Bangkok heatwave stokes debate over mega-city planning as climate warms

By Amy Sawitta Lefevre, with additional reporting by Enrico Dela Cruz and Manuel Mogato in Manila, David Fogarty in Singapore and Stuart Grudgings in Kuala Lumpur; Editing by Alan Raybould and Jeremy Laurence4 May 2012 BANGKOK (Reuters) – Five months after the worst floods in half a century, the Thai capital is facing a heat […]

You’d be lucky to see one: Koala listed as ‘vulnerable’ by Australia government

By Saffron Howden1 May 2012 IN THE absence of any exact figure, Gunnedah’s koala population is best measured by the number spotted on the three kilometre drive from town to the local sanctuary. Five years ago, three or four sightings were not uncommon. Now, ”you’d be lucky” to see one, says Nancy Small, who has […]

Drought forecast for U.S. Southwest and California ‘not optimistic’

By Miguel Llanos, msnbc.com19 April 2012 Most of the Southwest as well as parts of California and the Southeast can expect drought conditions to worsen through July, federal forecasters said Thursday. “Overall, the current Drought Outlook is not optimistic,” the National Weather Service said in summarizing its forecast. Besides affecting farmers and ranchers, drought means […]

A glance at fire season prospects for U.S. West – ‘Fire season is just about year-round now’

By The Associated Press12 April 2012 A state-by-state look at 2012 fire season prospects for the West: ARIZONA—Arizona had its worst fire in history in 2011, the Wallow Fire that charred more than 840 square miles in the state and parts of New Mexico. State officials say the strong winds that fanned the fire will […]

Western U.S. prepares for dangerous fire season – ‘Millions of acres could burn’

By REMA RAHMAN, Associated Press, with AP writers Todd Dvorak in Boise, Idaho, Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, N.M., Robert Jablon in Los Angeles, Felicia Fonseca in Flagstaff, Ariz., Matt Volz in Helena, Mont., Paul Foy in Salt Lake City, Jeff Barnard in Grants Pass, Ore., Ken Ritter in Las Vegas, Jennifer Kelleher in Honolulu […]

Colorado entering worst drought in 250 years – Water supplies for fire suppression to get priority

By Lauren Glendenning, lglendenning@vaildaily.com, Vail, Colorado13 April 2012 EAGLE COUNTY, Colorado – The Eagle River basin is melting four to eight weeks earlier than normal this year because of below average snowfall, warm spring temperatures and wind, according to the Eagle River Water and Sanitation District, presenting what could be the worst water supply year […]

Drought expands throughout U.S.

By Doyle Rice, USA TODAY13 April 2012 The USA hasn’t been this dry in almost five years. Still reeling from last year’s devastating drought that led to at least $10 billion in agricultural losses across Texas and the South, the nation is enduring another unusually parched year. A mostly dry, mild winter has put nearly […]

U.S. releases draft strategy for responding to climate change impacts

Contact: David T. Eisenhauer (FWS), 703-358-2284      John Ewald (NOAA), 202-482-3978      Laura MacLean (AFWA), 202-624-7744      19 January 2012 WASHINGTON – In partnership with state, tribal, and federal agency partners, the Obama Administration today released the first draft national strategy to help decision makers and resource managers prepare for and help reduce the impacts of climate change […]

Portraits of the U.S. Southwest in the shadow of drought

By CORNELIA DEAN26 December 2011 The intense, deep blue skies of the American Southwest, skies that have drawn painters and photographers for a century or more, are a product of the region’s extremely dry air. Yet here’s another interesting fact: Though we think of the Southwest as dry — and it is dry — its […]

Frankincense trees in steep decline

December 21 (AFP) – Ecologists have warned production of frankincense, one of the three gifts the Wise Men gave to the baby Jesus in a key part of the Nativity story celebrated at Christmas, is in dramatic decline. A research team from the Netherlands and Ethiopia says a new study has shown numbers of the […]

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