Forests dying of thirst globally

By JUSTIN GILLIS12 December 2011 Scientists trying to understand the future of forests on a warming planet have a strange problem: They do not know how to kill trees. I don’t mean the trees in their backyards. I would bet that the average climate scientist, especially one who studies forests, is better with a chain […]

Graph of the Day: Projected Change in Consecutive Dry Days, 2046-2100

Projected annual changes in dryness assessed from change in annual maximum number of consecutive dry days (CDD, days with precipitation <1 mm). Increased dryness is indicated with yellow to red colors; decreased dryness with green to blue. Projected changes are expressed in units of standard deviation of the interannual variability in the three 20-year periods […]

20 most popular stories of 2011

It’s time for the yearly retrospectives on 2011, and we’re kicking them off with 2011’s most-viewed stories on Desdemona. It won’t surprise anyone to see that the triple meltdown at the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant was the most popular event, with 9 of the top 20 stories. Most surprising is the continued popularity of a 2009 […]

2011 saw record number of high-cost weather disasters in U.S.

By Mara Lee, Hartford Courant 8 December 2011 Reporting from Hartford, Conn.— The United States had a dozen weather disasters that each caused at least $1 billion in damages in 2011, the greatest frequency of severe weather that caused costly losses in more than 30 years of federal government tracking. However, even with the number […]

From Cairo to the Cape, climate change takes hold of Africa – ‘A new and harsh reality’

By John Vidal, environment editor, www.guardian.co.uk  1 December 2011 We are right on the equator, and Speke, Moebius, Elena, Savoia, and Moore, the five great glaciers of the the Rwenzori, the Mountains of the Moon, glint in the bright Ugandan sun. Usually lost in the mists that cloak these peaks up to 5,100 metres high, […]

IPCC releases special report for managing the risks of extreme climate events

Kampala, November 18 (IPCC) – The Summary for Policymakers of the Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation (SREX) was approved today by member governments of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The Summary for Policymakers of the SREX is available at http://ipcc-wg2.gov/SREX and www.ipcc.ch. […]

As world population hits 7 billion, megacities pose growing risks

By Lord Julian Hunt and Professor Yuguo Li Oct 31, 2011 08:41 EDT The world population has officially reached seven billion, according to the UN.  This historic landmark reminds us of the massive challenges, including here in Europe, created by an ever-increasing number of humans on the planet. Growing populations are also driving another mega […]

Life in drought: Parched Texas town seeks emergency fix – Remaining water ‘tastes ugly and it stinks’

By Kiah Collier; Editing by Corrie MacLaggan and Greg McCune29 October 2011 ROBERT LEE, Texas (Reuters) – No one drinks the tap water, which is unbearably briny as the lake dries up. After one of the hottest summers on record, the lake that is the lone water supply and main recreational draw in this tiny […]

Al Gore: Recent weather proves climate crisis

BY TINA LAM, DETROIT FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER14 October 2011  Reacting to a cool-off in concern over global warming, former Vice President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore was unbowed and unrepentant in blaming recent storms, droughts and wildfires on climate change. Gore, speaking Thursday in Detroit, reeled off statistics about huge downpours in […]

Texans face billions in water works bills as drought saps economy

By David Mildenberg and Whitney McFerron 13 October 2011 Allan Ritter pushed a bill to make 25 million Texans pay an extra $3.25 a year to help provide water for decades. Then, with a record drought devastating farms and ranches, the state representative’s party leaders waded in. “We couldn’t get the votes,” said the Republican […]

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