Cumulative groundwater depletion in the United States and major aquifer systems or categories, 1900 through 2008. Graphic: USGS / Konikow, 2011 In addition to widely recognized adverse environmental effects of groundwater depletion, the depletion also impacts communities dependent on groundwater resources in that the continuation of depletion at observed rates makes the water supply unsustainable […]
By Marlene Cimons14 June 2013 (LiveScience) – Drought has beset the Earth since before farming began. In developing nations, it brings suffering and death. In wealthier countries like the United States, it brings economic devastation when crops wither and die, and forests burn. The United States continues to feel the aftereffects of the 2012 drought […]
First of a two-part package on adapting to climate change. Tomorrow: Snapshots of what cities are doing around the world. By Seth Borenstein, with contributions from Karl A. Ritter in Bonn, Germany, Jennifer Peltz in New York, and Tony Winton in Miami 15 June 2013 WASHINGTON (AP) – Efforts to curb global warming have quietly […]
By Gareth Carpenter; Edited by James Leech12 June 2013 London (Platts) – Coal remained the world’s fastest-growing fossil fuel in 2012, despite the rate of consumption slipping below the 10-year average of 4.4% during the year, according to the BP 2013 Statistical Review of World Energy released Wednesday. Total global coal consumption in 2012 rose […]
By Paul McLeary31 May 2013 (Defense News) – In the latest installment of the defense industry and their Congressional representatives rallying to save DoD acquisition programs that directly affect their district/state/business, EADS North America and American Eurocopter held a rally on Thursday in Columbus, Mississippi to try and “save” the UH-72A Lakota helicopter program. In […]
By Jenny Deam13 June 2013 COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (Los Angeles Times) – The Black Forest wildfire, still raging out of control, became deadly with the grim discovery Thursday of two people killed while apparently trying to flee their home. El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa said the victims were found about 2 p.m. in their […]
[But see: China greenhouse gas cuts: Who is fooling who when it comes to combating climate change?] RANCHO MIRAGE, 8 June 2013 (AFP) – The United States and China agreed to mount a joint effort to combat climate change Saturday, committing to work to cut hydrofluorocarbons (HFC), or “super greenhouse” gases. In a statement issued […]
By Jennifer Peltz, with additional writing by Meghan Barr10 June 2013 NEW YORK (Associated Press) – By the 2050s, more than 800,000 New York City residents could be living in a flood zone that would cover a quarter of the city’s land and New Yorkers could sweat out as many 90-degree days as is now […]
10 June 2013 (Deutsche Welle) – The International Energy Agency (IEA) says the world’s carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel usage have risen to a record level. It warns that despite increased renewables usage climate change will “not go away.” Global carbon dioxide emissions hit a new record in 2012, standing at 31.6 billion tons, […]
By Nathanael Johnson7 Jun 2013 (Grist) – Even the farmers who think climate change is a hoax have to adapt to it. Agriculture depends profoundly on the weather, and yesterday Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced a suite of new government programs to help farmers adjust to a more extreme climate. “The bottom line is […]
