|
Real Estate Climate News | Places at Climate Risk | Climate Appraisal Services News | Press Reports
Recent Climate Change News - Phenomena & Environmental News
Climate Change News Connection to ClimateAppraisal.com
July 28, 2010
California: Firefighters gained ground Wednesday against the most destructive of two big wildfires that have burned dozens of homes and forced 2,300 people to evacuate mountain communities on the edge of the Mojave Desert and in the southern Sierra Nevada.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100728/ap_on_re_us/us_california_wildfires
July 27, 2010
Washington: It could take days to restore power to hundreds of thousands of people around Washington after a storm downed power lines and trees and left four people dead, officials said. The storm brought cooler weather to the Mid-Atlantic region, which has been through a nearly two-week heat wave.
http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/storms-in-washington-dc-area-kill-2-leave-power-outages/19568242
July 26, 2010
Nevada: Climate change has caused big changes in wildlife fire behavior over the past decade, natural resource officials said.
http://www.kcra.com/news/24395506/detail.html
July 26, 2010
Chicago: Floodwaters covering the Chicago area were receding, as damages surfaced and communities began the clean-up process. Ten towns in Cook County have declared their communities as disaster areas.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/07/25/chicago.area.floods/index.html?section=cnn_latest
July 25, 2010
Mid-Atlantic: Another wave of oppressive heat clamped down on a broad swath of Eastern states, with temperatures in the high 90s and 100s. In the Mid-Atlantic, already the locus for brutal temperatures several times in July, weather experts warned of the dangerous conditions.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_hot_weather
July 23, 2010
Baltic Sea: A heat wave searing the Baltic region has warmed the usually frigid waters of the Baltic Sea to temperatures usually seen in more tropical climes, experts said.
http://www.physorg.com/news199110844.html
July 23, 2010
California: Warming climate means harsher smog season for California.
http://www.physorg.com/news199107947.html
July 21, 2010
NOAA: The US NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) posted its State of the Climate, Global Analysis for June. The report said that June was the fourth consecutive month that was the warmest on record for the combined global land and surface temperatures (March, April, and May were also the warmest).“This was the 304th consecutive month with a combined global land and surface temperature above the 20th century average.” – says the report.
http://liberalconspiracy.org/2010/07/21/2010-already-hottest-ever-for-9-countries-across-the-world/
July 21, 2010
London: Britain's coasts have become cleaner but sea levels and temperatures are rising due to climate change, a government report said. The five-year study by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) examined how climate change has affected sea levels and temperatures, species in the sea and pollution.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE66K3AA20100721?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29
July 13, 2010
Brazil: A powerful storm destroyed about half a billion trees in the Amazon in 2005, according to a study on Tuesday that shows how the world's forests may be vulnerable to more violent weather caused by climate change.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE66C6LN20100713?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29
June 24, 2010
Connecticut: Bridgeport and Stratford were under a state of emergency after a powerful line of thunderstorms with tornado-like winds collapsed nine buildings, downed trees, snapped power lines and flipped over a tractor-trailer.
http://www.greenwichtime.com/news/article/Possible-tornado-wallops-Bridgeport-region-535832.php
June 22, 2010
Arizona: Authorities say an abandoned campfire is likely to have caused the raging "Schultz" wildfire near Flagstaff, the largest of three fires burning in northern Arizona. The fire has affected at least 10,000 acres of land and forced hundreds of home evacuations.
http://itn.co.uk/469bf44e915daa5574db888fbc23ab0c.html
June 20, 2010
Antarctica: The discovery of an underwater ridge in West Antarctica could help explain why there has been an acceleration in the ice flowing from a glacier in the area. Researchers suggest that the base of Pine Island Glacier once sat on the ridge, but recently became detached from the feature. Researchers estimate that the accelerating flow of glaciers in West Antarctica is contributing about 10% of the observed rise in the mean global sea level. The glacier is thinning four times faster than it was a decade earlier.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10354118
June 16, 2010
PhysOrg: When the Atlantic Ocean cools, there are droughts in the region, and when the Ocean temperature rises, rain returns to the Sahel region. They also found that during drought periods in the Sahel, the force of hurricanes in the Atlantic drops; and vice versa.
http://www.physorg.com/news195902459.html
June 12, 2010
Arkansas: At least 17 people were killed and dozens more were missing and feared dead as cabins were smashed to smithereens, tents were destroyed and mobile homes and vehicles were swept away. Survivors told how the water hit "like a tsunami".
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/7823733/Arkansas-flood-dozens-missing-after-deadly-flash-floods-hit-US-campsite.html
May 4, 2010
Tennessee: Muddy water poured over the banks of Nashville's swollen Cumberland River, flooding neighborhoods and parts of the historic heart of Music City after a destructive line of weekend storms killed 28 people in Tennessee, Mississippi and Kentucky.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/03/AR2010050304401.html
April 26, 2010
Mississippi: Hundreds of homes were damaged in a tornado, which carved a path of devastation from the Louisiana line to east-central Mississippi, and at least three dozen people were hurt. A National Weather Service meteorologist said the tornado had winds of 160 miles an hour and left a path of destruction at least 50 miles long.
http://enidnews.com/state/x1612552209/Survivor-tales-from-southern-storms-that-killed-12
April 21, 2010
WSI: In its latest tropical update for 2010, WSI (Weather Services International) Corporation now calls for 16 named storms, 9 hurricanes and 5 intense hurricanes (category 3 or greater). The 2010 forecast numbers are well above the long-term (1950-2009) averages of 10 named storms, 6 hurricanes, and 3 intense hurricanes and slightly above the averages from the more active recent 15-year period (1995-2009) of 15/8/4.
http://www.wsicorp.com/c5d448b8-bee5-4336-b2ad-b9ce7f3a5c70/news-scheduled-forecast-release-details.htm
March 31, 2010
New England: Record-breaking rains in the Northeast forced hundreds of people from their homes, knocked out sewage treatment plants, and snarled traffic on major East Coast routes as roads and bridges transformed into a soaked labyrinth of detours and closures. As the rain tapered to a drizzle, forecasters warned the worst of widespread flooding from Maine to New York was still ahead as rivers were yet to crest -- for the second time in a month. In Rhode Island, a coastal state enduring the most severe damage, residents were experiencing the worst flooding in more than 100 years.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Rising-water-forces-apf-3117111699.html?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=5&asset=&ccode=
March 28, 2010
North Carolina: Officials say a handful of people were injured by violent storms that likely spawned tornadoes, ripped the metal roof off at least one building and damaged dozens of homes in central North Carolina. A National Weather Service meteorologist said eyewitnesses spotted several tornadoes between Charlotte and Greensboro.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9EO00JG0&show_article=12
March 21, 2010
North Dakota: The flooded Red River moved within inches of its crest at Fargo, North Dakota, but dikes of earth and sandbags kept the water from causing major damage.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62K12320100321
March 17, 2010
New Jersey: Flooding continues to plague parts of the country, several days after a powerful nor'easter moved out to sea. In parts of New Jersey the flooding was so bad that residents were commuting by boat. Thousands of homes are still without power four days after the storm.
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2010/March/Flooding-Problems-Linger-Throughout-Northeast/
March 7, 2010
Washington: Lower levels of oxygen in the Earth's oceans, particularly off the United States' Pacific Northwest coast, could be another sign of fundamental changes linked to global climate change, scientists say. They warn that the oceans' complex undersea ecosystems and fragile food chains could be disrupted. In some spots off Washington state and Oregon, the almost complete absence of oxygen has left piles of Dungeness crab carcasses littering the ocean floor.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/03/07/89918/growing-low-oxygen-zones-in-oceans.html
March 3, 2010
France: After a wall of ocean water engulfed picturesque towns along France's Atlantic coast, residents, officials and experts are all asking why. Was it due to climate change? A freak storm fueled by hurricane-force winds? The result of human greed over desirable land or bungling actions by government officials? All of the above.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100303/ap_on_sc/climate_france_sea_walls
February 27, 2010
Paris: The ice has retreated so far from the land mass that Charcot Island, which has long been connected to the peninsula by an ice bridge, emerged as a real island again last year, a USGS scientist said. "This is the first time since people have been observing the area, since the 1800s, that that ice shelf has not hitched together Charcot Island and the peninsula," scientist Jane Ferrigno said in a telephone interview. The Antarctic Peninsula extends further northward than the rest of the roughly circular ice-covered continent, and it is warmer than the rest of Antarctica. But even in the peninsula's coldest, southern part, ice shelves are vanishing. Research by the USGS was the first to show that every ice front on the southern section of the peninsula has been retreating from 1947 to 2009, with the most dramatic changes since 1990.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61L5OH20100222?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29
February 26, 2010
Paris: An iceberg the size of Luxembourg knocked loose from the Antarctic continent earlier this month could disrupt the ocean currents driving weather patterns around the globe, researchers said. While the impact would not be felt for decades or longer, a slowdown in the production of colder, dense water could result in less temperate winters in the north Atlantic, they said. The 2,550 square-kilometre (985 square-mile) block broke off on February 12 or 13 from the Mertz Glacier Tongue, a 160-kilometer spit of floating ice protruding into the Southern Ocean from East Antarctica due south of Melbourne, researchers said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100226/sc_afp/climatewarmingglacierantarcticaiceberg\
February 22, 2010
A. Glikson: The release of more than 370 billion tons of carbon (GtC) from buried early biospheres, adding more than one half of the original carbon inventory of the atmosphere (~590 GtC), as well as the depletion of vegetation, have triggered a fundamental shift in the state of the atmosphere [1]. Raising atmospheric CO2 level at a rate of 2 ppm/year, a pace unprecedented in the geological record, with the exception of the effects of CO2 released from craters excavated by large asteroid impacts, the deleterious effects of pollution and deforestation have reached a geological dimension, tracking toward conditions which existed on Earth in the mid-Pliocene, about 2.8 million years ago [2].
http://www.countercurrents.org/glikson220210.htm
February 22, 2010
U.K.: Atmospheric levels of methane, the greenhouse gas which is much more powerful than carbon dioxide, have risen significantly for the last three years running, scientists will disclose today – leading to fears that a major global-warming "feedback" is beginning to kick in.
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/methane-levels-may-see-runaway-rise-scientists-warn-1906484.html
February 22, 2010
AP: Top researchers now agree that the world is likely to get stronger but fewer hurricanes in the future because of global warming, seeming to settle a scientific debate on the subject.
http://www.physorg.com/news186049369.html
February 18, 2010
Missouri: Whether it's never-ending heat waves or winter storms, atmospheric blocking can have a significant impact on local agriculture, business and the environment. Although these stagnant weather patterns are often difficult to predict, University of Missouri researchers are now studying whether increasing planet temperatures and carbon dioxide levels could lead to atmospheric blocking and when this blocking might occur, leading to more accurate forecasts.
http://www.physorg.com/news185719909.html
February 15, 2010
Physorg: The oceans are currently absorbing about a quarter of the CO2 released into the atmosphere, forcing the pH of the surface ocean lower in a process called ‘ocean acidification’. Laboratory experiments suggest that if the pH continues to fall, we may start to see impacts such as the dissolution of carbonate shells of marine organisms, slower growth, muscle wastage, dwarfism or reduced activity, with knock-on effects throughout the ecosystem.
http://www.physorg.com/news185444922.html
February 14, 2010
Greenland: Water warmed by climate change is taking giant bites out of the underbellies of Greenland's glaciers. As much as 75 per cent of the ice lost by the glaciers is melted by ocean warmth. "There's an entrenched view in the public community that glaciers only lose ice when icebergs calve off," says Eric Rignot at the University of California, Irvine. "Our study shows that what's happening beneath the water is just as important."
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18520-greenlands-glaciers-disappearing-from-the-bottom-up.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=climate-change
February 10, 2010
Time: Evidence exists that climate change could in fact make massive snowstorms more common, even as the world continues to warm. As the meteorologist Jeff Masters points out in his excellent blog at Weather Underground, the two major storms that hit Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. - in December and during the first weekend of February - are already among the 10 heaviest snowfalls those cities have ever recorded. The chance of that happening in the same winter is incredibly unlikely....Climate models also suggest that while global warming may not make hurricanes more common, it could well intensify the storms that do occur and make them more destructive.
http://www.ecoearth.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=151095&keybold=
February 6, 2010
Winnipeg: Sea ice in Canada’s fragile Arctic is melting faster than anyone expected, the lead investigator in Canada’s largest climate-change study yet said Friday — raising the possibility that the Arctic could, in a worst-case scenario, be ice-free in about three years.
http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Arctic+vanishing+fast+researcher/2532081/story.html
January 28, 2010
Nature: The number of strong storms in the western Atlantic could double by the end of the century, despite a drop in the overall number of storms, finds new research. Previous studies have hinted at an increase in hurricane intensity, but scientists have now used a modelling approach capable of capturing storms of category-3 or higher intensity, enabling them to simulate twenty-first-century storms realistically.
http://www.nature.com/climate/2010/1002/full/climate.2010.10.html
January 5, 2010
U.K.: British farming is about to get political, as climate change and rising prices mean food security will become a major issue.
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20100105/tbs-climate-change-warning-for-uk-farmer-327c223.html
December 31, 2009
California: The recent dose of foul weather has raised the spirits of California's water lords, but measurements taken Wednesday in the Sierra Nevada show there is still not enough snow to ease drought conditions.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/12/31/MN9S1BAIGD.DTL
December 23, 2009
U.K.: Plants and animals race for survival as climate change creeps across the globe. Lowland tropics, mangroves and deserts at greater risk than mountainous areas as global warming spreads, study finds.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/dec/23/global-warming-spreading-quarter-mile-year
December 18, 2009
California: Carbon dissolving in oceans also forms carbonic acid, raising waters' acidity that damages all manner of hard-shelled creatures, and setting off a chain reaction that threatens the food chain supporting marine life, including the lumbering sea mammals along the 276-mile coast of the California sanctuary and the rest of the U.S. West Coast.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091218/ap_on_bi_ge/climate_blue_carbon
December 14, 2009
Copenhagen: New computer modeling suggests the Arctic Ocean may be nearly ice-free in the summertime as early as 2014, Al Gore said at the U.N. climate conference. This new projection, following several years of dramatic retreat by polar sea ice, suggests that the ice cap may nearly vanish in the summer much sooner than the year 2030, as was forecast by a U.S. government agency eight months ago.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091215/ap_on_sc/climate_gore_13
December 11, 2009
Australia: Australian authorities Friday issued a shipping alert over a gigantic iceberg that is gradually approaching the country's southwest coast. The iceberg has been floating around Antarctica since shearing off the icey continent but had lately begun heading north because of ocean currents and weather conditions. Its discovery comes after two other large icebergs were spotted further east, off Australia's Macquarie Island, followed by more than 100 smaller chunks heading towards New Zealand. Young described the icebergs as uncommon, but said they could become more frequent if sea temperatures rise through global warming.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091211/wl_afp/australiaantarcticaiceberg
December 8, 2010
Iowa: A fierce winter storm hammered more than a dozen states with dangerous ice, heavy snow and vicious winds that threatened to create 15-foot drifts in parts of the Upper Midwest. As much as two-thirds of the country will be affected by the storm by the time it moves off the Maine coast, said Jim Lee, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Des Moines.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091208/ap_on_re_us/us_storm_rdp
December 7, 2009
Washington: The Environmental Protection Agency took a major step Monday toward regulating greenhouses gases, concluding that climate changing pollution threatens the public health and the environment.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_epa_climate;_ylt=AmqLCx49s0S54hBcpL4naLqs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTJmMW9hMzR1BGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMDkxMjA3L3VzX2VwYV9jbGltYXRlBGNwb3MDMQRwb3MDMgRzZWMDeW5fdG9wX3N0b3J5BHNsawNlcGFncmVlbmhvdXM-
December 7, 2009
AP: It dawned with the warmest winter on record in the United States. And when the sun sets this New Year's Eve, the decade of the 2000s will end as the warmest ever on global temperature charts. Warmer still, scientists say, lies ahead.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/decade_s_end_climate
December 3, 2009
AP: With the world losing the battle against global warming so far, experts are warning that humans need to follow nature's example: Adapt or die. That means elevating buildings, making taller and stronger dams and seawalls, rerouting water systems, restricting certain developments, changing farming practices and ultimately moving people, plants and animals out of harm's way.
http://www.theledger.com/article/20091203/news/912035066
November 23, 2009
Australia: More than 100, and possibly hundreds, of Antarctic icebergs are floating towards New Zealand in a rare event which has prompted a shipping warning, officials said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091123/ts_afp/australianzealandantarcticaclimateiceberg
November 16, 2009
Japan: This year's jellyfish swarm is one of the worst he has seen, Hamano said. Once considered a rarity occurring every 40 years, they are now an almost annual occurrence along several thousand kilometers (miles) of Japanese coast, and far beyond Japan. Scientists believe climate change — the warming of oceans — has allowed some of the almost 2,000 jellyfish species to expand their ranges, appear earlier in the year and increase overall numbers, much as warming has helped ticks, bark beetles and other pests to spread to new latitudes.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/climate_09_jellyfish_menace
November 10, 2009
London: World energy consumption will rise rapidly over the next 20 years, pushing up costs and increasing greenhouse gases, unless a deal is reached to curb carbon dioxide emissions, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said.
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE5A91MC20091110?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews
November 10, 2009
Africa: At recent climate change talks in Barcelona, an international conservation organization said "alarming" levels of greenhouse gas emissions are being produced by the continual degradation of Africa's wetlands.
http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-11-10-voa56.cfm
November 8, 2009
Washington: Off the coast of Washington state , mysterious algae mixed with sea foam have killed more than 8,000 seabirds, puzzling scientists. A thousand miles off California , researchers have discovered the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a swirling vortex roughly twice the size of Texas filled with tiny bits of plastic and other debris. Every summer a dead zone of oxygen-depleted water the size of Massachusetts forms in the Gulf of Mexico ; others have been found off Oregon and in the Chesapeake Bay , Lake Erie and the Baltic and Black seas. Some studies indicate that North Pole seawater could turn caustic in 10 years, and that the Southern Ocean already may be saturated with carbon dioxide.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/3350922
November 5, 2009
NOAA: About half of 36 fish stocks in the northwest Atlantic Ocean have shifted north over the last four decades as ocean temperatures have warmed, according to a new U.S. study. Comparing data for dozens of fish stock from 1968 to 2007 — and using ocean temperature records from the same period — researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) found that many species in the waters from Cape Hatteras, N.C., to the Canadian border have shifted northward or migrated farther offshore. Some species have nearly disappeared from U.S. waters altogether.
http://e360.yale.edu/content/digest.msp?id=2134
November 4, 2009
Africa: Papa Hemingway probably didn’t see this coming. When he wrote “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” in the 1930s, Ernest Hemingway described the summit of that African mountain as “wide as all the world, great, high, and unbelievably white in the sun.” It’s still wide, but may not be white much longer, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that says the remaining ice fields atop Kilimanjaro in Tanzania could be gone in 20 years or less, a casualty of climate change.
http://blogs.reuters.com/environment/2009/11/04/the-golden-melting-re-freezing-and-ultimately-disappearing-snows-of-kilimanjaro/
November 1, 2009
U.K.: A quarter of a million children could die next year due to the effects of climate change, children's charity Save the Children has warned. The charity said that the figure could rise to more than 400,000 per year by 2030.
http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/news/content/view/full/82681
October 29, 2009
Canada: The Arctic is warming up three times more quickly than the rest of the Earth.
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE59S3LT20091029?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews
October 27, 2009
Australia: Australian government environmental committee report warns that thousands of miles of coastline are under threat from rising sea levels and suggests banning people from living in vulnerable areas.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/oct/27/rising-sea-levels-australia-beaches
October 27, 2009
Britain: A tale of two Octobers: Our Indian summer temperatures are set to break records this week... but a year ago Britain was blanketed in snow.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1223128/With-dazzling-sunshine-temperatures-soaring-70F-autumn-sees-arrival-UKs-official-Indian-Summer.html
September 24, 2009
Arctic: In the June-August period, the world's ocean surface temperature was the warmest on record since 1880, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The surface temperature was 62.5 F (17 Celsius), 1 degree F (0.6 degrees C) above the 20th century average. Meteorologists say the reason was El Nino weather patterns combined with manmade global warming. The temperature of the water that flows into the Arctic has increased by as much as 3.5 degrees F (2 degrees C) since the 1990s, says Helge Drange, professor of oceanography at Norway's University of Bergen.
http://www.oceanleadership.org/2009/warming-ocean-melts-greenland-glaciers/
September 22, 2009
California: The U.S. Department of Agriculture has declared most of California a drought disaster area because of crop losses, with Orange County among them but considered indirectly affected. The designation covers 50 of California’s 58 counties, and allows farmers suffering losses to receive emergency loans. Twenty-one counties are considered primary disaster areas, with 29 — Orange County among them — listed because they have boundaries adjoining the primary counties. Riverside County, which borders Orange County, is considered a primary disaster area. It is the state’s third consecutive year of drought, and much of California, including Orange County, falls into the U.S. Drought Monitor’s “severe” drought classification.
http://greenoc.freedomblogging.com/2009/09/22/most-of-california-declared-a-drought-disaster/13223/
September 17, 2009
Texas: The U.S. Department of Agriculture is now allowing Texas ranchers plagued by drought and wildfires to apply for much-needed emergency assistance.“This is welcome news for our Texas producers who are suffering from record drought and devastating wildfires,” Commissioner Staples said.
http://www.texasinsider.org/?p=15447
September 1, 2009
California: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today visited the Oak Glen Fire III in San Bernardino County to receive a briefing on the status of firefighting efforts statewide. The Governor also proclaimed a state of emergency in San Bernardino County due to fires that have burned hundreds of acres, forced an entire town to be evacuated, are threatening homes and commercial structures and have sent people to emergency shelters.
http://www.calfires.com/
August 25, 2009
Livescience: Heat waves out West are getting worse as the climate changes, a new study finds. One example: From mid July to early August 2006, a heat wave swept through the southwestern United States. Temperature records were broken at many locations and unusually high humidity levels were recorded.
http://www.livescience.com/environment/090825-heat-waves.html
August 19, 2009
Miami: Hurricane Bill strengthened into a powerful Category 4 storm as it churned far from land with maximum sustained winds near 135 mph.
At 11 a.m. ET, Bill was centered about 380 miles east-northeast of the Leeward Islands, and about 1,080 miles south-southeast of Bermuda, according to the National Hurricane Center.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/weather/08/19/hurricane.bill/index.html?section=cnn_latest
August 19, 2009
Switzerland: Switzerland has expanded its border at Italy's expense because of melting glaciers in the high Alps. The Swiss government approved shifting the border up to 150 meters (164 yards) into Italian territory in some areas.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090819/ap_on_re_eu/eu_switzerland_italy_melting_border
August 17, 2009
Florida: In environmentally and economically challenged Florida, state researchers said that the population has declined for the first time in 63 years.
http://news.aol.com/article/florida-population-drop-is-first-in-63/625955
August 16, 2009
ScienceDaily: The warming of an Arctic current over the last 30 years has triggered the release of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from methane hydrate stored in the sediment beneath the seabed.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090814103231.htm
August 14, 2009
Texas: The drought that's dried up parts of Texas for two years is now the worst in recorded history for the hardest-hit counties. Texas state climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon says at least nine counties in south-central Texas are in their worst drought conditions since modern record-keeping began in 1895.
http://www.kxxv.com/global/story.asp?s=10931351
August 13, 2009
California: Thousands of firefighters battled wildfires across California, including a growing blaze that forced about 2,400 people to evacuate their homes in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The Lockheed Fire had scorched about 2,800 acres, or 4.4 square miles, in Santa Cruz County, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=8319257
August 13, 2009
Antarctica: One of the largest glaciers in Antarctica is thinning four times faster than it was 10 years ago, according to research seen by the BBC. A study of satellite measurements of Pine Island glacier in west Antarctica reveals the surface of the ice is now dropping at a rate of up to 16m a year. Since 1994, the glacier has lowered by as much as 90m, which has serious implications for sea-level rise.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8200680.stm
August 11, 2009
U.N.: Failure to act quickly on climate change could eventually lead to violence and mass unrest as global weather patterns drastically change, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said: "If we fail to act, climate change will intensify droughts, floods and other natural disasters," Ban said at a forum near Seoul that came weeks ahead of his own conference on climate change in September.
http://www.reuters.com/article/asiaCrisis/idUSSEO349082
August 9, 2009
Washington: In a new research, scientists have determined that depletion in the ozone layer is reducing the atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) uptake of the Southern Ocean.
http://www.newkerala.com/nkfullnews-1-88902.html
August 7, 2009
Wyoming: From the vantage point of an 80-foot (25 meter) tower rising above the trees, the Wyoming vista seems idyllic: snow-capped peaks in the distance give way to shimmering green spruce. But this is a forest under siege. Among the green foliage of the healthy spruce are the orange-red needles of the sick and the dead, victims of a beetle infestation closely related to one that has already laid waste to millions of acres (hectares) of pine forest in North America.
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE57300N20090804?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews
August 6, 2009
National Geographic: El Niño conditions over the Pacific Ocean have so far kept a lid on the 2009 hurricane season, experts say.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/08/090806-hurricane-season-2009-forecast.html
August 6, 2009
Alaska: Three major glaciers in Alaska and Washington state have thinned and shrunk dramatically, clear signs of a warming climate, according to a study released by the U.S. Geological Survey.
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE57603W20090807?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews
August 3, 2009
Minnesota: Deer ticks are expanding their range in the Upper Midwest and southern Canada, new ticks are moving into the area and existing ticks are picking up new diseases, increasing the threat of illness to hikers tramping through the region's woods. Minnesota health officials last week reported the state's first death from Rocky Mountain spotted fever, as well as the state's second-ever case of brain inflammation from the Powassan virus — similar to West Nile, but spread by ticks instead of mosquitoes.
http://www.cattlenetwork.com/Global-Warming-Could-Be-To-Blame-For-Tick-Surge/2009-08-03/Article.aspx?oid=822413
August 3, 2009
U.K.: Scientists are piecing together how climate impacts disease, strange patterns are emerging: mosquito outbreaks can follow drought, shorter migrations can make butterflies sick, and more birds (not fewer) can ward off West Nile virus.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/aug/03/climate-change-disease
July 29, 2009
Arctic: Regions of Arctic tundra around the world are heating up very rapidly, releasing more greenhouse gases than predicted and boosting the process of global warming, a leading expert said.
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE56S53E20090729?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews
July 29, 2009
Colorado: The lifeblood of the American west, the Coloradoc river, is running dry under current usage, according to a study from the University of Colorado. Travelling almost 1,500 miles, the river supplies drinking and irrigation water for about 30 million people from Colorado to the Gulf of California. The study looked at how water supplies would be affected by climate fluctuations and water demand. In 2000 reservoirs fed by the river were at 95 per cent of capacity. In 2009 they had dropped to 59 per cent of capacity. If climate change results in a 10 per cent reduction in the Colorado River's average stream flows, as some recent studies predict, the chances of fully depleting reservoir storage will exceed 25 per cent by 2057. If climate change results in a 20 per cent reduction, the chances of fully depleting reservoir storage will exceed 50 per cent by 2057, said the study.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jul/28/network-usa
July 20, 2009
France: Fish in French rivers and the Baltic Sea are getting smaller as their habitats warm up, more evidence that climate change is forcing species from bacteria to sheep to adapt to a hotter planet, a new study said.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601090&sid=aJZZoBNdKIN8
July 17, 2009
NOAA: The world’s ocean temperature in June rose to the warmest since 1880, breaking the previous record set in 2005, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601130&sid=aWiP3jI7Tw_U
July 16, 2009
Montana: "With warmer temperatures and changes to the water cycle, Glacier National Park will be glacier-free by 2030," the sign reads. "These changes will also have consequences for park vegetation, which will migrate up the mountains with temperature and moisture gradients."
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/07/16/tech/cnettechnews/main5166326.shtml
July 14, 2009
Arctic: The biggest glacier in the Arctic is on the verge of losing a chunk of ice the size of Manhattan. A group of scientists and climate change activists who are closely monitoring the Petermann glacier's ice tongue believe the rapid flow of ice is in part due to warm ocean currents moving up along the coast of Greenland, fuelled by global warming.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17465-arctic-glacier-to-lose-manhattansized-tongue.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=climate-change
July 12, 2009
U.K.: Climate scientists have warned of wild weather in the year ahead as the start of the global "El Niño" phenomenon exacerbates the impact of global warming. As well as droughts, floods and other extreme events, the next few years are also likely to be the hottest on record, scientists say.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/12/weather-el-nino-climate-change-environment
June 15, 2009
New Jersey: Blizzard in June - an extreme thunderstorm dumped more than 3 inches of hail on Westwood and nearby communities in central and eastern Bergen County Monday afternoon.
http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/state/new_jersey/20090615_ap_blizzardinjunehailpilesupinnorthernnj.html
June 13, 2009
Texas: Thousands of homes and businesses in North Texas entered the weekend without electricity after extreme storms knocked out power to nearly 500,000 customers.
http://lubbockonline.com/stories/061309/sta_450493765.shtml
June 3, 2009
Connecticut: Three out of four Americans are at risk for some type of natural disaster – such as hurricane, wildfire, earthquake, tornado or flood. The 5.3 million Americans suffering from Alzheimer’s disease are particularly vulnerable.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Spike-In-Severe-Weather-And-bw-15424809.html?.v=1
May 30, 2009
New York City: Depending on its track, a Category 3 storm — with sustained winds of 111 to 130 mph, akin to an infamous 1938 hurricane that swept through nearby Long Island — could produce a storm surge as high as 25 feet in some parts of the city. Officials estimate as many as 600,000 people's homes could be flooded, and 3 million would have to evacuate because of flooding and other perils; economic loss estimates top $100 billion.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090530/ap_on_re_us/us_nyc_sea_barriers
May 30, 2009
Florida: "Long before we run out of land, we'll be running out of water," he said. "Water is a major issue right now."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090530/ap_on_re_us/us_stress_map_sun_belt_sunset
May 27, 2009
Washington: If Greenland's ice melts at moderate to high rates, ocean circulation by 2100 could shift and cause sea levels off the Northeast coast of North America to rise by about 12 to 20 inches more than other coastal areas, researchers report Wednesday in Geophysical Research Letters. "Major northeastern cities are directly in the path of the greatest rise," researcher Aixue Hu of the National Center for Atmospheric Research said.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jaywpkw-M5btCik_RM6v6g4XRpogD98EM9200
May 14, 2009
London: Global warming is the biggest public health threat of the 21st century, eclipsing infectious diseases, water shortages and poverty, a team of medical and climate-change researchers concluded.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601124&sid=aPYpAHibVkE0&refer=home
May 14, 2009
Missouri: Extreme storms and tornadoes tore through four Midwestern states, killing three people in northern Missouri, damaging dozens of homes and leaving thousands without power.
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/tornadoes/2009-05-14-tornadoes-missouri_N.htm?csp=34
May 12, 2009
Indonesia: Rising sea levels that could wipe whole nations off the map and displace scores of millions of people are being overlooked in global climate change talks, island countries reported.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ivR-fccYWyuZDMt8TyEaiWXp8IyQ
May 8, 2009
Mexico City: This is the scenario that has some scientists worried: The two viruses (swine-flu and bird-flu) meet—possibly in Asia, where bird flu is endemic—and combine into a new bug that is both highly contagious and lethal and can spread around the world.
http://www.elpasotimes.com/health/ci_12324352
May 7, 2009
California: California wildfire driven by high winds raged out of control today on the edge of Santa Barbara, threatening the homes of 26,000 people and injuring 10 firefighters.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=awEDHvPNtGgs&refer=home
May 6, 2009
California: Businesses are casualties of the three-year drought that is forcing farmers to leave hundreds of thousands of acres fallow in the Central Valley, the semi-arid agricultural region running 400 miles (600 kilometers) down the middle of the state. The drought may cost the valley 35,000 jobs and $959 million in lost revenue this year, said Richard Howitt, chairman of agricultural and resource economics at the University of California, Davis.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=a8X3k8FhImlc&refer=home
April 23, 2009
South Carolina: Gov. Mark Sanford has declared a state of emergency for the South Carolina county where a fire has burned thousands of acres near one of the state's busiest tourist areas. Sanford on Thursday ordered the state of emergency for Horry County. He said the blaze has destroyed dozens of homes and consumed 15,000 acres, or about 23 square miles, nearly double earlier estimates.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D97O76T80&show_article=1
April 14, 2009
Florida: Forecasters reported two tornadoes touched down in the Tampa Bay area as a line of storms Tuesday ripped roof shingles off homes, uprooted trees and forced the evacuation of school children in trailer classrooms on Florida's west coast.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,515642,00.html
April 6, 2009
Arctic: The Arctic is treading on thinner ice than ever before. Researchers say that as spring begins, more than 90 percent of the sea ice in the Arctic is only 1 or 2 years old. That makes it thinner and more vulnerable than at anytime in the past three decades, according to researchers with NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Colorado.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/04/06/national/a084514D37.DTL
April 3, 2009
Antarctic: A Jamaica-sized ice shelf is close to wrenching itself away from Antarctica, following dramatic weakening of an ice "bridge" linking it to the continent, the European Space Agency (ESA) reported. The icy umbilical cord tying the Wilkins Ice Shelf to two islands on the Antarctic peninsula "looks set to collapse," ESA said.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5juCsMA4VkkbgqYDaGj4hp_IYzU5Q
March 29, 2009
Texas: An extreme spring storm brought an unexpected taste of winter to a region where average temperatures in March are in the mid-60s. In Amarillo, Texas, as much as 11 inches of snow fell in a blizzard, and as much as 25 inches of snow fell in parts of Oklahoma.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=7199812
March 28, 2009
North Dakota: Thousands of shivering, tired residents got out while they could and others prayed that miles of sandbagged levees would hold Friday as the surging Red River threatened to unleash the biggest flood North Dakota's largest city has ever seen.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,510870,00.html
March 26, 2009
Alaska: Alaska's Mount Redoubt erupted twice Thursday, spewing a more than 12-mile-high cloud that could drop ash on Anchorage for the first time since the volcano began erupting Sunday night. The Alaska Volcano Observatory said the first eruption about 8:30 a.m. shot an ash cloud about 30,000 feet in the air, and the second eruption about an hour later sent ash 65,000 feet high — the highest cloud since the eruptions began. The larger eruption caused a mud flow into the Drift River near the base of the volcano.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20090326/ap_tr_ge/travel_brief_alaska_volcano
March 23, 2009
Nebraska: An extreme storm dumped as much as 20 inches of snow on much of Wyoming. By morning, the snow had mostly stopped falling, but wind up to 60 mph kept many major roads and highways closed. In the turbulent warmer air on the eastern side of the huge storm, tornadoes were reported in eastern Nebraska and Iowa.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/03/23/national/a083621D55.DTL
March 12, 2009
Maryland: University researchers show that clear sky visibility over land has decreased globally over the past 30 years, indicative of increases in aerosols, or airborne pollution. Their findings are published in the March 13 issue of Science.
http://www.physorg.com/news156087278.html
March 10, 2009
Copenhagen: A conclave of scientists warned Tuesday that the impact of global warming was accelerating beyond a forecast made by UN experts two years ago. Sea levels this century may rise several times higher than predictions made in 2007 that form the scientific foundation for policymakers today, the meeting heard. Using the new model, "we get a range of sea level rise by 2100 between 75 and 190 centimetres when we apply the IPCC's temperature scenarios for the future," said climate expert Stefan Rahmstorf of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. Even if the world manages to dramatically cut the emission of greenhouse gases driving global warming, the "best estimate" is about one metre (3.25 feet), he said.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5g_gg1VnjmRO9F7YqFlhpC-nCVK0w
March 6, 2009
Science: Warmer Atlantic waters spawned more severe storms in the Caribbean in 2005, including Hurricane Katrina, and had an unexpected impact on the world’s largest tropical rain forest: drought.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601124&sid=aKeY2zQNK1tc&refer=home
February 26, 2009
Arctic: Snow and ice are declining in both polar regions, affecting human livelihoods as well as local plant and animal life in the Arctic, as well as global ocean and atmospheric circulation and sea level.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090225073215.htm
February 10, 2009
Great Plains: The February 2009 tornado outbreak was a tornado outbreak that primarily affected portions of the South Central United States on February 10, as well as eastern sections of the United States on February 11. During the two-day span, 15 tornadoes touched down in seven different states, with Oklahoma receiving the most tornadoes with six. The first day of the outbreak proved to be the most active regarding tornadoes, while mainly high wind damage occurred during the second day of the outbreak.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_2009_tornado_outbreak
February 8, 2009
U.K.: Scientists say that climate change loads the dice, and can make severe episodes more likely. Some studies have started to say how much global warming contributed to severe weather. Experts at the UK Met Office and Oxford University used computer models to say man-made climate change made the killer European heatwave in 2003 about twice as likely.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/feb/08/global-warming-weather-science
February 8, 2009
Alaska: Steam and tremors emanating from the 10,200-foot Redoubt Volcano, located about 100 miles southwest of Anchorage, are more likely than not to result in an eruption. If that happens, the abrasive ash could blanket the state's most populous area, and threaten commercial air traffic in the region.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/environment/2009-02-05-volcano_N.htm?csp=34
February 6, 2009
Scientific American: Oceans naturally absorb the greenhouse gas; in fact, they take in roughly one third of the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere by human activities. When CO2 dissolves in water, it forms carbonic acid, the same substance found in carbonated beverages. New research now suggests that seawater might be growing acidic more quickly than climate change models have predicted.
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=ocean-acidification
February 5, 2009
Washington: Long-term sea level increases that could have a devastating effect on southern Florida and highly populated coastal areas may be even larger than once thought, a new report suggests: "The net effect of all of these processes is that if the West Antarctic ice sheet collapses, the rise in sea levels around many coastal regions will be as much as 25 per cent more than expected."
http://news.aol.com/article/sea-level-rise-risks/331360?icid=200100397x1218757799x1201227015
February 4, 2009
AGU: Darryn W. Waugh, a professor in the Morton K. Blaustein Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at The Johns Hopkins University, and his colleagues report that climate change could provoke variations in the circulation of air in the lower stratosphere in tropical and southern mid-latitudes -- a band of the Earth including Australia and Brazil. The circulation changes would cause ozone levels in these areas never to return to levels that were present before decline began, not even after ozone-depleting substances have been wiped out from the atmosphere. If ozone levels never return to pre-1960 levels in those regions, “the risk of skin cancer for fair-skinned populations living in countries like Australia and New Zealand, and probably in Chile and Argentina too, will be greater in the 21st century than it was during the 20th century."
http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/548782/?sc=rssn
February 4, 2009
California: California's farms and vineyards could vanish by the end of the century, and its major cities could be in jeopardy, if Americans do not act to slow the advance of global warming, Secretary of Energy Steven Chu said Tuesday.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-warming4-2009feb04,0,7454963.story
February 2, 2009
Florida: The National Weather Service said Monday that January was the driest month on record in West Palm Beach, and Fort Lauderdale received less rainfall from November through January than ever before. The lack of rain has resulted in moderate drought conditions in most of South Florida.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/breaking-news/story/884090.html
February 2, 2009
California: The specter of an ocean floor littered with dead shellfish, rock fish, sea stars and other marine life off the Oregon coast spurred Mark Snyder, a climate change expert, to investigate whether California's coast faced a similar calamity. It could, the University of California Santa Cruz earth scientist said, citing climate change, which some scientists believe is responsible for stronger and more persistent winds along the coast. There's no debate that windier conditions drive more upwelling of nutrient-rich deep ocean waters. At normal levels, this upwelling sustains the abundance of marine life, but too much of these rich waters leads to a boom-and-bust cycle that ultimately creates ocean "dead zones" with little or no oxygen.
http://www.physorg.com/news152808201.html
February 2, 2009
Australia: Australia has been suffering its worst heatwave on record, the first time temperatures exceeded 110 F for 3 days running. The astonishing decade-long drought in southern Australia was declared ‘worst on record’ last year. Are the Southwest and California Next?
http://www.alternet.org/environment/124689/australia_faces_collapse_as_climate_change_kicks_in:_are_the_southwest_and_california_next/
February 1, 2009
California: California's governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, warned on Thursday that his state "is headed toward one of the worst water crises in its history". Now new research suggests that the three-year drought in the Golden State may be a consequence of the expanding tropics, which are gradually growing as human emissions of greenhouse gases warm the planet.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16516-drought-warning-as-the-tropics-expand.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=climate-change
January 29, 2009
PhysOrg: Glaciers around the globe continue to melt at high rates. Tentative figures for the year 2007, of the World Glacier Monitoring Service at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, indicate a further loss of average ice thickness of roughly 0.67 meter water equivalent (m w.e.). Some glaciers in the European Alps lost up to 2.5 m w.e.
http://www.physorg.com/news152452663.html
January 28, 2009
Midwest: Snow and extreme ice storms across the U.S. Midwest knocked out power to more than 1.4 million homes and businesses from Oklahoma to West Virginia, local utilities reported. At least 55 people have died as a result of the treacherous weather, according to the Associated Press.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/Travel/story?id=6744580&page=1
January 27, 2009
Antarctic: The emperor penguin faces extinction by the end of the century. Researchers in America say the species - documented in the 2005 film March of the Penguins - is threatened by climate change in the Antarctic.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article5597371.ece
January 27, 2009
Washington: Climate change is "largely irreversible" for the next 1,000 years even if carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions could be abruptly halted, according to a new study led by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The study's authors said there was "no going back" after the report showed that changes in surface temperature, rainfall and sealevel are "largely irreversible for more than 1,000 years after CO2 emissions are completely stopped."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090127/ts_alt_afp/uswarmingenvironmentclimate_20090127132619
January 23, 2009
Arizona: Global warming is real and is affecting the western and southwestern regions of the United States, climate change experts said during a conference that was co-sponsored by The University of Arizona's law school.
http://uanews.opi.arizona.edu/node/23579
January 23, 2009
Oregon: Trees in old growth forests across the West are dying at a small, but increasing rate that scientists conclude is probably caused by longer and hotter summers from a changing climate. While not noticeable to someone walking through the forests, the death rate is doubling every 17 to 29 years, according to a 52-year study published in the journal Science. The trend was apparent in trees of all ages, species, and locations.
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_11537338?source=rss
January 22, 2009
EPA: A new US report concludes that Florida and Louisiana are the states most vulnerable to sea-level rise, followed by North Carolina and Texas. The new report focuses on the coastal states from North Carolina to New York where the rates of sea-level rise are moderately high. The region has extensive coastal development, a high population and is likely to be at increased risk.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jan/22/sea-level-rise-environment-usa
January 22, 2009
Arkansas: A previously unknown fault in eastern Arkansas could trigger a magnitude 7 earthquake with an epicenter near a major natural gas pipeline, a scientist said. Haydar Al-Shukri, the director of the Arkansas Earthquake Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, said the fault is separate from the New Madrid fault responsible for a series of quakes in 1811-12 that caused the Mississippi River to flow backward.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2009/01/22/scientist_new_fault_could_mean_major_ark_temblor/
January 20, 2009
Antarctica: In Antarctica, Wilkins Ice Shelf to break up: a victim of warming. Glaciologist David Vaughan (pictured above) reckons the breakup could be days, weeks or months away – it is connected to Antarctica by a strip of ice that is just 500 metres wide at the narrowest point – in 1950 it was almost 100 kms wide.
http://blogs.reuters.com/environment/2009/01/20/in-antarctica-wilkins-ice-shelf-to-break-up-a-victim-of-warming/
January 19, 2009
U.K.: Most of the planet's glaciers are melting so fast that many will disappear by the middle of the century, a leading expert has warned. Figures from the World Glacier Monitoring Service show that although melt rates for 2007 fell substantially from record levels the previous year, the loss of ice was still the third worst on record. The total mass left in the glaciers is now thought to be at the lowest level for "thousands of years".
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jan/19/glacier-rising-sea-levels
January 17, 2009
Northeast: Extreme temperatures of 30 below zero in Berlin, N.H., forced firefighters from at least four communities to battle a blaze in shifts Saturday morning. At least two buildings were destroyed, including the local office of U.S. Rep Paul Hodes. In Illinois, the deep cold that seized the state for two days eased, leaving flooded rivers and frozen waterways in its wake. The National Weather Service said it had been the coldest episode in northern Illinois since February 1996.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090117/ap_on_re_us/winter_weather
January 17, 2009
Maryland: Climate change will produce a sharp increase in storm-related flooding and coastal erosion over the next century in Maryland and the rest of the mid-Atlantic coastal states, affecting both natural and human communities, the federal government said in a report released yesterday. The 786-page report by the Environmental Protection Agency says that rising sea levels as a result of global warming could worsen current losses of tidal marshes, which are vital spawning and nursery areas for fish and birds. Coastal barrier islands such as Assateague Island near Ocean City, already washed over by the Atlantic during intense storms, are likely to be permanently broken through by pounding waves.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bay_environment/bal-md.climate17jan17,0,3355345.story?track=rss
January 16, 2009
Arctic: A major U.S. government report on Arctic climate, prepared with input from eight Canadian scientists, has concluded that the recent rapid warming of polar temperatures and shrinking of multi-year Arctic sea ice are "highly unusual compared to events from previous thousands of years."
http://www.canada.com/Technology/story.html?id=1186593
January 16, 2009
Texas: Drought conditions in Texas are so bad cattle are keeling over in parched pastures and dying. Drought conditions worsened significantly in the past week, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor map released Thursday. Seventy-one percent of the state is now in some stage of drought, up from 58.3 percent last week.
http://www.cfnews13.com/News/Science/2009/1/16/texas_drought_worsens_cattle_dying.html
January 13, 2009
Midwest: In North Dakota, Grand Forks dropped to a record low of 37 below zero Tuesday morning, lopping six degrees off the old record set in 1979, the National Weather Service said. Schools were closed because of the cold as far south as Iowa, and authorities in Grand Rapids, Mich., issued an extreme cold weather alert.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090113/ap_on_re_us/snowstorm
January 12, 2009
Wyoming: Hundreds of small earthquakes at Yellowstone National Park in recent weeks have been an unsettling reminder for some people that underneath the park's famous geysers and majestic scenery lurks one of the world's biggest volcanoes. In the ancient past, the volcano has erupted 1,000 times more powerfully than the 1980 blast at Mount St. Helens, hurling ash as far away as Louisiana. No eruption that big has occurred while humans have walked the earth, however, and geologists say even a minor lava flow is extremely unlikely any time soon.
http://www.wtok.com/home/headlines/37433914.html
January 9, 2009
Germany: Between 1880 and 2006 the average global annual temperature was about 15°C. However, in the years after 1990 the frequency of years when this average value was exceeded increased. The fact that the 13 warmest years since 1880 could have accured by accident after 1990 corresponds to a likelihood of no more than 1:10 000.
http://www.physorg.com/news150718583.html
January 9, 2009
U.K.: Flooding like that which devastated the North of England last year is set to become a common event across the UK in the next 75 years, new research has shown. A study by Dr Hayley Fowler, of Newcastle University, predicts that severe storms – the likes of which currently occur every five to 25 years across the UK – will become more common and more severe in a matter of decades.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090108101627.htm
January 8, 2009
Southwest: The American Southwest may be drying, one of the predicted consequences of human-induced global climate change. Less water in an already semiarid region will affect how, and for what, people use water. Allen also suspects that tree dieback here may be part of a worldwide phenomenon. As temperature extremes have inched higher in semiarid regions globally, forests have succumbed to heat stress.
http://features.csmonitor.com/environment/2009/01/08/dry-us-southwest-is-growing-drier/
January 8, 2009
Michigan: Dozens of foreign species could spread across the Great Lakes of the United States in coming years despite policies designed to keep them out, causing significant environmental and economic damage, a federal report says. Among the fish that scientists fear could cause ecological and environmental damage are the monkey goby, the blueback herring and the tench, also known as the "doctor fish.''
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/1/8/apworld/20090108215903&sec=apworld
January 8, 2009
Alaska: In Anchorage, Alaska's largest city, residents are used to lows of about 10-degree temperatures in January — not 19 below zero, which is what folks awoke to.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090108/ap_on_re_us/alaska_extreme_cold
January 7, 2009
Spokane, Washington: More than 6 feet of snow in the past three weeks has made Spokane residents edgy, and brought new problems as melting snow and ice caused flooding and mudslides. This unusually harsh winter has disrupted schools, traffic, garbage pickup and mail service in the eastern Washington city of 200,000, and tempers are growing short.
http://www.startribune.com/nation/37214354.html
January 7, 2009
Colorado: Thousands of evacuated residents were allowed to return to their homes after firefighters took advantage of slowing winds overnight to partially contain a wildfire near Denver that destroyed two houses and several outbuildings.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/01/07/national/a153735S56.DTL&feed=rss.business
January 4, 2009
Washington Post: Global Warming Is Just the Tip of the Iceberg....The first is conflict arising from scarcity. As the world gets hotter and drier, glaciers will melt, and the amount of arable land will shrink. In turn, fresh water, plants, crops and cattle and other domestic animals will be harder to come by, thereby spurring competition and conflict over what's left. In extreme examples, a truly desiccated ecosystem could mean a complete evacuation of a hard-hit region. And the more people move, the more they will jostle with their new neighbors.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/02/AR2009010202280.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
January 2, 2009
Canada: Scientists have concluded that Canada's precious forests, stressed from damage caused by global warming, insect infestations and persistent fires, have crossed an ominous line and are now pumping out more climate-changing carbon dioxide than they are sequestering. Worse yet, the experts predict that Canada's forests will remain net carbon sources, as opposed to carbon storage "sinks," until at least 2022, and possibly much longer.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-canada-trees_wittjan02,0,539661.story
January 2, 2009
Australia: Coral growth in Australia's Great Barrier Reef has slowed to its most sluggish rate in the past 400 years. The decline endangers the species the reef supports, say researchers from the Australian Institute of Marine Science. They studied massive porites corals, which are several hundred years old, and found that calcification has declined by 13.3% since 1990. Global warming and the increasing acidity of seawater are to blame, they write in Science journal.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7807943.stm
December 31, 2008
San Francisco: Changes to ocean and air temperatures, rising sea levels, loss of habitat, scarcity of food, altered precipitation patterns, environmental asynchronicity — these are the concerns of wildlife biologists who are watching the increased effects of climate change on the thousands of plant and animal species that share the earth with people. Overall, global warming threatens a third of existing species, with 50 percent now in general decline due to a variety of human activities.
http://www.sfbg.com/entry.php?entry_id=7769
December 31, 2008
Tennessee: Tennessee's governor promised greater oversight of coal ash retention ponds Wednesday after viewing damage from a spill that released more than a billion gallons of ashy sludge.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/12/29/national/a003014S04.DTL&feed=rss.news
December 31, 2008
AP: Winter storm warnings and plummeting temperatures put a chill on New Year's Eve plans for hundreds of thousands of revelers. Thousands of homes and businesses in the Midwest had no electric lights for the holiday because of wind damage. Power outages in Maryland, Delaware and the District of Columbia caused by high winds cut electricity to nearly 50,000 homes and businesses. In the Ohio Valley, Duke Energy said nearly 11,700 homes and business were blacked out by wind damage during the night in southwest Ohio and northern Kentucky.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/12/28/national/a175640S86.DTL&feed=rss.news
December 30, 2008
Wyoming: Yellowstone National Park was jostled by a host of small earthquakes for a third straight day, and scientists watched closely to see whether the more than 250 tremors were a sign of something bigger to come. Swarms of small earthquakes happen frequently in Yellowstone, but it's very unusual for so many earthquakes to happen over several days.
http://news.aol.com/article/earthquakes-rattle-yellowstone-park/289206
December 30, 2008
U.K: 2009 will be one of the world’s five warmest years in a century and a half of record-keeping, according to a forecast by the U.K. Met Office and the University of East Anglia. The global temperature is forecast to be 0.4 degrees Celsius (0.72 Fahrenheit) more than the 1961-1990 average of 14 degrees Celsius, the Met Office said today in a statement.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601072&sid=aTHzt5EA3UXs
December 29, 2008
Berlin: Natural disasters killed over 220,000 people in 2008, making it one of the most devastating years on record and underlining the need for a global climate deal, the world's number two reinsurer said Monday. Although the number of natural disasters was lower than in 2007, the catastrophes that occurred proved to be more destructive in terms of the number of victims and the financial cost of the damage caused, Germany-based Munich Re said in its annual assessment.
http://www.todayonline.com/articles/294788.asp
December 29, 2008
Germany: The Arctic sea ice is melting more quickly than expected. There are also signs that the entire climate pattern at the North Poll has been disrupted to the extent of causing irreversible change. For the Arctic, the global warming which has already occurred of 0.8 degrees Celsius has already stepped over the line. If Greenland's ice cap ice melts completely, water levels will rise by seven meters (23 feet).
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,3907790,00.html?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf
December 27, 2008
U.K.: UK wildlife is struggling to cope as erratic and unseasonal weather has taken its toll for a second consecutive year, the National Trust says. It says birds, mammals and particularly insects have all suffered from a cold, late spring, a wet summer with little sunshine and a long, dry autumn. The trust says species under threat include puffins, marsh fritillary butterflies and lesser horseshoe bats.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7800869.stm
December 26, 2008
California: Sierra - Not only are warmer temperatures thawing that mountain snow sooner, they are changing the nature of the precipitation as it falls – turning more Sierra snowflakes to sleet, slush and rain. Now 10 percent smaller than a century ago, the Sierra snowpack is expected to retreat dramatically in coming decades, posing major challenges for water managers and the climate-dependent ski industry.
http://www.mercedsunstar.com/357/story/611186.html
December 26, 2008
Nevada: A snowstorm closed highways in parts of the West, the latest in a string of extreme weather, and a dangerous sheet of ice in parts of the Midwest contributed to a flood problem. A Utah avalanche killed two people, and a snow slide in California's Sierra Nevada killed one man.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081226/ap_on_re_us/winter_weather
December 23, 2008
Russia: Over the past few weeks, several records have been broken in Russia for unseasonably mild weather, including the warmest ever December temperature on record. In Moscow, a temperature of 9.4 degrees Celsius (49F) was recorded on Saturday, the highest December temperature in the history of meteorological observations. Strangely, this record occurred at 3 o’clock in the morning, when usually the temperature would be plummeting towards its minimum.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/news/07122008news.shtml
December 22, 2008
Washington: More than 100 million people living in 46 metro areas are breathing air that has gotten too full of soot on some days, and now those cities have to clean up their air, the Environmental Protection Agency.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081222/ap_on_go_ot/epa_soot
December 19, 2008
CNN: The Northwest braced for blizzards while cities from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Boston, Massachusetts, were cleaning up after an extreme storm delayed air travel and created havoc on the ground.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/weather/12/19/us.storm/index.html?eref=ib_us
December 19, 2008
U.K.: A new study by the Met Office warns that the world could warm by more than 5C in the next 90 years, if emissions keep on rising. This would be catastrophic for the environment and for humanity.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article5371682.ece
December 19, 2008
PhysOrg: The frequency of extremely high clouds in Earth's tropics -- the type associated with severe storms and rainfall -- is increasing as a result of global warming, according to a study by scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
http://www.physorg.com/news148916785.html
December 18, 2008
Arctic: A team led by International Arctic Research Center scientist Igor Semiletov has found data to suggest that the carbon pool beneath the Arctic Ocean is leaking. The new data indicates the underwater permafrost is thawing and therefore releasing methane. When the permafrost thaws, the trapped methane can seep out through the thawed soil. Methane, a greenhouse gas 20 times more powerful than carbon dioxide, is thought to be an important factor in global climate change.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081217203407.htm
December 18, 2008
PhysOrg: A new analysis led by MIT researchers has found that the changes in groundwater may actually be much greater than the precipitation changes themselves: For example, in places where annual rainfall may increase by 20 percent as a result of climate change, the groundwater might increase as much as 40 percent. Conversely, the analysis showed in some cases just a 20 percent decrease in rainfall could lead to a 70 percent decrease in the recharging of local aquifers -- a potentially devastating blow in semi-arid and arid regions.
http://www.physorg.com/news148836122.html
December 18, 2008
Las Vegas: It was the biggest December snowfall on record there, and the worst for any month since a 7 1/2-inch accumulation in January 1979, forecasters said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081218/ap_on_re_us/western_weather
December 17, 2008
Oklahoma City: An extreme cold wave and storms that accompanied it was blamed for at least 20 deaths, including 11 in traffic accidents, in 12 states.
http://news.aol.com/article/bitter-cold-grips-much-of-nation/277794
December 17, 2008
U.K: Dr Stroeve and colleagues have now analysed Arctic autumn (September, October, November) air temperatures for the period 2004-2008 and compared them to the long term average (1979 to 2008). The results, they believe, are evidence of the predicted amplification effect: as ice is lost in the Arctic, more of the ocean's surface will be exposed to solar radiation and will warm up. If this process continues, it will extend the melting season for Arctic ice, delaying the onset of winter freezing and weakening further the whole system. These warming effects are not just restricted to the ocean, Dr Stroeve said. Circulation patterns could then move the warmth over land areas. "The Arctic is really the air conditioner of the Northern Hemisphere, and as you lose that sea ice you change that air conditioner; and the rest of the system has to respond. You start affecting the temperature gradient between the Arctic and equator which affects atmospheric patterns and precipitation patterns."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7786910.stm
December 17, 2008
NewScientist: Thirteen of the hottest years since records of global temperatures began in 1880 have clustered in the last 17 years.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16292-glut-of-hot-years-a-coincidence-fat-chance.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=climate-change
December 17, 2008
Chicago: Populations of insects that feed on corn and other crops in the United States may flourish and expand to new territory as global climate change brings warmer summers and milder winters in the decades ahead, according to a new study.
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE4BG45X20081217?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews
December 16, 2008
Washington: More than 2 trillion tons of land ice in Greenland, Antarctica and Alaska have melted since 2003, according to new NASA satellite data that show the latest signs of what scientists say is global warming. Melting of land ice, unlike sea ice, increases sea levels very slightly. In the 1990s, Greenland didn't add to world sea level rise; now that island is adding about half a millimeter of sea level rise a year, NASA ice scientist Jay Zwally said in a telephone interview from the conference. Between Greenland, Antarctica and Alaska, melting land ice has raised global sea levels about one-fifth of an inch in the past five years.
http://news.aol.com/article/arctic-loses-over-2-trillion-tons-of-ice/278566
December 15, 2008
California: A powerful storm plowed through California, producing heavy rain that collapsed a school roof and forced hundreds to flee homes in an area devastated by recent wildfires. Power failures caused by the weather blacked out about 20,000 homes and businesses around the state. Two traffic deaths were linked to the storm.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081215/ap_on_re_us/california_evacuations
December 15, 2008
Solomon Islands: The bad effect of climate change is not a fairy tale but an on-the-ground reality, the Solomon Islands told the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Poland. “On a daily basis, we are experiencing coastal erosions, we are fighting sea level rise and we are drinking brackish water,” said Rence Sore, the Permanent Secretary of Environment, Conservation and Meteorology.
http://www.enn.com/climate/article/38859
December 14, 2008
California: Idled farm workers are searching for food in the nation's most prolific agricultural region, where a double blow of drought and a court-ordered cutback of water supplies has caused hundreds of millions of dollars in losses.
http://deseretnews.com/article/0,5143,705270343,00.html
December 12, 2008
Canada: Findings and concerns about the rapidly warming Arctic region at the International Arctic Change conference in Quebec City - the Arctic is "ground zero" for climate change, with temperatures rising far faster than anywhere else on the planet. Some predict an ice-free summer Arctic in less than five to 10 years -- the first time the Arctic Ocean will be exposed to the sun in many hundreds of thousands of years. The speed of change has scientists scrambling to understand the impacts on indigenous people, wildlife and ecology. The loss of the ice, the thermal blanket that keeps the Arctic region cold, will have huge impacts on the weather in the northern hemisphere. The difference in temperatures between the polar regions and the tropical regions is what drives the planet's weather. A warmer Arctic means storm tracks and precipitation patterns will shift all across the middle of North America, Europe and Asia.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=45091
December 14, 2008
Poland: Deforestation and "die-back" caused by climate change could devastate the Amazon rain forest, with the loss of more than two million sq km by 2050, according to British Met Office scientists. In a report released yesterday, the Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research said the loss of forest cover could be five times what the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)projected in its fourth assessment report last year. Deforestation is already a major cause of carbon dioxide emissions - even larger than the transport sector - and climate change is putting further pressure on forests, with less rain and more drought leading to increased risk from fires.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/1212/1228864714812.html
December 11, 2008
PhysOrg: Researchers have discovered that the ocean's chemical makeup is less stable and more greatly affected by climate change than previously believed. The researchers report in the December 12, 2008 issue of Science that during a time of climate change 13 million years ago the chemical makeup of the oceans changed dramatically. The researchers warn that the chemical composition of the ocean today could be similarly affected by climate changes now underway – with potentially far-reaching consequences for marine ecosystems.
http://www.physorg.com/news148227653.html
December 11, 2008
New Orleans: Snow in New Orleans is a rarity. The last time it snowed was Christmas 2004; before that, the last snow recorded was in 1989, according to Jim Vasilj, a forecaster with the National Weather Service. Since 1850, snow had fallen in "measurable amounts" rather than traces in the city just 17 times, Vasilj said. Of the 17, today's snowfall was the earliest in the season recorded.
http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2008/12/the_new_orleans_area_is.html
December 11, 2008
Poland: Dr. Hermann Held of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research pointed out that land ice melt is being vastly underestimated, and that non-linear abrupt climate change is not being taken into account as it should be by the climate convention. The world is already committed to an astounding 2.4 degrees of warming, due in part to the warming effects of black carbon -- a substance that is now considered the second-greatest contributor to climate change after CO2 -- which are being "unmasked" by reductions of SO2, which produces a cooling effect. "As we continue to reduce sulfur emissions around the world for health reasons, we are unmasking additional warming that is bringing us closer and closer to tipping points like the meltdown of the Greenland Ice Sheet," said Dr. Held. "In order to avoid a large jump in temperature and in turn avoid the devastating effects of sea level rise, we need to act quickly to reduce black carbon emissions in coordination with sulfur."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnw/20081211/pl_usnw/dangerous_sea_level_rise_imminent_without_large_reductions_of_black_carbon_and_implementation_of_other_fast_action_mitigation_s
December 11, 2008
Washington: Climate change caused by greenhouse gases is warming the United States, though unevenly, government researchers said. "The continent as a whole is warming, mostly as a result of the energy sources we are using," William J. Brennan, acting administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said at a briefing on the nation's climate since 1951. But there is a "warming hole" where no change occurred in the center of the country, roughly between the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachians, added Martin Hoerling of NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory.
http://www.canadianbusiness.com/markets/headline_news/article.jsp?content=D950O00O0&utm_source=markets&utm_medium=rss
December 11, 2008
ScienceDaily: Much more methane gas is being emitted into the atmosphere from the tundra in northeast Greenland than previous studies have shown. New figures reveal that large amounts of greenhouse gases are being emitted into the atmosphere, not just during the warm summer months, but also during the colder autumn months.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081210133814.htm
December 10, 2008
PhysOrg: Almost a fifth of the planet's coral reefs have died and carbon emissions are largely to blame, according to an NGO study released. The report, released by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network, warned that on current trends, growing levels of greenhouse gases will destroy many of the remaining reefs over the next 20 to 40 years. "If nothing is done to substantially cut emissions, we could effectively lose coral reefs as we know them, with major coral extinctions," said Clive Wilkinson, the organisation's coordinator.
http://www.physorg.com/news148116950.html
December 10, 2008
U.K.: Two thousand people killed during a summer heatwave; mosquitoes at Heathrow carrying malaria parasites picked up from infected holidaymakers; road-builders switching to a melt-resistant tarmac. If anyone is in any doubt that climate change is already affecting the UK, this is your answer.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/dec/10/poznan-climate-change-environment-drought
December 10, 2008
Brazil: The fast and unpredictable shifts in weather are not threats for the future, but happening right now. "The frequency of heatwaves and heavy precipitation is increasing; cyclones are becoming more frequent and intense; more areas are being affected by droughts; and flooding is now more serious," says Sheridan Bartlett, a researcher with the International Institute for Environment and Development in a new study looking at the effects of climate change on children.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/dec/10/poznan-brazil-climate-change-environment
December 9, 2008
California: A link between drought and deforestation was found to be fueling global warming, a U.S. scientist and co-author of a study reported. The international study analyzed six years of climate and fire observations from satellites, finding that during the dry years, using fire to clear forests and remove organic soil increases substantially, releasing vast amounts of climate-warming carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, the University of California-Irvine said in a news release.
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2008/12/09/Drought_controlled_fire_warming_linked/UPI-22501228855641/
December 8, 2008
Poland: The impact of climate change could uproot around six million people each year, half of them because of weather disasters like floods and storms, a top U.N. official said. The U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) was making plans based on conservative estimates that global warming would force between 200 million and 250 million people from their homes by mid-century, said L. Craig Johnstone, the U.N. Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees.
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE4B773G20081208?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews
December 7, 2008
Chile: Chile's glaciers are on the retreat, a sign of global warming but also a threat to fresh water reserves at the southern end of South America, a report has found. In a November report, the Chilean water utility -- Direccion General de Aguas de Chile (DGA) -- said the Echaurren ice fields, which supply the capital with 70 percent of its water needs, are receding up to 12 meters (39.37 feet) per year.
http://www.spacedaily.com/2006/081207220535.1tew1335.html
December 5, 2008
Australia: Australia's driest state has been forced to purchase water for the first time to ensure adequate supplies in the midst of a drought, a government official said.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Drought-forces-Australian-apf-13755044.html
December 3, 2008
Florida: The last, largest stands of ancient elkhorn coral survive in shallow waters off North Key Largo, where rough seas sometimes expose thick golden branches reaching toward the sunlit surface. Forty years ago, elkhorn grew in dense forests that would cover parking lots. Now, the biggest clump would barely fill one space. In another 40 years, elkhorn could disappear altogether -- along with just about every other hard coral forming South Florida's once-vibrant barrier reefs.
http://www.cdnn.info/news/eco/e081130a.html
December 2, 2008
Poland: Soot is darkening ice in the Arctic and speeding a melt that could make the ocean around the North Pole ice-free in summer well before 2050, experts said.
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE4B16R420081202?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews
December 2, 2008
Italy: Ocean warming, frequent tropical cyclones, floods and droughts are likely to have a devastating impact on food security in Pacific island countries, the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization said.
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE4B14FC20081202?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews
November 30, 2008
U.K.: Global warming is for ever, some of the world's top climate scientists have concluded. Their research shows that carbon dioxide emitted from today's homes, cars and factories will continue to heat up the planet for hundreds of thousands of years.
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/greenhouse-gases-will-heat-up-planet-for-ever-1041642.html
November 30, 2008
Poland: Earth's climate appears to be changing more quickly and deeply than a benchmark UN report for policymakers predicted, top scientists said ahead of international climate talks.
http://www.physorg.com/news147232247.html
November 28, 2008
ScienceDaily: Scientists at the University of Toronto Scarborough have published research findings in the journal Nature Geoscience that show global warming actually changes the molecular structure of organic matter in soil.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081124130948.htm
November 28, 2008
PhysOrg: The record-breaking 2008 hurricane season, which officially ends on Sunday, has been one of the most active since comprehensive reports began 64 years ago, according to a US government agency.
http://www.physorg.com/news146933748.html
November 26, 2008
London: A team of international scientists led by Dr James Hansen, director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, say that carbon dioxide (CO2) levels are already in the danger zone. Concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere currently stand at 385 parts per million (ppm) and are rising at a rate of two ppm per year. This is enough, say the scientists, to encourage dangerous changes to the Earth's climate. As a result we risk expanding desertification, food shortages, increased storm intensities, loss of coral reefs and the disappearance of mountain glaciers that supply water to hundreds of millions of people.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/11/21/climate.danger.zone/index.html?section=cnn_latest
November 25, 2008
Geneva: The United Nations weather agency says the three main greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere have reached new record highs. Geir Braathen of the World Meteorological Organization says carbon dioxide was up the most in 2007, one-half per cent, with methane and nitrous oxide rising by lesser amounts.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2008/11/25/7528081-ap.html
November 20, 2008
Missouri: People in a vast seismic zone in the southern and midwestern United States would face catastrophic damage if a major earthquake struck there and should ensure that builders keep that risk in mind, a government report said. The Federal Emergency Management Agency said if earthquakes strike in what geologists define as the New Madrid Seismic Zone, they would cause "the highest economic losses due to a natural disaster in the United States."
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE4AJ9EV20081120?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&rpc=22&sp=true
November 18, 2008
Kansas: Groundwater seems to be taking on carbon dioxide 100 times faster than the atmosphere, according to a new study. As humans pump billions of tons of CO2 into the atmosphere each year, the planet is rapidly growing saturated. Water readily dissolves the gas to form an acid, and over the last century Earth's oceans have already been lowered from a pH of 8.1 to 8.0.
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/11/18/water-carbon-dioxide.html
November 17, 2008
California: Fires destroyed more than 800 houses, mobile homes and apartments in Los Angeles County, Riverside and Orange counties to the east and Santa Barbara County to the north. In the Oakridge Mobile Home Park, 484 mostly mobile homes were burned in a space of 200 acres. In Orange and Riverside counties, the fires chewed through nearly 24,000 acres and were pushing toward Diamond Bar in Los Angeles county, home to 57,000 people.
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/wildfires/2008-11-16-southern-california-wildfires_N.htm
November 17, 2008
North Carolina: Twisters killed two people and damaged or destroyed 26 homes in Wilson and 40 in Johnston, along with one business. Preliminary estimates put the damage at $500,000.
http://www.wral.com/weather/story/3974564/
November 16, 2008
Paris: Scientists unveiled the first direct evidence that massive floods deep below Antarctica's ice cover are accelerating the flow of glaciers into the sea. How quickly these huge bodies of ice slide off the Antarctic and Greenland land masses into the ocean help determine the speed at which sea levels rise. The stakes are enormous: an increase measured in tens of centimetres (inches) could wreak havoc for hundreds of millions of people living in low-lying deltas and island nations around the world.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hT_Rgq5gv_BwoorjrHCV3JNlYAEg
November 14, 2008
California: California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered preparations for rising sea levels from global warming, a startling prospect for the most populous U.S. state with a Pacific Ocean coastline stretching more than 800 miles.
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE4AD8KN20081114?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews
November 14, 2008
Nature: Rising levels of carbon dioxide could increase the volume of oxygen-depleted 'dead zones' in tropical oceans by as much as 50% before the end of the century — with dire consequences for the health of ecosystems in some of the world's most productive fishing grounds. At depths between several tens and hundreds of metres, large parts of the tropical oceans are poorly supplied with dissolved oxygen, and are therefore hostile to most marine life.
http://www.nature.com/news/2008/081114/full/news.2008.1230.html?s=news_rss
November 13, 2008
Spain: Marine invasive species advance with a rate of 50 kilometers per decade caused by global warming.
http://www.innovations-report.de/html/berichte/biowissenschaften_chemie/marine_invasive_species_advance_a_rate_50_kilometers_122257.html
November 10, 2008
PhysOrg: Corals, lobsters, clams and many other ocean creatures - including some at the bottom of the food chain - may be unable to withstand the increasing acidity of the oceans brought on by growing global-warming pollution, according to a report from the advocacy group Oceana.
http://www.physorg.com/news145559293.html
November 8, 2008
Norway: 2008 Set To Be About 10th Warmest Year.
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/51020/story.htm
November 7, 2008
California: California's worst drought in decades is forcing the state's cattle ranchers to downsize their herds because two years of poor rainfall have ravaged millions of acres of rangeland used to feed their cows and calves.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081107/ap_on_re_us/drought_stricken_ranchers_1
November 7, 2008
North Dakota: Major North Dakota roads closed by a blizzard that tore through the region began reopening, but freezing rain left thousands without power to the east, authorities said. In South Dakota, stranded vehicles continued to clog a major highway. No fatalities were reported in the early season blizzard that pounded the northern Plains.
http://news.aol.com/article/ferocious-blizzard-pounds-plains/240126
November 7, 2008
NewScientist: Our voracious appetite for energy is potentially putting the planet on the path for a 6°C rise in temperatures – which is far more than what climate specialists say the environment can cope with according to the International Energy Agency.
http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/climate-change/dn15144-energy-agency-warns-of-6c-rise-in-temperatures.html?feedId=climate-change_rss20
November 7, 2008
Washington: Research on Arctic and North Atlantic ecosystems shows the recent warming trend counts as the most dramatic climate change since the onset of human civilization 5,000 years ago, according to studies published by researchers from Cornell University (who studied the increased introduction of fresh water from glacial melt, oceanic circulation, and the change in geographic range migration of oceanic plant and animal species).
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081107/sc_afp/environmentclimatewarmingatlantic_081107171424
November 7, 2008
Carribean: Spinning out tropical storm-force winds, Hurricane Paloma (as a Category 1) was on a course to skirt the Cayman Islands en route to central Cuba, the National Hurricane Center said. A hurricane warning remained in effect for the Caymans, meaning hurricane conditions are expected in the warning area within 24 hours.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/weather/11/07/hurricane.paloma/index.html?section=cnn_latest
November 2, 2008
U.K.: Parts of the world may have to be abandoned because severe water shortages will leave them uninhabitable, the United Nations environment chief has warned. The executive director of the UN Environment Programme said water shortages caused by over-use of rivers and aquifers were already leading to serious problems, even in rich nations. With climate change expected to reduce rainfall in some places and cause droughts in others, some regions could become 'economic deserts', unviable for people or agriculture.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/nov/02/climate-change-desertification-water-drought
October 31, 2008
NewScientist: Evidence has emerged that human activity, not natural phenomena, is directly responsible for heating up the polar ice caps. The news coincides with announcements earlier this week that the Arctic ice is now thinner than at any time since records began. "We knew the warming was happening there, especially in the Arctic," says Alexey Karpechko of the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia, UK, but pinning down the causes has not been possible until now.
http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/climate-change/dn15085-humans-to-blame-for-polar-warming.html?feedId=climate-change_rss20
October 31, 2008
Antarctic: In its landmark Fourth Assessment Report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) declared in 2007 that human influence on climate "has been detected in every continent except Antarctica". Now a paper in Nature Geoscience says that our impact can be found even in the last wilderness.
http://www.enn.com/climate/article/38541
October 29, 2008
Northeast: Thousands lack power after extreme storm strikes the Northeast.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081029/ap_on_re_us/northeast_storm
October 29, 2008
Washington: Levels of climate-warming methane -- a greenhouse gas 25 times as potent as carbon dioxide -- rose abruptly in Earth's atmosphere last year, and scientists who reported the change don't know why it occurred.
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE49T0AD20081030?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews
October 28, 2008
Arctic: The thickness of Arctic sea ice "plummeted" last winter, thinning by as much as one-fifth in some regions, satellite data has revealed. A study by UK researchers showed that the ice thickness had been fairly constant for the previous five winters. The team from University College London added that the results provided the first definitive proof that the overall volume of Arctic ice was decreasing.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7692963.stm
October 27, 2008
U.K.: Global warming is making the sea more salty, according to new research that demonstrates the massive shifts in natural systems triggered by climate change. Experts at the UK Met Office and Reading University say warmer temperatures over the Atlantic Ocean have significantly increased evaporation and reduced rainfall across a giant stretch of water from Africa to the Carribean in recent years. The change concentrates salt in the water left behind, and is predicted to make southern Europe and the Mediterranean much drier in future.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/oct/27/climate-change-water
October 27, 2008
Boston: Scientists from Harvard and Boston University reported today that the mean annual temperature has climbed by 4 degrees since Thoreau's time in Concord, and over that same period, 27 percent of the species documented by Thoreau have disappeared. Another 36 percent are in such low numbers that their disappearance is imminent, despite the fact that 60 percent of Concord’s natural areas have been protected or undeveloped since Thoreau’s time.
http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/greenblog/2008/10/wildflowers_disappear_from_wal.html
October 27, 2008
Germany: Sea levels around the world will rise one metre this century, according to German scientists who warn that global warming is happening much faster than hitherto predicted. Citing UN date on climate change, two senior German scientists say that previous predictions were far too cautious and optimistic. Earlier estimates predicted a rise of 18 to 59 centimetres in sea levels this century. But that estimate is woefully understated, according to Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, who heads the Potsdam Institute for Research on Global Warming Effects, and Jochem Marotzke, a leading meteorologist.
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/238677,sea-levels-to-rise-a-metre-this-century-german-experts-warn.html
October 24, 2008
PhysOrg: Scientists call ocean acidification "the other carbon dioxide problem." They warn that because it causes such fundamental changes in the ocean, it could impact millions of people who depend on the ocean for food and resources. "The growing amount of carbon dioxide in the ocean could have a bigger effect on life on Earth than carbon dioxide in the atmosphere," says JPL's Charles Miller, deputy principal investigator for NASA's new Orbiting Carbon Observatory, scheduled to launch next January.
http://www.physorg.com/news144066924.html
October 24, 2008
Russia: Polar bears are dying out in the remote Arctic region of Chukotka because of melting ice and increased killing by humans, an expert with the International Fund for Animal Welfare warned. "If this tendency continues, the population will disappear very quickly, said Nikita Ovsyanikov, a researcher from Wrangel Island natural park in Chukotka who has spent the past 18 years studying polar bears in the region.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081024/sc_afp/russiaenvironmentclimatewarminganimal_081024161800
October 22, 2008
Washington: More frequent and powerful hurricanes from the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico since the mid-1990s have created one of the most dangerous and costliest storm eras in recorded history, a USA TODAY analysis of weather data shows. Since 1995, there have been 207 named storms in the Atlantic basin, which includes the Gulf of Mexico — a 68% increase from the previous 13 years, according to statistics from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Of those storms, 111 were hurricanes, a 75% increase over the previous period.
http://news-press.com/article/20081022/WEATHER01/81022009
October 20, 2008
U.K.: Climate change is happening much faster than the world's best scientists predicted and will wreak havoc unless action is taken on a global scale, a new report warns. Extreme weather events such as the hot summer of 2003, which caused an extra 35,000 deaths across southern Europe from heat stress and poor air quality, will happen more frequently. Britain and the North Sea area will be hit more often by violent cyclones and sea level rise predictions will double to more than a metre putting vast coastal areas at risk from flooding. The bleak report from WWF - formerly the World Wildlife Fund - also predicts crops failures and the collapse of eco systems on both land and sea.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2008/10/20/eawwf120.xml
October 20, 2008
USAToday: For the first time, land trusts and other conservationists are factoring in evidence that global warming is altering the migration of species, reconfiguring coastlines and transforming natural habitats. "Natural habitat in one place now might move 100 miles in 50 years because of climate change," says Matt Shaffer of The Trust for Public Land. "It's hard to pinpoint where that migration is going to happen."
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/2008-10-20-landbuy_N.htm?csp=34
October 19, 2008
Yosemite: As signals of climate change begin to come into focus in the Sierra Nevada, its melting glaciers spell trouble in bold font. Not only are they in-your-face barometers of global warming, they also reflect what scientists are beginning to uncover: that the Sierra snowpack – the source of 65 percent of California's water – is dwindling, too.
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/1325423.html
October 16, 2008
Arctic: Fall air temperatures have climbed to record levels in the Arctic due to major losses of sea ice as the region suffers more effects from a warming trend dating back decades, a report released showed. The annual report issued by researchers at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other experts is the latest to paint a dire picture of the impact of climate change in the Arctic.
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE49F9OE20081016?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews
October 16, 2008
Southwest: "By 2025 or so we are headed for a train wreck in the West," says Tim Barnett, a researcher at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, who co-published a study that concluded Lake Mead would be empty by 2021 at current consumption rates. "The truth of the matter is that the Bureau of Reclamation will not let the reservoir go dry. They will just cut off deliveries. And that will send shivers down your spine, because someone will not get the water they are expecting. "There is no extra water," Barnett adds. "So when new people come into Phoenix or Tucson, tell them to bring their own water with them."
http://www.alternet.org/environment/103366/climate_change_threatens_to_dry_up_the_southwest's_future/
October 14, 2008
Los Angeles: Two huge wildfires driven by strong Santa Ana winds burned into neighborhoods near Los Angeles, forcing frantic evacuations on smoke-and traffic-choked highways, destroying homes and causing at least two deaths.
http://www.suntimes.com/news/nation/1219854,wildfire_101408.article
October 14, 2008
California: The Marek Fire is blamed for one death - it burned about 4,800 acres.
http://www.wsbtv.com/weather/17709107/detail.html?rss=atl&psp=nationalnews#-
October 13, 2008
Mexico: At least four people were killed by Hurricane Norbert when it ripped through northern Mexico; Norbert hit mainland Mexico as a Category 1 hurricane with winds near 85 mph after crossing the Baja California Peninsula.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/AP/story/724745.html
October 13, 2008
USAToday: The 2008 tornado season is on track to set a record for the number of tornadoes in the USA, according to National Weather Service data. Through July, 1,390 tornadoes were officially recorded in the first seven months of a year — the most ever. The annual record for tornadoes in the USA is 1,817, set in 2004.
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/tornadoes/2008-10-12-Tornado_N.htm?csp=34
October 12, 2008
Japan: Warmer temperatures in the years ahead will dry up peatlands, release more carbon dioxide into the world's atmosphere and aggravate global warming, a study in Japan has found.
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE49B2MD20081012?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews
October 8, 2008
Barcelona: Twelve diseases, including Ebola, cholera and red-tide algae blooms, are increasing their geographic range because of climate change, the Times reported, citing Wildlife Conservation Society scientists. The ``deadly dozen,'' lethal to humans and wildlife and sometimes able to spread faster with warmer temperatures, were among those identified yesterday by veterinary scientists from the wildlife group at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature conference in Barcelona, the London-based newspaper said.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601130&sid=anlemhsbycQM
October 6, 2008
USAToday: A report in the journal Science says that of the world's 5,487 mammal species, at least one in four land species and one in three marine species face extinction in the foreseeable future. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) predicted earlier that one in eight bird, one in three amphibian and one in three coral-reef species are endangered.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2008-10-06-endangered-mammals_N.htm?csp=34
October 6, 2008
PhysOrg: A new NASA study shows that the rising frequency and intensity of arctic storms over the last half century, attributed to progressively warmer waters, directly provoked acceleration of the rate of arctic sea ice drift, long considered by scientists as a bellwether of climate change. Data from the study confirmed an accelerating trend in storm activity in the Arctic from 1950 to 2006. Acknowledging ice as a harbinger of climate change, they next analyzed ice drift data collected during the same 56-year period from drifting stations and after 1979 from drifting buoys positioned around the Arctic that measured surface air temperature and sea level pressure. The team found that the pace of sea ice movement along the Arctic Ocean's Transpolar Drift Stream from Siberia to the Atlantic Ocean accelerated in both summer and winter during the 55-year period.
http://www.physorg.com/news142527766.html
October 6, 2008
U.K.: Ground-level ozone pollution is contributing to hundreds of deaths a year in the UK - and climate change could help make the situation worse, a report from the Royal Society warned today.
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/groundlevel-ozone-pollution-to-increase-952823.html
October 5, 2008
Italy: Scientists calculate that the seas are absorbing so much carbon dioxide that they are 30 per cent more acidic than they were at the start of the Industrial Revolution. The change is three times greater and has happened 100 times faster than at any other time during the past 20 million years.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/oct/05/climatechange.italy
October 4, 2008
NSIDC: Arctic sea ice extent during the 2008 melt season dropped to the second-lowest level since satellite measurements began in 1979, reaching the lowest point in its annual cycle of melt and growth on September 14, 2008. Average sea ice extent over the month of September, a standard measure in the scientific study of Arctic sea ice, was 4.67 million square kilometers (1.80 million square miles) (Figure 1). The record monthly low, set in 2007, was 4.28 million square kilometers (1.65 million square miles); the now-third-lowest monthly value, set in 2005, was 5.57 million square kilometers (2.15 million square miles).
http://nsidc.org/news/press/20081002_seaice_pressrelease.html
October 2, 2008
California: A small-to-moderate earthquake struck San Bernardino County, east of Los Angeles. The magnitude-4.1 temblor was centered 6 miles northeast of Yucaipa and occurred at a depth of about 6 miles, according to a preliminary report from the U.S. Geological Survey.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-10-02-earthquake-california_N.htm?csp=34
October 1, 2008
Australia: Emissions rising faster this decade than last. The latest figures on the global carbon budget to be released in Washington and Paris indicate a four-fold increase in growth rate of human-generated carbon dioxide emissions since 2000.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-10/ca-erf100108.php
September 29, 2008
Maine: It threatened to be the first hurricane in 17 years to make landfall in Maine. Instead, Kyle delivered little more than a glancing blow equivalent to that of a classic nor'easter.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=5906764
September 29, 2008
NewScientist: In marine dead zones – also known as hypoxic zones – the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water becomes too low for organisms to survive. They are usually caused by synthetic fertilisers, which are carried from fields, down rivers, and out to sea, where algal blooms gorge on the extra nutrients. When these phytoplankton die, they fall to the bottom where they are eaten by bacteria that consume all the local oxygen in the process. The situation is also predicted to get worse with climate change: warmer oceans can hold less dissolved oxygen. A recent study calculated that the area of hypoxic Danish coast could more than double over the coming century (Science, vol 320, p 655).
http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/dn14835-marine-dead-zones-leave-crabs-gasping.html?feedId=earth_rss20
September 25, 2008
Reuters: The Global Carbon Project said in its report carbon dioxide emissions by mankind are growing about four times faster since 2000 than during the 1990s, despite efforts by 37 rich nations to rein in emissions under the Kyoto Protocol. The report confirms that the developing countries are now producing more greenhouse gases than rich nations which have been burning fossil fuels since the Industrial Revolution.
http://blogs.reuters.com/environment/2008/09/25/carbon-emissions-soar-despite-curbs/
September 23, 2008
Siberia: Scientists claim to have discovered evidence for large releases of methane into the atmosphere from frozen seabed stores off the northern coast of Siberia. A large injection of the gas - which is 21 times more potent as an atmospheric heat trap than carbon dioxide - has long been cited by climate scientists as the potential trigger for runaway global warming. The warming caused by the gas could destabilise permafrost further, they fear, leading to yet more methane release.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/sep/23/climatechange.scienceofclimatechange1?gusrc=rss&feed=worldnews
September 23, 2008
Greenland: Greenland's ice cap, which covers more than 80 percent of the island, is melting faster than expected because of global warming, according to a Danish researcher. The 1.8-million-square-kilometre (695,000-square-mile) ice cap, which accounts for 10 percent of the planet's fresh water, is losing about 257 cubic kilometres (62 cubic miles) of ice per year. In 2080, it is expected to lose 465 cubic kilometres (111 cubic miles) per year, according to new estimates presented by a Danish-US team of scientists at the International Research Center in Fairbanks, Alaska. The net loss in 2080 would be "81 percent greater than today" and would cause "sea levels to rise by 107 millimetres" (4.2 inches), the team's head researcher Sebastian Mernild said in a statement received in Copenhagen. Satellite observations show that "the global water level has since 1993 risen by three millimetres (0.11 inches) per year, or at a much more accelerated pace than during the last century" when it rose by 1.7 millimetres (0.06 inches) per year.
http://www.physorg.com/news141322790.html
September 23, 2008
Southwest: According to Purdue University researchers, the weather in southern California, western Texas and northern Mexico is going to become increasingly unpredictable whatever we do. This is true in both a best-case scenario in which new technology curbs future emissions, and if the worst happens and population growth fuels a doubling in carbon dioxide levels. Residents in these areas will see pronounced fluctuations in temperature and rainfall from year to year - changes that will become harder to predict.
http://environment.newscientist.com/article/mg19926743.900-turbulent-weather-ahead-for-southern-us.html?DCMP=ILC-hmts&nsref=news3_head_mg19926743.900
September 20, 2008
Australia: Dr Veron, former chief scientist with the Australian Institute of Marine Science, said acidification of the oceans would lead to mass extinctions once CO2 levels reached a tipping point and began driving themselves. He said the chemistry was simple: carbon dioxide is dissolved into water, creating very weak carbolic acid which attacks the carbonates that corals depend on. "The corals can't develop properly," he said. Some observers think 560ppm (parts per million) of CO2 is the "tipping point" at which a feedback mechanism kicks in, creating a self-fulfilling cycle driving itself towards mass extinctions. "There's no doubt about this at all," he said. "By 2050 ocean acidification will have taken hold. By perhaps 2060 it will be uncontrollable."
http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,24381178-5006301,00.html?from=public_rss
September 19, 2008
Washington: One-third of the glaciers in the North Cascades — including Lyman — are doomed.
http://www.sierrasun.com/article/20080919/NEWS/809199950/1051&ParentProfile=&title=Glaciers%20vanish%20in%20North%20Cascades
September 19, 2008
Arctic: Arctic sea ice melted to its second-lowest level this summer, rising slightly from 2007's record but still showing a downward trend that is a key symptom of climate change, U.S. scientists said. The ice slipped to its minimum extent for 2008 on September 12, when it covered 1.74 million square miles (4.52 million square km).
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSN1630231020080917?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews
September 17, 2008
Discovery: Plant and soil can take up to two years to recover from an exceptionally hot year, a finding that has implications for the combat against global warming, according to research published. The recovery lag could cause a rethink about the ability of grasslands and soil to act as a sponge, also known as a "sink," that removes carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air, its authors said.
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/09/17/grasslands-heat-carbon.html
September 16, 2008
Antarctica: The ozone hole over Antarctica, a doorway for harmful solar radiation, is bigger than last year, a worrying sign to scientists studying global warming, the World Meteorological Organization said. The area of atmosphere without ozone has grown to 27 million square kilometers (10.4 million square miles), 8 percent larger than the maximum reached in 2007, the group said today in an e- mailed statement. The hole usually reaches its maximum in late September or early October before receding in an annual cycle.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601081&sid=ay8QV4bC6v4M
September 16, 2008
San Diego: UC San Diego scientists say it's too late to stop the effects of global warming. KPBS Reporter Ed Joyce has details. Scripps Institution of Oceanography researchers say irreversible warming will melt glaciers and cause the extinction of plants and animals. Even if greenhouse gas emissions are fixed at 2005 levels, the UCSD analysis shows damage has already been done. Climate Scientist V. Ramanathan says the earth will warm about 4.3 degrees farenheit above pre-industrial levels.
http://www.kpbs.org/news/local;id=12750
September 15, 2008
Greenland: Howat and his colleagues concentrated on the southeastern region of Greenland, an area covering about one-fifth of the island's 656,373 square miles (1.7 million square kilometers). They found that while two of the largest glaciers in that area – Kangerdlugssuaq and Helheim – contribute more to the total ice loss than any other single glaciers, the 30 or so smaller glaciers there contributed 72 percent of the total ice lost.
http://www.physorg.com/news140694754.html
September 15, 2008
Texas: Lack of rain and scorching temperatures hit Texas' agricultural crops and beef operations hard late spring and summer, leading to an estimated $1.4 billion in drought losses, Texas AgriLife Extension Service economists reported Sept. 8. Crop losses were estimated at $1.1 billion, while livestock losses tallied $260 million, which includes lost hay production, added supplemental feed costs and other production expenditures.
http://www.hpj.com/archives/2008/sep08/sep15/2008Texasdroughtlossesestim.cfm?title=2008%20Texas%20drought%20losses%20estimated%20at%20$1.4%20billion
September 13,2008
Texas: Coming ashore with 110 mph winds, Hurricane Ike ravaged the Texas coast, flooding thousands of homes and businesses, shattering windows in Houston's skyscrapers, knocking out power to millions of people, and causing loss of life.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,421788,00.html
September 12,2008
Phillipines: Climate change could have a devastating impact on the Philippines, leading to widespread destruction of the country's flora and fauna and flooding the capital Manila, a NASA scientist warned. The continued melting of Arctic ice caps, brought on by climate change, could cause sea levels to rise by seven metres (23 feet), said National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) physicist Josefino Comiso.
http://www.spacedaily.com/2006/080912101756.63h51snf.html
September 11,2008
PhyOrg: The world’s leading marine and freshwater scientists show direct human impacts will devastate lakes, rivers and coastal seas long before climate change takes full effect. The stark warning is the conclusion of a major new work compiled and led by Professor Nicholas Polunin, leading marine environmental scientist at Newcastle University.
http://www.physorg.com/news140353662.html
September 9,2008
BBC: A report by Oxfam International says emissions, primarily from developed countries, are exacerbating flooding, droughts and extreme weather events. As a result, harvests are failing and people are losing their homes and access to water.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7605927.stm
September 7,2008
NewScientist: Climate change is depriving coral reefs across the globe of the building materials used to make their shells. Current plans to curb greenhouse gas emissions may not be enough to fix the problem, according to new research.
http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/climate-change/dn14676-climate-change-could-stop-corals-fixing-themselves.html?feedId=climate-change_rss20
September 7, 2008
Connecticut: Hanna, blamed for disastrous flooding and more than 100 deaths in Haiti, took just a few hours to drop a month's worth of rain in N.Y. and New England.
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/2008-09-06-hanna_N.htm?csp=34
September 6, 2008
California: A minor earthquake rattled the San Francisco Bay area Friday night. The U.S. Geological Survey's preliminary report put the quake at a 4.0-magnitude.
http://news.aol.com/article/minor-quake-rattles-san-francisco/163093
September 5,2008
Canada: Soaring temperatures have led to the collapse of several huge ice shelves in the Canadian Arctic over the past few weeks. One 50 sq km ice shelf on the northern coast of Canada's Ellesmere Island simply "vanished" over three days, exposing a coast that lay buried under ice for at least 4,000 years.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=43803
September 5, 2008
Washington: Smog, soot and other particles like the kind often seen hanging over Beijing add to global warming and may raise summer temperatures in the American heartland by three degrees in about 50 years, says a new federal science report.
http://www.cbs46.com/weather/17397945/detail.html?rss=lnta&psp=news#-
September 4, 2008
Nature: Anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions could strip tropical oceans of oxygen and drastically expand the region's 'dead zones' by the end of this century. Large portions of the tropical oceans are oxygen-depleted and hostile to marine life. Although these poorly ventilated zones are known to be highly sensitive to climate change, it's not clear how they will fare over the next century.
http://www.nature.com/climate/2008/0810/full/climate.2008.92.html
September 4, 2008
California: Warming temperatures could soon cause California's giant sequoia trees to die off more quickly unless forest managers plan with an eye toward climate change and the impacts of a longer, harsher wildfire season, federal researchers warned.
http://cbs5.com/local/global.warming.sequoias.2.810523.html
September 3, 2008
Toronto: A 19-square-mile ice shelf in Canada’s northern Arctic has broken away from Ellesmere Island, surprising scientists who say the floating ice shelf is another dramatic indication of how warmer temperatures are changing the polar frontier.
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/international/americas/view.bg?articleid=1116772&srvc=rss
September 2, 2008
Seattle: Global warming is leaving its footprint throughout much of western North America. In Canada, the pine bark beetle has killed lodgepole pine forests from the B.C. Coast Range to the Continental Divide. The infestation in white bark pine forests will create killing zones from the Rocky Mountains to the Sierras of California, to the Oregon and Washington Cascades. In the Pacific Northwest, glaciers sustain river flow in late summer and early fall. South of Colonial Creek Campground on the North Cascades Highway, Thunder Creek carries runoff into Seattle City Light's Diablo Lake reservoir. The Columbia River is fed by ice fields of the Canadian Rockies and the Selkirk and Purcell mountains. Even the large South Cascade Glacier, which the U.S. Geological Survey has studied since 1950, has shrunk to an extent that it may be gone by 2050. In the Rockies, Glacier National Park will have no more glaciers by 2030. Glaciers in north-facing cirques of 13,000-foot Wind River peaks are shrinking rapidly.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/connelly/377472_joel03.html?source=mypi
September 1, 2008
BBC: The 1998 hockey stick was a totem of debates over man-made global warming. The graph - indicating that Northern Hemisphere temperatures had been roughly constant for 1,000 years (the "shaft" of the stick) before turning abruptly upwards in the industrial age - featured prominently in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) 2001 assessment. A new study by climate scientists behind the controversial 1998 "hockey stick" graph suggests their earlier analysis was broadly correct.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7592575.stm
September 1, 2008
NewScientist: Sea level rises could far exceed IPCC estimates. The team calculated the volume of water that would have been released in each of these melting stages, and the rate at which it must have raised sea levels. They concluded that levels would have climbed 1.3 metres per century in the earlier period, and 0.7 metres per century in the final melt. Carlson then used a sophisticated computer model – one that is used to forecast future climate change – to check the results. The model predicted an average sea level rise of 1.3 metres per century, suggesting that predictions made by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – a sea-level rise of between 18 centimetres and 59 cm by 2100 – are very conservative.
http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/climate-change/dn14634-sea-level-rises-could-far-exceed-ipcc-estimates.html?feedId=climate-change_rss20
September 1, 2008
Bahamas: Hurricane Hanna lingered over the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos islands on a path that could hit the southeastern U.S. coast by midweek, while Tropical Storm Ike and still another weather pattern behind it raised the possibility of more havoc to come.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/weather/09/01/hanna.storm.ap/index.html?section=cnn_latest
September 1, 2008
New Orleans: Gustav roared from the Gulf of Mexico into southern Louisiana as a Category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of 110 mph, bringing fierce winds and heavy rains from the Alabama-Florida border west into Texas, causing major property damage estimated in the billions and loss of life. Across Louisiana, more than 800,000 people were without electricity, and some may not see it restored for weeks, Gov. Bobby Jindal said.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/weather/09/01/gustav/index.html
August 30, 2008
PhysOrg: From backyards in Tennessee to riverbanks in Southeast Asia, researchers said they have seen fireflies - also called glowworms or lightning bugs - dwindling in number. No single factor is blamed, but researchers in the United States and Europe mostly cite urban sprawl and industrial pollution that destroy insect habitat.
http://www.physorg.com/news139315961.html
August 29, 2008
Atlantic: Tropical Storm Hanna, the lesser known sibling of Hurricane Gustav, churned westward while forecasters in Florida kept a close watch on it. The storm is likely to move into the Bahamas and there was a possibility that it might pick up wind speeds to become a hurricane.
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080829/BREAKINGNEWS/80829061
August 28, 2008
Florida: Fay is the most significant and widespread inundation of Florida since five hurricanes smacked the state in 2004-05. Aside from knocking fruits off trees, the combination of wind and rain exacerbated citrus canker, a disease that infects leaves and causes fruit to drop prematurely. Fay is likely to have increased the spread of the disease.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20080828/us_time/thesourstateoffloridacitrus
August 27, 2008
Arctic: The National Snow and Ice Data Center reported that sea ice in the Arctic now covers about 2.03 million square miles. The lowest point since satellite measurements began in 1979 was 1.65 million square miles set last September. With about three weeks left in the Arctic summer, this year could wind up breaking that previous record, scientists said.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2008/08/28/2008-08-28_global_warming_tipping_point_arctic_sea_.html
August 26, 2008
Carribean: Hurricane Gustav is strengthening rapidly as it heads into the Gulf of Mexico, posing perhaps the greatest threat to the U.S. gulf coast since the disastrous hurricane season of 2005.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121977310633573445.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
August 26, 2008
Idaho: A wind-whipped wildfire that forced the evacuation of more than 100 residents.
http://news.aol.com/article/wildfire-destroys-homes-in-boise/121937
August 25, 2008
Carribean: Haitians were told to prepare for evacuations as Tropical Storm Gustav formed quickly in the Caribbean on a path to hit the country's denuded southern coast as a hurricane before moving on to Cuba, the Bahamas and Florida.
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/hurricane/2008-08-25-tropical-storm-gustav_N.htm?csp=34
August 25, 2008
HealthDay News: Recent research indicates that increasing global temperatures and carbon dioxide levels are causing longer ragweed seasons and more concentrated pollen counts, says the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, which has devoted the September issue of its Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology to examining the effects of climate change on allergic disease.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20080825/hl_hsn/climatechangelinkedtolongerpollenseasons
August 25, 2008
New Mexico: Human-caused climate change has already shifted the jet stream that brings the Southwest its winter snowstorms to the north, which is making the region's late winter and early spring drier, according to new research by a team of Arizona scientists.
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/drought/2008-08-25-southwest-drought-climate-change_N.htm?csp=34
August 25, 2008
Colorado: At least four tornadoes touched down southeast of Denver between the towns of Castle Rock and Parker, but somehow managed to twist dangerously by new housing developments. The thunderstorms unleashed a sudden deluge of rain and hail on several subdivisions.
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/aug/24/tornado-warning-douglas-county/
August 24, 2008
Paris: Climate change could release unexpectedly huge stores of carbon dioxide from Arctic soils, which would in turn fuel a vicious circle of global warming, a new study warned. According to one commentary on the research, current models of climate change have not taken this extra source of greenhouse gas into account.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080824/sc_afp/scienceclimatewarmingcarbonarctic
August 24, 2008
Yosemite: One century ago, alpine chipmunks owned the upper half of Yosemite. They skittered under logs and darted across rocks from the rugged Sierra crest down to the conifer forests at 7,800 feet. Today, they are missing in action below 9,800 feet. "It's lost half its geographic range," Patton said. "Climate is the culprit. I don't think there is any iota of reason not to think that."
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/1181298.html
August 23, 2008
New York: An analysis of recent earthquake activity around New York City has found that many small faults that were believed to be inactive could contribute to a major, disastrous earthquake.
http://news.aol.com/article/study-finds-new-york-quake-dangers/145504
August 22, 2008
Florida: Tropical Storm Fay hobbled across Florida for a fifth day as the state's death toll rose to five, while residents began plodding through muddy water to assess the flood damage to their homes. Fay has dumped more than two feet of rain along parts of Florida's low-lying central Atlantic coast and was making its third pass through the state in a week.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/AP/story/653063.html
August 22, 2008
Denmark: Several species of sea birds will soon be gone from Denmark because climate change is forcing their food sources away, reports JydskeVestkysten newspaper.
http://www.cphpost.dk/get/108838.html
August 21, 2008
Alaska: An aerial survey by government scientists in Alaska's Chukchi Sea this week found at least nine polar bears swimming in open water - with one at least 60 miles from shore - raising concern among wildlife experts about their survival. A World Wildlife Fund (WWF) polar bear expert said the bears could have difficulty making it safely to shore and risk drowning, particularly if a storm arises.
http://www.centredaily.com/business/story/791293.html
August 21, 2008
Greenland: New satellite images reveal that a massive ice chunk recently broken away from one of Greenland's glaciers, which researchers say will continue to disintegrate within the next year. Scientists at Ohio State University monitoring daily NASA satellite images of Greenland's glaciers discovered that an 11-square-mile (29-square-kilometer) piece of the Petermann Glacier broke away between July 10 and 24. The chunk was about half the size of Manhattan.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20080821/sc_livescience/greenlandglacierbreakupsuggestsimminentdisintegration
August 21, 2008
Michigan: According to a Union of Concerned Scientists projection based on the most recent climate change data, Michigan's temperatures will rise 6 to 10 degrees in winter and 7 to 13 degrees in summer by the end of this century. Extreme heat will be more common and the growing season will be eight to 10 weeks longer.
http://www.mlive.com/flintjournal/sports/index.ssf/2008/08/rapid_climate_change_threatens.html
August 20, 2008
Alaska: Records indicate that Alaska has already experienced the largest regional warming of any US state -- an average 5 degrees Fahrenheit (3 degrees Celsius) since the 1960s and about 8 degrees Fahrenheit (4.5 degrees Celsius) in the interior of the state during winter months.
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/49858/story.htm
August 19, 2008
Australia: An Australian climate change expert says the world's sea levels could rise by up to four meters this century. The head of the climate change unit at the Australian National University and science adviser to the federal Government, Professor Will Steffen, says he believes the scientific community is underestimating the speed at which the climate is changing. Rising sea levels from global warming are predicted to make some Pacific islands unlivable within the next decade, with Tuvalu expected to be underwater by 2050.
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/200808/s2340492.htm?tab=latest
August 19, 2008
PhysOrg: Since the 1970s the winter storm track in the western U.S. has been shifting north, particularly in the late winter. As a result, fewer winter storms bring rain and snow to Southern California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, western Colorado and western New Mexico.
http://www.physorg.com/news138338828.html
August 19, 2008
NPR: Extreme temperatures around the world are likely to rise dramatically as a result of global warming, a new study finds. Some heavily populated parts of the world — including the American Midwest — could face heat waves in which the temperature soars above 120 degrees by the end of this century.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93706882&ft=1&f=1004
August 18, 2008
Grand Canyon: Approximately 50 tourists and Hualapai Tribe members spent the night in a shelter after being lifted out of a flood-devastated gorge off the side of the Grand Canyon by helicopters.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/08/18/national/main4357660.shtml
August 14, 2008
Glacier National Park: In 1910 there were 150 glaciers in the park; now there are 25, which are losing 9 percent of their mass per year. Sometime between 2015 and 2020 they'll disappear. Locals joke the 1.4 million acres will be renamed "Puddles National Park."
http://www.alternet.org/water/95107/climate_change_is_already_affecting_the_west's_water/
August 13, 2008
India: World cotton production could decline by 5-12 percent by 2030 due to climatic changes according to Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation.
http://www.commodityonline.com/news/Global-cotton-output-to-be-hit-by-water-shortages-11099-3-1.html
August 13, 2008
Germany: One in five of Germany's plant species could lose parts of its current range, a study by scientists at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and the French Laboratoire d'Ecologie Alpine reveals. Species distributions will be rearranged as a result of climate change; this could have a dramatic impact particularly on the vegetation in south-western and eastern Germany.
http://www.physorg.com/news137838448.html
August 13, 2008
West Antarctica: Human activity and the El Nino weather pattern over the last century have warmed West Antarctica, part of the world's coldest continent, according to a study based on four years of collecting ice core data. The West Antarctic warmed in response to higher temperatures in the tropical Pacific, which itself has been warming due to weather patterns like a major El Nino event from 1939 to 1942 and greenhouse emissions from cars and factories, according to the study.
http://in.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idINN1249988420080812
August 11, 2008
California: Warmer temperatures and longer dry spells have killed thousands of trees and shrubs in a Southern California mountain range, pushing the plants' habitat an average of 213 feet up the mountain over the past 30 years, a UC Irvine study has determined.
http://www.physorg.com/news137693059.html
August 11, 2008
Rocky Mountains: The impacts of global warming are already upon us, wreaking havoc on ecosystems and working landscapes. For example: In the Rocky Mountain region on both sides of the U.S.-Canadian border, the mountain pine beetle — flourishing at increasingly northern latitudes and for longer life cycles because of warmer temperatures — has devastated millions of acres of pine forests. The dead trees have a ripple effect on the ecosystem. Grizzlies can no longer count on squirrels to collect pine-nut caches, an important food source in the fall, and so the bears expand their search for food, increasing the chance of interactions with humans. Even more disturbing, the huge swaths of dead pine forests, which appear as vast, rust-colored patches from the air, are creating a tinderbox for forest fires.
http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/editorials/hc-greenhouse0811.artaug11,0,737326.story
August 7, 2008
Florida: Climate models have long predicted that global warming will increase the intensity of extreme precipitation events. A new study conducted at the University of Miami and the University of Reading (U.K.) provides the first observational evidence to confirm the link between a warmer climate and more powerful rainstorms.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-08/uomr-ccw080408.php
August 7, 2008
U.K.: The UK should take active steps to prepare for dangerous climate change of perhaps 4C according to one of the government's chief scientific advisers. In policy areas such as flood protection, agriculture and coastal erosion Professor Bob Watson said the country should plan for the effects of a 4C global average rise on pre-industrial levels. The EU is committed to limiting emissions globally so that temperatures do not rise more than 2C.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/aug/06/climatechange.scienceofclimatechange
August 6, 2008
Greenland: In some places of the world, that change is happening more quickly than in others, so quickly that our "fast-thinking human mind," as the University of Copenhagen geologist Minik Rosing says, can almost catch it. One of those places is the coastal town of Ilulissat, the last stop on our climate tour of Greenland.
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1829365,00.html?xid=rss-topstories
August 5, 2008
PhysOrg: Climate models project that rising temperatures over time can lead to an increase in dry, desert-like conditions, which will affect not only the survivorship of particular species, but also the natural resources they have adapted to use in their natural environment. Species are thus forced to move elsewhere to find places to live and food to eat.
http://www.physorg.com/news137054054.html
August 4, 2008
Denver: A number of states across south east USA have been reeling under intense heat, which has broken a number of records.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/news/03082008news.shtml
August 4, 2008
Arctic: The vast Arctic sea ice which spreads across the North Pole could disappear during the summer within a decade or two - or even by 2013 - leading scientists are warning.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/climate-of-fear-as-ice-vanishes/2008/08/03/1217701855502.html
August 4, 2008
Yosemite: Scientists predict that climate change will mean more rainfall and less snow in Yosemite in the next 50 years. If that happens, they say, one of the nation's premier outdoor destinations could experience problems — including severe floods in winter and spring, and dry wells in the summer.
http://www.montereyherald.com/ci_10091547?source=rss
August 3, 2008
Spain: From Spain to New York, to Australia, Japan and Hawaii, jellyfish are becoming more numerous and more widespread. They are showing up in places where they have rarely been seen before, scientists say. The explosion of jellyfish populations, scientists say, reflects a combination of severe overfishing of natural predators, such as tuna, sharks and swordfish; rising sea temperatures caused in part by global warming; and pollution that has depleted oxygen levels in coastal shallows.
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_10080759?source=rss
August 2, 2008
Arctic: In 2007 the sea ice at the North Pole was at its thinnest since records began. While the ice at the North Pole used to be thick "old" ice, much of it now is thinner first-year ice, which has had only a single winter to grow.
http://environment.newscientist.com/article/mg19926673.400-arctic-ice-continues-to-thin.html?DCMP=ILC-hmts&nsref=news2_head_mg19926673.400
August 1, 2008
Arctic: Thawing permafrost, eroding lakeshores, a melting glacier and fears of flash floods at a national park on Baffin Island have forced the evacuation of 21 tourists and led officials to declare much of the wilderness reserve off-limits.
http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=df4096b2-211f-4458-9387-93bd95729ff8
July 31, 2008
Grist: By century's end, extreme temperatures of up to 122°F would threaten most of the central, southern, and western U.S. Even worse, Houston and Washington, D.C. could experience temperatures exceeding 98°F for some 60 days a year.
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/7/31/12716/6312
July 30, 2008
California: Newly found mud pots and mud volcanoes now suggest that the San Andreas fault extends another 18 miles, going under the Salton Sea and beyond, in the desert southeast of Palm Springs.
http://news.aol.com/article/san-andreas-fault-longer-than-thought/108930
July 30, 2008
California: Despite shaking a large swath of Southern California, a magnitude-5.4 earthquake was not the "Big One" that scientists have long feared.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/07/29/state/n114525D55.DTL&feed=rss.news
July 29, 2008
Arctic: A chunk of ice spreading across seven square miles has broken off a Canadian ice shelf in the Arctic according to scientists - they were careful not to blame global warming, but said it the event was consistent with the theory that the current Arctic climate isn't rebuilding ice sheets.
http://news.aol.com/article/huge-ice-sheet-breaks-loose-in-arctic/107343
July 29, 2008
California: Visitors to Yosemite National Park weighed whether to cut their vacations short as a destructive wildfire raging miles from the famed wilderness threatened thousands of homes and left evacuees stranded. The blaze tearing through a steep, dry river canyon had destroyed 25 homes, and has forced the evacuation of about 300 homes in the nearby towns of Midpines and Coulterville and is endangering as many as 4,000 others.
http://news.aol.com/article/wildfire-threatens-thousands-of-homes/102378
July 28, 2008
SCIAM: A new study confirms that coral reefs could become yet another casualty of climate change if something is not done to cool the warming globe. The reason: marine cements that bind together reefs can't form in waters full of dissolved carbon dioxide (CO2).
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=coral-reefs-lose-grip-under-global-warming
July 26, 2008
U.K.: Numbers of puffins at England's largest colony, on the Farne Islands off the Northumberland coast, have mysteriously tumbled by a third in the past five years. Possible factors behind the decline are not yet properly understood but according to the trust, "this dramatic drop in numbers would suggest there is something happening at sea during the winter, for example, an intensification of storms as a result of our changing climate which could affect the ability of puffins to find food."
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/mystery-of-tumbling-puffin-population-877794.html
July 25, 2008
Washington: An EPA study concluded that "sea level rise will continue and exacerbate storm surge flooding and coastline erosion … in areas where heat waves already occur, they are expected to be more intense, more frequent, and longer-lasting." The EPA study also predicted that warming temperatures would lead to more wildfires in western US states and "additional strain" on already overtaxed water resources in the dry south-east and western regions.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jul/25/carbonemissions.climatechange?gusrc=rss&feed=worldnews
July 24, 2008
Missouri: Rising temperatures and reduced water supply could cost Kansas more than $1 billion in agriculture losses by 2017, according to a new study from the University of Maryland's Center for Integrative Environmental Research.
http://www.kansas.com/news/updates/story/473457.html
July 23, 2008
Maryland: Climate change will carry a price tag of billions of dollars for a number of U.S. states, says a new series of reports from the University of Maryland's Center for Integrative Environmental Research (CIER). The researchers conclude that the costs have already begun to accrue and are likely to endure.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-07/uom-coc072308.php
July 23, 2008
Texas: Hurricane Dolly strengthened to a Category 2 as its leading edge lashed the Gulf Coast near the Texas-Mexico border with heavy rain and powerful winds. The hurricane is expected to dump up to 15 inches of rain, threatening flooding that could breach levees in the heavily populated Rio Grande valley.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/story/614606.html
July 21, 2008
CToday: The world's wetlands, threatened by development, dehydration and climate change, could release a planet-warming "carbon bomb" if they are destroyed, ecological scientists said on Sunday. Wetlands contain 771 billion tons of greenhouse gases, one-fifth of all the carbon on Earth and about the same amount of carbon as is now in the atmosphere, the scientists said before an international conference linking wetlands and global warming.
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/wetlands.could.unleash.carbon.bomb/20718.htm
July 21, 2008
San Francisco: California has been hit by 2,000 fires this year, and climate scientists are predicting that the situation will worsen as temperatures rise. The American West has been warming dramatically during the past 60 years at a rate surpassed only by Alaska. This year has been particularly dry for California, with less snowfall, earlier snowmelt and lower summer river flows.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/20/MNSC11Q7RD.DTL
July 21, 2008
ScienceDaily: The combined average global land and ocean surface temperatures for June 2008 ranked eighth warmest for June since worldwide records began in 1880, according to an analysis by NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C. Also, globally it was the ninth warmest January – June period on record.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080720215335.htm
July 20, 2008
Australia: Up to a million people in Australia could face a shortage of drinking water if the country's drought continues, a report on the state of the nation's largest river system revealed.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080720/ts_afp/australiadroughtenvironment_080720093807
July 17, 2008
Antarctic: A new global warming threat to the fragile marine ecosystems of Antarctica has been identified, with the discovery that an increasing number of icebergs are tearing up the sea floor and destroying any life in their way.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article4352962.ece
July 17, 2008
peopleandplanet: Global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the burning of fossil fuels stood at a record 8.38 gigatons of carbon (GtC) in 2006, 20 per cent above the level in 2000.
http://www.peopleandplanet.net/doc.php?id=3339
July 17, 2008
Washington: The US Environmental Protection Agency said on Monday that greenhouse gas emissions endanger human health, a critical finding that has languished in bureaucratic limbo since last December. In a 149-page document, the agency's scientists said that "warming of the climate system is unequivocal" and that potential health risks include more heat waves, floods and droughts, insect outbreaks and and wildfires, along with crop failure and decline in livestock and fisheries productivity.
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/49370/story.htm
July 16, 2008
NewScientist: If atmospheric temperatures rise by 3 to 5 °C by the year 2100, most models predict spring snowmelt will start about a month earlier than today. Scientists at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy, built an updated model that included detailed data about where snow lies. This showed that in some regions a two-month shift is more likely.
http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/climate-change/mg19926655.500-shifts-in-us-spring-melt-out-by-a-month.html?feedId=climate-change_rss20
July 16, 2008
Montana: As wildfires roar through tinder-dry forests in California, the mountain pine beetle is silently killing even more trees — hundreds of thousands of acres of towering trees, mostly lodgepole pine, according to Robert Mangold, director of Forest Health Protection for the U.S. Forest Service. An epidemic of this magnitude hasn't been seen in the Mountain West in 25 years, he said. In 2007, the beetles were blamed for killing 3.9 million acres of trees in Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Oregon, Idaho, Utah and Washington, Mangold said.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/2008-07-15-beetle-threat_N.htm?csp=34
July 14, 2008
Worldwatch: The trend of more frequent global natural disasters continues, due to an onslaught of weather-related crises in the first half of 2008. The total number of disasters as of June 30, 2008 already exceeds the average number of disasters recorded at mid-year over the past decade. During the first half of each year between 1998 and 2007, the average number of disasters recorded was 380. So far in 2008, 400 disasters have been reported, according to data released last week by Munich Re, a German reinsurance group.
http://www.worldwatch.org/node/5825
July 14, 2008
BBC: Demand for land to grow food, fuel crops and wood is set to outstrip supply, leading to the probable destruction of forests, a report warns. The Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) says only half of the extra land needed by 2030 is available without eating into tropical forested areas.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7503304.stm
July 13, 2008
Alaska: A volcano erupted with little warning on a remote island in Alaska, sending residents of a nearby ranch fleeing from falling ash and volcanic rock.
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/remote-volcano-in-alaska-erupts/20080713095609990001?icid=200100397x1205673113x1200274338
July 11, 2008
California: Officials have said this unprecedented fire season, plagued by drought and high temperatures, has seen the most fires burning at any one time in recorded California history. Most of the blazes began during a massive June 21 lightning storm that sparked 800 wildfires across Northern California.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,380921,00.html
July 11, 2008
EPA: Smog is most likely to get worse in the Northeast, lower Midwest, and mid-Atlantic regions of the country, where numerous counties and cities are already struggling to clean up the air, according to a draft analysis by the Environmental Protection Agency.
http://www.physorg.com/news134969903.html
July 10, 2008
Florida: Coastal communities will be seriously affected as the world's coral reefs gradually decline under climate change, scientists say. The reefs are already dying at an increasing rate because of global warming and acidification of the oceans, said researchers meeting this week at the International Coral Research Symposium (ICRS) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
http://news.theage.com.au/national/coral-reef-deaths-bring-bleak-outlook-20080710-3cvl.html
July 10, 2008
Arctic: The Wilkins Ice Shelf is experiencing further disintegration that is threatening the collapse of the ice bridge connecting the shelf to Charcot Island. The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) said: "Wilkins Ice Shelf is the most recent in a long, and growing, list of ice shelves on the Antarctic Peninsula that are responding to the rapid warming that has occurred in this area over the last fifty years."
http://www.physorg.com/news134908534.html
July 9, 2008
California: Authorities ordered more than 10,000 residents of Paradise, California, to leave their homes as a stubborn wildfire threatened to jump a river and spread into town where a blaze destroyed 74 homes.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N09359043.htm
July 8, 2008
Physorg: A new equation developed by a University of Michigan atmospheric and planetary scientist, could allow scientists to more accurately calculate the maximum expected intensity of a spiraling storm based on the depth of the troposphere and the temperature and humidity of the air in the storm's path. "This model allows us to relate changes in storms' intensity to environmental conditions. It shows us that climate change could lead to increases in how efficient convective vortices are and how much energy they transform into wind. Fueled by warmer and moister air, there will be stronger and deeper storms in the future that reach higher into the atmosphere."
http://www.physorg.com/news134752375.html
July 8, 2008
Argentina: A huge ice dam on Argentina's Perito Moreno glacier will break apart for the first time in the southern hemisphere winter, likely as a result of global warming, according to scientists and environmentalists.
http://www.physorg.com/news134708599.html
July 6, 2008
California: The current onslaught of wildfire “is what we’ve been projecting to happen, both in short-term fire forecasts and the longer term patterns that can be linked to global climate change,” said a professor at Oregon State University: “What I would tell people is that what they’re experiencing is very consistent with global warming.” Wildfires in the western U.S. now occur more frequently, last longer, and cover more ground than they did in the past. A 2006 study published in Science found that since 1986, the number of major wildfires has increased by 400 percent, and the amount of land these fires burned increased by 600 percent, compared to the period from 1970 to 1986.
http://www.independent.com/news/2008/jul/06/gap-fire-sign-global-warming/
July 6, 2008
ScienceDaily: A scientist at the Carnegie Institution's Department of Global Ecology noted that the oceans have absorbed about 40% of the carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted by humans over the past two centuries. This has slowed global warming, but at a serious cost: the extra carbon dioxide has caused the ocean's average surface pH (a measure of water's acidity) to shift by about 0.1 unit from pre-industrial levels. Depending on the rate and magnitude of future emissions, the ocean's pH could drop by as much as 0.35 units by the mid-21st century. This acidification can seriously damage marine organisms.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080703140716.htm
July 4, 2008
U.N.: Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), delivered the bleak warning at a gathering of European Union ministers - "we would have to stabilise the greenhouse-gas concentration at more or less the level at which we are today...But in order to do that, we have a window of opportunity of only seven years because emissions will have to peak by 2015 and reduce after that. We cannot permit a longer delay." Pachauri also sounded a note of caution about the 2 C (3.6 F) figure, as evidence was mounting that climate change was accelerating faster than thought. Heatwaves and floods were increasing, and higher temperatures were having a far-reaching effect on glaciers and snowfall.
http://www.physorg.com/news134398515.html
July 4, 2008
California: A total of 367 wildfires were burning across the state, most ignited by lightning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the U.S. Forest Service. That figure was down from a peak of roughly 1,500 fires just a few days ago. A ferocious wildfire burning through the Los Padres National Forest continued creeping closer to Big Sur, after jumping a fire line and claiming several more homes. Locals who feared for their homes and businesses also had to worry about lost revenue during peak season.
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/national/west/view.bg?articleid=1104989&srvc=rss
July 3, 2008
Miami: Tropical Storm Bertha has formed in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa, the second named storm of the season.
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/tropical-storm-bertha-forms-in-atlantic/20080703085809990001
July 2, 2008
Washington: Computer model shows that by the end of the century, high temperatures for once-in-a-generation heat waves will rise twice as fast as everyday average temperatures. Chicago, for example, would reach 115 degrees in such an event by 2100. Paris heat waves could near 109 with Lyon coming closer to 114. A scientist with the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, projects temperatures for rare heat waves around the world in a study soon to be published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
http://www.nbc5.com/weather/16772494/detail.htmlrss=chi&psp=nationalnews
July 2, 2008
Nature: An increasing number of species are migrating in response to global warming; some alpine organisms are climbing to higher altitudes, others animals are moving towards the poles. A new study suggests that as sea temperatures rise, many fish may be electing to move into deeper, cooler waters, rather than moving to higher latitudes as many theorists had previously predicted.
http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080702/full/news.2008.929.html?s=news_rss
July 2, 2008
New Guinea: Using satellite images to reveal changes in forest cover between 1972 and 2002 ... Papua New Guinea lost more than 5 million hectares of forest over the past three decades ... Worse, deforestation rates may be accelerating, with the pace of forest clearing reaching 362,000 hectares (895,000 acres) per year in 2001. The study warns that at current rates 53 percent of the country's forests could be lost or seriously degraded by 2021.
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/7/1/132058/2810
July 1, 2008
Washington: The dwindling march of the penguins is signaling that the world's oceans are in trouble according to scientists.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25465332/
June 29, 2008
Missouri: Once the Mississippi River starts to recede from another great flood, the tiny river towns that dot its banks in Missouri and Illinois will once again face the question: return and rebuild, or relocate?
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=5270817
June 28, 2008
California: Hundreds of lightning-sparked wildfires have turned the air of Northern California into an unhealthy stew of smoke and ash, forcing the cancellation of athletic events and other outdoor activities.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080628.wwildfires0628/BNStory/International/?page=rss&id=RTGAM.20080628.wwildfires0628
June 27, 2008
CNN: The North Pole may be briefly ice-free by September as global warming melts away Arctic sea ice, according to scientists from the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colorado. The ice retreated to a record level in September when the Northwest Passage -- the sea route through the Arctic Ocean -- opened up briefly for the first time in recorded history.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/weather/06/27/north.pole.melting/index.html?section=cnn_latest
June 27, 2008
Missouri: Another levee has been lost at the eastern Missouri town of Winfield, but emergency workers are still hoping to save about 100 homes.
http://www.wtol.com/global/story.asp?s=8565273
June 26, 2008
London: Rising temperatures have forced many plants to creep to higher elevations to survive, researchers reported. More than two-thirds of the plants studied along six West European mountain ranges climbed an average of 29 meters (95 feet) in altitude in each decade since 1905 to better conditions on higher ground, the researchers reported in the journal.
http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSL2680190120080626?feedType=RSS&feedName=scienceNews
June 26, 2008
California: Flames from a huge wildfire burning through a national forest inched toward the scenic tourist town of Big Sur, where firefighters rushed to protect historic structures and hundreds of homes.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/06/24/state/n150800D07.DTL&feed=rss.news
June 26, 2008
Chicago: Extreme floods and droughts brought on by climate change can turn normally harmless infections into significant threats, international researchers said. Further, they said weather extremes can create conditions in which several fairly harmless diseases converge at once, creating a "one-two punch" that can devastate populations of wildlife or livestock.
http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSN2438313620080625?feedType=RSS&feedName=scienceNews
June 25, 2008
Washington: Global warming is likely to increase illegal immigration, create humanitarian disasters and destabilize precarious governments in political hot spots, all of which could affect U.S. national security, according to an assessment by U.S. intelligence agencies.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2008-06-25-warming-report_N.htm?csp=34
June 24, 2008
Washington: 'We're toast' without action on global warming, warns James Hanson from NASA. He said Earth's atmosphere can stay this loaded with man-made carbon dioxide for only a couple more decades without changes such as mass extinction, ecosystem collapse and dramatic sea level rises.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/06/24/globalwarming.ap/index.html?section=cnn_latest
June 22, 2008
California: Wildfires were scattered around Northern California on Sunday in the heart of wine country and in remote forests, the latest in what has become an unusually destructive year. State officials said lightning started more than 500 fires.
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/california-battles-hundreds-of-blazes/20080621093409990001
June 21, 2008
Wisconsin: Sea level changes a driving force in mass extinctions according to an extensive study by a University of Wisconsin-Madison assistant professor published in the journal Nature. Changes in ocean environments related to sea level exert a driving influence on rates of extinction, which animals and plants survive or vanish, and the composition of life in the ocean.
http://www.madison.com/tct/news/stories/292715
June 21, 2008
NewScientist: Much of the north-western US wilderness is already a tinderbox, but thanks to global warming, wildfires will be scorching even more land every year by the end of the century.
http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/climate-change/mg19826615.500-global-warming-to-increase-us-wildfires.html?feedId=climate-change_rss20
June 21, 2008
Los Angeles: An extreme heat wave blanketing much of the California coast showed no signs of letting up as temperatures headed back toward triple digits.
http://www.syracuse.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/base/national-105/121407355116840.xml&storylist=topstories
June 21, 2008
San Francisco: A fast-moving fire erupted along the Northern California coast, burning homes, forcing hundreds of residents to flee.
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/hundreds-flee-california-wildfire/20080621093409990001
June 20, 2008
Missouri: Three Mississippi River levees broke Thursday in Lincoln County, sending a creeping wave of water toward Foley and causing more concern in nearby Winfield. The river was overflowing 90 percent of the levees in eastern Lincoln County, and at least four more breaches were expected to aggravate the flooding.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=5209696
June 20, 2008
Washington: Floodwaters loaded with farm runoff are heading down the Mississippi River, and scientists fear the deluge will dramatically increase this summer's dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico, covering an area the size of Maryland.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080620/ap_on_sc/sci_midwest_flooding_dead_zone
June 20, 2008
Chicago: The sprawling network of levees — built over many years to protect the Upper Mississippi basin from the sort of disastrous flooding that has claimed homes, lives, and millions of acres of farmland — was never designed to withstand the magnitude of a 500-year flood. And so towns like Gulfport, Ill., and La Grange, Mo., have watched as waters spilled over the tops of levees that were supposed to keep them dry.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20080620/ts_csm/alevees_1
June 20, 2008
Dallas: The first report to assess observed and projected changes in weather and climate extremes for the U.S. was released by the government's Climate Change Science Program. According to the report, significant changes in extreme weather events have been observed throughout the U.S., including unusually hot days and nights, fewer unusually cold days and nights, fewer frost days and more frequent and intense heavy downpours.
http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/2008/06/16/daily44.html?ana=from_rss
June 19, 2008
AlterNet: Scientists acknowledge an uncomfortable fact: global warming is the real cause of extreme weather like the Midwest floods.
http://www.alternet.org/environment/88739/
June 18, 2008
Iowa: Storms and flooding across six states this month have killed 24 people, injured 148 and caused more than $1.5 billion in estimated damage in Iowa alone — a figure that's likely to increase as river levels climb in Missouri and Illinois.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=5189162
June 18, 2008
Paris: The dramatic proliferation of jellyfish in oceans around the world, driven by overfishing and climate change, is a sure sign of ecosystems out of kilter, warn experts.
http://www.canada.com/theprovince/story.html?id=df0dd5f7-2074-4ed7-8a1f-84b2499de430
June 18, 2008
PhysOrg: New research suggests that ocean temperature and associated sea level increases between 1961 and 2003 were 50 percent larger than estimated in the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report. An international team of researchers compared climate models with improved observations that show sea levels rose by 1.5 millimeters per year in the period from 1961-2003. That equates to an approximately 2½-inch increase in ocean levels in a 42-year span.
http://www.physorg.com/news133019164.html
June 18, 2008
U.N.: The UNHCR says climate change is expected to drive increasing numbers of people from their homes as more conflicts are fuelled by water scarcity and a lack of food.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/080618/21/17bx6.html
June 18, 2008
Australia: New research compiled by an Australian scientist shows that global seismic activity on Earth is now five times more energetic than it was just 20 years ago. The research proves that destructive ability of earthquakes on Earth increases alarmingly fast and that this trend is set to continue, unless the problem of "global warming" is comprehensively and urgently addressed. The analysis of more than 386,000 earthquakes between 1973 and 2007 recorded on the US Geological Survey database proved that the global annual energy of earthquakes on Earth began increasing very fast since 1990.
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/earthquakes-became-five-times-more,437288.shtml
June 17, 2008
Sydney: Beautiful coral reefs are increasingly under threat from climate change, and so are 4,000 species of fish, critically dependent on them for food, shelter or reproduction, warns a study.
http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080053330&ch=6/19/2008%207:33:00%20AM
June 15, 2008
Manila: Indigenous peoples (IPs) are among the major victims of climate change. which threatens their very existence.
http://bulatlat.com/2008/06/ips-among-main-victims-climate-change-land-grabbing-environmental-destruction
June 14, 2008
NewScientist: Ocean changes may trigger US megadrought: The team found that the impact of these sea surface temperature changes differs by season. The effects of a change in the Pacific would hit mainly in winter: ocean cooling of 3 °C would reduce the occurrence of winter storms. Meanwhile, effects of changes in the Atlantic would strike mainly in summer: warming of 1 °C would reduce the transport of moisture to the Great Plains of the central US and western parts of the continent. When both these effects occur together, North America suffers a megadrought.
http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/mg19826604.300-ocean-changes-may-trigger-us-megadrought.html?feedId=online-news_rss20
June 14, 2008
Iowa: Des Moines Levee Fails - Iowa's Cedar River slowly receding but Cedar Rapids will remain flooded for days.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=5104100
June 14, 2008
U.K.: The permafrost belt stretching across Siberia to Alaska and Canada could start melting three times faster than expected because of the speed at which Arctic Sea ice is disappearing.
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/arctic-thaw-threatens-siberian-permafrost-846951.html
June 13, 2008
Washington: The National Climatic Data Center said the global land surface temperature for spring was 1.87 degrees F above the 20th century mean of 46.4 degrees F and tied with 2000 as third warmest. The global ocean surface temperature for spring was 0.59 degrees Fabove the 20th century mean of 61.0 degrees F and ranked 10th warmest.
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/climate/2008-06-13-seventh-warmest-spring-temperatures_N.htm?csp=34
June 13, 2008
California: Hundreds of firefighters struggled to gain control of a series of wildfires burning across Northern California, including a raging forest fire that forced hundreds to leave their homes in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
http://www.charlotte.com/nation/story/666817.html
June 12, 2008
Greenland: Another study adds weight to the conclusion that Greenland's ice sheet is melting faster than predicted by the United Nations, and that sea level could rise faster than predicted around the world. The International Polar Year study from the University of Alaska-Fairbanks showed a doubling of freshwater runoff, in the form of melting and iceberg calving, from Greenland by the end of this century. That level of melting would result in an annual rise of sea levels 45% greater than previously predicted – 1.6 millimeters a year, rather than 1.1. Another recent study predicted that sea levels would rise two times as fast as previously thought because of the rapid melting of Greenland.
http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/greenland-melting-47061204
June 12, 2008
Iowa: The Cedar River poured over its banks, forcing the evacuation of more than 3,000 homes, causing a railroad bridge to collapse and leaving cars underwater on downtown streets. Officials estimated that 100 blocks were underwater in Cedar Rapids, where several days of preparation could not hold back the rain-swollen river. "We are seeing a historic hydrological event taking place with unprecedented river levels occurring," said a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Davenport. "We're in uncharted territory - this is an event beyond what anybody could even imagine."
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2004473501_apmidwestflooding.html?syndication=rss
June 12, 2008
Chicago: A tornado hit a Boy Scout camp in western Iowa leaving four dead and about 40 others injured, according to Iowa Homeland Security officials.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/11/AR2008061103820.html
June 11, 2008
Stockholm: Europe could face an increase in outbreaks of diseases carried by insects and rodents as the climate on the continent becomes hotter and wetter, according to EU health experts.
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1213275732.57
June 11, 2008
New Jersey: Extreme thunderstorms swept through New Jersey, cutting the power to a few hundred thousand homes.
http://www.njherald.com/story/12OUTAGES-web
June 11, 2008
Wisconsin: The Cedar River had been expected to top the levee in Cedar Falls overnight, but the sandbags appeared to be holding. The river had fallen to 101.8 feet shortly before 5 a.m., down from 102 feet several hours earlier. The previous record was 99.2 feet in 1999.
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/soaked-midwest-braces-for-more-flooding/20080607171509990002
June 10, 208
NCAR: The rate of climate warming over northern Alaska, Canada, and Russia could more than triple during periods of rapid sea ice loss, according to a new study led by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). The findings raise concerns about the thawing of permafrost, or permanently frozen soil, and the potential consequences for sensitive ecosystems, human infrastructure, and the release of additional greenhouse gases.
http://www.physorg.com/news132322491.html
June 10, 2008
South Africa: The United Nations environment agency unveiled a new atlas Tuesday that shows what the agency says are the dramatic effects of climate change on Africa.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=5039687
June 10, 2008
California: A 2.5-square mile wildfire destroyed 21 homes and about 30 other structures in Palermo, a town of about 5,000 residents.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/sns-ap-wildfires,0,911895.story?track=rss
June 10, 2008
Scotland: Last month was the warmest May in Scotland since records began in 1914, according to Met Office data. The statistics showed May was also the fourth driest recorded, with just 34% of the usual rain for the month.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/7447016.stm
June 10, 2008
Wisconsin: Engineers and National Guard teams examined dams across this storm-deluged state Tuesday looking for signs of damage from the high water that led to the major collapse that nearly emptied Lake Delton.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/06/10/national/main4170700.shtml
June 9, 2008
Tokyo: Planet-warming carbon emissions will rise 130 percent and oil demand will rise 70 percent by 2050 under current government policies, the International Energy Agency warned in a report on Friday.
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/48692/story.htm
June 9, 2008
Wisconsin: Floodwater washed away four houses and threatened dams in Wisconsin today as military crews joined desperate sandbagging operations to hold back Indiana streams surging toward record levels. Ten deaths were blamed on stormy weekend weather, most in the Midwest.
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/national/midwest/view.bg?articleid=1099653&srvc=rss
June 9, 2008
USDA: Elevated levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) could promote the growth of purple and yellow nutsedge—quick-growing invasive weeds that plague farmers and gardeners in many states, and in particular the south.
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2008/080609.htm
June 8, 2008
North Carolina: According to the National Weather Service temperatures set record highs in several locations across North Carolina as an early heat wave baked the east and southeast.
http://topsailweather.com/content/
June 7, 2008
California: 10,000 gigatons of methane - a greenhouse gas - is trapped under the ice cap in high latitudes at the top of the world. If the ice cap melts - as the Greenland ice sheet rapidly is - the methane will be released (and methane is 50 times more active than carbon as a greenhouse gas) causing a potential rapid tipping point, according to a respected scientist.
http://www.dailybulletin.com/ci_9518593?source=rss
June 7, 2008
Indiana: Heavy rains — as much as 11 inches in a few communities– flooded central Indiana, testing levees and forcing many to find safety atop rooftops.
http://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/2008/06/07/heavy-rains-pound-central-indiana/
June 7, 2008
Chicago: Video of the Chicago area tornado on June 7, 2008.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=j2mRjGQZW3I&feature=user
June 6, 2008
U.K.: A catastrophic water shortage could prove an even bigger threat to mankind this century than soaring food prices and the relentless exhaustion of energy reserves, according to a panel of global experts at the Goldman Sachs "Top Five Risks" conference.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2008/06/05/ccwater105.xml
June 6, 2008
Minnesota: An extreme storm packing at least one tornado raked a half-mile-wide path of destruction in northwestern Minnesota, ripping up roofs and trees and pushing cars off the road Friday, the National Weather Service said.
http://real-us.news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080606/ap_on_re_us/severe_weather
June 5, 2008
California: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a statewide drought after two years of below-average rainfall, low snow-melt runoff and a court-ordered restriction on water transfers.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/06/05/california.drought.ap/index.html?section=cnn_latest
June 5, 2008
Wellington: The president of the low-lying Pacific atoll nation of Kiribati said Thursday his country may already be doomed because of climate change.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080605/sc_afp/nzealandclimateenvironment_080605091135
June 5, 2008
Rome: High food prices may add pressure for more fishing along coasts where the environment faces threats from pollution and climate change, according to a UN University report. "The decline is terminal, unless we introduce much more effective management immediately," said the study by the university's International Network on Water, Environment and Health (INWEH).
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/48635/story.htm
June 4, 2008
Spain: Warming seawater, melting sea ice and glaciers, sea level rise, storm intensification, changes in ocean currents, growing "dead zones", and ocean acidification are just some of the signs that the oceans that cover 71 percent of our watery planet are changing.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=42662
June 2, 2008
Chicago: Surprising research suggests that childhood cancer is most common in the Northeast, results that even caught experts off guard. Environmental factors might play a role, including exposure to radiation, said lead author Dr. Jun Li of the CDC. Radiation has been linked with the most common types of childhood cancer - leukemia, lymphoma and brain cancers. Dr. Lindsay Frazier, a cancer specialist at Children's Hospital Boston and Dana Farber Cancer Institute, said pollution and housing stock that's older than anywhere else in the nation might help explain the Northeast's higher rates.
http://news.aol.com/health/story/ar/_a/childhood-cancer-highest-in-northeast/20080602094809990002
June 1, 2008
Time: The problem is that the sheer amount of greenhouse gases we've already pumped into the atmosphere has irreversibly bound us to a certain amount of warming over the next several decades — no matter what we do, we'll have to adapt to it. That means climate change isn't a problem for tomorrow; the effects are happening now. Already precipitation patterns seem to be changing, making some drier areas — like the arid American southwest — even drier, and rainy regions even wetter.
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1811058,00.html?xid=rss-health
May 31, 2008
China: China is experiencing the warmest spring temperatures the country has felt in 57 years, weather experts say.
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/05/31/China_has_warmest_spring_in_57_years/UPI-16501212254414/
May 31, 2008
Alternet: With 150 dead zones in our oceans, some the size of Ireland, author Taras Grescoe argues that there's been a massive die out of sea life.
http://www.alternet.org/environment/86789/
May 30, 2008
New York: Electric power production and transportation are the two largest sources of carbon emissions in the United States. But there are big differences in emissions between companies, and from state to state.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/05/30/business/20080601_ENERGY_GRAPHIC.html
May 30, 2008
Washington: President Bush's science advisors issued a comprehensive report that greenhouse gases from fossil fuel combustion "are very likely the single largest cause" of Earth's warming. The few positive effects of climate shifts are outweighed by negatives. For example, warming and higher levels of carbon dioxide are expected to speed up growth of forests and certain crops, but will also increase insect outbreaks and lead to more wildfires, which are likely to take a larger toll on crops, forests and property, the report predicts. Warmer, less-snowy winters will decrease winter road maintenance costs, but increased coastal and river-related flooding and landslides will cause more serious problems. Heat spells, the report says, "could cause railroad tracks to buckle or kink and could affect roads through softening and traffic-related rutting." The cost of heating is likely to fall, but the increased demand for air conditioning "would require the building of additional electricity production facilities (and probably transmission facilities) at an estimated cost of many billions of dollars."
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-warming30-2008may30,0,300051.story?track=rss
May 29, 2008
Iceland: The average temperature in Reykjavik Iceland in May has been 8.4ºC. It may be that May 2008 turns out to be the warmest since 1960, when the average temperature was 8.7 ºC.
http://icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/?cat_id=16539&ew_0_a_id=306837
May 29, 2008
ENN: An abrupt release of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, from ice sheets that extended to Earth's low latitudes some 635 million years ago caused a dramatic shift in climate, scientists funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) report in this week's issue of the journal Nature. It's possible that very little warming could unleash trapped methane. Uncovering the planet's methane reservoir could potentially warm the Earth tens of degrees, and the mechanism could be very rapid. Such a fast uncovering of clathrates could have triggered a catastrophic climate and biogeochemical reorganization of the ocean and atmosphere around 635 million years ago.
http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/37021
May 28, 2008
Denver: Climate change is increasing the risk of U.S. crop failures, depleting the nation's water resources and contributing to outbreaks of invasive species and insects, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a new report.
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/climate/2008-05-28-usda_climate_report_N.htm?csp=34
May 27, 2008
Alaska: Wasps used to be an uncommon sight in Fairbanks until two years ago. Then huge numbers of them swarmed on the city, ten times more than normal. These are yet more worrying signs of climate change.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/weather/article4009658.ece
May 27, 2008
Discovery News: Antarctic Mega-Iceberg Suffocates Seals. Weeks after the controversial listing of polar bears as threatened species, new research graphically demonstrates how changes to polar ice from global warming can devastate local animals.
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/05/27/antarctica-seal.html
May 26, 2008
Physorg: Scientists are raising the possibility that glacial melting is releasing large amounts of the banned pesticide DDT, which is contaminating the environment in Antarctica.
http://www.physorg.com/news131018482.html
May 26, 2008
Iowa: Extreme storms packing large hail, heavy rain and tornadoes made for a deadly Memorial Day weekend across the nation's midsection, killing at least seven people in Iowa and a 2-year-old child in Minnesota.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080526/ap_on_re_us/severe_weather
May 25, 2008
Paris: Climate change models predicting a dangerous warming of the world's atmosphere got a confirming boost from a study showing parallel trends at altitudes nearly twice as high as Mount Everest. The new research, published in Nature Geoscience, will help remove one of the remaining scientific uncertainties about the general thrust of global warming, the authors say. Over the last two decades, temperature readings from the upper troposphere -- 12 to 16 kilometres (7.5 and 10 miles) above Earth's surface -- based on data gathered by satellites and high-flying weather balloons showed little or no increase. There are approximately ten times fewer discontinuities in wind than in temperature records, making wind measurements a more reliable indicator of long-term trends, noted an author.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080525/sc_afp/scienceclimatewarmingtroposphere_080525173859
May 24, 2008
Arctic: Scientists travelling with the troops found major new fractures during an assessment of the state of giant ice shelves in Canada's far north. The team found a network of cracks that stretched for more than 10 miles (16km) on Ward Hunt, the area's largest shelf. The fate of the vast ice blocks is seen as a key indicator of climate change.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7417123.stm
May 24, 2008
Texas: Environmental experts predict catastrophic drought conditions for Texas and warmer temperatures in New Mexico unless something drastic is done to slow climate change. "In Texas, we're talking about a dust bowl that will be 20 times more intense and widespread than the one we had (in the United States) in the 1930s," said the outreach coordinator for Environment Texas, an advocacy organization in Austin.
http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_9365079
May 24, 2008
Kansas City: The city of Protection in Commanche County took a direct hit from a tornado, with the damage mostly limited to overturned trees and power lines. The worst destruction occurred at a manufacturing plant. At least two houses elsewhere in Kansas were destroyed, and several mobile homes in Lane County were ripped apart, some with people in them.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080524/ap_on_re_us/severe_weather
May 24, 2008
Baltimore: More than half the beaches on Maryland's Eastern Shore will be destroyed over this century by rising sea levels driven by global warming, according to a new report by the National Wildlife Federation: rising sea levels will likely mean that 415 square miles of open water will replace beaches and coastal land in the Chesapeake Bay area over the next century. Global warming has also meant that springtime in the Chesapeake region is starting three weeks earlier than a half century ago, and the summers are hotter.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bay_environment/bal-md.shore23may23,0,5992876.story?track=rss
May 23, 2008
Colorado: A monster tornado ripped through Colorado, with wind gusts up to 130 mph flattening hundreds of homes and businesses and killing at least one.
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Weather/story?id=4917262&page=1
May 22, 2008
Los Angeles: Modeling of the potential "Big One," as earthquake scientists imagine it in a detailed script, unzips California's mighty San Andreas Fault north of the Mexican border. In less than two minutes, Los Angeles and its sprawling suburbs are shaking like a bowl of jelly. The jolt from the 7.8-magnitude temblor lasts for three minutes — 15 times longer than the disastrous 1994 Northridge quake. Water and sewer pipes crack. Power fails. Part of major highways break. Some high-rise steel frame buildings and older concrete and brick structures collapse. Hospitals are swamped with 50,000 injured as all of Southern California reels from a blow on par with the Sept. 11 attacks and Hurricane Katrina: $200 billion in damage to the economy, and 1,800 dead. Only about 700 of those people are victims of building collapses. Many others are lost to the 1,600 fires burning across the region.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/calif_quake_scenario
May 22, 2008
Spain: Coral reefs will be the first global ecosystem to collapse in our lifetimes. The one-two punch of climate change that is warming ocean temperatures and increasing acidification is making the oceans uninhabitable for corals and other marine species, researchers said at a scientific symposium in Spain. And now other regions are being affected. Acidic or corrosive waters have been detected for the first time on the continental shelf of the west coast of North America, posing a serious threat to fisheries according to an oceanographer with the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=42464
May 22, 2008
Tampa: Government forecasters expect between six and nine hurricanes to form in the Atlantic this year. They say two to five of those could be major hurricanes. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials said Thursday they expect the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season to be near or above normal. They say there is a 60 to 70 percent chance of their predictions happening.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/05/22/ap/national/main4118328.shtml
May 22, 2008
California: A wildfire burned several homes, forced evacuations and closed schools in the mountains of central California, where rugged terrain frustrated efforts to get a handle on a fast-moving blaze. Hundreds of people fled as the more than 4-square-mile fire continued to grow.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=4909960
May 22, 2008
New Orleans: Despite more than $22 million in repairs, a levee that broke with catastrophic effect during Hurricane Katrina is leaking again because of the mushy ground on which New Orleans was built, raising serious questions about the reliability of the city's flood defenses.
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/leaky-levee-stirs-doubts-in-new-orleans/20080522070509990001
May 21, 2008
Penn State: Plant-eating animals in highly seasonal environments, such as the Arctic, are struggling to locate nutritious food as a result of climate change, according to new research led by a Penn State Professor.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-05/ps-ccd051708.php
May 21, 2008
Brazil: Destruction of the Amazon rainforest - essential for cooling the world's temperature - is again on the upswing despite a recent crackdown on illegal logging, according to Brazil's new environment minister. The Brazilian Amazon, covers about 1.6 million square miles (4.1 million square kilometers) or nearly 60 percent of the country. About 20 percent of the forest has already been razed.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080521/ap_on_sc/brazil_amazon
May 20, 2008
Beijing: Scientists from across the world applied statistical models to published data on changes in 829 physical systems and around 28,800 plant and animal systems. Their analysis, published in Nature, looked at whether these changes were related to temperature increase, other factors such as land use change, or simply natural variability. Around 95 per cent of the physical systems studied responded to the world's warming trend. The analysis found that glaciers in every continent have been shrinking, permafrost is melting, the peak of river levels in spring is shifting, and lake and river temperatures are rising. And 90 per cent of the changes in plants and animals were consistent with responses to temperature rise, including earlier blooming and leaf unfolding.
http://www.enn.com/climate/article/36560
May 19, 2008
AlterNet: Western water reservoirs are being depleted by the increasingly obvious impacts of global climate change, suggesting water shortages in the future. Even this winter's abundant snowfall fails to overcome decades-long trends of increased temperatures and altered patterns of precipitation and spring runoff. The latest documentation of these impacts is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Water Program Strategy: Response to Climate Change.
http://www.alternet.org/water/85855/
May 16, 2008
Los Angeles: Southern California temperatures soared in May into the 90s, and near-record or record highs were posted in valley areas. National Weather Service forecasters said the heat wave was the product of strong high pressure over the West Coast combined with weak-to-moderate offshore flow.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-heat16-2008-may16,0,6561484.story?track=rss
May 16, 2008
U.K.: Between a quarter and a third of the world's wildlife has been lost since 1970, according to data compiled by the Zoological Society of London. Populations of land-based species fell by 25%, marine by 28% and freshwater by 29%, it says. Humans are wiping out about 1% of all other species every year, and one of the "great extinction episodes" in the Earth's history is under way, it says.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7403989.stm
May 15, 2008
Washington: While carbon dioxide has been getting lots of publicity in climate change, reactive forms of nitrogen are also building up in the environment, scientists warn. "The public does not yet know much about nitrogen, but in many ways it is as big an issue as carbon, and due to the interactions of nitrogen and carbon, makes the challenge of providing food and energy to the world's peoples without harming the global environment a tremendous challenge," University of Virginia environmental sciences.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/GlobalWarming/wireStory?id=4864176
May 14, 2008
Washington: The Interior Department declared the polar bear a threatened species because of the loss of Arctic sea ice.
http://green.yahoo.com/news/ap/20080514/ap_on_sc/polar_bear.html
May 14, 2008
New York: Ancient air bubbles trapped in Antarctica's ice have revealed that levels of carbon dioxide and methane in the Earth's atmosphere are at their highest in 800,000 years, according to two studies in the journal Nature.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601081&sid=ajiBydD5EHNs
May 14, 2008
Washington: Extreme temperatures throughout the midwest and south are making 2008 one of the deadliest years for US tornadoes in recent history. Through May 11, the United States has experienced between 650 and 700 separate tornadoes, figures Harold Brooks, a research meteorologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Severe Storms Laboratory. That would put 2008 right up with 1999, which had 676 tornadoes between January and mid-May – the most on record. The northern half of the US has had a turbulent winter and early spring, and the Gulf of Mexico has been unusually warm, early. This has set the stage for a number of collisions between moist, warm fronts and colder, drier air – the classic condition for producing a tornado.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0514/p01s05-usgn.html
May 14, 2008
Paris: A wide-scale study just released has strengthened warnings, spelt out last year by UN scientists, that climate change is already on the march.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080514/sc_afp/climatewarmingscience_080514185907
May 13, 2008
Florida: Daytona Beach - Relentless wildfires burned across Florida's Atlantic coast, taxing firefighters and overwhelming residents trying to save their homes with garden hoses. Firefighters in the Brevard County town of Palm Bay have spent more than 48 hours battling the state's biggest blaze, which has damaged about 70 homes and scorched 3,500 acres, or about 5½ square miles.
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/wildfires-destroy-homes-in-florida/20080512153509990001
May 13, 2008
U.K.: Scientists at the Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii say that CO2 levels in the atmosphere now stand at 387 parts per million (ppm), up almost 40% since the industrial revolution and the highest for at least the last 650,000 years.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/may/13/carbonemissions.climatechange?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront
May 12, 2008
Idaho: US fire managers are forecasting a grim year for blazes in drought-plagued Western states, just weeks after a premature start to the Southwest's wildfire season. Climate models show a warming West where snowmelt from the mountains occurs earlier and dry conditions persist longer, setting the stage for blazes that reset measures for scale and intensity.
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/48301/story.htm
May 12, 2008
Delaware: An extreme storm struck mid-Atlantic states forcing evacuations and flooding roads. Tens of thousands of electricity customers in several states lost power as up to 5 inches of rain fell. Tidal flooding forced the closure of schools and roads in parts of coastal New Jersey. Wind gusts reached 50 mph in many parts of the state, and hurricane-strength gusts of 76 mph were recorded in Sea Isle City. The storm differs from a nor'easter because it is a combination of two weather systems, one from the Ohio Valley that contributed to recent tornadoes and a second from just south of the Delmarva region of Delaware.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/05/12/ap/national/main4090411.shtml
May 12, 2008
Charleston: Extreme storms with strong winds and lightning damaged homes and vehicles and knocked out power across West Virginia.
http://www.wvgazette.com/News/200805110293
May 11, 2008
Oklahoma: Crews hunted for survivors or bodies in piles of debris after tornadoes and storms rumbled across the region a day earlier and killed at least 23 people in Oklahoma, Georgia & Missouri. Seven people died in Pitcher, Oklahoma, once a bustling mining center of 20,000 that dwindled to about 800 people as families fled lead pollution.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080511/ap_on_re_us/severe_weather
May 10, 2008
Florida: About 225 wild fires burned throughout Florida, where the winter dry season was the third-driest ever recorded. Much of the state was under water-use restrictions and blanketed with smoky haze from the fires. "Pray for rain," Gov. Charlie Crist said after a tour of the fires.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1041047120070510
May 9, 2008
North Carolina: A possible tornado touched down on the outskirts of Greensboro as severe storms swept across the Southeast, damaging homes and businesses in at least three other states.
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/tornado-kills-1-in-north-carolina/20080509074009990001
May 8, 2008
Wyoming: The pollution, largely from the region's booming natural gas industry, came in the form of ground-level ozone, which has exceeded healthy levels 11 times since January and caused Wyoming to issue its first ozone alerts. Now the ozone threatens to cost the industry and taxpayers millions of dollars to stay within federal clean-air laws.
http://www.charlotte.com/nation/story/615159.html
May 7, 2008
NewScientist: Using a global climate model on the Amazon rainforest developed by the Hadley Centre in Devon, UK, researchers ran the model with and without emissions of sulphate particles, or aerosols (air pollution). By cutting back on sulphate aerosols, the greenhouse effect adds extra heat to certain parts of the ocean, the model showed. It also revealed that when the tropical North Atlantic ocean warms up more than in the tropical South Atlantic, then the ocean's storm tracks shift northward. This shift extends the Amazon's dry season – and this effect will only grow stronger with rising greenhouse-gas levels and falling sulphate aerosols. In addition, most experts advise limiting CO2 in the atmosphere to 450 parts per million in order to avoid dangerous climate change. "The model shows a catastrophic dieback [of the Amazon] by about 500 or 550 parts per million".
http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/climate-change/dn13851-how-cleaning-up-america-dried-up-the-amazon.html?feedId=climate-change_rss20
May 6, 2008
Hawaii: In March, Kilauea volcano opened a new vent and began spewing double the usual amount of toxic gas. Big Island crops are shriveling as sulfur dioxide from Kilauea wafts over them and envelops them in "vog," or volcanic smog. People are wheezing, and schoolchildren are being kept indoors during recess. High gas levels led Hawaii Volcanoes National Park to close several days last month, forcing the evacuation of thousands of visitors.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/05/06/vog____volcanic_smog____kills_plants_casts_a_haze_over_hawaii/
May 6, 2008
U.K.: The aviation industry's failure to curb its soaring carbon emissions could lead to the "worst case scenario" for climate change, as envisaged by the United Nations. An unpublished study by the world's leading experts has revealed that airlines are pumping 20 per cent more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than estimates suggest, with total emissions set to reach between 1.2 billion and 1.5 billion tonnes annually by 2025. A spokesman for the Aviation Environment Federation said: "Growth of CO2 emissions on this scale will comfortably outstrip any gains made by improved technology and ensure aviation is an even larger contributor to global warming by 2025 than previously thought.
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/airline-emissions-far-higher-than-previous-estimates-821598.html
May 5, 2008
Australia: The low-lying islands that dot the sparkling waters of this region are facing similar challenges to South Pacific nations such as Kiribati and Tuvalu - they are being submergered be sea-level-rise from climate change.
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/sinking-without-trace-australias-climate-change-victims-821136.html
May 3, 2008
Alaska: The skies above the Arctic Circle work like a giant lint trap during late winter and early spring, catching all sorts of pollutants swirling around the globe. Scientists have been going up in government research planes and taking samples of the Arctic haze in hopes of solving a mystery: Are the floating particles accelerating the unprecedented warming going on in the far north?
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/5751007.html
May 3, 2008
Arkansas: Residents of rural Arkansas cleaned up what was left of their homes after deadly tornadoes scoured a state that has been plagued by severe weather this year.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080503/ap_on_re_us/severe_weather
May 3, 2008
Washington: In the Arctic, warming spurred by human-generated carbon dioxide emissions has combined with natural climate variations to create a "perfect Arctic storm" that caused a dramatic disappearance of sea ice last year, a trend likely to continue.
http://in.news.yahoo.com/reuters_ids_new/20080503/r_t_rtrs_wl/twl-climate-change-warms-arctic-cools-an-2186892_1.html
May 2, 2008
Los Angeles: California communities face a strong possibility of water shortages and even mandatory rationing this summer because of record dry weather in March and April, a fast-shrinking snowpack and below-normal reservoir levels, state officials said: "I have not seen a more serious water situation in my career, and I've been doing this 30 years," according to the executive director of the Assn. of California Water Agencies.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-snowpack2-2008may02,0,6563964.story
May 2, 2008
Washington: What researchers have concluded is happening, is that in the North, global warming and natural variability of climate are reinforcing one another, sending the Arctic into a new state with much less sea ice than in the past.
http://www.physorg.com/news128960273.html
May 2, 2008
Kansas City: Extreme storms with hurricane-force winds, hail and heavy rain moved through Missouri leaving hundreds of homes and businesses damaged - a tornado likely touched down in central Arkansas - at least two tornadoes and large hail were reported in Oklahoma.
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/powerful-storms-pummel-kansas-city/20080502103609990001
May 2, 2008
Washington: Using computer model predictions, scientists have determined that oxygen-depleted zones in tropical oceans are expanding, possibly because of climate change. They discovered that oxygen-poor regions of tropical oceans are expanding as the oceans warm, limiting the areas in which predatory fishes and other marine organisms can live or enter in search of food. The researchers found through analysis of a database of ocean oxygen measurements that levels in tropical oceans at a depth of 300 to 700 meters (985 to 2,300 feet) have declined during the past 50 years.
http://www.newkerala.com/one.php?action=fullnews&id=55445
May 2, 2008
New Mexico: BLM criticized for not considering climate change in oil, gas lease sales in West.
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080502/nm_climate_change_drilling.html?.v=1
May 1, 2008
California: Californians are being asked to water their lawns less, plant native shrubs and install more-efficient irrigation systems to stave off water shortages and mandatory rationing amid growing worries about a possible long-term drought. The increasingly urgent call to conserve water comes as state officials said Thursday that the Sierra Nevada snowpack, a key source of the state's water supply, has fallen about one-third below normal levels.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_9137984?source=rss
May 1, 2008
NewScientist: "Dead zones" containing too little oxygen for fish to breathe are growing as global temperatures increase. Warmer water dissolves less oxygen, so as temperatures rise, oxygen vanishes from oceans. Marine biologists are warning that if dead zones continue expanding, oceanic "deserts" could massively deplete marine life and fish stocks.
http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/climate-change/dn13818-growing-ocean-dead-zones-leave-fish-gasping.html?feedId=climate-change_rss20
May 1, 2008
Australia: Greenhouse-gas emissions will almost double by 2030, a rate much faster than previously predicted, according to a paper co-written by the Federal Government's top climate change adviser.
http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21498,23628603-5005361,00.html?from=public_rss
May 1, 2008
U.K.: A British scientist suggests hurricanes and other storms are increasing in intensity and are limiting the growth of some corals.
http://www.physorg.com/news128860913.html
May 1, 2008
California: Pittsburgh surpasses Los Angeles as nation's sootiest city. The eight metropolitan areas considered to be the nation's most polluted by every measure were Los Angeles, Bakersfield, Fresno, Visalia-Porterfield and Hanford-Corcoran, all in California; Washington-Baltimore; St. Louis; and Birmingham, Ala.
http://green.yahoo.com/news/ap/20080501/ap_on_re_us/polluted_cities.html
May 1, 2008
Maine: The rain-swollen St. John River crested early Thursday after hitting a new record high, forcing residents to flee to higher ground as more than 100 homes flooded. Rain and melting snow raised the St. John to more than 30 feet - about 5 feet above flood stage - causing widespread flooding. But the community dodged a bullet because the water never topped a levee that protects downtown.
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/raging-river-floods-homes-in-maine/20080501061809990001
April 30, 2008
Alaska: Scientists say Alaska leads the rest of the United States in experiencing the effects of global warning. Researchers from the universities of New Hampshire and Maine said small Alaskan villages are slipping into the sea due to coastal erosion and soggy permafrost is cracking buildings and trapping trucks.
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Science/2008/04/30/alaska_hardest_hit_by_us_climate_change/3196/
April 30, 2008
Montreal: Arctic sea ice is melting "significantly faster" than predicted and is approaching a point of no return, conservation group the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) warned in a new study.
http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/35583
April 29, 2008
Texas: Studies conducted in Texas forecast a significant reduction in water under future climate-change scenarios. For instance, an analysis by Texas A&M agricultural economist Bruce McCarl found that warming could decrease the Edwards Aquifer's recharge by 20 percent or more in a few decades. In California, scientists found that the Sierras' snow pack, a major source of the state's water, would be tremendously impacted by climate change. Even under a low-emission scenario, warming would eat up 30 percent of the snow pack. Under a high-emission scenario, it would eat up as much as 90 percent.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA042908.gwarming.EN.38d3c1a.html?npc
April 29, 2008
Nature: Recovery of the ozone hole above Antarctica could warm the Antarctic and cause more ice to melt in coming decades, researchers say. As the ozone hole heals, wind patterns that shield the interior of the polar region from warm air may break down, causing warming in the Antarctica as well as warmer and drier conditions in Australia.
http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080429/full/news.2008.787.html?s=news_rss
April 28, 2008
Virginia: Tornadoes swept across central and southeastern Virginia this afternoon, killing one person and injuring more than 200.
http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2008/04/possible-tornad.html?csp=34
April 28, 2008
California: A 400-acre wildfire forced the evacuation of at least 1,000 people from their homes in the foothills near Los Angeles, some areas of which have not burned in over 40 years.
http://www.charlotte.com/nation/story/600093.html
April 27, 2008
Reno, Nevada: Scientists urged Reno residents to prepare for a bigger event as the city kept rumbling Saturday after the largest earthquake in a two-month-long sequence of temblors. More than 100 aftershocks were recorded on the west edge of the city after a magnitude 4.7 quake hit at 11:40 p.m. Friday, the strongest quake around Reno since a 5.2 temblor in 1953, said researchers at the University of Nevada, Reno's seismological laboratory.
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/reno-urged-to-prepare-for-big-quake/20080426191309990001
April 26, 2008
Southwest: The U.S. Southwest's current drought could be the start of the Dust Bowl-like future that some scientists have already predicted will come from human-caused warming. One of the nation's leading climate scientists, the University of Arizona's Nobel Prize-sharing Jonathan Overpeck, says he's coming to believe there's "a real likelihood" the drought is caused by global warming.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2008/04/26/5398066-ap.html
April 26, 2008
U.K.: Eroding Cliffs A Sign Of Climate Change. Rising Sea Levels Contribute To Erosion Of British Coast - And Families' Livelihoods. Terms like "if" and "when" are often used to discuss the effects of climate change. Well here, there is no 'if'. And 'when' is now. So choices are being made. It's called managed retreat. Some areas of coastline deemed indefensible are being abandoned.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/03/26/eveningnews/main3971160.shtml
April 25, 2008
Washington: The polar bear has become an icon of global warming vulnerability, but a new study found an Arctic mammal that may be even more at risk to climate change: the narwhal.
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/arctic-warming-threatens-more-mammals/20080425182809990001
April 23, 2008
Singapore: The world risks wiping out a new generation of antibiotics and cures for diseases if it fails to reverse the climate change driven extinction of thousands of plant and animal species, experts warned.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080423/sc_afp/unenvironmentclimatehealth
April 22, 2008
Miami: Under conservative predictions of a three-foot rise in sea level, high tide would wash daily into downtown Miami, South Beach and Hollywood by century's end. At five feet, the sea would swallow much of the Everglades and cover pavement from Fort Lauderdale across to Naples. That's the startling future the Miami-Dade County Climate Change Task Force described.
http://www.miamiherald.com/519/story/504564.html
April 19, 2008
Brussels: The European commission is backing away from imposing a compulsory 10% quota of biofuels in all petrol and diesel by 2020 - a central plank of its programme to lead the world in combating climate change - amid a worsening global food crisis.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/apr/19/biofuels.food?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront
April 18, 2008
Vienna: A team from the Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science in Switzerland, has been monitoring changes in temperatures. As the smog of pollution has cleared from the skies, a true measurement of global warming can finally be made. The cleaner, clearer skies mean measurements of warming temperatures are not confused by smog. So the current measurements of a 0.04 °C warming per year can be taken as the true signal of man-made global warming.
http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/climate-change/dn13740-clearing-smog-reveals-true-extent-of-global-warming.html?feedId=climate-change_rss20
April 18, 2008
RealClimate: The net loss in volume and hence sea level contribution of the Greenland Ice Sheet (GIS) has doubled in recent years from 90 to 220 cubic kilometers/year. Surface melting is a slow process for raising sea level, but as Greenland’s major outlet glaciers have recently shown, rapid acceleration can quickly deliver large volume of ice to the ocean.
http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2008/04/moulins-calving-fronts-and-greenland-outlet-glacier-acceleration/
April 18, 2008
Madrid: Spain is suffering from its most severe drought in 70 years with the nation's reservoirs on average just half full, according to Environment Ministry reports.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/04/18/spain.drought/index.html?section=cnn_latest
April 18, 2008
Illinois: A 5.2 magnitude earthquake struck southern Illinois, rocking skyscrapers in Chicago 230 miles north, but doing little damage. The quake is believed to have involved an extension of the New Madrid fault. The fault is at the center of the nation's most active seismic zone east of the Rockies - the last severe earthquake in the region was a 5.0 magnitude quake in 2002. In 1811 and 1812, the New Madrid fault produced a series of earthquakes estimated at magnitude 7.0 or greater. They were centered in the Missouri town of New Madrid (pronounced MAD'-rid), 140 miles southeast of St. Louis. Experts said that with the much higher population in the Midwest, another major quake along the New Madrid fault zone could destroy buildings, bridges, roads and other infrastructure, disrupt communications and isolate areas.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080418/ap_on_re_us/midwest_earthquake
April 18, 2008
Paris: An International Energy Agency (IEA) expert suggested that US emissions of greenhouse gases are poised to rise by nearly a quarter over a key UN benchmark by 2025, the date set by President George W. Bush for stabilising this pollution.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080418/sc_afp/climatewarmingemittersenergyusiea_080418172008
April 17, 2008
Vienna: According to scientists, wild fires are likely to be bigger, more frequent and burn for longer as the world gets hotter, in turn speeding up global warming to create a dangerous vicious circle.
http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL16293419
April 17, 2008
Atlanta: According to the CDC, the 2007-2008 flu season has shaped up to be the worst in four years.
http://news.aol.com/health/story/ar/_a/us-says-flu-season-worst-in-years/20080417184209990001
April 17, 2008
U.K.: The Department for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has nearly doubled spending on flood and coastal erosion risk management from 10 years ago to an estimated £600m in 2007-08 and will invest £2.15bn in the next three years. But land is already being abandoned to the sea. The EA says it will not fund long-term defences of the Blyth estuary on the Suffolk coast.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/apr/17/flooding.climatechange?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront
April 17, 2008
MIT: Latest MIT study sees stronger links between climate change and hurricanes: "It strongly confirms, independently, the results in the Nature paper," Emanuel said in a prepared statement. "This is a completely independent analysis and comes up with very consistent results."
http://www.news.com/8301-11128_3-9921670-54.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
April 16, 2008
Canada: Polar ice researchers who teamed up with Canadian Rangers on a patrol around Ellesmere Island this month say they've found that cracks in ice shelves are worse than they originally thought. Permanent ice shelves are breaking off or cracking at an alarming rate, due in part to climate change and global warming. The scientists found cracks up to 12 metres wide in some ice shelves.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/north/story/2008/04/16/arctic-ice.html?ref=rss
April 16, 2008
PhysOrg: The Earth’s jet streams, the high-altitude bands of fast winds that strongly influence the paths of storms and other weather systems, are shifting—possibly in response to global warming. Scientists at the Carnegie Institution determined that over a 23-year span from 1979 to 2001 the jet streams in both hemispheres have risen in altitude and shifted toward the poles. Storm paths in North America are likely to shift northward as a result of the jet stream changes. Hurricanes, whose development tends to be inhibited by jet streams, may become more powerful and more frequent as the jet streams move away from the sub-tropical zones where hurricanes are born.
http://www.physorg.com/news127583460.html
April 16, 2008
Vienna: Global oceans are soaking up less carbon dioxide, a development that could speed up the greenhouse effect and have an impact for the next 1,500 years. Research from a five-year project funded by the European Union showed the North Atlantic, which along with the Antarctic is of the world's two vital ocean carbon sinks, is absorbing only half the amount of CO2 that it did in the mid-1990s.
http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/story.html?id=d72260be-59a8-4708-9961-106dc2a862b3
April 16, 2008
Ordway, Colorado: Residents surveyed the smoldering ruins of their homes Wednesday after a fast-moving wildfire swept through parts of this farm town on Colorado's eastern plains, killing two volunteer firefighters, scorching grassland and forcing hundreds of people to flee.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080416/ap_on_re_us/wildfires
April 16, 2008
Oregon: Earthquakes began rumbling under the ocean off the Oregon coast two weeks ago. More than 600 have been recorded so far.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89675869
April 15, 2008
Vienna: Sea levels could rise by up to 1.5 metres (or 5 feet) by the end of this century, according to a new scientific analysis. This is substantially more than the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) forecast in last year's landmark assessment of climate science.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7349236.stm
April 15, 2008
Los Angeles: California faces an almost certain risk of being hit by a strong earthquake by 2037 according to the first statewide temblor forecast. New calculations reveal there is a 99.7 percent chance a magnitude 6.7 quake or larger will strike in the next 30 years. The odds of such an event are higher in Southern California than Northern California, 97 percent versus 93 percent.
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/big-california-quake-likely-to-hit-by/20080415091509990001
April 15, 2008
Arizona: Wildfire threatens homes in San Pedro - about 30 to 40 firefighters from Southern Arizona worked throughout the day Sunday to fight the fire that spread across 16 acres and consumed a manufactured home that had been abandoned.
http://www.bensonnews-sun.com/articles/2008/04/18/news/news01.txt
April 15, 2008
Austria: Those areas most at risk from a lack of water for drinking and agriculture due to climate change include parts of the Middle East, southern Africa, the United States, South America and the Mediterranean.
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/47956/story.htm
April 14, 2008
BBC: China has probably already overtaken the US as the world's "biggest polluter" according to a University of California report.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7347638.stm
April 13, 2008
China: A drought in China's north-east Liaoning province has left nearly 700,000 people without drinking water after rainfall in the first three months of 2008 fell to one-fifth the levels of last year.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/04/13/2215594.htm
April 12, 2008
Oregon: Scientists listening to underwater microphones have detected an unusual swarm of earthquakes off central Oregon, something that often happens before a volcanic eruption — except there are no volcanoes in the area. There have been more than 600 quakes over the past 10 days in a basin 150 miles southwest of Newport. The biggest was magnitude 5.4, and two others were more than magnitude 5.0.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/04/11/national/a174309D00.DTL&feed=rss.news
April 11, 2008
Toronto: Ward Hunt Ice Shelf destined to disappear due to climate change.
http://www.thestar.com/News/World/article/413677
April 11, 2008
Time: Adding recent climate disasters such as drought and rice crop failures, you have food inflation spiraling so fast that even the U.N. agency created to feed people in emergencies is warning that it lacks the funds to fulfill its mandate.
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1730107,00.html?xid=rss-topstories
April 11, 2008
Washington: Global warming could force elk and mule deer from much of the American West. Wild trout could disappear in lower Appalachian streams. Two-thirds of the country's ducks may disappear.
http://www.woodtv.com/global/story.asp?s=8145771
April 11, 2008
Canada: Canada's boreal forest is a ticking "carbon bomb", and its continued logging could trigger a massive release of greenhouse gases according to a new report.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2008/04/10/5242241-cp.html
April 11, 2008
Fresno: 2,000-year-old giant sequoias east of Fresno, Calif., have survived warm spells lasting centuries, but in just 100 years, global warming could snuff them out -- along with many Sierra Nevada species. Sierra trees, in general, already are suffering from rising temperatures and less precipitation, according to a study done by USGS ecologist Phillip van Mantgem and Stephenson. Fir and pine trees are dying at almost double the rate they did 20 years ago.
http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/32257
April 10, 2008
Texas: Extreme storms brought hail, heavy rain, and possible tornadoes to Texas and Oklahoma, causing power outages to over 180,000 homes and businesses, and at least one death.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/04/080410-AP-severe-weat.html
April 10, 2008
Budapest: IPCC scientists warned that climate change in coming decades will cause more floods in the Northern Hemisphere and droughts in the south and in arid areas, which may lead to a global food crisis. In the U.S., "physically the changes will be pretty intense. There's a high likelihood of the west getting drier."
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/04/10/europe/EU-GEN-Hungary-Climate-Change.php
April 9, 2008
Washington: A CDC health official suggested that climate change is expected to have a significant impact on health in the next few decades, with certain regions of the country — and the elderly and children — most vulnerable to increased health problems.
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/climate/globalwarming/2008-04-09-climate-change-health_N.htm?csp=34
April 9,2008
Hanoi: According to a U.N. backed study, warming trends in a third of the world's large ocean regions are two to four times greater than previously reported averages, increasing the risk to marine life and fisheries.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/HAN290742.htm
April 8, 2008
Purdue University: The Northeast pumps out a lot of carbon dioxide, but the Southeast, Midwest and Southern California are also responsible for voluminous pollution that billows out each day.
http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/carbon-sources-47040802?kw=ist
April 7, 2008
Texas A&M: Researchers at Texas A&M University find that for most people to be concerned about climate change, they need to know what the local impact is - validating the Climate Appraisal mission.
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/climate/globalwarming/2008-04-07-climate_N.htm?csp=34
April 7, 2008
Mississippi: Heavy rains have left the Mississippi River swollen, and turned all eyes to the levees in Louisiana, where flood waters are expected to crest over the next several days.
http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/mississippi-flooding-47040704?src=rss
April 7, 2008
WHO: More than half the annual estimated 150,000 deaths linked to climate change will come from the Asia-Pacific region according to officials at the World Health Organisation.
http://www.todayonline.com/articles/247057.asp
April 6, 2008
Miami: A Nobel Prize-winning scientist who rang the first alarm bells over the ozone hole has issued a warning about climate change, saying there could be "almost irreversible consequences" if the Earth warmed 2.5 degrees Celsius above what it ought to be.
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/1318360/1688375
April 6, 2008
NPR: Egypt's effects of climate change include salt water encroachment on the Nile River, the country's major source of fresh water.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89418351
April 5, 2008
WMO: The long-term trend of global warming is continuing, despite the current La Nina weather phenomenon that is bringing relatively cooler temperatures to parts of the Equatorial Pacific region according to the United Nations World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
http://news.trend.az/index.shtml?show=news&newsid=1169615&lang=EN
April 5, 2008
ScienceDaily: Coral reefs could be dying out because of changes to the microbes that live in them just as much as from the direct rise in temperature caused by global warming, according to scientists speaking at the Society for General Microbiology's 162nd meeting.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080401200446.htm
April 4, 2008
Mississippi: Extreme thunderstorms toppled trees, knocked out power and damaged homes Friday in Mississippi and Alabama, while flooding in Kentucky forced evacuations and left a 2-year-old girl dead.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080404/ap_on_re_us/severe_weather
April 3, 2008
NewScientist: A consequence of melting ice caps – more volcanic eruptions as it relieves the pressure exerted on rocks deep under the ice sheet: "We are going to see a massive increase in volcanic activity globally," according to a scientist at the University of Leeds, UK.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn13583-melting-ice-caps-may-trigger-more-volcanic-eruptions.html
April 3, 2008
Bangkok: The United States warned that a worsening economy could hit the funds it gives poor nations to fight global warming, as African activists appealed for major polluters to commit one percent of GDP.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080403/ts_afp/unclimatewarmingafrica_080403152835
April 3, 2008
Brazil: More than 55,000 people have been hit by dengue fever -- a sometimes deadly mosquito-borne virus -- around Rio de Janeiro in the last four months.
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/virus-outbreak-hits-thousands-in-brazil/20080403162709990001
April 1, 2008
Manila: Climate change will cause an increase in dengue fever and other infectious diseases in the Philippines, a World Health Organization (WHO) official warned Tuesday.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080401/hl_afp/whohealthphilippinesdengue_080401121043
March 2008
Carnegie Mellon: A social scientist at Carnegie Mellon concludes that "we've spent 10 or 15 years defending the climate science to the exclusion of the human element," he said. "It's the bridge into people's lives that we're lacking now." - validating the Climate Appraisal mission to provide that potential climate change bridge to the home address.
http://www.yaleclimatemediaforum.org/features/0308_fischhoff.htm
March 31, 2008
Australia: A scientist at the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health at the Australian National University in Canberra warned that changing climate patterns can lead to disastrous health impacts, especially in developing countries like India.
http://in.news.yahoo.com/indianexpress/20080331/r_t_ie_nl_general/tnl-climate-change-could-adversely-affec-aaaedd4_1.html
March 30, 2008
Austria: Austria's glaciers retreated more than 22 metres (24 yards) on average last year, in the biggest shrinking for five years, according to the country's Alpine Club.
http://www.physorg.com/news126078526.html
March 29, 2008
U.K: A proposal to deal with sea-rise would see Britain effectively admit defeat in the battle to maintain coastal defences and around 16,000 acres (25 square miles) of land in the Norfolk Broads would be allowed to flood.
http://harshpaul.newsvine.com/_news/2008/03/29/1397696-plan-to-allow-sea-to-flood-norfolk-villages
March 27, 2008
Oslo: The coldest winter days in Russia and Canada have become up to 4 Celsius (7 Fahrenheit) milder since the 1950s in an extreme sign of climate change, according to the British Meteorological Office.
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/47667/story.htm
March 25, 2008
Washington: A chunk of Antarctic ice about seven times the size of Manhattan collapsed, putting an even greater portion of glacial ice at risk; satellite images show the disintegration of a 160-square-mile chunk in western Antarctica, which started Feb. 28. It was the edge of the Wilkins ice shelf and has been there for hundreds, maybe 1,500 years.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7313264.stm
March 24, 2008
Illinois: A University of Illinois Professor warned that “the impact of elevated carbon dioxide on crippling the capacity of the plant to respond to insect damage is exacerbated by the presence of invasive insect pests in soybean fields. The Japanese beetle, as the name suggests, is a relatively recent arrival in Illinois soybean fields. It is causing considerable damage now but this study suggests that its ability to inflict damage will only increase over time.”
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-03/uoia-ita031908.php
March 24, 2008
ScienceDaily: The Gulf Stream’s strength has changed markedly in the past as Earth has switched between warm periods and ice ages. Closely linked to these changes have been climate changes around the globe.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080320181838.htm
March 23, 2008
San Diego: Black carbon, a form of particulate air pollution most often produced from biomass burning, cooking with solid fuels and diesel exhaust, has a warming effect in the atmosphere three to four times greater than prevailing estimates according to scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego.
http://www.physorg.com/news125500721.html
March 23, 2008
Oregon: Microbiologists at Oregon State University have discovered a new species of “myxozoan” parasite that has been found for the first time to infect a warm blooded animal - experts believe that parasites are going to become increasing problems associated with warmer climate conditions.
http://www.physorg.com/news125682094.html
March 23, 2008
Missouri: In Illinois, some areas are experiencing a once in 500-year flood event. Across Arkansas, some rivers hit their highest levels in 90 years. The Arkansas River crested in Little Rock and points upstream at 22 feet, about a foot below flood stage in the capital city.
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/midwestern-towns-fight-back-floods/20080319062709990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001
March 22, 2008
U.K.: The growth of developing economies in Africa, Asia and South America has accelerated global warming far beyond official predictions and it is developed nations that must act to halt the potentially catastrophic consequences, according to a new study from the world's leading temporary power supplier, Aggreko. The warning comes from Aggreko's chief executive, who said: 'The threat of global warming is far greater than people have previously thought. The consensus figure on the world's power consumption going forward to 2015 is simply wrong.'
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/mar/23/climatechange.carbonemissions?gusrc=rss&feed=business
March 22, 2008
U.K.: Sea levels rising too fast for the U.K. Thames sea barrier - rapidly rising sea levels could significantly shorten the expected lifespan of one of the world's biggest anti-flood structures.
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/sea-levels-rising-too-fast-for-thames-barrier-799303.html
March 22, 2008
Missouri: Extreme storm flooding & heavy snow plague the Midwest.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/03/22/flooding_heavy_snow_plague_midwest/
March 22, 2008
Toronto: Canadians are unaware that the water they take for granted is being threatened by overuse and mismanagement, say experts who warn climate change could soon make water shortages an unmistakable reality across the country.
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080322/water_climate_080322/20080322?hub=Canada&s_name=
March 21, 2008
Washington: The Bush administration has set aside its skepticism about global warming to begin planning for the possibility that major Washington-area infrastructure, including Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, could be inundated by rising seawaters.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080321/BUSINESS/384368286
March 20, 2008
NASA JPL: Sea level has risen about half an inch in the past four years - a significant rise - some of this water is apparently coming from a recent increase in the melting rate of glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=88520025
March 19, 2008
ENN: 2008 is expected to end up among the top 10 warmest years since records began in the 1860s, despite an icy start.
http://www.enn.com/climate/article/33213
March 19, 2008
Missouri: Extreme storm flooding forced hundreds of people to flee their homes and closed roads in Missouri, Arkansas, Ohio & Texas as a storm system linked to nine deaths poured as much as a foot of rain on the region.
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/2008-03-18-missouri-floods_N.htm?csp=34
March 19, 2008
CSMonitor.com: China has become not just the world's manufacturer but its despoiler, on a scale as monumental as its economic expansion. A fourth of the country is now desert. More than three-fourths of its forests have disappeared. Each year, uncontrollable underground fires, sometimes triggered by lightning or mining accidents, consume 200 million tons of coal, contributing massively to global warming. A miasma of lead, mercury, sulfur dioxide, and other elements of coal-burning and car exhaust hovers over most Chinese cities.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0319/p09s01-coop.html
March 18, 2008
Washington: Global warming rushes timing of spring.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080319/ap_on_sc/warming_spring
March 18, 2008
Washington: CO2 emissions from U.S. power plants climbed 2.9 percent in 2007, the biggest single-year increase since 1998, according to new analysis by the Environmental Integrity Project of data from the U.S. EPA. Now the single largest factor in U.S. climate change pollution, the electric power industry's carbon dioxide emissions have risen 5.9 percent since 2002 and 11.7 percent since 1997.
http://www.reliableplant.com/article.asp?pagetitle=CO2%20emissions%20from%20U.S.%20power%20plants%20jump%202.9%25%20in%20'07&articleid=11050
March 18, 2008
Washington: Federal scientists found that critical Arctic sea ice this winter made a small recovery from last summer's record melt, but the thickest, oldest and toughest sea ice is undoubtedly melting — a bad sign for the future of the Arctic ice cap. "We're in for a world of hurt this summer," ice center senior scientist Mark Serreze told The Associated Press.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23695810/
March 18, 2008
Dallas: Extreme storms cause havoc across north Texas.
http://cbs11tv.com/weathernewsstories/severe.weather.North.2.679953.html
March 17, 2008
CNN: Scientist at NCAR suggests that "sooner or later [a storm like Hurricane Katrina is] going to happen again. It's only a matter of time...
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/03/17/mexico.nature2/index.html?section=cnn_latest
March 17, 2008
Vermont: Scientists have long thought it would take generations for tree populations to shift in response to a warming world. But new research by scientists at the University of Vermont suggests that climate change might affect New England forests far sooner than most scientists thought.
http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2008/03/17/a_forest_of_change/
March 16, 2008
AP: Extreme storms devastate national parks in the Northwest.
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/storms-devastate-parks-in-northwest/20080316163009990001
March 16, 2008
Zurich: According to the U.N., the world's glaciers are melting at an alarming rate with no end in site, suggesting immediate action is needed to prevent further constraints on water resources for large global populations.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080316/ts_afp/unclimatewarmingglaciers_080316090413
March 15, 2008
Atlanta: An extreme storm struck Atlanta causing major property damage & numerous injuries, and the first ever tornado in downtown Atlanta.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=4456037
March 14, 2008
Antarctica: A glacier used as a benchmark to measure global warming's impact on the Antarctic Peninsula melted more than usual in the past year, according to an Argentine glacier researcher.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N14625324.htm
March 13, 2008
NPR: A new study suggests that ice has actually been melting faster than we've realized. Current estimates, of a foot or two of sea level rise by the end of the century, could be low by several feet.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=88200242
March 13, 2008
Bloomberg: Man-made reservoirs have cut sea-level-rise gains by 1.2 inches, masking the true extent of the contribution from melting ice temporarily. Factoring in findings on reservoirs takes the yearly increase to 2.4 millimeters scientists reported in the journal Science. That means it's probable that scientists have underestimated both melted ice and thermal expansion in sea-level-rise.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601082&sid=adzxGnh6wSNI
March 12, 2008
USA Today: Health-threatening smog in more than 300 counties across the U.S. must be cleaned up to save hundreds or even thousands of lives a year that are currently being lost, under new federal rules announced.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/2008-03-12-dirty-air_N.htm
March 12, 2008
Paris: Scientists find that the conveyor belt of Atlantic warm water known as the Gulf Stream massively influences the lower layers of the atmosphere. One big fear is that a big inrush of cold, dense water into the northern Atlantic from melting glaciers in Greenland could act as a brake on the Gulf Stream's conveyor belt. If so, it could send Western Europe back to the Ice Age -- a doomsday scenario that provided the setting for the 2004 Hollywood movie "The Day After Tomorrow".
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/afp/20080312/tsc-climate-warming-atlantic-c2ff8aa_1.html
March 12, 2008
MSNBC: Early thaw has the potential to alter the cycle of atmospheric carbon dioxide intake and release. A longer growing season promotes more carbon uptake, which is then stored in seasonally frozen and permafrost soils. But when permafrost soils thaw and dry out, higher temperatures in the fall promote release of the stored carbon back into the atmosphere. This process is projected to increase over time at an accelerated rate, sending carbon dioxide levels soaring and further warming the planet.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23593319/
March 11, 2008
Canada: Canadian researchers wared that rising temperatures and increasing levels of precipitation triggered by climate change may increase the spread of infectious diseases.
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2008/03/11/climate-change-disease.html
March 11, 2008
NewScientist: Within two years, Chinese emissions of greenhouse gases will have vastly outstripped the reductions achieved by all the countries that have signed up to the Kyoto protocol combined.
http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/dn13447-china-emissions-to-swamp-kyoto-reductions-by-2010.html?feedId=online-news_rss20
March 11, 2008
AP: A National Research Council report suggests that flooded roads, subways, railroad tracks and weakened bridges may be the future with climate change. Climate change will affect every type of transportation through rising sea levels, increased rainfall and surges from more intense storms, with the majority of that transportation infra-structure impact in coastal areas.
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/climate/globalwarming/2008-03-11-climate-transportation_N.htm?csp=34
March 10, 2008
Brussels: Climate change poses a significant security threat from environmental migrants.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/51fd345c-ef0c-11dc-97ec-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1
March 10, 2008
U.K.: An EU report says climate change will have a growing impact on global security, multiplying existing threats such as shortages of food and water.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7287168.stm
March 10, 2008
California: Alarming growth in expected CO2 emissions in China, finds UC analysis.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-03/uoc--agi031008.php
March 10, 2008
Brazil: Amazon's worst-ever drought in 2005 caused by global warming.
http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90852/6369845.html
March 10, 2008
California: Salmon fishing ban mulled in California as run suffers record plunge from a suspected jet stream/climate change root cause.
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/772762.html
March 9, 2008
Ohio: An extreme storm struck Ohio and dumped 20.4 inches of snow on Columbus, breaking the city's previous record of 15.3 inches set in February 1910.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=4415850
March 7, 2008
Canada: A new study completed for the Department of Natural Resources suggests that Canada can expect more ice storms, torrential rains and floods, droughts, landslides and more days of extreme heat and smog.
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2008/03/07/climate_change_reported_grim_for_canada/9164/
March 7, 2008
USA Today: Severe storms & tornadoes hit Florida, & snow falls in Texas.
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/2008-03-07-south-storms_N.htm?csp=34
March 7, 2008
Forbes: Certain regions top a list of threatened coastlines from climate change, according to a report on the human impact on marine ecosystems, released recently in the journal Science.
http://www.forbes.com/2008/03/06/travel-sustainable-coastlines-forbeslife-cx_rr_0307travel.html
March 6, 2008
New York: Scientists have long projected that areas north and south of the tropics will grow drier in a warming world.
http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/06/expanding-deserts-by-land-and-sea/?hp
March 6, 2008
Tucson: Scientists are warning that communities in Arizona like Tucson, that rely heavily on the Colorado River for water, may have severe water supply issues in the future due to global-warming which is lowering river flows; the Arizona development boom in combination with climate change may now present an unsustainable situation for the Southwest from a water supply perspective.
http://www.tucsonweekly.com/gbase/Currents/Content?oid=107534
March 5, 2008
Oslo: According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, in two decades unchecked environmental damage could leave half the world's population without adequate drinking water.
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/climate/globalwarming/2008-03-05-oced-report_N.htm?csp=34
March 3, 2008
New York: Wheat Rises as investors bet crops will face adverse weather for the third straight year.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601082&sid=auoG.PxapFBY
March 3, 2008
Egypt: U.N warns that conditions in many countries in the Middle East already suffering from a shortage of arable land and limited access to water necessary to irrigate crops, could worsen due to climate change that could bring higher temperatures, droughts, floods and soil degradation.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iV6NFIPwTxMDj62N62GIDWvkE_iAD8V67H7O0
March 3, 2008
Oslo: Boulders as big as soccer balls show that a thinning of West Antarctic glaciers has become 20 times faster in recent decades. The area of West Antarctica studied, the Amundsen Sea Embayment, is of especial concern because much of the bedrock under the ice is below sea level. The weight of the ice keeps it in place but scientists fear it could float loose - if that happened, world sea levels would rise by 1.5 meters (or almost 5 feet).
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/47300/story.htm
March 3, 2008
NewScientist: A new study by climate policy researchers suggests that current delays mean the world is virtually certain to overshoot the limits of greenhouse gas concentration advocated by the European Union and many environmental groups, threatening more severe climate change.
http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/mg19726454.500-no-time-to-lose-in-cutting-cosub2sub-emissions.html?feedId=online-news_rss20
March 1, 2008
Oslo: The polar cap in the Arctic may well disappear this summer due to the global warming said the head of the Norwegian International Polar Year Secretariat.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2008-03/01/content_6499262.htm
February 29, 2008
San Francisco: A senior scientist at the Woods Hole Research Center of Falmouth, Mass., estimates that tropical deforestation releases about 1.5 billion metric tons of carbon into the atmosphere each year as the trees that store the greenhouse gas are cut; the burning of fossil fuels, by comparison, produces about 7 billion tons, according to some estimates. Data from the World Resources Institute indicate that deforestation accounts for about 18 percent of human-caused greenhouse gases, compared with nearly 10 percent for road vehicles.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/29/BAOHV0EJR.DTL
February 29, 2008
Australia: A study in Melbourne shows an increase in mortality for those aged 65 and older, and with sustained heat waves, that statistic will worsen: renal admissions in an Adelaide study are up 7%-10% under heat wave conditions and cases of mental illness 7%. Global warming weather patterns also resulted in cardiovascular conditions increasing. Broader health effects of climate change could include air pollution and food poisoning as other key factors set to give rise to other global warming-related health effects.
http://free.financialmail.co.za/report08/healthfeb08/healtha.htm
February 29, 2008
U.S.: NASA satellite data on the remains of the Mayan civilization suggest that the combination of slash-and-burn agriculture and conversion of the wetlands induced local drought and turned up the thermostat, causing climate change.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/02/080229-servir-maya.html
February 29, 2008
Science Daily: Virtual Mega-quake Shows Earthquake Could Inflict Catastrophic Damage On Pacific Northwest US.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080226144524.htm
February 26, 2008
Norway: 2008 may be the hottest Arctic winter ever.
http://www.barentsobserver.com/hottest-arctic-winter-ever.4460876-16149.html
February 25, 2008
Peru: Scientists worry that climate change could bring the cholera scourge back to Peru in a big way as sea temperature increases.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=19344123
February 24, 2008
California: Nobel Prize winning biologist suggests that in places where there is rain, global warming will bring more rain, and in regions that commonly suffer droughts, they will continue to - "you're looking at a big water shortage in the future for this part of the world"; and a one-meter rise in ocean levels, which is projected by the IPCC, would flood the San Francisco Bay Area.
http://www.chicoer.com/ci_8349766?source=rss
February 24, 2008
Antarctica: According to UK scientists, a group of glaciers covering an area the size of Texas in West Antarctica have surged sharply in speed towards the ocean - If the trend continues, it could lead to a significant rise in global sea level.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7261171.stm
February 22, 2008
Canada: A new study in Nature suggests global warming could be turning the Canadian boreal forests into a tinderbox, transforming the boreal from a major carbon sink to a major carbon emissions source.
http://www.conbio.org/CIP/article10855.cfm
February 22, 2008
United Nations: Climate change is emerging as the latest threat to the world's dwindling fish stocks a new report by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) suggests.
http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/31613
February 21, 2008
Nevada: A 6.0 earthquake struck rural northeastern Nevada, causing at least one building to collapse, and forcing one area to evacuate.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/02/21/national/a064459S33.DTL&feed=rss.news
February 21, 2008
Australia: The economic rise of China and India means that climate change is occurring faster than previously thought.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080221/sc_afp/australiaclimatewarmingreport_080221075617
February 20, 2008
Monaco: U.N. Environment Programme - a thaw of Arctic permafrost is a "wild card" that could stoke global warming by releasing vast frozen stores of greenhouse gases.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L20308433.htm
February 20, 2008
Greenland: According to a NASA study, Greenland's rising air temperatures are driving ice loss at the surface and beyond.
http://www.physorg.com/news122749356.html
February 18, 2008
Geneva: U.N. - climate change threatens the human rights of millions.
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSL1912377820080219
February 18, 2008
Alabama: Another round of rare winter tornadoes strikes the South.
http://www.charlotte.com/nation/story/498108.html
February 18, 2008
Louisiana: The Mississippi Delta is sinking fast, indicating a major challenge for the rebuilding of coastal Louisiana after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.
http://www.todayonline.com/articles/238131.asp
February 17, 2008
Boston: A panel of scientists warned that climate change is rapidly transforming the world's oceans by increasing the temperature and acidity of seawater, and altering atmospheric and oceanic circulation.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080217102140.htm
February 15, 2008
California: Humans may have added about 5 trillion metric tons of carbon to the atmosphere by the year 2400. A similarly massive release of carbon accompanied an extreme period of global warming 55 million years ago known as the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM).
http://www.physorg.com/news122309112.html
February 14, 2008
Washington: Man is ruining oceans all over the world.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=4292701
February 14, 2008
Florida: The drought continues in Lake Okeechobee, a major source of water to south Florida.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/drought/
February 12, 2008
California: According to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California-San Diego, there is a 50 percent chance Lake Mead, a key source of water for millions of people in the southwestern United States, will be dry by 2021 if the climate changes as expected and future water use is not limited.
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/feb2008/2008-02-12-095.asp
February 12, 2008
Buffalo: A new study authored by University of Buffalo scientists and their colleagues documents in detail the dynamics of parts of Greenland's ice sheet, finding that sea-level-rise could be twice as high as current IPCC projections.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080211172517.htm
February 12, 2008
Chicago: Global-warming emmissions from Midwest oil refineries are expected to increase by as much as 40 percent during the next decade - expansion plans at the BP refinery in Whiting would boost emissions to 5.8 million tons a year, which would be the equivalent of adding 320,000 cars to the nation's roads.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-greenhouse_12feb12,1,7080513,full.story?ctrack=1&cset=true
February 12, 2008
U.K.: The UK will be hit by regular malaria outbreaks, fatal heatwaves and contaminated drinking water within five years as a result of global warming, the Government has warned the NHS - specifically warning that there is a high likelihood of a major heatwave, leading to as many as 10,000 deaths, hitting the UK by 2012.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2008/02/12/eawarm112.xml
February 12, 2008
U.K.: Food crops could be ravaged this century by an explosion in the numbers of insect pests caused by rising global temperatures according to scientists.
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/insect-explosion-a-threat-to-food-crops-781016.html?r=RSS
February 11, 2008
Minnesota: Record cold for northern Minnesota - 40 Below.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/02/11/national/a085404S56.DTL&feed=rss.news
February 11, 2008
Atlanta: The historic drought gripping much of the Southeast stretches into its second year.
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/drought/2008-02-11-drought_N.htm?csp=34&src=campaign=reprise_bnfeed_google_drought
February 2008
Scientific American: Sliding ice sheets from global warming pose a potential severe sea-level-rise risk - could the ocean underlying these massive pieces of ice be warming enough to make them break up? - models to date have ignored the effects of subglacial water melt on ice sheets; land based ice sheets hold enough water to raise sea levels by more than 200 feet.
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=the-unquiet-ice
February 8, 2008
U.K.: Winter is disappearing as a distinct season in the U.K.
http://www.physorg.com/news121701511.html
February 8, 2008
Washington: Researchers have determined that the rush to biofuels could exacerbate global warming - the widespread use of ethanol from corn could result in nearly twice the emissions as the gasoline it would replace because of expected land-use changes.
http://www.charlotte.com/nation/story/483231.html
February 8, 2008
Washington: Scientists fear that mercury pollution from power plants could cause neurological problems in 60,000 newborns a year.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/02/10/ap/government/main3814350.shtml
February 8, 2008
Phillipines: Climate change may be responsible for an almost tripling rise in dengue fever cases in January.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/metro/view/20080208-117513/Climate-change-may-be-causing-more-dengue-cases
February 7, 2008
Tennessee: The line between Georgia and Tennessee is now the cause of a border battle over water.
http://www.newschannel9.com/news/tennessee_966284___article.html/border_georgia.html
February 7, 2008
Washington: Record warmth in the south contributed to the rare and deadly February tornadoes.
http://climate.weather.com/articles/lanina020708.html
February 7, 2008
Ohio: Extreme weather causes severe flooding in Ohio.
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvg/story?section=news/local&id=5943485
February 6, 2008
Tennessee: Rare winter tornadoes and extreme weather struck 6 southern states, killing 55 people.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/02/06/a_look_at_damage_caused_by_deadly_storms/
February 5, 2008
Canada: Canada inventories of wheat dropped 30 percent after drought hurt crops in southern growing areas and cool, wet weather damaged plants in the north.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601082&sid=afEoZ6ymCmrg
February 5, 2008
Colorado: Scientists are concerned that if animals were to come out of hibernation earlier due to shortened winters from global warming, and before plants have begun to sprout, they could die from starvation.
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Science/2008/02/05/climate_change_might_affect_hibernation/9395/
February 4, 2008
Ohio: According to scientists, the Great Lakes are under major stress from global warming.
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080204/NEWS06/802040333/-1/NEWS
February 4, 2008
U.K.: An international team published a report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, suggesting that a variety of tipping points in nine regions of the world could be reached this century as a result of human-induced climate change.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7227080.stm
February 3, 2008
Peru: Scientists in Peru have warned that glaciers high in the Andes will all but disappear within two decades.
http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/society/environment/andes+glaciers+gone+in+20+years+/1471847
February 3, 2008
Nigeria: From Brazil to central Africa, human encroachment is shrinking the world's rain forests at an alarming rate.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=4232909
February 2, 2008
California: The sudden collapse of California's most important salmon run may have been the result of an increase in the amount of water being pumped from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to drought-stricken southern California, an area that has been hard hit by climate change events.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/02/02/financial/f085015S55.DTL&feed=rss.business
February 2, 2008
Texas: Extreme wildfires have burned about 70,000 acres, with 184 Texas counties threatened or impacted by wildfires.
http://www.nbc5i.com/news/15203729/detail.html
February 1, 2008
Switzerland: Researchers have determined from Greenland and Antarctica ice cores that the Earth has warmed faster in the 20th century than at any other time in the past 22 millennia.
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Science/2008/02/01/ice_cores_show_faster_global_warming/7287/
January 31, 2008
Antarctica: Antarctica has enough ice to raise sea levels by 57 metres (187 ft) if it all melted. According to scientists, more than a 1 meter or 3 foot sea level rise can now not be ruled out this century.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L30123370.htm
January 31, 2008
U.K.: Peat bogs are leaking greenhouse gases, a process which experts put down to exposure to 200 years of pollution, overgrazing and fire.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jan/31/endangeredhabitats.carbonemissions?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront
January 31, 2008
Nature: According to a new study, human activity is primarily to blame for the water shortages in the western United States over the past half-century; analysis of climate trends that influence the availability of freshwater show that humans are responsible for 60% of the changes.
http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080131/full/news.2008.545.html
January 30, 2008
United Nations: According to the U.N. Secretary-General, global warming could cost the world up to $20 trillion over two decades for cleaner energy sources and do the most harm to people who can least afford to adapt.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=4218685
January 29, 2008
New York: Conservation organizations working to preserve biologically rich landscapes are confronting the realization that they may not be able to save them.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/29/science/earth/29habi.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
January 29, 2008
Idaho: The National Weather Service posted extreme snow warnings for parts of Washington, Oregon and Idaho, with a blizzard warning for the Snowy Range area in southern Wyoming. Heavy snow on struck mountain areas from Washington state to northern Arizona as two storms converged, one from hard-hit California and another from the Gulf of Alaska.
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/storms-hammer-west-with-heavy-snow/20080129105509990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001
January 27, 2008
LiveScience: Humans have altered the planet so much that a new epoch in the planet's geologic history has begun.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20080127/sc_livescience/humansforceearthintonewgeologicepoch;_ylt=AsspqOnYwO5XTFtatfu4XpAPLBIF
January 26, 2008
ScienceDaily: Six of the 10 warmest years on record for the contiguous U.S. have occurred since 1998.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080124121218.htm
January 26, 2008
U.K.: Climate change could be particularly damaging to the health of people in the developing world.
http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/body_and_soul/article3251354.ece
January 25, 2008
California: An extreme winter storm with heavy snow, heavy rain and at least one tornado struck Southern California for a fifth straight day.
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/winter-storm-slams-southern-california/20080124093109990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001
January 25, 2008
Davos, Switzerland: U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged world leaders to put the crisis over water shortages at the top of the agenda this year and take action to prevent conflicts over diminishing supplies.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=4187537
January 24, 2008
Washington: Climate warming has become an increasing threat to reefs.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=4184435
January 24, 2008
North Carolina: Nuclear reactors across the Southeast could be forced to shut down because drought is drying up the rivers and lakes that supply power plants with the cooling water they need to operate.
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/drought/2008-01-24-drought-power_N.htm?csp=34
January 24, 2008
c/net: According to the American Geophysical Union, to avoid a 2-degree Celsius rise in average temperatures, carbon dioxide emissions will have to be cut in half during the century.
http://www.news.com/8301-11128_3-9857531-54.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
January 20, 2008
Antarctica: British research published last week estimated a loss of 132 billion tonnes of ice in 2006 from West Antarctica, up from 83 billion tonnes in 1996, and a loss of about 60 billion tonnes in 2006 from the Antarctic Peninsula.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/climate-watch/antarctic-melt-may-outstrip-prediction/2008/01/20/1200764082366.html?s_cid=rss_news
January 18, 2008
Brazil: Deforestation of the Amazon rainforest - critical to the absorption of worldwide carbon dioxide emissions - has increased in recent months. New governmental initiatives to increase biofuel production such as ethanol, are expected to even further promote deforestation.
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/46496/story.htm
January 17, 2008
Washington: The National Weather Service predicted that the Northeast will have an equal chance of above or below normal temperatures during the 3-month February-April period.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080117/us_nm/weather_usa_dc;_ylt=Aqwt76jURJ_2mgE.YmufF_0PLBIF
January 16, 2008
NASA: Climatologists at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York City have found that 2007 tied with 1998 for Earth’s second warmest year in a century.
http://geology.com/nasa/nasa-maps-graphs-global-warming.shtml
January 16, 2008
U.K.: 30% of England's coasts are being eroded by extreme water levels, most likely caused by higher average sea-levels due to global warming.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7191196.stm
January 16, 2008
Vancouver, Washington: Mount St. Helens' crater registered the first seismic activity since 2004, suggesting that that something is moving inside it.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080117/ap_on_sc/mount_st__helens;_ylt=AvuMU3VC37_KWY1jke0d0CAPLBIF
January 15, 2008
North Carolina: According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, most of North Carolina is in an extreme or exceptional drought condition.
http://www.ncdrought.org/graphics/weekly_dm/20080115.pdf
January 15, 2008
London: Plague is re-emerging worldwide as a threat, and the higher global temperatures projected from global warming will most likely exacerbate the prevalence of plague-carrying organisms.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080115/sc_nm/plague_threat_dc;_ylt=AlqoWpn0ryfZ9FaPUy4r_xEPLBIF
January 14, 2008
Colorado: A bark beetle infestation will kill most of the state's lodgepole pine trees within 5 years - fueled by milder winters - and will increase wildfire risk in the region.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080115/ap_on_sc/bark_beetles;_ylt=Ak.SQuZGASxUTpB6pyHNTXoPLBIF
January 14, 2008
Athens: The projected impacts of climate change on the Mediterranean are severe - by the end of the century, it may too hot in the summer for tourists to be on the beach, too dry for many crops to grow there, heat waves will be common, and water will become even more scarce.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/omedhot;_ylt=AmJLjmA2bsmPmxnzwVmugd4PLBIF
January 14, 2008
Antarctica: Ice loss from the Antarctic ice sheet has increased by 75 per cent in a decade.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,24897,23048813-601,00.html
January 13, 2008
Washington: CDC health officials are warning that a sometimes-deadly tropical disease spread by mosquitoes is re-emerging worldwide and could gain a foothold in the U.S. one day.
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/health_science/story/877438.html
January 13, 2008
Washington: The sixth extinction event may be under way, including extreme storms, floods, fires, drought, melting ice caps, lost species, rising sea levels potentially displacing millions, and hundreds of thousands of people dying every year from air pollution.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/11/AR2008011101994.html
January 13, 2008
New York: Winters in the Northeast are warming up fast, causing erratic winters and reduced snowfall.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/WireStory?id=4125428&page=2
January 10, 2008
Alabama: Extreme thunderstorms with heavy rain and high winds moved across Alabama and Mississippi, causing scattered property damage and some injuries. Several tornado watches or warnings were issued.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/01/10/ap/national/main3698189.shtml
January 9, 2008
Oslo: According to the chief U.N. climate scientist, the next report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change could deal with the possibility that the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets will start melting at the same time.
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/world/antarctic-and-greenland-ice-may-melt-at-same-time-scientist/2008/01/09/1199554690473.html
January 8, 2008
Kansas: Record high temperatures were reported across many areas of the country. Rare winter tornadoes were reported or suspected in southwest Missouri, southeastern Wisconsin, Arkansas, Illinois and Oklahoma. Two people were killed in Missouri.
http://www.kansascity.com/440/story/434650.html
January 7, 2008
U.K.: A scientific assessment is under way to determine whether the melting of the world's most vulnerable ice sheets in Greenland and West Antarctica, will continue to accelerate. The last warm period peaked about 125,000 years ago, and had sea levels 12 to 16 feet higher than today's.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/01/07/healthscience/ice.php
January 5, 2008
Nevada: A levee broke after heavy rainfall, dumping more than 3 feet of almost freezing water into hundreds of homes and stranding 3,500 people in their Nevada desert town.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=4090979
January 4, 2008
California: An extreme winter storm struck much of California with high winds, forcing evacuations in mud-slide risk areas and knocking out power to a million residents, including some areas of Southern California ravaged by wildfires last year.
http://usatoday.com/weather/storms/2008-01-04-calif-storms_N.htm?imw=Y
January 2, 2008
Washington: New study - nature and man together warm the arctic.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/GlobalWarming/wireStory?id=4077083
December 30, 2007
Virginia: The 2007 drought in nine states is a glimpse of what climate scientists are predicting for the coming century if global warming continues and greenhouse gasses are not brought under control.
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/166245.html
December 30, 2007
Atlanta: 2007 just missed becoming Atlanta's driest year on record; Atlanta is at the center of an exceptional drought that has impacted more than one-third of the Southeast.
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/drought/2007-12-30-atlanta-rain_N.htm?csp=34
December 29, 2007
Virgnia: 2007 was year of the drought.
http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2007-12-29-0039.html
December 29, 2007
Los Angeles: Dramatic changes are projected for California from climate change.
http://www.fox11az.com/news/topstories/stories/kmsb-20071231-apjc-globalwarming.6dab78b2.html
December 27, 2007
Tennessee: Hundreds of thousands of Tennesseans could experience emergency water shortages more serious than inconveniences such as low wells and dry ground springs unless 2008 turns wetter; if 2008 continues in a drought condition, a large number of water systems across the state may have very serious problems.
http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/269177.html
December 26, 2007
Los Angeles: Extreme winds knocked out power to thousands of homes across Los Angeles as they gusted across the city, downing power lines and knocking over trees.
http://www.cbs8.com/stories/story.112552.html
December 26, 2007
Washington: As 2007 closes, it was shaping up to be the hottest year on record in the Northern Hemisphere.
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/288763
December 24, 2007
Alaska: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will decide within weeks whether to list polar bears as "threatened" under the federal Endangered Species Act because of the loss of sea ice from global warming.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=4046387
December 24, 2007
Washington State: According to the Washington State University, the principal factors affecting climate change are the growth of human population and consumption, and the impact of these two stressors may outpace any potential environmental benefits from improving technologies.
http://www.energybulletin.net/38612.html
December 24, 2007
Minnesota: An extreme winter storm with heavy snow hit the midwest, causing at least 19 deaths and dozens of injuries.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/12/24/ap/national/main3644546.shtml?source=search_story
December 21, 2007
Boston: According to the Director of the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research at The University of Arizona in Tucson, the ecological response to climate change is not 50 to 100 years away - "it's happening now in forest ecosystems through fire".
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40577
December 20, 2007
Florida: Florida has been losing ground as a retirement destination since at least 1980, but recent U.S. Census data suggest the state's appeal among retirees is starting to slip further due to the risk from climate events.
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2007/dec/20/na-pipeline-of-seniors-to-florida-slows/?news-breaking-yahoo
December 19, 2007
Tokyo: A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck Alaska's Aleutian Islands in the northern Pacific, triggering a tsunami advisory for Hawaii.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/T183308.htm
December 19, 2007
Oklahoma: Thousands of Oklahomans were still without power, more than a week after an extreme storm coated the most populous regions of Oklahoma with ice.
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/winter/2007-12-19-winter-storm_N.htm?csp=34
December 18, 2007
San Francisco: Scientists have found at least one natural magma hotspot under Greenland that could be accelerating ice sheet melting in combination with global warming.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071212103004.htm
December 17, 2007
Greenland: According to a new study, sea level rise could be twice as high this century as UN climate scientists previously predicted.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7148137.stm
December 14, 2007
U.K.: Scientists warned that the majority of the world's coral reefs are in danger of being killed off by rising levels of greenhouse gas - a new study indicates that 98% of the world's reef habitats are likely to become too acidic for corals to grow by 2050.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/dec/14/carbonemissions.climatechange?gusrc=rss&feed=science
December 13, 2007
Scientific American: The waste produced by coal plants is more radioactive than that generated by nuclear plants. In fact fly ash, a by-product from burning coal for power, contains up to 100 times more radiation than nuclear waste.
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=coal-ash-is-more-radioactive-than-nuclear-waste
December 12, 2007
Washington: 2007 could be one of the warmest years on record. According to NOAA's National Climatic Data Center, the annual temperature for 2007 across the contiguous USA is expected to be near 54.3 degrees — making the year the 8th-warmest since records were first begun in 1895.
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/climate/2007-12-13-2007-temperature_N.htm?csp=34
December 11, 2007
Miami: A rare Tropical Storm formed over the Virgin Islands 10 days after the Atlantic hurricane season ended, causing at least 25 deaths from major flooding.
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/2007-12-10-storm-olga_N.htm?csp=34
December 11, 2007
Washington: Global warming could have passed a tipping point, with Arctic sea ice melting even faster than previously thought and the Arctic Ocean nearly ice-free by 2012 potentially accelerating sea level rise.
http://ktla.trb.com/news/ktla-arcticmelt,0,3192557.story?track=rss
December 11, 2007
Iowa: Officials in Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma had declared states of emergency from an extreme weather storm. At least 23 deaths have been linked to the storm system since the waves of sleet and freezing rain started, causing power outages to tens of thousands.
http://www.charlotte.com/nation/story/401055.html
December 11, 2007
San Francisco: Researchers have linked climate change to a tripling in the frequency of large fires in the major forests of Alaska and Canada.
http://www.news.com/8301-13580_3-9832032-39.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1040_3-0-10
December 10, 2007
Indonesia: 10% of global CO2 emissions result from swamp destruction.
http://news.mongabay.com/2007/1210-peatlands.html
December 8, 2007
Florida: Due to extreme drought conditions, the United States Department of Agriculture has designated 58 Florida counties disaster areas, plus by rule the nine counties adjoining those.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20071208/BUSINESS/712080565/-1/RSS05
December 7, 2007
Bali: The U.S. is one of the worst "climate sinners", according to environmental groups, citing their increasing greenhouse gas emissions and insufficient government policies to combat global warming.
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/us-among-worst-climate-sinners/20071207070209990001
December 6, 2007
Bali: The World Wildlife Foundation reported that the impact of climate change and deforestation could wipe out 60 percent of the Amazon rain forest by 2030, making it impossible to keep global temperatures from reaching catastrophic levels.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=3964356
December 6, 2007
Los Angeles: In a one-two punch for some, 1,000 homes were served with an evacuation order as southern California braced for the arrival of a severe rain storm; the evacuation order covered homes in areas affected by recent wildfires, with the National Weather Service warning that the storm would bring threats of flash-flooding and mudslides on burnt hillsides.
http://www.kvia.com/global/story.asp?s=7464096
December 6, 2007
Bali: While the world debates climate change in Bali, global warming is already wreaking havoc with nature - more than 3,000 flying foxes dropped dead, falling from trees in Australia. Giant squid migrated north to commercial fishing grounds off California, gobbling anchovy and hake. Butterflies have gone extinct in the Alps.
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/health/story/211718.html
December 5, 2007
Bali: Nations Divided at Climate Conference. Experts warn failure to reduce global emissions will almost certainly lead to catastrophic droughts and floods, and deaths linked to heat waves and disease.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=3955670
December 4, 2007
Seattle: Record-setting storms that recently flooded the Northwest, could become more of the norm as climate change skews the region's rainfall patterns and leads to more of these massive deluges as compared to the typical drizzle.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/342268_stormwater05.html?source=rss
December 4, 2007
Oregon: Another extreme storm, the third in a series, hit Oregon on the Olympic Peninsula, Kitsap County and the southwestern corner of the state, leaving at least 73,000 western Washington residents without power, and causing loss of life. The storm moved out to the Upper Midwest thereafter, where it dumped almost 9 inches of snow in parts of North Dakota. Western Ohio was predicted to get as much as 7 inches before the storm moved out.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16890509&ft=1&f=1003
December 3, 2007
USA Today: Climate change could bring the U.S. a major increase in the frequency of extreme weather conditions suggests a new study.
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/climate/globalwarming/2007-12-03-severe-thunderstorms_N.htm?csp=34
December 2, 2007
Washington: Experts warn that the big concern is that dry areas on the edge of the tropics — such as the U.S. Southwest, parts of the Mediterranean and southern Australia — could get drier.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2004048398_webexpandingtropics02.html?syndication=rss
November 28, 2007
Florida: New Environmental Defense study released - if sea level rises 23 inches by 2050, all but six square miles of Monroe County will be swamp and 70 percent of Miami-Dade, which means residential real estate valued at over $130 billion will be impacted, and so will half of Florida's beaches, and two nuclear reactors. The warmer climate will make Florida less attractive to tourists year-round, resulting in a $9 billion decline in tourism by 2025 and $40 billion by mid-century. Hurricanes will be more intense, resulting in more damage and higher costs -- estimated at $25 billion by 2050 -- and the cause of additional deaths.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking_news/story/323936.html November 26, 2007
USA Today: The Northern Hemisphere is the warmest in 2007 since record-keeping started 127 years ago, according to the National Climatic Data Center.
http://www.wzzm13.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=84162
November 26, 2007
Colorado: A new NOAA study appearing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, illustrates how a prolonged drought in North America in 2002 cut the continent's natural uptake of carbon dioxide (CO2) in half, leaving more than 360 million tons (330 million metric tons) more of the heat-trapping greenhouse gas in Earth's atmosphere.
http://www.coloradodaily.com/articles/2007/11/26/news/c_u_and_boulder/news2.txt
November 25, 2007
U.K.: The aid agency Oxfam found that the number of weather-related disasters has quadrupled over the past 20 years.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/7111623.stm
November 25, 2007
Malibu: A 4,650-acre fire burned 51 homes and outbuildings and damaged 27 others near Malibu, California; the number of buildings destroyed by the fire is expected to increase.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/11/25/california.wildfire/index.html
November 23, 2007
Oslo: According to the World Meteorological Association, levels of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide emitted by burning fossil fuels, hit a record high in the atmosphere in 2006, further accelerating global warming.
http://www.enn.com/climate/article/25729
November 23, 2007
India: Rice, which is a staple for billions of people, is most vulnerable to global warming, said the deputy director general of research at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=100063
November 22, 2007
Independent: Scientists warned that high temperatures and air pollution may combine to increase the risk of death from heart disease or stroke.
http://www.independent.ie/world-news/ozone-levels-linked-to-heatwave-deaths-1226550.html
November 21, 2007
CNN: According to the UK's Soil Association, 50 percent of the increase in global carbon dioxide emissions between 1850 and 1990 has been tied to changes in land use, and in particular farming practices.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/BUSINESS/11/21/eco.food/index.html?section=cnn_latest
November 20, 2007
London: The U.S. faces a high risk of major hurricanes over the next five years according to a catastrophe forecaster.
http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUKL2051210020071120?rpc=44
November 17, 2007
Valencia, Spain: Greenhouse gas already in the atmosphere will cause world sea levels to rise up to 4.6 feet - the U.N. panel of climate experts warned that global warming is "unequivocal".
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/11/18/europe/climate.php
November 17, 2007
Spain: The U.N. sponsored Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued their fourth Climate Change 2007 report. The IPCC report noted that global warming is "unequivocal", and that about 20 to 30 percent of all plant and animal species face the risk of extinction if temperatures increase by as little as 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/11/17/international/i093906S94.DTL&feed=rss.news
November 17, 2007
Georgia: With an exceptional drought worsening in the Southeast, the Atlanta area's reservoirs are almost down to the the dirtier, bacteria-laden water close to the bottom, which is going to require more expensive purification. The state warned that Lake Lanier could have less than 80 days of water stored in its conservation pool, the main area from which communities draw water, and below that level is the dead pool.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/bal-te.drought17nov17,0,4617573.story?track=rss
November 17, 2007
Ohio: A study by researchers at Ohio State found that rising sea levels could contaminate up to 40 percent more groundwater than previously thought because of unusual topography that could enable it to leach into the water table.
http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Groundwater_lost_to_rising_sea_leve_11172007.html
November 16, 2007
Gulf Coast: A research team using NASA satellite data has estimated that Hurricane Katrina killed or severely damaged 320 million large trees in Gulf Coast forests, which has led to these forests releasing large quantities of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071115164458.htm
November 15, 2007
Australia: A new report from the Climate Institute is warning that pollution and temperature levels are rising faster, and Arctic ice is melting quicker, than in the worst-case scenarios forecast by the United Nations.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/15/2091879.htm
November 11, 2007
Chile: The U.N. Secretary General visited Antarctica where he heard from scientists how rising temperatures have caused huge ice shelves to collapse into the sea.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7089290.stm
November 10, 2007
Paris: Scientists acknowledge that sea level rise estimates in the IPCC report this year - which could impact hundreds of millions - are half of what current studies now project. Recent evidence including the shrinking Arctic ice cap, Greenland's glacier loss, and a surge in atmospheric levels of greenhouse gas, as well as a slowing of the Earth's ability to absorb greenhouse gas, together suggest that climate change is occurring faster than expected.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/world/view_article.php?article_id=100087
November 8, 2007
Yellowstone: Scientists reported that Yellowstone National Park (where once there was a volcano), has begun swelling up, possibly because magma is accumulating beneath the surface.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=3838667
November 7, 2007
Florida: Scientists warned Florida lawmakers of the potential impacts from climate change on the state, including more intense hurricanes and rising sea level that will potentially submerge coastal areas.
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/climate/globalwarming/2007-11-07-florida-climate-change_N.htm?csp=34
November 6, 2007
Florida: The state Agricultural Commissioner reported that record drought in Florida has caused nearly $1 billion in agricultural losses, job losses, and reduced the food supply from Florida to Canada; further agricultural loss is projected in 2008 as the drought is expected to continue, and which is now producing early signs of agricultural collapse.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking_news/story/296963.html
November 6, 2007
India: An author of a U.N. report to be released later this month suggested that rich countries (such as the U.S.) need to make greenhouse gas emission cuts of at least 80 percent by 2050 to avoid the worst impacts of climate change: "the window of opportunity for avoiding dangerous climate change is closing fast". However, he also noted that even deep cuts in emissions now will not prevent temperatures rising for at least another three decades.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39922
November 3, 2007
Netherlands: A new report by two U.S. think tanks finds that climate change could be one of the greatest national security challenges ever faced by U.S. policy makers. The report raises the risk of major population migrations, wars over water, and a power realignment among nations.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=3815415
November 1, 2007
Canada: Experts suggest that warming temperatures will lower the Great Lakes water supply over time; climate models predict that three of the Great Lakes water levels will drop by more than one meter by 2030 - lakes Michigan, Huron and Erie.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Science/2007/11/01/4623338-sun.html
November 1, 2007
Central Plains: NOAA's Storm Prediction Center announced that October saw a record outbreak for tornadoes, with 87 forming in a three-day period as a result of two weather systems simultaneously positioned over the country.
http://www.livescience.com/environment/071101-oct-tornadoes.html
November 1, 2007
Washington: Scientists estimate that Southern California’s wildfires spewed as much greenhouse gas into the atmosphere as the state’s power plants and vehicles do in a week.
http://www.thestate.com/nation/story/216994.html
November 1, 2007
Caribbean: Over 50 people were killed in floods and landslides caused by Tropical Storm Noel as it moved through Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Cuba. A storm warning was issued for portions of the eastern U.S. coastline, with high winds and significant beach erosion expected.
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=domesticNews&storyID=2007-11-01T141208Z_01_N31276057_RTRUKOC_0_US-STORM-NOEL.xml&pageNumber=0&imageid=&cap=&sz=13&WTModLoc=NewsArt-C1-ArticlePage2
October 29, 2007
Boston: A new study suggests that the spread of ozone - which is a greenhouse gas - could cause major damage to vegetation in many places, reducing by up to 12 percent the value of global crops by 2100. The damage estimated varies by region, with the United States, China and Europe needing to import more food.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUKN2923591220071029
October 28, 2007
Atlanta: A drought that started in early 2006 in areas of Alabama and Georgia, has spread throughout the Southeast, fueled by higher-than-normal temperatures and a drier-than-normal 2007 hurricane season to date. The drought is now impacting one-third of the Southeast, and has been deemed "exceptional", which is the most severe drought category.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=3786811
October 27, 2007
California: As a result of the October 2007 Southern California wildfires, air quality remained poor in the central San Bernardino Mountains and parts of the San Bernardino Valley, as well as areas of Orange and Riverside Counties. People staying in areas with poor air quality were advised to avoid over-exerting themselves, and people with heart and respiratory conditions were urged to stay indoors.
http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1119638/wildfire_pollution_poses_health_threat/index.html
October 26, 2007
Alabama: Georgia's governor in a recent press conference called the current drought "the single worst drought in Georgia's history"; the Governor of Alabama in a recent letter to President Bush called the drought "severe and unprecedented." The Army Corps of Engineers estimated recently that at current withdrawal rates and assuming no significant rain, Lake Lanier had approximately 282 days of water supply remaining, but only about 113 days supply left in the usable conservation pool (water from lower levels of the lake is more polluted). Alabama has vowed to fight any cuts in water releases that would hurt power plants on the Chattahoochee downstream from Lake Lanier, such as the Farley nuclear plant which produces about 19 percent of the state's electricity for 1.4 million people.
http://www.alabamarivers.org/federal-officials-wade-into-water-wars
October 25, 2007
London: The U.N. Environmental Program reported that nations still fail to recognize the seriousness of climate change threats to the planet, and are moving too slowly; the agency warned that nations must respond more quickly, or face species extinction, dwindling supplies of fresh water and other serious impacts to the planet.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=3775673
October 24, 2007
Washington: In CDC Director congressional testimony, Senator Barbara Boxer the Committee Chairman, produced a list of climate change health risks that include the following: fatalities from heat stress and heart failure, increased injuries and deaths from severe weather; increased respiratory problems from drought-driven air pollution; increased waterborne disease including cholera, and increased vector-borne disease including hantavirus; as well as mental health problems. The CDC Director when asked about the items listed by the Senator, sugested that "...in some of these areas its not a question of if, it's a question of who, what, how and when."
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=3769694
October 24, 2007
San Diego: Major wildfires enhanced by desert winds burned large areas of drought stricken Southern California for a 4th day - burning buildings and threatening hundreds more from Malibu to San Diego - with 1,000 homes destroyed, and forcing more than 500,000 people from their homes.
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071024/NEWS/710240449
October 24, 2007
Washington: According to a study of fossil records, whenever the world's seas have warmed several degrees, the Earth has experienced mass extinctions. Scientists are concerned that this pattern may be about to happen again, and perhaps in a matter of several decades and not millions of years.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Science/2007/10/24/4600302-ap.html
October 23, 2007
Oregon: In Oregon's Cascade Range, the Collier Glacier is shrinking rapidly (and faster than most any other galicier in the state). Geologists cite global warming as a major factor, noting that warming also impacts the availability of water to high-elevation ecosystems.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/10/23/ap/tech/main3400139.shtml
October 22, 2007
British Antarctic Survey: A team of scientists found that global greenhouse gas growth has increased 35 percent faster than projected since 2000.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-10/bas-ugi101907.php
October 21, 2007
Arizona: A University of Arizona scientist suggests that climate change fueled mega-fires could blacken much of the West's forests this century.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/10/18/60minutes/main3380176_page3.shtml
October 20, 2007
Thailand: the Worldwatch Institute asserted that cities around the world are facing the danger of rising seas and other disasters related to climate change. The U.S. was in 8th place on the list of highest climate change risk countries - in descending order they are as follows: China, India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Indonesia, Japan, Egypt, the U.S., Thailand and the Philippines.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/chronicle/5231325.html
October 20, 2007
Vermont: Scientists speculate that autumn has become too warm to elicit New England's richest colors as a result of climate change. As a result of warmer temperatures, in some cases the leaves fall off without ever turning orange, yellow or red, instead they go straight from green to brown.
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2007-10-20-foliage_N.htm?csp=34
October 19, 2007
Kentucky: Extreme storms with high winds hit several states - including Missouri, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky and Florida - killing 6 people, and unusual October tornadoes struck the midwest.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=3751947
October 17, 2007
Australia: The world's oceans are becoming more acid, with potentially dire consequences for corals and marine organisms that play a vital role in removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
http://www.uq.edu.au/news/index.html?article=13208
October 16, 2007
Washington: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is finding rapid changes in the Arctic.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/10/17/national/w085311D84.DTL&feed=rss.news
October 15, 2007
Atlanta: A prolonged drought across the southeastern U.S. has forced some of the largest cities to declare water emergencies: Atlanta, where rainfall levels are 16 inches below normal, has suggested they could run out of drinking water in as little as a few months if conditions do not change.
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3730145&page=1
October 12, 2007
Nobel Committee: The Nobel Peace Prize Committee suggested that the stress of global climate change may increase the "danger of violent conflicts and wars, within and between states."
http://www.examiner.com/a-986281~Experts__Climate_Change_Threatens_Peace.html
October 11, 2007
Canada: A leading Canadian climate research team reports that global greenhouse gas emissions need to be cut by 90 percent by 2050 to avoid a two-degree Celsius rise in global temperature - a threshold that scientists fear could trigger melting of the Greenland ice sheet and a 7 meter or 23 foot rise in sea level.
http://www.canada.com/cityguides/winnipeg/info/story.html?id=1a1d9138-5c01-4dfa-9882-c9bf19eb1704&k=532
October 11, 2007
Nevada: Researchers told a U.S. Senate subcommittee that climate change is likely to increase wildfires, fueled by invasive weeds that are spreading throughout the west.
http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2007/10/11/1019580-climate-change-likely-to-increase-fires
October 10, 2007
Belgrade: Europe's environmental agency warned that polluted air and water, and environmental changes blamed on global warming, have cut Europeans' life expectancy by almost a year.
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1669925,00.html?xid=rss-topstories
October 10, 2007
Washington: Global warming is not only increasing global temperatures, it is also increasing humidity that contributes to heat stress in humans.
http://www.examiner.com/a-982107~Study__Rise_in_Humidity_Caused_by_Humans.html?cid=sec-promo
October 9, 2007
Australia: An upcoming report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change may contain new data showing that the level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has already reached critical levels according to a climate change expert.
http://www.examiner.com/a-979970~Gas_Emissions_Said_at_Unsafe_Threshold.html
October 7, 2007
Montana: For western states, climate change is all about water.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/connelly/334592_joel08.html?source=rss
October 7, 2007
Alaska: Arctic ice pack melting is displacing thousands of walrus - climate change is being cited as a cause.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=3698300
October 5, 2007
New York: NOAA's Climate Prediction Center is forecasting another warmer than average winter this year, extending a 10 year trend of above average winter temperatures, and potentially worsening drought conditions in many areas of the U.S.
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/climate/2007-10-05-warm-winter_N.htm?csp=34
October 5, 2007
West Coast: Climate change is one of the most significant factors affecting the future of the West Coast's salmon stock, suggests a report released by the Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Science/2007/10/05/4553128-sun.html
October 4, 2007
San Diego: 36 homes remain off-limits to homeowners in a San Diego landslide; the mayor and the City Council declare a state of emergency.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-slide5oct05,1,1668261.story?coll=la-headlines-california&ctrack=1&cset=true
October 2, 2007
Louisville, Kentucky: The USDA declares Kentucky a natural disaster area due to prolonged drought.
http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/191929.html
October 1, 2007
Michigan: Due to continuing drought conditions, Lake Superior water levels have fallen to the lowest level on record for this time of year - scientists are pointing to global warming as a potential factor.
http://www.enn.com/climate/article/23535
September 28, 2007
Phoenix: A killer amoeba has been found living in southern & southwestern lakes - it enters the body through the nose and attacks the brain. Cases of this amoeba are rare (it's killed six young men in 2007 through this date), but the increase in cases has health organizations predicting more cases in the future. This amoeba is heat loving according to the CDC, and as temperatures increase from global warming, it will most likely spread.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/09/28/national/a111812D52.DTL&feed=rss.news
September 24, 2007
Greenland: Scientists are concerned that sea levels could be rising much faster than thought, and some are beginning to believe that glacial melt could leave cities including Boston, Seattle and Galveston, Texas, submerged due to rising sea levels, devastating hundreds of millions of people on the world's coastlines by mid-century.
http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/TenWays/story?id=3642325
September 22, 2007
AP: According to scientists, climate change is likely to cause sea level to rise by 1 meter or 3 feet this century, potentially submerging portions of major U.S. cities by the end of the century: Boston, New York, Miami, New Orleans, Galveston, and the San Francisco Bay area are at risk.
http://www.denverpost.com/perspective/ci_6953157
September 21, 2007
Mexico City: Cases of dengue fever - spread by the mosquito - are accelerating in the Americas due to climate change; by 2085, climate change will put 3.5 billion people at risk of dengue fever, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said in March 2007. The number of cases reported in the Americas increased from 66,000 in 1980 to 552,000 in 2006, according to the Pan American Health Organization.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/09/070921-dengue-warming.html
September 21, 2007
New Orleans: A tropical depression struck the Florida panhandle, sparing the coasts of Louisiana and Mississippi a more serious hurricane impact, and most recently when two hurricanes caused extensive damage to the area in 2005.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/332760_storm22.html
September 19, 2007
Greenland: The Jakobshavn Glacier is melting twice as fast as 10 years ago.
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5ji-VBJ-GzgzCFcdspzNBU5kKAB3Q
September 17, 2007
Reno: Widespread southwestern drought in Nevada, California, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Idaho has led to the worst year for bear raids on homes in neighborhoods in perhaps the past 25 years, in a desperate attempt to find food before winter sets-in.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-09-17-bear-attacks_N.htm?csp=34
September 16, 2007
California: An 18,000 acre wildfire in the San Bernadino National Forest forced the evacuation of thousands in two mountain towns; a state of emergency was declared for San Bernadino County.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/9/16/apworld/20070916192751&sec=apworld
September 16, 2007
Switzerland: Climate historians (a sub-field of paloeclimatology) are using recorded historical climate measurements to assess the frequency of weather extremes, and if climate change is increasing their frequency; one climate historian believes these records clearly illustrate that the Earth is heating up more than ever before.
http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2007/09/16/ancient_records_help_test_climate_change/
September 15, 2007
Paris: The European Space Agency has determined from studies of satellite images that arctic sea ice has shrunk to the lowest levels on record.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/environment/2007-09-15-ice-nwpassage_N.htm?csp=34
September 14, 2007
Cleveland: A Natural Resources Defense Council study suggests that the air quality impact from global warming on major cities could impact health.
http://www.examiner.com/a-933504~Study_Sees_Cities__Air_Quality_Worsening.html
September 13, 2007
Houston, Texas: Humberto strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane and struck the southeast Texas coast, cutting power to thousands, bringing high winds, heavy rain, and flooding to areas that have already been hard hit this year by a very wet summer (the wettest recorded since 1942). According to the National Hurricane Center, no cyclone in recorded history has ever reached the intensity of Humberto faster as it reached landfall.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/weather/09/13/humberto/index.html?section=cnn_latest
September 12, 2007
Rome: According to European climatologists, climate change is impacting Europe faster than the rest of the world, threatening to turn the Meditteranean sea into a stagnant sea, and causing intense heat waves in Europe.
http://www.examiner.com/a-931187~Experts__Climate_Change_Puts_Sea_at_Risk.html
September 12, 2007
Europe: Researchers have determined that exercising in areas exposed to high levels of diesel exhaust is very risky for those with heart disease.
http://www.gjsentinel.com/health/content/shared-gen/ap/Health_Medical/Fitness_Pollution.html
September 11, 2007
Colorado: Ice cover in the Arctic Ocean has shattered the all-time low record - about 20 percent less than the previous all-time low record of 5.32 million square kilometers set in September 2005.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/09/11/arctic.ice.cover/index.html
September 10, 2007
Nags Head, North Carolina: Tropical storm Gabrielle made landfall in North Carolina on the Outer Banks, causing some road flooding in low lying areas; western North Carolina residents were hoping for some rain as the state has been in a drought condition.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=3579601
September 8, 2007
Greenland: According to scientists, the Greenland ice cap is melting so quickly that it is triggering earthquakes when major pieces of sea ice break off, suggesting that sea level rise this century could perhaps be catastrophic and much greater than IPCC estimates earlier this year.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/sep/08/climatechange
September 8, 2007
USA Today: Based on preliminary data from the National Climatic Data Center, the summer of 2007 was the 6th warmest since records began in 1885, with intense heat waves in several southern and southwestern states.
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/climate/2007-09-07-summer-heat_N.htm
September 6, 2007
Anchorage, Alaska: The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration has confirmed U.N. predictions that by 2050 summer sea ice will be reduced to half the level of the 1980's as a result of climate change; such a reduction in sea ice could have serious consequences for polar bears and other arctic mammals.
http://www.examiner.com/a-920546~NOAA_Affirms_Predictions_of_Sea_Ice_Loss.html?cid=sec-promo
September 6, 2007
Mexico: Hurricane Henriette made landfall on the Mexico mainland, cutting power to thousands. Henriette is on a track for the Southwestern U.S.- southeastern Arizona, southern New Mexico, & western Texas - where it is expected to bring the potential for flash flooding.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=aLTmoakXMW6s&refer=latin_america
September 5, 2007
Nature: A report published in the Journal Nature suggests that higher levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere do not allow plants to properly dispose of excess moisture through pores on their leaves called stomata. The overall results is that massive amounts of rain will cause more severe flooding to already soaked soil.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/364591/climate_change_effect_on_plants_may.html
September 5, 2007
Vienna: Doctors warn that temperature increases driven by climate change could increase the incidence of cardiovascular disease.
http://www.examiner.com/a-917978~Global_Warming_Could_Pose_Heart_Threat.html?cid=sec-promo
September 4, 2007
Honduras: Hurricane Felix strengthened to a category 5 hurricane in the Caribbean Sea, and made landfall in Central America near the Nicarague-Honduras border as a "top-scale" storm; thousands of people evacuated ahead of the hurricane, and power and phone lines went down as the storm struck. According to the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, this is the first time since 1851 that two category 5 hurricanes have struck in the same season back-to-back.
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/hurricanes/2007-09-04-storm-record_N.htm?csp=34
September 3, 2007
California: A 7-day California heatwave, with temperatures peaking at 100, has caused extensive blackouts leaving thousands without air-conditioning.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/09/03/national/a053157D27.DTL&feed=rss.news
September 2, 2007
Idaho: A major Idaho wildfire threatened the Sun Valley ski area, hundreds of expensive homes and caused evacuations.
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=nation_world&id=5627371
August 31, 2007
NOAA: A severe heat wave occurred across much of the central, southeast, and eastern parts of the Southern U.S. throughout much of August 2007. The impacts of this heat wave are still being assessed as above-normal temperatures persist across much of the Southeast. More than 50 deaths have been attributed to the excessive heat. Numerous all-time record highs were set in August.
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/2007/aug/aug-heat-event.php
August 31, 2007
Geneva: Spreading deserts from climate change will present a serious threat to food supplies this century a senior U.N. scientist warned.
http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/22556
August 30, 2007
Ireland: The Environment Minister of Ireland states that climate change is impacting Ireland at an increasing pace - it is getting "wetter".
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601102&sid=ag.0oJSH9XdM
August 29, 2007
Denver: Invasive weeds have become a fuel source for western wildfires.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/2007-08-29-cheatgrass_N.htm
August 28, 2007
NOAA: The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration has determined that human activity caused more than 50% of the record temperatures in 2006.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20481186/
August 23, 2007
Midwest: Record rainfall has caused extensive flooding in the Midwest, including 22 deaths and thousands displaced to date, with Ohio taking the brunt of the storm related flooding.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=13885962&ft=1&f=1003
August 23, 2007
Mexico: Hurricane Dean, at one time a category 5 hurricane and the 3rd most intense hurricane ever to make landfall, struck the Gulf Coast as a category 2 hurricane killing 4 people.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/08/23/hurricane.dean.tropical.ap/index.html?section=cnn_latest
August 19, 2007
Tennessee: An almost two-week heat wave with consecutive daily temperatures over 100 degrees in some areas of the South and Midwest has now been confirmed to have caused at least 49 deaths.
http://www.examiner.com/a-888781~Summer_Heat_Wave_Death_Toll_Reaches_49.html
August 17, 2007
Texas: Tropical storm Erin dumped up to 10 inches of rain on the Houston and San Antonio area, causing evacuations and at least 4 deaths from flooding; this same area of Texas was hit by flooding in July, with record rainfall across Texas this summer.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=3492087
August 14, 2007
Hawaii: Hawaii's Big Island prepared for a category 2 hurricane (after a 5.4 quake earlier today that caused landslides), the first hurricane to hit the island since 1992 when hurricane Iniki hit causing significant damage and loss of life.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=3479634
August 13, 2007
Newsweek: The reality of the climate change issue is examined.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20122975/site/newsweek/page/0/
August 13, 2007
Arctic: Measurements made by the U.S. National Snow & Ice Data Center indicate that this summer may end with the smallest arctic sea ice cover on record, which is responding to human induced climate change according to scientists.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6944401.stm
August 10, 2007
Los Angeles: After 5 years of no earthquakes greater than magnitude 4.0 centered in the Los Angeles County area, a 4.6 magnitude earthquake struck the area on August 9th causing slight damage and closing a bridge for several hours; this is the same area that was struck by the devastating 6.7 magnitude Northridge quake in 1994 that caused major damage and loss of life.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-earthquake10aug10,1,7792257.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-california
August 9, 2007
Raleigh: Duke University scientists after a 10 year study have concluded that trees are of little help in offsetting increasing greenhouse gas emissions.
http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ/MGArticle/WSJ_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173352313661
August 9, 2007
New York City: A category 2 tornado struck New York City on August 8, 2007 during a period of extreme weather storms, it was the first such tornado ever in Brooklyn since records began in 1950, and caused significant damage to a number of homes.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=a8E9Rh9nu
August 9, 2007
California: Doctors suggest that respiratory problems and asthma are common among those who live in the smoggiest communities; even the smallest communities in locations far removed from large cities are not immune, such as Arvin California.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=3463612
August 8, 2007
Science News: The first meta-analysis of previous studies has found a significant pattern of increased leukemia incidence extending at least 25 kilometers from a nuclear facility.
http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/esthag-w/2007/aug/science/rw_leukemia.html
August 8, 2007
Florida: Losses could hit $1 billion from drought.
http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN8842717020070808?feedType=RSS
August 8, 2007
Midwest: Continuing heatwaves are suspected of causing at least two deaths in the Midwest.
http://www.physorg.com/news105811432.html
August 7, 2007
Geneva: The World Meteorological Association reported that global temperatures for the 1st half of 2007 were likely the warmest since records began in 1880, with a series of record breaking extreme weather events that appear to match recent climate change forecasts.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20159606/
August 6, 2007
Australia: Sea level rise risk from climate change is likely much greater than projected according to scientists from Australia's CSIRO.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/sea-level-rise-risk-exceeds-forecasts/2007/08/05/1186252546302.html
August 3, 2007
Europe: Heatwaves across Eastern Europe this summer have killed hundreds; since 1880 the frequency of hot days in Eastern Europe has tripled.
http://environment.newscientist.com/article/dn12419-europes-recent-heatwaves-arent-a-mirage.html
August 2, 2007 (last revised)
Wisconsin: Indoor Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking according to a 1999 report from the National Academy of Sciences.
http://www.dhfs.state.wi.us/dph_beh/RadonProt/Radon/LungCancRadon.htm
August 2, 2007
NASA: The nations most active wildfires are burning in Montana, which is experiencing a drought that is fueling wildfires.
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NasaNews/2007/2007080225418.html
July 29, 2007
Buellton, California: Los Padres National Forest wildfire flares up again forcing evacuations.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=3426610&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312
July 29, 2007
New Orleans: Gulf of Mexico "dead zone" the 3rd largest on record.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070729/ap_on_sc/dead_zone;_ylt=AmiVS2eyeKnO_dXUXqWrIbMPLBIF
July 28, 2007
Michigan: Lake Superior, by far the largest of the Great Lakes and containing a significant percent of the world's fresh water supply, has ebbed to the lowest level in 80 years, stranding boats at lakeshore marinas while its average temperature has increased several degrees; the causes of Lake Superios's water supply decline are unclear and are being studied by scientists.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070728.wsuperior0728/BNStory/Science/
July 27, 2007
Southwest: Invasive plant species are fueling wildfires in the Southwest U.S.
http://www.livescience.com/environment/070727_mojave_wildfires.html
July 27, 2007
Athens: Europe has experienced some of the hottest temperatures ever recorded, with two heat waves in two months.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/07/27/europe/EU-GEN-Europe-Extreme-Weather.php
July 26, 2007
Reno: A new study has found that Nevada has had one of the most dramatic temperature increases in the last 30 years (Reno recorded 74 days of 90 degrees or higher in 2006); residents of Nevada are starting to understand that global warming is significantly impacting them now and threatening their quality of life.
http://www.examiner.com/a-846613~Study__Nevada_Has_Big_Temperature_Gains.html?cid=sec-promo
July 25, 2007
Washington: A new study suggests that increasing levels of ozone in the atmosphere could stunt plant growth; plants are a major absorber of carbon dioxide emissions, and if their productivity is damaged, that could further exacerbate global warming.
http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSN2527873420070725?pageNumber=2
July 25, 2007
Miami: NOAA confirms that the projected 2007 hurricane season is still potentially to come based on the evidence.
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/hurricane/2007-07-25-hurricane-season_N.htm
July 23, 2007
Washington: Climate researchers are reporting that the changes in rainfall patterns over the past century are largely due to human activity causing climate change.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N23348003.htm
July 22, 2007
Toronto: Continuing and prolonged drought in the Southwest and impending water supply issues are forcing the issue of future quality of life management for Southwest residents; the projected pattern of population growth in the U.S. is in states such as Arizona, Texas, Florida and California, all of which are expected to have higher risk from climate change.
http://www.thestar.com/printArticle/238555
July 21, 2007
Berkeley, California: The USGS confirmed that a moderate earthquake of magnitude 4.2 struck the San Francisco Bay area on the north segment of the Hayward fault, causing only minor damage.
http://www.dailybulletin.com/sports/ci_6425764
July 20, 2007
Idaho: Wildfires reported burning in 12 states in the drought-stricken west due to heat waves combined with lightning.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/07/20/national/main3081479.shtml
July 17, 2007
U.S.: NOAA issues U.S. weather report on the first half of 2007, noting that it has been dominated by extreme weather - heat waves and flooding - and globally is the 2nd warmest year on record to date.
http://www.usnews.com/blogs/news-desk/2007/7/17/noaa-issues-grim-weather-report.html
July 16, 2007
Miami: NOAA predicts that the La Nina expected this summer, which generally brings a more active hurricane season, will be delayed another two months.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/07/16/ap/tech/main3061061.shtml
July 16, 2007
China: A recent study in China has found that their wetlands are shrinking from global warming, which could seriously impact water supplies in the region.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-07/17/content_5437231.htm
July 13, 2007
South Dakota: Wildfires are blackening areas in a number of western states fueled by drought conditions, including South Dakota, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana and Oregon.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/07/08/national/a113451D66.DTL&feed=rss.news
>July 11, 2007
Trenton, N.J: The Union of Concerned Scientists issued a report that the Northeast faces more frequent flooding from global warming - from once a hundred years to once a decade or less in some areas.
http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN1123123220070711
July 8, 2007
Smoky Mountains: National Parks Conservation Association study details how climate change threatens Smoky mountain ecosystems.
http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2007/07/13/81581.htm
July 7, 2007
Florida: A severe drought covering much of Florida is significantly impacting the Everglades as a water source, and may require the implementation of population growth control measures and more costly alternative water source development such as the de-salinization of sea water.
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/environment/2007-07-07-florida-drought_N.htm?csp=34
July 3, 2007
Chile: Global warming has been blamed for the disappearance of a lake in a national park in Chile due to thinning glaciers.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=3342260&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312
July 2, 2007
Belgium: A new European Union report on climate change warns that Europe can expect rising sea levels to endanger coastal areas, more storms and flash floods, as well as hotter summers where nuclear power stations have difficulty cooling down.
http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=13058&ref=rss
July 2, 2007
Canada: Northern Canadian ponds which have been around for thousands of years are drying up from global warming according to a new report.
http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2007/07/02/study_northern_canada_ponds_drying_up/?rss_id=Boston.com+%2F+News
July 1, 2007
Kansas: Extreme storm weather in Kansas and Texas has caused extensive flooding and related loss of life, with some rivers expected to set flood records.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/07/01/floods_drive_hundreds_from_kansas_homes/
July 1, 2007
Los Angeles: After prolonged drought from a shift in the jet stream, Los Angeles records its driest year in 130 years, and Californians have been urged to cut their water consumption (much of the West is also in a drought condition from the jet stream shift).
http://www.examiner.com/a-808116~Weather_Extremes_Wither_LA__Drown_Texas.html
June 28, 2007
U.S.: New research suggests that as the climate changes and heatwaves increase, the death rate will rise.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6245370.stm
June 27, 2007
Texas: Extreme storms dumped up to 18 inches of rain on parts of central Texas, flooding several towns and stranding people on rooftops.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=3323289
June 27, 2007
Bangkok: U.N. report notes that desertification is a major threat to certain areas of the world, and could cause mass migrations.
http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2007/06/27/un_report_desertification_a_threat/
June 25, 2007
Arizona: Another unpredicted effect of climate change has been identified - wind blown dust from the drought-stricken Southwest could accelerate snowmelt in the Colorado mountains.
http://www.livescience.com/environment/070625_dust_snow.html
June 23, 2007
Waycross: Severe drought in southern Georgia fuels Southeast's biggest wildfire since 1898 according to the National Interagency Fire Center - 30 miles wide and 58 miles long.
http://www.accessnorthga.com/news/hall/newfullstory.asp?ID=115188
June 22, 2007
North Carolina: A new study on North Carolina beaches finds that rising sea levels will potentially shrink them significantly, with a 1 foot rise causing beaches to move inland by up to 10,000 feet in some places.
http://www.livescience.com/environment/070622_gw_beaches.html
June 22, 2007
NCAR: A National Center for Atmopsheric Research study has found that the remaining tropical at-risk rainforests are removing an unexpectedly high proportion of greenhouse gases (with much less of a proportion than expected being removed by Northern forests).
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070621140805.htm
June 21, 2007
Washington: According to the National Weather Service, the La Nina weather pattern which can promote the development of hurricanes, is not expected to arrive until later this summer.
http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN2135582020070621
June 15, 2007
Washington: Climate change and invasive species are accelerating the decline of neary two dozen common American birds.
http://washingtontimes.com/national/20070615-121737-4229r.htm
June 12, 2007
Nevada: Water officials in the Las Vegas Valley are seeking more water to support growth, and have applied for water rights in the Snake Valley (which stretches into Utah and to Callao), threatening ranches in those areas given interconnected underground water systems.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10953190
June 6, 2007
New York: Climate change, including rising sea levels and worsening drought conditions, is threatening cultural landmarks in the U.S.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/06/AR2007060601200.html?tid=informbox
June 2, 2007
Bethel Island: Not far from San Francisco, Bethel Island and its residents in the delta that feeds San Francisco Bay are at risk of being submerged this century by sea level rise from climate change.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20070602-1033-ca-climatechange-deltaislands.html
May 27, 2007
U.S.: Climate change and water management issues are shrinking clean water supplies worldwide, and the problem is only beginning.
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/biztech/articles/070527/4water.htm
May 22, 2007
England: Scientists have published a report suggesting that greenhouse gas emmissions are rising faster than the worst-case scenario modeled by the U.N. sponsored IPCC in their reports this year.
http://environment.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,2085595,00.html
May 22, 2007
Geneva: Climate change could increase disease-carrying ticks, mosquitoes, and lengthen the pollen season impacting those with allergies. In addition, people with heart and respiratory issues could be impacted by more extreme heat wave weather from climate change.
http://www.plentymag.com/news/2007/05/climate_change_may_increase_al.php
May 22, 2007
Oslo: The U.N. asserts that extinctions are occuring at a rate rivaling that of the dinosaur period as a result of human activity - 3 every hour - and that global warming is exacerbating that rate.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/news/news-climate-extinctions.html?_r=1&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fPeople%2fS%2fScalia%2c%20Antonin&oref=slogin
May 18, 2007
Washington: From New Jersey to California, are 114 toxic waste sites where the government has determined that the threat to humans from dangerous and sometimes carcinogenic substances is "not under control."
http://www.publicintegrity.org/Superfund/report.aspx?aid=870
May 18, 2007
Norwich, UK: Climate change may be saturating the Southern Ocean with carbon dioxide, weakening its ability to absorb more carbon emissions. The Southern Ocean is a key sink to absorb carbon emmissions, any weakening of that sink will lead to higher greehouse gas levels in the atmosphere, exacerbating global warming.
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/may2007/2007-05-18-04.asp
May 18, 2007
New York: Adding more green areas to cities could reduce surface temperatures in those cities if temperatures warm as projected from climate change.
http://www.livescience.com/environment/070522_urban_green.html
May 16, 2007 (last modified date)
USGS: The United States Geological Survey has projected that there is a 62% probability of a strong earthquake striking the greater San Francisco bay area by 2032.
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/nca/wg02/results.php
May 15, 2007
Washington: Scientists from the National Center for Atmospheric Research are studying Asian dust and pollution that is crossing the Pacific Ocean to North America, potentially influencing U.S. climate change.
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSN1545698320070516
May 15, 2007
Geneva: The WWF environmental group issued a report suggesting that governments have a window of five years to determine how they will deal with a doubling of energy demand by 2050 while significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions over that period, or potentially suffer the consequences within a lifetime of much more severe warming impacts on the environment and global economy.
http://www.wwf.org.uk/news/n_0000003917.asp
May 15, 2007
Antarctica: Scientists analyzing satellite data report that between 1999 and 2005 an area the size of California melted in Antarctica due to warmer temperatures.
http://www.livescience.com/environment/070515_antarctic_melt.html
May 14, 2007
United Kingdom: According to a report issued by Christian Aid based on the latest U.N. sponsored IPCC projections, the impact of climate change could potentially displace and force the migration of 1 billion people by 2050 (or 1 in 7).
http://environment.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,2078954,00.html
May 11, 2007
Washington: A new NASA study suggests that global warming could add ten degrees to summertime temperatures by 2080, with some U.S. major cities then averaging between 100 and 110 degrees.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/05/10/ap/tech/main2788391.shtml
May 9, 2007
Miami: The 2007 hurricane season has started three weeks early, with Andrea the first named storm of the year.
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1618918,00.html?xid=rss-nation
May 7, 2007
Bonn: Migratory species are becoming confused from global warming and its impact on their migratory clock, making them more vulnerable to extreme weather.
http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSL0729128920070507?feedType=RSS
May 7, 2007
Cayman Islands: The potential cost of climate change to the Cayman Islands could be the loss of its world recognized (ranked among the top 10) coral reefs.
http://www.enn.com/globe.html?id=1627
May 6, 2007
Kansas: Kansas hit by devastating tornadoes; President Bush declares parts of Kansas a disaster area enabling federal money for aid.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18502330/
May 4, 2007
Bangkok: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued their third Climate Change 2007 report on Mitigation of Climate Change. The IPCC report noted that the majority of voluntary agreements to date have not resulted in significant greenhouse gas reductions, and that a wide variety of options are available to governments to create incentives for climate mitigation action. The report focused on how the world can avoid the worst case scenario from global warming if we quickly move on certain technology solutions - from making buildings and industry more energy-efficient, to shifting away from coal, to making cars more fuel-efficient, to improving agriculture, forest and waste management practices. The report also noted that lifestyle changes toward conservation can have an impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
http://www.ipcc.ch/SPM040507.pdf
May 2, 2007
Boise: The U.S. 2007 wildfire season could potentially be very damaging as prolonged drought in certain regions, along with hotter temeratures and dryer fire fuels elevate wildfire risk in those regions.
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/117807270870520.xml&coll=7
April 30, 2007
BBC: Arctic ice is melting faster than forecast.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6610125.stm
April 15, 2007
Nunavet: The far north feels the worst effects of global warming, with Inuit hunting on thinning ice becoming too dangerous.
http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2007/04/15/far_north_feels_worst_effects_of_warming/
April 9, 2007
Washington: Legislation has been proposed in Congress that would elevate global warming to a national defense issue.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/04/09/bill_ties_climate_to_national_security/
April 6, 2007
Arizona: According to a new report, rising temperatures will fuel intense droughts across the Southwest, with conditions that have not been seen since the 1930s Dust Bowl.
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0406climate-report0406.html
April 6, 2007
Brussels: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issues their second Climate Change 2007 report on Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. The IPCC report noted with increasing confidence that in the North American region, certain weather events will become more widespread and/or intense during this century, such as more extreme storms, hurricanes, flooding, droughts, heat waves and wildfires, as well as sea level rise that will potentially submerge coastlines.
http://www.ipcc.ch/SPM13apr07.pdf
April 5, 2007
Southwest: A new study on the Southwestern U.S. drought suggests that it may continue for much of this century.
http://www.livescience.com/environment/070405_southwest_drought.html
March 27, 2007
Arizona: Scientists suggest that continued warming in the Southwest has intensified insect destruction of certain native species, with increasing wildfire risk given an eight year drought cycle. New development in the Southwest has added more than 8 million homes since 1990.
http://nytimes.com/2007/03/27/us/27warming.html?_r=2&ref=todayspaper&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
March 26, 2007
Wisconsin: Global warming could spell disaster for thousands of species this century, as half the world's climates change.
http://environment.newscientist.com/article/dn11463.html
March 23, 2007
Australia: Australian scientists suggest that global warming may pose a threat to southern ocean currents that distribute heat around the world, causing a slowdown in this system that could have impacts around the globe.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21433350-30417,00.html
March 19, 2007
Washington: The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) reports that many major rivers in the world are in danger of dying out from climate change and other factors, including the Rio Grande in the U.S.
http://www.worldwildlife.org/news/displayPR.cfm?prID=363
March 19, 2007
Buenos Aires: Climate change has resulted in heavier and more persistent rains in South America, and is forcing countries to take more proactive measures to prevent the spread of diseases like dengue fever - Paraguay has been struck by an epidemic of the more dangerous variant, dengue haemorrhagic fever.
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=36994
March 16, 2007
Washington: According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the winter of 2007 has been the warmest since record-keeping began in 1880.
http://news.com.com/2007+worlds+warmest+winter+on+record/2100-11395_3-6168168.html
March 11, 2007
CNN network: Sports events are potentially suffering from the impacts of global warming, and sports teams are beginning to consider green initiatives.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/more/03/06/eco0312/index.html
March 10, 2007
Washington: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) releases a draft of their 2nd report on global warming’s potential effects on people - including water and food shortages to hundreds of millions, home flooding to 100 million people each year by 2080, spreading tropical diseases, and even increased smog related deaths in the U.S. if nothing is done to slow down carbon dioxide release this century.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/03/10/america/NA-GEN-US-Climate-Report.php
February 27, 2007
United Nations: Scientists issue report to the United Nations on global warming, including a 21st century forecast of rising seas, weather extremes, increasing drought, disease and environmental damage to fisheries, farming and forests, and a recommendation to discourage building on land less than 3.3 feet above sea level.
http://www.livescience.com/environment/070227_ap_gw_un.html
February 22, 2007
Denver: National Research Council issues report for more severe droughts in the Southwest due to warming future temperatures in the region.
http://www.yubanet.com/artman/publish/article_51700.shtml
February 2, 2007
Paris: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issues their first Climate Change 2007 report on The Physical Science Basis (the first in a four part 2007 series) – noting that past and projected carbon dioxide release “will continue to contribute to warming and sea level rise for more than a millennium”; it is “very likely that hot extremes, heat waves, and heavy precipitation events will continue to become more frequent”, and it is also “likely that future tropical cyclones will become more intense” – IPCC.
http://www.ipcc.ch/SPM2feb07.pdf
February 1, 2007
USACE: U.S. Army Corp of Engineers provides locations of unacceptably maintained levees in the U.S., that could if they fail cause flooding.
http://www.hq.usace.army.mil/cepa/releases/leveesafety.htm
January 19, 2007
Science: Rahmstorf applies new technique using global warming scenarios from the U.N. sponsored IPCC to calculate the potential for sea level rise this century, ranging it from .5 meters (1.7 feet) to 1.4 meters (4.6 feet).
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/315/5810/297n?rss=1
January 4, 2007
London: British scientists have predicted that the El Nino climate trend currently under way, combined with existing high levels of carbon dioxide, could make 2007 the hottest year in recorded history, and potentially cause new ecological disasters.
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=2770015
December 28, 2006
Toronto: Scientists noted that a giant ice shelf has broken free near the North Pole, citing climate change as a primary reason for the event.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/12/29/america/NA_GEN_Canada_Arctic_Ice_Break.php
December 11, 2006
Paris - The 2007 Atlantic Hurricane season may see above normal activity, after a quieter than normal year in 2006 according to Tropical Storm Risk scientists.
http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/international/2006/12/11/74850.htm
December 9, 2006
Colorado - The increased wildfire threat created by millions of beetle-killed Colorado pines could be the "Katrina of the West," Sen. Ken Salazar warned.
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5202384,00.html
December 6, 2006
London - Global warming marine food chain impact could accelerate climate change, by decreasing their numbers and their carbon dioxide uptake.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/07/MNG1JMQUL01.DTL
November 14, 2006
San Diego - Global warming is being blamed for a longer fire season and could further fuel intense wildfires.
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/climate/2006-11-14-warming-wildfires_x.htm
October 31, 2006
Oregon: An ocean dead zone off Oregon that ran for 17 weeks, and for the 5th straight year, is dissipating with the Fall weather change.
http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=11559
October 24, 2006
NASA: New York city faces increasing risk of hurricane driven storm surge impacts from potential climate change related sea level rise.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hurricanes/archives/2006/sealevel_nyc.html
October 24, 2006
Beijing: Humans are burning up natural resources at an increasing rate, and if everyone lived as those in America, we would need five planets to support them.
http://www.panda.org/news_facts/newsroom/index.cfm?uNewsID=84060
October 19, 2006
Seattle: A climate researcher at the University of Washington reported that the storms are moving northward and becoming more intense in the north Pacific, with such systems impacted by climate change.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/19/AR2006101900847.html
October 16, 2006
Oslo: Scientists have found the first evidence linking the collapse of the Larsen B ice shelf to global warming.
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Antarctic-Ice-Shelf-Collapses-Due-to-Global-Warming-5879.shtml
September 28, 2006
Anchorage: Volcanic vents on an Alaskan mountain have been spewing gases and an eruption is possible, although nothing is imminent.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,216255,00.html?sPage=fnc.science/naturalscience
September 17, 2006
Miami: This winter will most likely be warmer in the West as weak El Nino conditions have developed in the Pacific Ocean, which has also helped make the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season slower than originally projected.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,213835,00.html
September 2006
Washington: More intense hurricanes like Katrina are being fed by an increase in ocean temperature due to global warming finds a series of studies.
http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/hurricane-season/dn9985
September 6, 2006
Washington: New research is pointing out the possibility that a climate time bomb may be trapped in the frozen Siberian permafrost, and when it is unlocked by global warming, could further accelerate it.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/discoveries/2006-09-06-permafrost-warming_x.htm?csp=34
June 28, 2006
Northeast: Rivers swollen by days of heavy rainfall across the Northeast overflowed and forced more than 200,000 people from their homes from Maryland to New York, with at least 12 people killed.
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/2006-06-28-wilkes-barre-flood_x.htm
May 2006
Vanity Fair: If global warming isn't stopped, devastating sea-level rise will be inevitable by 2100.
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2006/05/warming200605?currentPage=1
Back to Top
Recent Climate Change News - Real Estate, Insurance & Business
November 4, 2009
U.K.: Property insurance could become more expensive and harder to obtain as a result of climate change, an insurance body has said. The Association of British Insurers said the cost of flood and windstorm damage would rise for insurers as global temperatures increased. This would lead to higher premiums for consumers and a restriction of cover as insurers would need more reserves.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8342120.stm
October 26, 2009
Canada: Harsh weather whipped up by climate change has caused insurance claims to surge as more and more flash floods, hail storms and hurricanes wallop the Canadian landscape, industry experts say. And -- thanks to global warming -- there’s more of that to come, a conference in Montreal was told. Martin-Eric Tremblay of the Co-operators Group Ltd. said that insurance companies now expect to pay out claims on catastrophic events four times more often than they did in the 1980s.
http://www.investmentexecutive.com/client/en/News/DetailNews.asp?id=51154&IdSection=147&cat=147&BImageCI=1
December 9, 2008
U.K.: People affected by worsening storms, heatwaves and floods could soon be able to sue the oil and power companies they blame for global warming, a leading climate expert has said. Myles Allen, a physicist at Oxford University, said a breakthrough that allows scientists to judge the role man-made climate change played in extreme weather events could see a rush to the courts over the next decade.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/dec/09/oil-business-climate-change-flooding
September 9, 2008
Florida: Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink announced today that Florida is the first Treasury in the nation to formally analyze investments for the financial impacts of climate change. In an effort to better protect the Treasury portfolio from emerging risks, CFO Sink has launched a semi-annual review process to assess how public fund managers incorporate climate risk in portfolio holdings as part of prudent investment management. “Climate risks are converging not only on our state, but also on the investments we manage on behalf of our citizens,” said CFO Sink, who oversees the Treasury and Department of Financial Services. “As Florida’s Chief Financial Officer, I’m constantly looking for new tools to identify emerging financial risks to better protect taxpayer dollars in the Florida Treasury.”
http://www.myfloridacfo.com/pressoffice/ViewMediaRelease.asp?ID=3013
July 4, 2008
Lloyds: Lloyd’s Exposure Management Team believes climate change is already taking effect. "Sea levels are higher leading to larger storm surges; rain events are becoming less regular and more extreme when they occur, leading to a mixture of short drought followed potentially by flash flooding; we believe that hurricanes are becoming more intense following increases in sea surface temperatures."
http://www.lloyds.com/News_Centre/Features_from_Lloyds/Is_global_warming_changing_the_insurance_climate.htm
June 24, 2008
RealtyTimes: That river-side bargain, bay view dream home or desert adobe could, along with you, become a victim of climate change. Just as inundated Midwestern communities along the Mississippi River were feeling the pain of flood plain living, a U.S. climate change study said they and others can expect more of the same. Buy a home in the wrong location and, more and more often, it could be inundated, a real sweat box or not sufficient shelter from a perfect storm. That's according to findings in a new report by U.S. Climate Change Science Program and the Subcommittee on Global Change Research.
http://realtytimes.com/rtpages/20080624_brodreport.htm
June 6, 2008
Tokyo: The world needs to invest $45 trillion in energy in coming decades, build some 1,400 nuclear power plants and vastly expand wind power in order to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, according to an energy study by the Paris-based International Energy Agency.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080606/ap_on_sc/japan_iea_climate_change
June 2, 2008
San Francisco: The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) today adopted a new white paper. Specifically, the white paper recommends that state insurance regulators develop standardized climate risk dislosures that answer the following questions: 1) Are insurers adequately including climate risk, and climate risk changes, in their internal risk assessment process? 2) Are insurers adequately informing and incentivizing policyholders as to their risks? 3) Are the insurers’ governance structures sufficient to keep its board members informed about climate risk? 4) Are insurers taking adequate steps to mitigate their own risks and to foster policyholder mitigation?
http://www.insurancenewsnet.com/article.asp?a=top_pc&id=94898
May 27, 2008
MarketWatch: Exxon Mobil Corp. has cut funding to groups raising questions about climate change from human-generated carbon dioxide, announced ahead of its annual meeting Wednesday amid criticism that the oil giant isn't as green as some of its rivals.
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/story.aspx?guid=%7BE8735291%2DC763%2D4A82%2D982A%2DB5E38CF2D571%7D&siteid=rss
May 20, 2008
Washington: Investors managing more than $2.3 trillion urged the government on Tuesday to enact strict laws to cut greenhouse gas emissions, saying lax regulation could hurt the competitiveness of U.S. companies. The group of some 50 investors, including the world's biggest listed hedge fund firm, Man Group Plc and influential venture capitalist John Doerr, want U.S. lawmakers to pass laws to reduce climate-warming emissions by at least 60 to 90 percent by 2050.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUKN1954310520080520
May 5, 2008
SMH.com: Global warming could have the same economic effect as the Great Depression if handled poorly, suggested Australian government climate change adviser Ross Garnaut.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/global-warming/climate-change-could-end-boom-times/2008/05/05/1209839549830.html?s_cid=rss_news
April 23, 2008
Investment Executive: The Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA) has issued a document pointing out that, at the company level, climate change is a business and shareholder value issue involving strategy, risk management and financial performance.
http://www.investmentexecutive.com/client/en/News/DetailNews.asp?Id=44256&IdSection=147&cat=147
April 22, 2008
The Nation: Fund managers turn to climate-change fears. The asset-management industry has taken on a rather Malthusian twist recently, playing on fears of imminent doom - be it food shortages or price hikes in commodities - with alternative-energy-themed funds.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/04/22/business/business_30071240.php
April 21, 2008
Herald Tribune: As EU governments and lawmakers debate proposals to curb greenhouse gas emissions more severely from 2013, European industrialists are getting more and more concerned that unless there is a global agreement they may pay a high price for Brussels' greener-than-thou policies, losing out to producers from countries with lower environmental standards.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/04/21/business/rtrinside22.php
April 21, 2008
sundayherald: Unison is proposing that chief executives responsible for climate-wrecking schemes should be hauled up before school children to explain their actions.
http://www.sundayherald.com/news/heraldnews/display.var.2192970.0.make_the_climate_wreckers_explain_actions_to_children.php
April 14, 2008
New York: Climate Change Cited as top P&C Industry Challenge. “Climate change and environmental issues” was the most widely cited industry challenge among P&C insurers.
http://newsroom.accenture.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=4667
April 13, 2008
SFGate: The chaos following Hurricane Katrina served as a wake-up call for some that the government might not be able to protect them in an emergency or environmental crisis.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/13/MNIL1008L2.DTL
April 8, 2008
Tennessee: According to Energy Pulse(R), a national survey conducted annually since 2005 on consumer attitudes toward energy and green product marketability, Americans still hold critical misperceptions about where residential energy comes from and how it emits greenhouse gases.
http://sev.prnewswire.com/environmental-services/20080408/CLTU08508042008-1.html
April 2, 2008
Environmental Defense: A dozen states and eleven non-profit organizations filed suit to require the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to comply with a Supreme Court ruling on the regulation of global warming pollution. The suit comes a year after the Court ruled that the EPA has the authority under existing law to regulate greenhouse gases and a week after the head of the EPA recanted his repeated commitment to respond to the decision on a firm and prompt time table.
http://www.edf.org/pressrelease.cfm?contentID=7770
March 31, 2008
Climateandinsurance: An NAIC proposal to have insurers make mandatory climate risk disclosure statements was met with strong differences in opinions at the NAIC spring national meeting in Orlando, Florida.
http://www.climateandinsurance.org/news/080331.html
March 20, 2008
ScienceAlert: If the outdoor temperature increases by two degrees, the risk of overheating in an air-conditioned office building will increase significantly.
http://www.sciencealert.com.au/news/20082003-17077-3.html
March 12, 2008
Ernst & Young: Potential climate change is the greatest strategic risk currently facing the property/casualty insurance industry.
http://www.ey.com/global/content.nsf/International/Media_-_Press_Release_-_Strategic_Risk_to_Insurance_Industry
March 11, 2008
Bloomberg: A former chairman of the U.N. IPCC suggested that world leaders have wasted a decade debating whether global warming is happening, and now need to act extremely quickly to limit its worst projected effects.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=acN.KXTYYtkM
March 6, 2008
National Real Estate Investor: As Congress, states and cities adopt new standards for energy conservation, legal specialists warn that property developers and investors need to inform themselves about current legislation and the possible effects of toughened standards on their business practices. Pressure from within the industry to raise green standards further indicates that the industry needs to quickly get up to speed on changing legal requirements.
http://nreionline.com/green/climate-law-requires-due-diligence/
February 29, 2008
AG Weekly: Eight of the nation’s largest water providers from California to New York announced the formation of a coalition to develop strategies on dealing with climate change.
http://www.agweekly.com/articles/2008/02/29/news/ag_news/news35.txt
February 27, 2008
BBC: European officials have described America's latest offer on climate change as far too little, far too late.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7268048.stm
February 15, 2008
Planet Ark: Opposition to new coal power plants has increased given their impact on climate change from their major emissions. In 2007, 59 of 151 proposed coal power plants were either refused licenses by state governments or abandoned, almost 50 more are being contested in the courts, and the remaining plants will likely be challenged as they reach the permitting stage.
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/46967/story.htm
February 12, 2008
Forbes: 9 out of 10 of America's free-falling housing markets are in climate challenged areas - with risks such as drought, wildfire & sea level rise - including in some California markets seismic risk.
http://www.forbes.com/realestate/2008/02/12/foreclosure-housing-property-forbeslife-cx_mw_0212realestate_slide.html?partner=yahoore
February 5, 2008
Cato Institute: Halting climate change would reduce cumulative mortality from various climate-sensitive threats, namely, hunger, malaria, and coastal flooding, by 4–10 percent in 2085, while increasing populations at risk from water stress and possibly worsening matters for biodiversity.
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=9125
February 1, 2008
Lloyds: The last four years have seen some of the worst flooding in the UK history, and while global warming could be a factor, it has not been proven; however, experts agree that one of the long-term effects of climate change will be increased local flooding in many parts of the world.
http://www.lloyds.com/News_Centre/Features_from_Lloyds/Flooded_Britain_310108.htm
January 28, 2008
Environmentalleader: A recent survey of more than 500 big businesses in Britain, the US, Germany, Japan, India and China found that only five percent of the companies questioned regarded global warming as their top priority, according to this report by the Independent.
http://www.environmentalleader.com/2008/01/28/climate-change-not-a-big-business-priority/
January 21, 2008
NPR: Insurers are factoring in a climate changing world in their premiums, and it's costing consumers in places like New Orleans.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18288195
January 18, 2008
Financial Times: Recession looms in two housing boom states with high environmental risks.
http://money.aol.com/news/articles/_a/recession-looms-in-housing-boom-states/20080117132409990001
January 18, 2008
Washington: More than 50 proposed coal-fired power plants in 20 states have been canceled or delayed in 2007 because of concerns about climate change.
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environment/la-na-coal18jan18,1,1129311.story?track=rss&ctrack=1&cset=true
January 16, 2008
Florida: Florida homeowner insurance companies continue to exit the state given its high environmental risk, with coastal counties losing the largest number of companies.
http://prweb.com/releases/insurance/florida/prweb631221.htm
January 18, 2008
Business Insurance: The American Insurance Association wrote a letter to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners stating that “we believe that efforts are advancing very quickly in the area of disclosure by insurers on a voluntary basis” (on potential climate change impacts).
http://www.businessinsurance.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?newsId=11999
January 2008
Ceres: The Banking Industry and climate change disclosure.
http://www.ceres.org/NETCOMMUNITY/Document.Doc?id=269
January 2008
The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel: Publicly traded companies can expect to face increasing scrutiny on whether they are in compliance with SEC disclosure obligations for climate change-related impacts on financial performance.
http://www.metrocorpcounsel.com/current.php?artType=view&EntryNo=7706
January 10, 2008
CFO.com: Banks are falling short on climate change.
http://www.cfo.com/article.cfm/10517696/c_10496931?f=home_todayinfinance
January 9, 2008
CNNMoney: A new report suggests that some well-known companies are leaving themselves open to shareholder lawsuits, given they are not telling their investors enough about how much they contribute to global warming.
http://money.cnn.com/2008/01/09/news/companies/greenhouse_lawsuits/index.htm?section=money_latest
January 3, 2008
Washington Post: California Sues EPA Over Emissions Rules.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/02/AR2008010202833.html?wpisrc=_business/government
January 2, 2008
Climateandinsurance.org: Climate change litigation will trigger liability insurance claims – the latest form of insurer vulnerability to climate change.
http://www.climateandinsurance.org/takefive.htm
December 27, 2007
Bloomberg: Munich Re, the world's second-largest reinsurer, said losses from natural catastrophes will rise as a result of climate change, increasing property owner prices for insurance.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601100&sid=anLun7_w57t4
December 26, 2007
Beijing: China warns their coal consumption will increase.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/GlobalWarming/wireStory?id=4051161
December 21, 2007
New York: According to Moody's Economy.com, 80 of the 381 metro areas they cover will record double-digit home value losses, with most of the worst-hit markets in areas such as California and Florida.
http://money.cnn.com/2007/12/19/real_estate/steeper_price_slump/index.htm
December 20, 2007
Washington: EPA denies California's right to mandate emissions - although the energy bill requires an average of 35 mpg by 2020, California officials suggest the California law would result in a 36-mpg average four years earlier.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-epa20dec20,1,2287845.story?track=rss&ctrack=1&cset=true
December 20, 2007
Florida: Retiree migration to Florida is slowing due to their concern over the impact of potential catastrophic climate events and insurability.
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2007/dec/20/na-pipeline-of-seniors-to-florida-slows/?news-breaking-yahoo
December 6, 2007
New York: According to Moody's Economy.com, certain real estate markets from Florida to California will suffer significant price declines of more than 30 percent into 2009.
http://www.reuters.com/article/ousiv/idUSN0544897520071206
December 5, 2007
Scientific American: Areas of the U.S. can look forward to hotter, wetter summers. Global warming will cause more severe thunderstorms that could produce wind gusts of 58 miles per hour, hailstones and even more frequent tornadoes, according to research led by atmospheric scientist Robert Trapp at Purdue University. At the same time, heat waves like the one in Chicago that killed 700 people in 1995 will become more commonplace.
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=thunder-hail-fire-what-does-climate-change-mean-for-us
December 3, 2007
San Francisco: Real estate investors set to join green movement.
http://www.pionline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071203/REG/71203015/1013
December 2007
III: People in coastal areas vulnerable to hurricanes will receive the largest 2008 homeowner insurance increases.
http://www.iii.org/media/hottopics/insurance/financialmar/
November 29, 2007
ScienceDaily: A new standard for carbon offsets fails to guarantee climate benefits and promote sustainable development, and could further increase insecurity and volatility in the carbon offsets market, says WWF.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071126143333.htm
November 29, 2007
Time: The Georgia drought, like Hurricane Katrina and the California wildfires, is an event exacerbated into a natural disaster by a culture of development; although we don't know that climate change caused any particular drought, flood or fire, it's going to cause more of all of them.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1684513,00.html
November 27, 2007
Rio De Janeiro: According to a new U.N. report, developed nations must help fight climate change or the world will face catastrophic floods, droughts and other disasters.
http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory.aspx?cpath=20071127%5cACQDJON200711271337DOWJONESDJONLINE000587.htm&
November 20, 2007
Cambridge, Mass.: According to a new MIT study, U.S. greenhouse gas emissions could grow more quickly in the next 50 years than in the previous 50, and technological change may cause increased emissions rather than control them.
http://www.enn.com/pollution/article/25505
November 14, 2007
UK: A study of the world's power stations has found that the U.S. is the second highest greenhouse gas polluter per capita.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7092989.stm
November 9, 2007
Florida: Given the plummeting Florida economy and signs it will worsen, the state government's chief economists are estimating that property values for homes and businesses will start to tick down statewide in 2008 for the first time in recent history.
http://www.miamiherald.com/business/story/301264.html
November 9, 2007
Saramento: California filed a lawsuit in federal court demanding the government act on a request filed almost two years ago to let the state limit automobile emissions of greenhouse gases.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/11/09/MNIKT89GI.DTL
November 8, 2007
Mondaq: UK - Climate change could significantly increase premium prices, reinsurance costs and solvency requirements. Ultimately, it could stretch the limits of insurability.
http://www.mondaq.com/article.asp?articleid=53498
November 8, 2007
Paris: The International Energy Agency in its World Energy Outlook 2007 report, painted a dark picture of the next two decades, with the world's dependence on fossil fuels set to skyrocket at a time of major concern about climate change, noting that coal (a major producer of greenhouse gas when burned to produce power) will be king in emerging countries such as China and India to meet their increasing energy demand.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22721497-38200,00.html?from=public_rss
November 5, 2007
Law.com: Lawsuits are expected in the aftermath of the 2007 southern California wildfires.
http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1193994239603&rss=newswire
November 4, 2007
USA Today: The growth of coal-burning power plants is a major contributer to global warming, and is linked to environmental & health issues including acid rain and asthma - air pollution kills more than 2 million people prematurely according to the World Health Organization.
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/environment/2007-11-04-china-coal_N.htm?csp=34
October 24, 2007
Science Daily: Experts suggest that the catastrophic fires sweeping through Southern California are consistent with climate change model projections.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071024103856.htm
October 22, 2007
BusinessWeek: The wildfires in Southern California will most likely be one of the most expensive fire events in U.S. history; the Insurance Information Institute estimated that insured damages from the fires would reach at least $500 million.
http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/oct2007/db20071023_764480.htm?campaign_id=rss_daily
October 22, 2007
CNNMoney: According to an international panel of scientists, the proliferation of coal-burning power plants to meet increasing global energy needs may be the greatest challenge to avoiding the highest impacts from climate change.
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/newstex/AFX-0013-20408862.htm
October 18, 2007
Department of Energy: According to a report released by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program in coordination with the DOE, the energy sector is vulnerable to climate change. The report finds that while the need for heating will shrink this century, the demand for cooling will grow, thereby increasing demand for electricity. Hydroelectric power is also at risk from reduced snowfall, and changes in precipitation patterns could make cooling thermal power-plant more difficult. Lastly, sea-level rise could impact power plants along the coast.
http://www.usnews.com/blogs/news-desk/2007/10/18/climate-change-endangers-energy-sector.html
October 16, 2007
Washington: A report from researchers at the University of Maryland suggests that the price of inaction on climate change in the U.S. is a cost in the billions of dollars, and that the cost could place huge stress on government budgets, income and job security.
http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-10-16-voa72.cfm
October 4, 2007
Bankrate: According to scientist forecasts, continued climate change could cause major lifestyle changes in the next few decades as costs increase, and could mean that life for future generations will be much more difficult as well as expensive. For coastal property owners, if we don't take serious action to mitigate global warming in the next decade, coastal property values could crash.
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/energy-environment-2007/environmental_overview_a1.asp
October 3, 2006
ENN: The insurance industry faces major risks from climate change due to the increased incidence of hurricanes, floods, drought and wildfires, a major European reinsurer told the Greenhouse 2007 conference.
http://www.enn.com/climate/article/23576
September 27, 2007
Washington: The House passed a bill to extend through 2013 the National Flood Insurance Program, with provisions enabling FEMA to increase policy rates by up to 15% per year. According to some environmental groups, windstorm insurance provisions in the bill may encourage people to buy homes in high climate risk areas.
http://www.charlotte.com/nation/story/295865.html
September 27, 2007
The Washington Post: Lloyds of London predicts that the U.S. will be hit by a hurricane causing $100 billion in damage (double that of Katrina). Lloyds now accepts that global warming is causing more extreme weather-related events, and is warning the insurance industry that they must start more actively adjusting.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/26/AR2007092602070.html
September 26, 2007
New York: The race to grow biofuel crops is damaging the rainforests, a major store for greenhouse gas emissions that mitigates climate change.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N26273329.htm
September 26, 2007
Washington: A new climate change survey is published, finding that many are pessimistic about the environment.
http://www.examiner.com/a-956850~Poll__Many_Pessimistic_About_Environment.html?cid=sec-promo
September 22, 2007
USA Today: Climate change is moving to the courts - judges are beginning to accept the scientific facts, and class action environmental lawsuits are looking more likely to bring about regulatory action.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/environment/2007-09-22-climatechangecourts_N.htm?csp=34
September 20, 2007
Geneva: The World Meteorological Organization estimated that up to 30% of developed country Gross Domestic Product is sensitive to weather, climate and water conditions.
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Weather_forecasting_needs_huge_boost_to_tackle_climate_change_WMO_999.html
September 19, 2007
The Washington Post: Ceres and a group of state officials, state pension fund managers and environmental organizations have filed a landmark petition with the SEC to force public companies to disclose their climate change risks.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/17/AR2007091701833.html?hpid=moreheadlines
September 13, 2007
Forbes: Insurance companies urgently need to develop climate change strategies beyond examining historical data or risk becoming the 'victims' of increasing extreme weather events sparked by climate change, according to F&C Asset Management.
http://www.forbes.com/markets/feeds/afx/2007/09/13/afx4114239.html
September 6, 2007
NAIC: The National Association of Insurance Commissioners testified before Congress on the "economic impact of natural disasters", including earthquakes & hurricanes.
http://www.naic.org/Releases/2007_docs/testimony_natural_disaster.htm
September 6, 2007
LiveScience: The impacts of climate change are redrawing world maps, as shorelines are reduced and lakes shrink.
http://www.livescience.com/environment/070906_gw_atlas.html
September 4, 2007
WSJ: A growing number of homeowners are taking an extreme approach to insurance against hurricane winds - going "bare" and doing without the coverage entirely.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118886673597616437.html
August 21, 2007
Texas: Allstate announced a 5.9% increase for homeowners insurance in Texas due to a history of weather catastrophes in the state.
http://www.insurancenewsnet.com/article.asp?a=top_pc&q=0&id=84175
August 20, 2007
Nasdaq: Now that scientists have documented the potential impacts from climate change this century, business experts are discussing how to "climate-proof" economic growth this century.
http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory.aspx?cpath=20070826%5cACQDJON200708261152DOWJONESDJONLINE000310.htm&
August 14, 2007
SPPI: Lawsuits Impacting Climate Change Debate.
http://scienceandpublicpolicy.org/sppi_ewire_8_21_2007/global_warming_lawsuits_impacting_climate_change_debate.html
August 1, 2007
Scientific American: As insurance claims dramatically increase from weather-related disasters, insurance companies have been significantly increasing premiums, or leaving high-risk areas altogether - such as those prone to hurricanes, wildfire, and drought. In some areas weather-related risks may be so severe that those areas may become uninsurable according to the American Insurance Association.
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa004&articleID=DFD4AF1F-E7F2-99DF-3D55D40569285929
August 2007
Insurance Information Institute: Earthquakes in the U.S. are not covered under standard homeowner insurance policies, and the potential cost of earthquake losses has been growing, leading insurance companies to consider cutting their coverage in high-risk quake areas.
http://www.iii.org/media/hottopics/insurance/earthquake/
August 2007
Geotimes: The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has reported that climate change will cost individuals, businesses, and insurance companies, but will cost the federal government even more when they act in their position as insurer of last resort. Scientists speculate that the government cannot manage these increasing costs like private insurers, and fund dramatically increasing loss claims as more people move into high-risk areas with rising temperatures and increasing extreme weather events, as well as potential shoreline reduction from climate change.
http://www.geotimes.org/aug07/article.html?id=nn_climate.html
June 24, 2007
San Diego: City planners are becoming more and more concerned with coastal real estate impacts from climate change.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/features/20070624-9999-lz1c24smokes.html
June 20, 2007
Allianz: California lawsuit against carmakers over greenhouse gas emissions is examined in a report entitled "Who Will Pay for Global Warming".
http://knowledge.allianz.com/en/globalissues/energy_co2/climate_business/climate_liability_insurance.html
June 6, 2007
FDIC: The FDIC in its examination of the dramatically increasing cost of wind (hurricane) hazard insurance in certain states such as Florida, has suggested that it may be a determinant factor in the growth of investment in Florida real estate (with real estate consultants already suggesting that it may be contributing to the sluggish real estate market in Florida).
http://www.fdic.gov/regulations/examinations/supervisory/insights/sisum07/article03_wind-hazard.html
June 3, 2007
WSJ: Insurance companies are expected to take a leadership role in causing their clients to disclose more information about their greenhouse gas emissions and expousre to climate change litigation.
http://blogs.wsj.com/informedreader/2007/06/03/what-insurers-should-do-about-climate-change/
June 3, 2007
Washington: In the U.S., states vary widely in their greenhouse gas emmission contribution to climate change.
http://www.livescience.com/environment/070603_ap_biggest_polluters.html
May 29, 2007
Stanford: New report set to appear in the Stanford Environmental Law Journal highlights potential liabilities of climate change.
http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2007/05/29/80117.htm
May 16, 2007
ISS: Institutional Shareholder Services is reporting that investors have filed over 340 proxy proposals on environmental (including climate change) and social issues in 2007 to date, which could beat the previous record set in 2006.
http://www.issproxy.com/governance_weekly/2007/004.html
May 14, 2007
New York: Standard & Poor's considers the global cost of slowing greenhouse gas emissions, and the impact of emissions on a company’s rating. The Stern Review (a British Treasury report published in January) estimates the cost of doing nothing on global warming could range from 5 to 20% of world gross domestic product (GDP); however, the cost of doing something the report cites at about 1% of world gross domestic product by 2050.
http://www.businessweek.com/investor/content/may2007/pi20070514_179649.htm
May 10, 2007
California: Beginning in July, Allstate insurance company plans to stop writing new homeowner insurance polices in California given the risk of loss from wildfires and earthquakes.
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/allstate-stop-writing-new-homeowners/story.aspx?guid=%7B18C7BC16-CABA-4F61-97DD-56EA5F5B16D7%7D
May 7, 2007
New York: Lloyd's of London issues a bleak forecast for the property and casualty insurance industry from protential climate change impacts.
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSN0737930020070507?feedType=RSS&rpc=22
April 2007
Atlantic Monthly: Climate change could alter real-estate values all over the world, with low-latitude properties tanking while high latitudes become the Sun Belt of the mid-21st century.
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200704/global-warming
April 19, 2007
GAO: U.S. Government Accountability Office finds that financial risks from climate change to federal and private insurers in coming decades are potentially significant.
http://www.gao.gov/docsearch/abstract.php?rptno=GAO-07-760T
April 10, 2007
MarketWatch: Two insurers agreed to disclose information on how climate change risks could impact their business - The Hartford Financial Services Group & Prudential Financial.
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/story.aspx?guid=%7B656E47E3%2DB194%2D4D11%2D9299%2D63578698832C%7D&dist=rss&siteid=mktw
April 10, 2007
Australia: Australia's coastal residents could find their homes values cut by up to 80% if they are found to be uninsurable for extreme weather events that global warming could potentially cause.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Climate-may-impact-coastal-real-estate/2007/04/10/1175971089083.html
April 5, 2007
Boston: A new study suggests that the U.S. is lagging well behind other countries in developing specific plans to deal with climate change and more frequent extreme weather events.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/04/05/us_lags_on_plans_for_climate_change/
April 3, 2007
Environmental Defense: Court Rules 5-4 in Massachusetts versus EPA. The Supreme Court finds that EPA is responsible to regulate heat-trapping pollution, putting pressure on Congress to act on global warming.
http://www.environmentaldefense.org/article.cfm?contentID=5623
April 2, 2007
Realtytimes: Coastal homebuyers may pause before considering a shoreline home, as they ask the question whether global warming and sea level rise could submerge their potential new home.
http://realtytimes.com/rtcpages/20070402_globaledge.htm
March 19, 2007
New Orleans: Some homeowners faced with rising insurance premiums in climate challenged states - such as those most heavily impacted by hurricane Katrina - are letting their insurance lapse and risking the loss of their home value if an extreme weather event strikes again.
http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20070319/homeowners-insurance.htm
March 11, 2007
New York: Global warming could put your home at risk; real estate values in the U.S. may decline from the threat of shoreline reduction and severe weather from climate change in low-lying areas.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/11/realestate/11cov.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin
February 28, 2007
USA Today: Managing global warming impacts may be a major investment theme of the century. In the case of real estate investing, National Association of Realtors chief economist David Lereah in an upcoming book notes that people will avoid extreme weather high-risk-real-estate; in the case of coastal real estate owners, the trend will be to move several miles inland.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/markets/2007-02-28-global-warming_N.htm?csp=34
February 9, 2007
England: National debate in Britain is beginning on appropriate public policy to adapt to climate change, and where they can no longer defend their coastline people may be warned to move back.
http://www.happisburgh.org.uk/press/thenews090207.html
February 6, 2007
Florida: If you can't find insurance you can't get a mortgage - homeowners' insurance coverage is at risk in coastal areas.
http://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/262007_Homeowners_Insurance.asp
January 29, 2007
Cape Cod: Coastal homeowners find their insurance coverage cancelled, or their premiums significantly increased, due to high risk from extreme weather events.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16720746/site/newsweek/
January 11, 2007
NAIC: The National Association of Insurance Commissioners noted the major impact of climate change on Americans as a result of insurers facing losses exceeding premiums, through increased insurance rates, limited or reduced coverage for claims, or even coverage unavailability.
http://www.naic.org/documents/committees_ex_climate_impacts.pdf
December 31, 2006
Ernst & Young: Industry outlook for Property & Casualty insurance - 2005 & 2006 catastrophic loss events continue to impact the industry, and the 2007 outlook.
http://www.ey.com/global/content.nsf/International/Media_-_Press_Release_-_US_Property_Casualty_Insurance
October 10, 2006
Washington: Insurer notes that global warming is likely to increase insurance premium in high-risk coastal areas.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15210376/
September 4, 2006
ISS: Institutional Shareholder Services' "ISS in the News" notes that instituational investors are calling for disclosure from public companies of climate change risk for investor evaluation, and are pursuing this discussion with the SEC for further guidance as to their interpretation of SOX and the need for such disclosure, and their potential enforcement action through Regulation S-K.
http://www.issproxy.com/press/articles/090406pensions.htm
Places at Climate Risk
Florida Everglades: Visitors to the observation tower at Shark Valley in the year 2050 or 2075 might behold a very different landscape from the one they see today. University of Miami geologist Harold Wanless speculates that instead of today's River of Grass dotted with tree islands, the view from the tower might be one of mangrove-lined creeks and shallow saltwater or brackish ponds. The once-plentiful alligators and deer might be a rare sight at Shark Valley, many of them having moved inland to find better habitat with fresher water. Along the Wilderness Waterway, a popular canoe route that runs along the western side of the Everglades, campsites and chickees (elevated camping shelters) could be flooded with saltwater. - Environmental Protection Agency
http://yosemite.epa.gov/OAR/globalwarming.nsf/content/ImpactsCoastalZonesSouthFlorida.html
Alaska - Polar Ice: With sea ice vanishing, polar bears are starting to drown, and there will potentially be no polar ice by 2060.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/03/26/coverstory/index.html
Yellowstone & Glacier National Park: WASHINGTON - Global warming is putting 12 of the most famous U.S. national parks at risk, with visions of Glacier National Park without glaciers and Yellowstone without grizzly bears.
http://www.nrdc.org/land/parks/globalwarming/yellowstone.asp
U.S. Virgin Islands - Large coral species are disappearing from around the U.S. Virgin Islands, and are being replaced by smaller varieties as a result of abnormally warm weather, threatening marine life that depends on the large coral for shelter.
http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=11563
Climate Appraisal Services Launch
November 20, 2006
Climate Appraisal Services launches web based reporting system - for client appraisals - individual clients now have access to detailed address-based climate and environmental risk information on a property at an address-specific level that they enter.
Press Materials and News Releases
One Year Anniversary Press Release, November 2007
Science Advisor Partnership Press Release, March 2007
New Fault Line Map Press Release, February 2007
Launch Press Release, November 2006
Climate Appraisal Fact Sheet
Frequently Asked Questions
Biographies – David Purcell/CEO, Science Advisors
Climate Appraisal Press Reports
May 2008
Money Talks News with Stacy Johnson - Global Warming Hits Home
http://www.moneytalksnews.com/
March 17, 2008
Fortune Magazine - Beach-House Bargains by Jon Birger
http://robots.cnnfn.com/2008/03/12/real_estate/birger_beachhouse.fortune/index.htm
February 2008
Connecticut Magazine
"Global Warming Test", by David Holahan
December 13, 2007
Two finalists named for environmental institute post - Climate Appraisal Lead Science Advisor a finalist for the position of Director of the Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
http://www.news.wisc.edu/14562
October 12, 2007
Nobel Peace Prize Winner has UA Connections - Climate Appraisal Lead Science Advisor shares the Nobel Peace Prize
http://uanews.org/node/16395
September 21, 2007
Associated Press, America's coasts under water - University of Arizona Science Advisor & Climate Appraisal story support
http://www.denverpost.com/perspective/ci_6953157
September 2007
(Real Estate Magazine) REM Online - Know your climate risk (print version only)
http://www.remonline.com/remonline/detail.aspx?menu=26&app=153&cat1=473&dt=964684&tp=12&lk=g
August 28, 2007
MSN Real Estate - Buying Green - Dow Jones Marketwatch report
http://realestate.msn.com/Buying/Green/Article_mw.aspx?cp-documentid=4920108
August 9, 2007
Audubon Advisory
http://audubonaction.org/audubon/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=5840730
August 1, 2007
Nature journal - Correspondence
http://www.npg.nature.com/nature/journal/v448/n7153/full/448533e.html
May 25, 2007
Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/news/video/videoStory?videoId=54519
May 24, 2007
Nature journal - "Website homes in on climate hazards" (article available to Nature subscribers)
May 17, 2007
Investors.com
http://www.investors.com/breakingnews.asp?journalid=53593122
May 17, 2007
The Wall Street Journal Online - Energy Roundup
http://blogs.wsj.com/energy/2007/05/17/global-warming-the-impact-on-consumers/?mod=yahoo_hs
May 17, 2007
WBZTV CBS Boston
http://wbztv.com/specialreports/local_story_136225249.html
May 17, 2007
Dow Jones Marketwatch
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/your-home-value-suffer-earth/story.aspx?guid=%7B56D60BD6-7E66-4F8A-A43C-0894CC78E42E%7D
April 12, 2007
YouTube.com - KUAT-TV Tucson Arizona report
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iYVu9EcmwQ
April 12, 2007
KUAT-TV Tucson Arizona
http://www.kuat.org/misenplace.cfm?ID=520
April 1, 2007
Poynter Online
http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=2&aid=120713
March 28, 2007
USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/climate/2007-03-28-climate-risk_N.htm
March 27, 2007
Science Daily
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070319175827.htm
Media Contacts:
Please send your inquiries to: CustomerService@ClimateAppraisal.com
Back to Top
|