Washington State first in U.S. to plan for a more acidic ocean

By Kieran Mulvaney 3 December 2012 Washington State has become the first in the nation to set out an action plan for addressing ocean acidification. The plan follows publication of a report by a Blue Ribbon Panel established by outgoing Governor Christine Gregoire back in March. Ocean acidification is a result of seawater absorbing approximately […]

Carbon pollution up to 2 million pounds a second

By SETH BORENSTEIN AP Science Writer2 December 2012 WASHINGTON (AP) – The amount of heat-trapping pollution the world spewed rose again last year by 3 percent. So scientists say it’s now unlikely that global warming can be limited to a couple degrees, which is an international goal. The overwhelming majority of the increase was from […]

Nearly 15 million U.S. households on food stamps

By Tami Luhby28 November 2012 NEW YORK (CNNMoney) – The number of American households receiving food stamps jumped nearly 10% in 2011. Nearly 15 million households were on food stamps at some point last year, up from 13.6 million in 2010, newly released Census data shows. That’s an increase to 13%, up from 11.9% in […]

Is there enough water for ‘fracking’ boom?

By Spencer Hunt   27 November 2012 CARROLLTON, Ohio (The Columbus Dispatch) – A deep, constant hum emanates from John and Elizabeth Neider’s dairy and sheep farm. Depending on whom you ask, it’s either the sound of progress or a harbinger of environmental disaster. The hum is created by a cluster of powerful pumps forcing millions […]

UN climate scientist: Sandy no coincidence

By KARL RITTER, with contributions from AP Environment Writer Michael Casey27 November 2012 DOHA, Qatar (AP) – Though it’s tricky to link a single weather event to climate change, Hurricane Sandy was “probably not a coincidence” but an example of the extreme weather events that are likely to strike the U.S. more often as the […]

As Great Lakes plummet, towns try to save harbors

By JOHN FLESHER, AP Environmental Writer 27 November 2012 ONEKAMA, Michigan (AP) – For more than a century, easy access to Lake Michigan has made Onekama a popular place for summer visitors and a refuge for boaters fleeing dangerous storms. Now the community itself needs a rescue, from slumping lake levels that threaten its precious […]

Outcry grows as Canada government undermines climate science – ‘We’re hemorrhaging scientists here’

By Katherine Bagley27 November 2012 (InsideClimate News) – The government of Canada’s official position on climate change is that it’s real and requires an “aggressive” response. Despite that, Canada’s ruling Conservative Party government has been leading a slow and systematic unraveling of environmental and climate research budgets, according to local scientists—including shuttering one of the […]

Drought-parched Mississippi River is halting barges

By Alan Bjerga27 November 2012 (Bloomberg) – Mississippi River barge traffic is slowing as the worst drought in five decades combines with a seasonal dry period to push water levels to a near-record low, prompting shippers to seek alternatives. River vessels are cutting loads on the nation’s busiest waterway while railroads sign up new business […]

Image of the Day: Satellite view of dust storm on the Kansas-Colorado border, 10 November 2012

Caption by Michon Scott10 November 2012 A dust storm blew across the Kansas-Colorado border on 10 November 2012, as the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this natural-color image. The dust storm occurred along the Arkansas River, which flows roughly eastward from the Rocky Mountains toward the Mississippi River. The dust […]

UN talks seen falling short despite climate change fears – ‘Ambition is very low’

By Alister Doyle and Regan Doherty26 November 2012 DOHA (Reuters) – Despite mounting alarm about climate change, almost 200 nations meeting in Doha from Monday are likely to pay little more than lip service to the need to rein in rising greenhouse gas emissions. A likely failure to agree a meaningful extension of the U.N.’s […]

Social media & sharing icons powered by UltimatelySocial