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 […]

Trump administration shelves plan to rescue aging coal and nuclear plants

By Eric Wolff and Darius Dixon 15 October 2018 (Politico) – One of the Trump administration’s major efforts to prop up ailing coal companies has run aground in the White House, a setback to an industry that had hoped for a major resurgence after Donald Trump won the presidency. Energy Secretary Rick Perry has spent […]

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 — […]

Image of the Day: Satellite view of power failures in Panama City, Florida after Hurricane Michael

By Mike Carlowicz 16 October 2018 (NASA) – After making landfall as a category 4 storm on 10 October 2018, Hurricane Michael knocked out power for at least 2.5 million customers in the southeastern United States, according to the Edison Electric Institute. These images of nighttime lights in Florida, Georgia, and Alabama come from the […]

Trump threatens to cut U.S. aid to Honduras over new immigrant caravan of 3,000 people

By John Wagner 16 October 2018 (The Washington Post) – President Trump on Tuesday offered a fresh threat to cut off aid to Honduras if a large caravan of migrants continues heading toward the United States. “The United States has strongly informed the President of Honduras that if the large Caravan of people heading to […]

Trump EPA disbands science panel on air pollution

11 October 2018 (Silencing Science Tracker) – On 11 October 2018, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) disbanded the particulate matter (PM) review panel. In the past, the panel has provided advice to EPA’s Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC), which is responsible for reviewing the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for criteria pollutants. Under […]

Hurricane Michael failed to end Florida’s red tide – “The factors that contributed to red tide outweighed the ones that would reduce it”

By Jennifer Kay 15 October 2018 MIAMI BEACH, Florida (Associated Press) – Hurricane Michael failed to break up a patchy and toxic algae bloom that has lingered in the Gulf of Mexico off Florida’s shoreline for the last year, experts said Monday, meaning the red tide outbreak could continue to cause problems in the weeks […]

Trump says climate change not a hoax, but denies lasting impact – “It’ll change back”

By Emily Holden 15 October 2018 (The Guardian) – Donald Trump has reiterated his doubts about climate change, suggesting that the climate could “change back again,” and that climate scientists are politically motivated. The US president has long questioned man-made global warming. In an interview with CBS programme 60 Minutes that aired Sunday night, he […]

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 […]

Here’s why hurricanes are rapidly exploding in strength

By Chris Mooney 11 October 2018 (The Washington Post) – The unforgettable thing about record-setting Hurricane Michael will always be how rapidly it became a near-Category 5 storm, perfectly timed for a sneak attack on the Florida Panhandle.On Tuesday morning, Floridians knew a storm was coming but not how strong it would be. As of […]

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