2013 SkS Weekly News Roundup #10


Australia links 'angry summer' to climate change

The hottest summer on record. The hottest January on record. The hottest day on record for Australia as a whole. Bushfires in every state and territory. Daily rainfall records and major flooding. Over a period of 90 days, these were some of the 123 extreme weather records broken during Australia's "angry summer".

Australia links 'angry summer' to climate change – at last by Jessica Aldred. The Guardian, Mar 7, 2013


Climate change as history's deal-breaker

Can there be any doubt that, to steal a phrase from that era, the personal is indeed political?  On the other hand, the apocalypse, particularly an apocalypse that features Science and Nature in its starring roles, seems anything but personal or stoppable -- unless you’re a farmer and a pipeline filled with a particularly nasty version of oil runs right through your nearest aquifer.  The real issue here is how to make climate change personal in a way that doesn’t simply cause us to shut down.

Climate Change as History's Deal-Breaker by Tom Eglehardt, TomDisptach, Mar 3, 2013


Climate change dates back to dawn of first farmers

Deforestation by early farmers likely kicked off an era of man-made climate change long before our present era, suggests a climate scientist taking a hard look at agriculture's early effects.

Climate change dates back to dawn of first farmers by Dan Vergano, USA Today, Mar 3, 2013


Climate change poses threat to Scotland's future oil revenues

Scotland's fate as a rich independent nation is again being fought over with a battle raging over the risks of relying on North Sea oil. But in future, climate change will pose a far more serious challenge.

Climate change poses a far greater threat to Scotland's future oil revenues by Steven Carrell, Mar 7, 2013


Colombia's glaciers could disappear in 30 years

Colombia’s glaciers are melting so fast that the country has lost more than half of its glacier mass over the past three decades due to rising temperatures linked to climate change, according to a report by the Colombian Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (IDEAM).

Colombia's glaciers could disappear in 30 years by Anastasia Moloney, Alertnet, Mar 5, 2013


Hicks nix climate fix

But with the announcement this week of the usual suspects of city-bred, East Coast, well-credentialed types to the cabinet-level team that Obama is assembling to fight climate change, it’s time to consider a farmer as a leader of that cause.

Hicks Nix Climate Fix by Timothy Egan, New York Times, Mar 7, 2013


Insurers unready for climate change-related disasters

The insurance industry is ill-prepared to handle climate change-related disasters, regulators and industry watchers warned Thursday, saying the business hasn’t evolved enough in the face of rising sea levels and extreme weather fueled by climate change.  

Report finds insurers unready for climate change-related disasters by Erika Bolstad,  McClatchy Newspapers, Mar 7, 2013


Obama’s ‘all of the above’ energy and environment nominees

President Obama’s choices for his next energy secretary and Environmental Protection Agency administrator are, like so many of his actions, unsurprising and practical.

Obama’s ‘All of the Above’ Energy and Environment Nominees by Andrew Revkin, New York Times, Mar 4, 2013 


Pakistan launches first national climate change policy

Disaster-prone Pakistan has launched its first ever national policy on climate change, detailing how it plans to tackle the challenges posed by global warming, mitigate its risks and adapt key sectors of the country's economy to cope with its consequences.

Pakistan launches first national climate change policy by Nita Bhalla, Alertnet, Mar 1, 2013


Shareholders file first-ever 'Carbon Bubble' resolutions

Shareholder activists are concerned that fossil fuels could become unburnable because of climate laws—and they want firms to divulge the financial risks.

Shareholders File First-Ever 'Carbon Bubble' Resolutions by Maria Gallucci, InsideClimate News, Mar 7, 2013


Three things To know about Obama’s pick for EPA chief

Since Lisa  Jackson announced that she would resign her post as administrator of the  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, environmental advocates have anxiously  awaited news of who would take her place. On Monday, the suspense came to an end  as President Barack Obama announced his official nomination: Gina McCarthy, the  assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation and a known  champion for public health.

3 Things To Know About Obama’s Pick for EPA Chief by Beth Buczynski, Care2, Mar 4, 2013


US scientists report big jump in heat-trapping CO2

The amount of heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the air jumped dramatically in 2012, making it very unlikely that global warming can be limited to another 2 degrees as many global leaders have hoped, new federal figures show.

US Scientists Report Big Jump in Heat-Trapping CO2 by Seth Borenstein, Associated Press, Mar 5, 3013

Posted by John Hartz on Saturday, 9 March, 2013


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