“Sea ice extent in the Arctic hit a new record spring low last month, measuring 537,000 square miles below average — an area twice the size of Texas, the National Snow and Ice Data Center announced this week. Last month’s Arctic sea ice extent was the lowest May sea ice measurement since satellite monitoring began… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Climate Change
Potential Increases in Hurricane Damage in the United States: Implications for the Federal Budget
“Damage from hurricanes is expected to increase significantly in the coming decades because of the effects of climate change and coastal development. In turn, potential requests for federal relief and recovery efforts will increase as well. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated the magnitude of the increases in hurricane damage and the associated amounts of… Continue Reading
CRS – Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress
Via FAS – Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress. Ronald O’Rourke, Coordinator, Specialist in Naval Affairs. May 31, 2016. “The diminishment of Arctic sea ice has led to increased human activities in the Arctic, and has heightened interest in, and concerns about, the region’s future. The United States, by virtue of Alaska,… Continue Reading
Animation shows how the Earth has warmed up since 1850
Via World Economic Forum: “It is difficult to really visualize global warming, but a new animation vividly illustrates how much global temperatures have risen since 1850. Constructed using data from the UK’s Met Office, the animation shows global warming rapidly gathering pace in recent years. What’s different about it? Ed Hawkins, a climate scientist at… Continue Reading
The Risky Business Project has released reports quantifying the economic risks posed by a changing climate
“Risky Business reports have identified climate risks to the nation, the Midwest, and the Southeast and Texas, and California. A new report released in 2016 will examine opportunities to strengthen the U.S. economy by reducing these risks.” The Economic Risks of Climate Change in the United States – “A Climate Risk Assessment for the United… Continue Reading
Raisins and Resilience: Elaborating Home’s Compensation Analysis with an Eye to Coastal Climate Change Adaptation
Galperin, Josh, Raisins and Resilience: Elaborating Home’s Compensation Analysis with an Eye to Coastal Climate Change Adaptation (February 1, 2016). Stanford Environmental Law Journal, Vol. 35, No. 3, 2016. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2781970 “The State of New Jersey, the Borough of Harvey Cedars, and the United States Army Corps of Engineers were all preparing for… Continue Reading
NOAA – Long term warm weather anomalies are the new normal
National Centers for Environmental Information – NOAA: “April 2016 was characterized by warmer to much warmer-than-average conditions across most of Earth’s land surfaces, according to the Land & Ocean Temperature Percentiles map. The most notable warm temperature departures were observed across much of Russia and Alaska, where temperatures were 3.0°C (5.4°F) or greater above average.… Continue Reading
World Bank Report – Unprepared for a Risky Future
“A new report is warning that the world is ill-prepared for an increasing rise in disasters, spurred by climate change, rising populations and increasing vulnerability of people in large cities and unregulated housing. The report, The Making of a Riskier Future: How Our Decisions are Shaping the Future of Disaster Risk, calls for a radical… Continue Reading
State of the World’s Plants 2016
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew – “This is the first document to collate current knowledge on the state of the world’s plants. A large team of researchers has reviewed published literature, scrutinised global databases and synthesised new datasets. The output presented here represents a status report on our knowledge of global vegetation as it stands in… Continue Reading
Report – Opportunities to Reduce Vulnerability to Drought are Within Reach
“As extreme drought continues to hit much of Sub-Saharan Africa, leaving millions of people in need of emergency assistance, a new report led by the World Bank focuses on interventions that could increase long term resilience to drought. Launched at the First Great Green Wall Conference held in Dakar, the report Confronting Drought in Africa’s… Continue Reading
Report – Climate-exodus expected in the Middle East and North Africa
Part of the Middle East and North Africa may become uninhabitable due to climate change, May 02, 2016. “The number of climate refugees could increase dramatically in future. Researchers of the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry and the Cyprus Institute in Nicosia have calculated that the Middle East and North Africa could become so hot… Continue Reading
Climate-Driven Water Scarcity Could Hit Economic Growth by Up to 6 Percent in Some Regions
“Water scarcity, exacerbated by climate change, could cost some regions up to 6 percent of their GDP, spur migration, and spark conflict, according to a new World Bank report released today. High and Dry: Climate Change, Water and the Economy, says the combined effects of growing populations, rising incomes, and expanding cities will see demand… Continue Reading
