Climate 411

Floods Devastate Asia and Africa

The author of today’s post is Sheryl Canter, an Online Writer and Editorial Manager at Environmental Defense.

It’s been raining a lot in some parts of the world. In Northern India, Bangladesh, and Nepal, the worst rains in decades have devastated tea and rice crops, killed at least 3000 to 4000 people, and affected tens of millions of people since June. Great tracts of land are under water. Crop land has been destroyed; people are hungry. And the weather forecast says rain.

Extreme Climate Events, 2007
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Torrential rains also have caused severe flooding in Korea, Uganda, and Sudan. In North Korea, over 600 people are dead or missing, 170,000 people displaced, and almost 1 million people affected. In Sudan, 200,000 are homeless from floods. India, itself reeling, sent $250,000 in aid to flood-ravaged Uganda.

Is this all from global warming?

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Also posted in Extreme Weather / Comments are closed

Arctic Ice Shrinking Unexpectedly Fast

The author of today’s post, Sheryl Canter, is an Online Writer and Editorial Manager at Environmental Defense.

Researchers have been expecting Arctic ice to melt and shrink, but not this fast! The National Snow and Ice Data Center, part of the University of Colorado at Boulder, reports that Arctic sea ice has shrunk to a 29-year low, significantly below the previous record low set in 2005.

August Ice Extent

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Also posted in Arctic & Antarctic / Read 3 Responses

Grim Outlook for Polar Bears

The author of today’s post, Lisa Moore, Ph.D., is a scientist in the Climate and Air program.

What's a polar bear, Mommy?A frame from an Environmental Defense ad campaign about the danger of unchecked global warming.

Most Polar Bears Gone by 2050“. You may have seen that headline in the news this week. The study behind this depressing conclusion could land polar bears on the list of threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.

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Also posted in Arctic & Antarctic / Read 7 Responses

Climate News: Creeping Shrubs and Record Heat

The author of today’s post, Lisa Moore, Ph.D., is a scientist in the Climate and Air program.

This week I came across several interesting articles related to climate, but two in particular caught my eye. In the first, scientists found that excess carbon dioxide (CO2) may be what’s leaving livestock with less food to eat. The other study explores the role of greenhouse gases on the record-breaking heat Americans experienced in 2006.

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Also posted in Plants & Animals / Comments are closed

Drive-by Extinction

The author of today’s post, Lisa Moore, Ph.D., is a scientist in the Climate and Air program.

Last weekend’s Mercury News ran a news story about vehicle emissions harming native species in California. The excess nitrogen from vehicle emissions caused invasive species to displace the plants that feed the bay checkerspot butterfly, which is threatened with extinction. My friend and colleague Dr. Stuart Weiss, the scientist who uncovered the link, calls this "drive-by extinction".

Nitrogen pollution has profound effects on life, health, and climate, yet these go mostly unnoticed by policymakers and the public.

Bay Checkerspot Butterfly

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Also posted in Plants & Animals / Read 4 Responses

Money and Methane in a Melting Arctic

The author of today’s post, Sheryl Canter, is an Online Writer and Editorial Manager at Environmental Defense.

If you had any doubts that the globe is warming and the Arctic is melting, this month’s flag incident should put them to rest. A Russian submarine dove to the bottom of the Arctic Ocean to plant a flag in the seabed. Why? There’s oil and gas in the Arctic seabed, which is now becoming accessible due to global warming.

Russia is not the only country vying for Arctic rights. Canada and Denmark are arguing about rights to the Northwest Passage, and the U.S. is getting into the act as well. But unfortunately, more than just oil and gas will be exposed as the Arctic melts.

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Also posted in Arctic & Antarctic / Read 6 Responses