018 (UN News) – Climate-related and geophysical disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis have killed 1.3 million people over the last 20 years and left a further 4.4 billion injured, homeless or in need of emergency assistance, UN experts said on Wednesday.The findings [pdf], published by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction […]

Did Kerala’s dams exacerbate India’s once-in-century floods?

By Euan Rocha, Rajendra Jadhav, and Promit Mukherjee; Editing by Alex Richardson 10 October 2018 KOCHI/MUMBAI (Reuters) – Joby Pathrose, a farmer living a kilometre away from the usually languid Periyar river in southern India, was woken in the night by the sound of rushing waters. Hours later his plantations and everything he owned were […]

“Hyperalarming” study shows massive loss of insect populations and corresponding declines in lizards, frogs, and birds – “Everything is dropping”

By Ben Guarino 15 October 2018 (The Washington Post) – Insects around the world are in a crisis, according to a small but growing number of long-term studies showing dramatic declines in invertebrate populations. A new report suggests that the problem is more widespread than scientists realized. Huge numbers of bugs have been lost in […]

Video: Bridge collapse in historic Texas flood

By Jason Samenow 16 October 2018 (The Washington Post) – As a powerful cold front charged through Texas from Monday into Tuesday, a deluge unfolded in the middle of the state. More than a foot of rain has fallen in some areas, resulting in severe flooding.In Kingsland, about 60 miles northwest of Austin, a bridge […]

Beetle damage skyrockets to nearly a million acres in Southcentral Alaska – “This may just be the beginning”

By Zaz Hollander 1 October 2018 PALMER (Anchorage Daily News) – A beetle infestation already decimating Susitna Valley spruce trees worsened sharply this summer. Spruce beetles killed trees across nearly 558,000 acres of forest this year and mostly in Mat-Su, according to an update released Monday by the U.S. Forest Service and Alaska Department of […]

Scientists project sharp declines in beer supply due to global warming – “Even modest warming will lead to increases in drought and excessive heat events in barley-growing areas”

IRVINE, California, 15 October 2018 (UCI) – On top of rising sea levels, stronger hurricanes, and worsening wildfires, scientists project that human-caused climate change will result in one of the most dire consequences imaginable: a disruption in the global beer supply.In a study published today in Nature Plants, researchers from the University of California, Irvine […]

News deserts: 1,300 U.S. communities have totally lost local news coverage – “Our sense of community and our trust in democracy at all levels suffer when journalism is lost or diminished”

By Tom Stites 15 October 2018 (Poynter) – It’s hardly a secret that news deserts are spreading, but just how bad is it?A comprehensive new study released today by the University of North Carolina’s School of Media and Journalism shows that far more U.S. communities have totally lost news coverage — more than 1,300 — […]

Huge reduction in meat-eating essential to avoid climate breakdown – “Feeding a world population of 10 billion is possible, but only if we change the way we eat and the way we produce food”

By Damian Carrington 10 October 2018 (The Guardian) – Huge reductions in meat-eating are essential to avoid dangerous climate change, according to the most comprehensive analysis yet of the food system’s impact on the environment [pdf]. In western countries, beef consumption needs to fall by 90 percent and be replaced by five times more beans […]

World Economic Outlook, October 2018

14 October 2018 (Desdemona Despair) – On Monday, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) released its semi-annual World Economic Outlook report for 2018. Twice a year, Des looks forward to browsing this hefty document for the latest financial and energy data, and this year’s report, Challenges to Steady Growth, has lots of good stuff. Here are […]

Dangerous rapidly intensifying landfalling hurricanes like Michael and Harvey may become more common in a warmer world

Dr. Jeff Masters 12 October 2018 (Weather Underground) – As Hurricane Michael sped northward on 9 October 2018 toward a catastrophic landfall on Florida’s Panhandle, the mighty hurricane put on an phenomenal display of rapid intensification. Michael’s winds increased by 45 mph in the final 24 hours before landfall, taking it from a Category 2 […]

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