How Shale Will Reshape America’s Role in the World
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the rise of China and the Arab spring, American energy independence looks likely to trigger the next great geopolitical shift in the modern world. U.S. reliance on the Gulf for its oil — and its consequent need to maintain a dominant presence in the Middle East to keep the oil flowing — has been one of the … Read More
Drought Puts Trees the World Over ‘At the Edge’
As the climate warms, scientists expect an increase in droughts around the world, causing all sorts of problems for water supplies, agriculture, and energy production. Forests will be affected too, naturally, but a new study released Wednesday in Nature shows just how widespread the effects could be. After looking at 226 tree species at 81 … Read More
Climate Change Leads to Tougher Times on the Ranch
For western Colorado ranchers, the decision to sell cattle during tough times can hinge on a flower. Local cattle have developed immunity against the poisonous larkspur that live among more edible grasses. So a rancher culling a herd he can't afford to feed faces a problem restocking once economics improve: The replacements may die if they binge on… Read More
32-Foot-Plus Waves From Hurricane Sandy Topple Records
After reviewing wave height data, the National Weather Service office in Philadelphia has determined that the significant wave heights recorded at two buoys, one of which was near the entrance to New York Harbor, set records for the largest waves seen in this region since such records began in 1975.… Read More
Senator Urges NOAA Not To Change Sandy Classification
As Climate Central reported on Nov. 2, the storm status change has major implications for property owners who are filing insurance claims for storm damage, since most hurricane insurance policies have deductibles that would have been triggered if the storm still been a named hurricane at the time of landfall, and if hurricane warnings were in effec… Read More
2012 May Rank As 2nd Most Disastrous Year Since 1980
Disaster loss data can reflect the frequency and/or intensity of extreme weather and climate events, but socioeconomic factors, such as population growth and coastal development, for example, also influence the data.… Read More
Rising Sea Level May Trigger Groundwater Floods
In a report released Sunday in Nature Climate Change, Kolja Rotzoll and Charles Fletcher predict that in some areas, freshwater bubbling up from underground could more than double the flooding caused by intruding seas alone. “If the underground water table is already close to the surface, it’s going to come out, Rotzoll said.… Read More
U.S. Military Warned to Prepare for Climate Change
An expert report, prepared for the intelligence community by the National Academy of Sciences, warns that the security establishment is going to have start planning for natural disasters, sea-level rise, drought,epidemics and the other consequences of climate change. … Read More
