Climate Rochester NewsLinks - Rochester, NY area

RochesterEnvironment.com

These NewsLinks represent a decade of ferreting out local online NewsLinks to the issue of Climate Change in our area.

The more recent stories are on the top and oldest at the bottom of this list. Looking for something specific. Use Control + F and search for it on this page.

Although many of these links no longer work, I believe that it is important to be able to find that these stories have existed for ferreting out existing or impending environmental problems. The repercussions of pollution or overuse of a resource often takes a long time for us to recognize and when we finally do, it is invaluable to be able to track the history of various issues before they get to a tipping point and became a crisis.

Also, much that mankind has done to change our environment was accomplished without any knowledge of what the environment was like before changing it, but maybe we will be able to heal our environmental if we archive the news stories so we will be able to unravel the events that led up to the disaster. Students, scientists, historians, and citizens alike should benefit from being able to follow the thread of an issue back through time.

2012

NCPR News - Climate action plan still on the table in St. Lawrence County St. Lawrence County legislators are scheduled to take another look at a Climate Action Plan next week. When legislators asked the County Planning Department to write the plan last March, they wanted ways to save money by being more energy efficient. The climate plan was tabled last summer, when students and professors at the four universities in Canton and Potsdam started a cost-benefit analysis of some ideas in the plan. (February 2, 2012) NCPR: North Country Public Radio [more on Climate Change in our area]
Three States Tell Insurers to Disclose Responses to Climate Change - NYTimes.com Insurance commissioners in California, New York and Washington State will require that companies disclose how they intend to respond to the risks their businesses and customers face from increasingly severe storms and wildfires, rising sea levels and other consequences of climate change, California’s commissioner said Wednesday. Up until this point, those states required about a third of larger insurers to turn over the information in a survey; for all others it was voluntary. (February 1, 2012) The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia [more on Climate Change in our area]
Earth's Energy Budget Remained Out of Balance Despite Unusually Low Solar Activity A new NASA study underscores the fact that greenhouse gases generated by human activity — not changes in solar activity — are the primary force driving global warming. The study offers an updated calculation of the Earth's energy imbalance, the difference between the amount of solar energy absorbed by Earth's surface and the amount returned to space as heat. The researchers' calculations show that, despite unusually low solar activity between 2005 and 2010, the planet continued to absorb more energy than it returned to space. James Hansen, director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York City, led the research. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics published the study last December. (January 30, 2012) NASA - Home [more on Climate Change in our area]
Negotiations: U.N. pitches Rio+20 talks as a departure from political strife over climate change -- 01/31/2012 -- www.eenews.net UNITED NATIONS -- This summer's sustainable development conference in Brazil, known as Rio+20, is emerging as an overt attempt by U.N. officials to shift away from the divisive politics of climate change to a broader debate on the green economy and how to bring it to developing nations. On the heels of arguably little movement on an international climate pact during U.N.-sponsored talks in South Africa, Mexico and Denmark, officials here now say they view Rio+20 as a way to get past intractable policy fights between developed and developing nations over greenhouse gas emissions cuts, to focus on core issues like trade and technology. (January 31, 2012) E&E Publishing -- The Premier Information Source for Professionals Who Track Environmental and Energy Policy. [more on Climate Change in our area]
Texas Heat and Drought Caused by Global Warming, NASA's Hansen Says | InsideClimate News Temperature data shows the Texas heat wave wouldn't have occurred without warming, Hansen claims. Others aren't ready to draw such a definitive conclusion. For three months last summer, temperatures in Texas soared higher than at any time in recorded history, and the state is still coping with the most expensive drought in its history. But can the 2011 Texas heat wave be attributed to global warming? Most scientists are careful not to link specific weather events to climate change trends, but NASA's James Hansen and two colleagues from the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and Columbia University have taken that plunge. They've gathered data they say shows that the 2011 Texas and Oklahoma heat wave—as well as a deadly Moscow heat in 2010—were "a consequence of global warming because their likelihood was negligible prior to the recent rapid global warming." (January 31, 2012) | InsideClimate News [more on Climate Change in our area]
Gardening Map Of Warming U.S. Has Plant Zones Moving North : The Salt : NPR It's official: Gardeners and farmers can count on warmer weather. If that's you, it might be a good time to rethink those flower and vegetable beds for this year's growing season. That's the word from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which released a new version of its "Plant Hardiness Zone Map" this week, the first update since 1990. The color-coded zones on this map of the United States are widely used as a guide for what perennial flowers will survive in a particular area, or when to plant your vegetables. (January 26, 2012) Environment : NPR [more on Climate Change in our area]
New map for what to plant reflects global warming - Times Union WASHINGTON (AP) — Global warming is hitting not just home, but garden. The color-coded map of planting zones often seen on the back of seed packets is being updated by the government, illustrating a hotter 21st century. It's the first time since 1990 that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has revised the official guide for the nation's 80 million gardeners, and much has changed. Nearly entire states, such as Ohio, Nebraska and Texas, are in warmer zones. (January 25, 2012) Albany, Troy, Schenectady, Saratoga News, Weather, Sports, Capitol | timesunion.com - Times Union [more on Climate Change in our area]
In GOP contest, environmentalists see cause for alarm as candidates show signs of shift - The Washington Post WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Four years after the GOP’s rallying cry became “drill, baby, drill,” environmental issues have barely registered a blip in this Republican presidential primary. That’s likely to change as the race turns to Florida. The candidates’ positions on environmental regulation, global warming as well as clean air and water are all but certain to get attention ahead of the Jan. 31 primary in a state where the twin issues of offshore oil drilling and Everglades restoration are considered mandatory topics for discussion. (January 23, 2012) National: Breaking National News & Headlines - Washington Post [more on Climate Change in our area]
Urgent action needed to prevent England's rivers drying up | Environment | The Observer New report by Environment Agency says river levels may fall by 80% as a result of climate change and the growing population | Britain's rivers are drying up. Unless emergency measures are adopted, some of our finest waterways could be reduced to trickles over the next few decades. This is the stark warning of an Environment Agency study into the predicted impact of climate change on the flow of rivers in England and Wales by 2050. In some cases, the agency warns, river levels in summer could drop by 80%. Britain's cool green waters will be transformed into puddles of warm, stagnant mud. (January 21, 2012) Latest US and world news, sport and comment from the Guardian | guardiannews.com | The Guardian [more on Climate Change in our area]
Feeding The World Gets Short Shrift In Climate Change Debate : The Salt : NPR Food is getting elbowed out of the discussion on climate change, which could spell disaster for the 1 billion people who will be added to the world's population in the next 15 years. That's the word today from scientists wondering why food and sustainability get such short shrift when it comes to thinking about how humans will adapt to climate change. In the past year, we've seen drought in Texas, floods in Australia and massive drought and wildfires in Russia, all of which have had a big impact on global food supply and prices. Those are good examples of the extreme weather events and changes in weather patterns that scientists expect to see with climate change. (January 20, 2012) Environment : NPR [more on Climate Change in our area]
2011 was ninth-warmest year since 1880: NASA NOAA announces two additional severe weather events reached $1 billion damage threshold, raising 2011’s billion-dollar disaster count from 12 to 14 events | According to NOAA scientists, 2011 was a record-breaking year for climate extremes, as much of the United States faced historic levels of heat, precipitation, flooding and severe weather, while La Niña events at both ends of the year impacted weather patterns at home and around the world. NOAA’s annual analysis of U.S. and global conditions, conducted by scientists at NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center, reports that the average temperature for the contiguous U.S. was 53.8 degrees F, 1.0 degree F above the 20th century average, making it the 23rd warmest year on record. Precipitation across the nation averaged near normal, masking record-breaking extremes in both drought and precipitation. (January 19, 2012) NOAA - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [more on Climate Change in our area]
2011 was ninth-warmest year since 1880: NASA | Reuters (Reuters) - The global average temperature last year was the ninth-warmest in the modern meteorological record, continuing a trend linked to greenhouse gases that saw nine of the 10 hottest years occurring since the year 2000, NASA scientists said on Thursday. A separate report from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said the average temperature for the United States in 2011 as the 23rd warmest year on record. (January 19, 2012) Business & Financial News, Breaking US & International News | Reuters.com [more on Climate Change in our area]
Mild winter leaves many in Erie wondering when ice will come | GoErie.com/Erie Times-News Presque Isle Bay in January usually is buzzing with activity. Hundreds of ice fishermen haul their huts to their favorite spots to enjoy a trademark Erie winter outdoor activity. It's also a time when area bait-and-tackle shops and sports stores typically benefit from robust sales of ice augurs, ice huts, rods, reels, lures, replacement blades, apparel and other fishing accessories. Not this season. (January 20, 2012) GoErie.com: Erie's #1 Source for News and Information [more on Climate Change in our area]
President Obama Kills Keystone XL Pipeline | InsideClimate News WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama on Wednesday blamed his Republican opponents for imposing an "arbitrary" deadline on his review of TransCanada Corp's plan to build the Keystone XL Canada-to-Texas crude oil pipeline, which led to its rejection. "This announcement is not a judgment on the merits of the pipeline, but the arbitrary nature of a deadline that prevented the State Department from gathering the information necessary to approve the project and protect the American people," Obama said in a statement. "I'm disappointed that Republicans in Congress forced this decision." )January 19, 2012) | InsideClimate News [more on Climate Change in our area]
Pipeline foes press Congress with upcoming protest - The Hill's E2-Wire Environmentalists battling the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline are shifting their focus from the White House to pressuring what they call an oil-soaked Congress, a strategy that will be on display next week. The group 350.org is planning a Jan. 23 demonstration at the Capitol that will then march to the American Petroleum Institute, the powerful industry group lobbying for approval of the Alberta-to-Texas pipeline. 350.org, seeking to highlight oil industry donations to pro-Keystone lawmakers, is urging people to “Blow the Whistle on Big Oil Corruption.” (January 17, 2012) TheHill.com [more on Climate Change in our area]
Climate change becomes a flash point in science education - latimes.com Some states have introduced education standards requiring teachers to defend the denial of man-made global warming. A national watchdog group says it will start monitoring classrooms. Reporting from Washington— A flash point has emerged in American science education that echoes the battle over evolution, as scientists and educators report mounting resistance to the study of man-made climate change in middle and high schools. Although scientific evidence increasingly shows that fossil fuel consumption has caused the climate to change rapidly, the issue has grown so politicized that skepticism of the broad scientific consensus has seeped into classrooms. (January 16, 2012) Los Angeles Times {more on Climate Change in our area]
On Shale Gas, Warming and Whiplash ‹ Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future In his Dot Earth blog for the New York Times, Andrew Revkin discusses a new paper, A commentary on “The greenhouse-gas footprint of natural gas in shale formations”, by Lawrence M. Cathles (EAS), Larry Brown (EAS), Andrew Hunter (CHEME), and Milton Taam. Their paper reviews a March 2011 paper, Methane and the greenhouse-gas footprint of natural gas from shale formations, by Robert Howarth (EEB) and Anthony Ingraffea (CEE) in the same journal. (January 11, 2012) Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future [more on Climate Change in our area]
EPA Creates Website To ID Biggest Emitters Of Greenhouse Gases : The Two-Way : NPR Ever wondered who the big greenhouse-gas emitters are in your neck of the woods? The answer is now just a click away. The US Environmental Protection Agency today unveiled a new website that identifies most of the nation's biggest emitters of carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases. It lets you, for example: (January 11, 2012) Environment : NPR [more on Climate Change in our area]
The Year That Winter Forgot: Is It Climate Change? - TIME As I got off the plane in the Vermont town of Burlington on Sunday, I felt something new: cold. It wasn't that cold — high temperatures in Burlington were hovering around the freezing mark, a little warmer than average for this city of eager ski bums. But after more than a month of unusually mild weather in New York City — where Januarys can sometimes be nothing short of brutal — it was almost a treat to feel a hazy hint of winter. That's because 2012 is shaping up to be the year that winter forgot in the U.S. December and the first week of January have seen atypically mild temperatures throughout much of the country — especially in the usually harsh states of the far north and parts of the plains. Fargo, N.D. — which probably exists in most Americans' minds as a big white blur of snow — saw temperatures of 55°F on Jan. 5, breaking a more than century-old record for the warmest day in January. High temperatures in Nebraska at the end of last week were more than 30°F above normal, and in December at least half the U.S. had temperatures at least 5°F above normal. (January 9, 2012) Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews - TIME.com [more on Climate Change in our area]
Iceless lake concerns scientists Scientists say the lack of ice could be related to global warming. Leshkevich said it's difficult to say how much of the decline in ice is because of abnormal climate change, and how much is because of natural variation throughout the years. "The record we have for ice cover on the lake right now is relatively short," he said. Two other scientists, however, said they think global warming has contributed to the recent shortage of ice, although they said further research is needed. (January 9, 2012) Sandusky Register [more on Climate Change in our area]
Warm weather threatens to extend U.S. drought | Reuters (Reuters) - A New Year's Eve "heat wave" melted away welcomed winter snow that had brought some drought relief to the U.S. Plains, reviving fears that harmfully warm and dry conditions will persist into 2012, U.S. climatologists said in a report issued Thursday. "The return of warm, dry weather to the nation's southern tier could be suggestive of an increasingly La Nina-driven atmospheric regime," said the U.S. Drought Monitor report, issued weekly by a team of national, state and academic climatology experts. (January 5, 2011) Business & Financial News, Breaking US & International News | Reuters.com [more on Climate Change in our area]
SUNY Geneseo earns grant to study extinctions | Rochester Business Journal New York business news and information A researcher at SUNY College at Geneseo has received an $80,000 grant for a two-year study into how climate cycles have affected earth history. Jeffrey Over, a geological sciences professor, received a National Science Foundation grant for a collaborative research project to examine reasons for the major biological extinctions that occurred during the Late Devonian period in geological history. The time interval, 375 million years ago, marks one of five major extinctions. (January 3, 2011) Home | Rochester Business Journal New York business news and information [more on Climate Change in our area]
RIT scientist heads team to measure polar ice melt | Democrat and Chronicle | democratandchronicle.com Satellite imagery has helped scientists detect everything from wheat shortages in the former Soviet Union to deforestation in the Amazon. Nowadays, satellites are using more sophisticated technology to determine how much polar ice has melted — a sign of global warming. Rochester Institute of Technology associate professor John Kerekes is heading up a team that is creating a computer model that will guide scientists who are applying this technology in a future satellite launch. (January 4, 2011) Democrat and Chronicle | Rochester news, community, entertainment, yellow pages and classifieds. Serving Rochester, New York | democratandchronicle.com [more on Climate Change in our area]
Climate coverage down again in 2011 — The Daily Climate Climate change dropped even further from the world's headlines and newscasts last year. Weird weather, Australia's carbon tax and Solyndra fracas weren't enough to stem a decline that started in 2009. Media coverage of climate change continued to tumble in 2011, declining roughly 20 percent from 2010's levels and nearly 42 percent from 2009's peak, according to analysis of DailyClimate.org's archive of global media. (January 3, 2011) The Daily Climate [more on Climate Change in our area]

2011

As Climate Change Worsens, Scientists Feel Increasing Pressure to Speak Out | InsideClimate News At a recent conference, scientists debate how far they should go in expressing their concerns about the world's response to global warming. Factors contributing to climate change are moving faster than predicted and pushing us toward planetary conditions unlike any humans have ever known—this was one of the salient themes to emerge from this month's meeting of the American Geophysical Union, the world's largest gathering of earth and space scientists. Some scientists think we've already crossed that boundary and are, as Jonathan Foley, director of the University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment, said, "in a very different world than we have ever seen before." (December 29, 2011) | InsideClimate News [more on Climate Change in our area]
The Daily Mail > Archives > News > Report talks of climate change’s effects Columbia, CUNY and Cornell assess future for NYSERDA | A 460-page, in-depth report developed by Columbia University, the City University of New York, and Cornell University for the NYS Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) says -- in no uncertain terms -- that New York State’s climate is changing, and cautions what its outcomes will be, and also offers recommendations for adapting to it. The report does not address mechanisms for stopping or preventing the warming trend, but only what its effects will be, and how possibly to adapt to them. (December 27, 2011) The Daily Mail > Front [more on Climate Change in our area]
Will 2012 top 2011 for record weather disasters? | Reuters From floods that crippled countries, to mega cyclones, huge blizzards, killer tornadoes to famine-inducing droughts, 2011 has been another record-breaker for bad weather. While it is too early to predict what 2012 will be like, insurers and weather prediction agencies point to a clear trend: the world's weather is becoming more extreme and more costly. (December 28, 2011) Business & Financial News, Breaking US & International News | Reuters.com [more on Climate Change in our area]
The Year in Weather: It Was a Disaster - Brian Resnick - National - The Atlantic Some areas experienced historic floods, others saw historic droughts. Is climate change to blame? A once-in-five-hundred-year flood inundated the Mississippi River valley. A once-in-a-century drought in Texas shriveled the summer's crops and sparked sweeping forest fires. The deadliest tornado season on record tore communities to splinters. 2011 was clearly a year of extreme weather. Perhaps it is a sign of the pending 2012 apocalypse, but more likely, it is the result of a changing climate that is amplifying extremes. The chart above marks more than 2,900 separate weather records broken this year, and these records were costly. In all, Mother Nature inflicted $52 billion dollars in damage on the United States. (December 22, 2011) The Atlantic — News and analysis on politics, business, culture, technology, national, international, and life – TheAtlantic.com [more on Climate Change in our area]
Environment world review of the year: '2011 rewrote the record books' | Environment | guardian.co.uk The ecologically tumultuous year saw record greenhouse gas emissions, melting Arctic sea ice, natural disasters and extreme weather – and the world's second worst nuclear disaster The year 2011 was another ecologically tumultuous year with greenhouse gases rise to record levels, Arctic sea ice nearly equalling 2007's record melt, and temperatures the 11th highest ever recorded. It was marked on the ground by unparalleled extremes of heat and cold in the US, droughts and heatwaves in Europe and Africa and record numbers of weather-related natural disasters. (December 22, 2011) Latest US and world news, sport and comment from the Guardian | guardiannews.com | The Guardian [more on Climate Change in our area]
Caught on Video: A Himalayan Glacier Deflates: Scientific American Interior lakes drain and refill with melting ice in mere days | Himalayan glaciers are melting and retreating at their edges because of global warming. But they also conceal a more ominous effect of climate change: they are deflating. They are losing internal ice mass to melting, which can substantially hasten their disappearance. Scientists have recently captured real-time video showing a glacier purging its own meltwater, and at rates far faster than the experts had imagined. To obtain the video, Ulyana Horodyskyj, a geologist at the University of Colorado at Boulder, climbed to 5,000 meters on the Ngozumpa Glacier in Nepal [below]. (December 15, 2011) Science News, Articles and Information | Scientific American [more on Climate Change in our area]
Cornell scientists face off over danger of methane emissions | Innovation Trail In April, Bob Howarth and two of his colleagues at Cornell University published a report in the journal Climatic Change, with this conclusion: Natural gas is a dirtier fuel source than coal or oil. The piece caused an uproar among energy analysts, industry insiders and researchers, and the result is a new article - set to come out in the same journal - by another Cornell professor, that directly contradicts the initial study: Natural gas is a cleaner source of energy than coal. And it's panning out to be a showdown. (December 20, 2011) Innovation Trail [more on Climate Change in our area]
Big Oil and Canada thwarted U.S. carbon standards - Salon.com Emails show how a Washington lobbyist enlisted Canadian officials to beat back U.S. carbon standards | When President Barack Obama decided in early November to delay a decision on TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline until after the next election, America’s environmental movement celebrated one of its biggest victories in recent memory. And no doubt the news came as a blow to Alberta’s tar sands industry, and to Canada’s oft-stated dream of becoming the next global energy superpower. But behind activists’ jubilation lurked a somber reality, an untold story with much wider implications. The broader fight to reform Alberta’s tar sands, the one which actually stood a chance of breaking America’s addiction to the continent’s most polluting road fuel, has been quietly abandoned over the past several years. For that we can thank the planet’s richest oil companies and their Canadian government allies, who’ve together waged a stealthy war against President Obama’s climate change ambitions. (December 15, 2011) Salon.com [more on Climate Change in our area]
Cap and Trade Gives Massachusetts Economy Critical Boost, Defying Naysayers | InsideClimate News New report on a ten-state initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions shows the program is a success after three years. The state of Massachusetts is quietly reaping the benefits of cap and trade, the much-maligned process for curbing greenhouse gas emissions that federal lawmakers and many state governments resoundingly rejected in recent years. According to a recent study, cap and trade has created 3,800 jobs and nearly $500 million in economic activity for Massachusetts since 2008. (December 14, 2011) | InsideClimate News [more on Climate Change in our area]
Pipeline-tax cut bill passes House - Omaha.com WASHINGTON — Legislation to speed approval of the Keystone XL pipeline passed the House on Tuesday as part of a broader package wrapping up many end-of-the-year items, including an extension of the federal payroll tax cut. The bill was approved 234-193, with 224 Republicans and 10 Democrats voting in favor. The GOP bill would require a decision on the controversial pipeline project within 60 days, while continuing the search for a new route around Nebraska's Sand Hills. The State Department has suggested that the Republican gambit would not allow enough time to complete legally required reviews of the project and thus would result in no permit being issued. (December 14, 2011) Omaha.com [more on Climate Change in our area]
The Christmas Bird Count: A Tradition with Deep NY Roots NEW YORK - The annual Christmas Bird Count, a conservation movement which got started in New York - gets under way this weekend as enthusiasts head back to Central Park and other locations to spot and count migratory birds. Changes in migration patterns can be used as an early warning system for the effects of climate change in the region, says Glenn Phillips, executive director of New York City Audubon. (December 14, 2011) Public News Service [more on Climate Change in our area]
Durban Agreements a step towards a global agreement, but risk of exceeding 3°C-warming remains – scientists. - What's new? - Climate Action Tracker Durban—11 December 2011-- As the climate talks in Durban concluded tonight with a groundbreaking establishment of the Durban Platform to negotiate a new global agreement by 2015, scientists stated that the world continues on a pathway of over 3°C warming with likely extremely severe impacts, the Climate Action Tracker said today. The agreement in Durban to establish a new body to negotiate a global agreement (Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action) by 2015 represents a major step forward. The Climate Action Tracker scientists stated, however, that the agreement will not immediately affect the emissions outlook for 2020 and has postponed decisions on further emission reductions. They warned that catching up on this postponed action will be increasingly costly. (December 11, 2011) Climate Action Tracker [more on Climate Change in our area]
Canada Exits Kyoto Climate Agreement : The Two-Way : NPR Canada is withdrawing from the 1997 Kyoto Protocol agreement on climate change, with Environment Minister Peter Kent arguing that the framework doesn't represent the way forward for Canada or the world. (December 13, 2011) Environment : NPR [more on Climate Change in our area]
New U.N. climate deal struck, critics say gains modest | Reuters (Reuters) - Countries from around the globe agreed on Sunday to forge a new deal forcing all the biggest polluters for the first time to limit greenhouse gas emissions, but critics said the plan was too timid to slow global warming. A package of accords agreed after marathon U.N. talks in South Africa extended the 1997 Kyoto Protocol - the only global pact enforcing carbon cuts - allowing five more years to finalize a wider pact which has so far eluded negotiators. (December 11, 2011) Business & Financial News, Breaking US & International News | Reuters.com [more on Climate Change in our area]
Climate Conference Goes Into Overtime : NPR Deep into overtime, negotiators from 194 nations worked straight through a second night, parsing drafts and seeking compromises to map out the future pathway to fight global warming. Delegates, working on little sleep, huddled with allies to prepare for a decisive meeting later Saturday, when it will become clear whether the diverse and long-bickering parties can come together on a plan to extend and broaden the global campaign to limit greenhouse gas emissions. (December 10, 2010)Environment : NPR [more on Climate Change in our area]
Climate Strategists: To Cut Emissions, Focus On Forests - NCPR News from NPR The basic idea is to have rich countries that emit lots of climate-warming gases pay poorer countries to keep their forests, or even expand them. That's because forests suck carbon from the atmosphere. But there's not yet a global system to make a plan like this work. (December 10, 2011) NCPR: North Country Public Radio [more on Climate Change in our area]
At Climate Talks, Frustration And Interruptions : NPR While real negotiations go on behind closed doors, the main hall of the international conference center in Durban has been given over to brief speeches — one from each of the 190-plus countries attending the conference. When it was time for the United States to take the podium, the room turned its attention instead to a young woman up in the galley: "You must set aside partisan politics and let science dictate decisions. You must pledge ambitious targets to lower emissions, not expectations. 2020 is too late to wait," the woman said. A youth group identified her as a college student from New Jersey named Abigail Borah. She was ejected from the meeting, but only after receiving a warm round of applause. And though her intervention was unorthodox, many other people have found ways to jab the United States more diplomatically. (December 8, 2011) Environment : NPR [more on Climate Change in our area]
NCPR News - SLU Professor calls for climate assistance for Alaskan villages Delegates from nearly 200 countries have been meeting over the past two weeks in South Africa for the United Nations Convention on climate change. St. Lawrence University professor Jon Rosales just returned from Durban. He's been advocating on behalf of villages on the Bering Strait, on the west coast of Alaska, which are the focus of his research. Julie Grant has more. (December 8, 2011) NCPR: North Country Public Radio [more on Climate Change in our area]
Billion-dollar weather disasters smash US record - Houston Chronicle WASHINGTON (AP) — America smashed the record for billion-dollar weather disasters this year with a deadly dozen, and counting. With an almost biblical onslaught of twisters, floods, snow, drought, heat and wildfire, the U.S. in 2011 has seen more weather catastrophes that caused at least $1 billion in damage than it did in all of the 1980s, even after the dollar figures from back then are adjusted for inflation. (December 7, 2011) Houston News, Sports, Business, and Entertainment - The Houston Chronicle at Chron.com - Houston Chronicle [more on Climate Change in our area]
At Climate Talks, Resistance From India, China, U.S. : NPR The climate treaty talks in Durban, South Africa, are confronting some fundamental disagreements among the 190-plus nations represented at the meeting. In addition to the usual divides between rich and poor, and north and south, there is no consensus about the best way to move forward with an international agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Confronting that reality, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon yesterday urged the gathered delegates to press on, even so. Ban admitted up front that a comprehensive deal may well be out of reach in Durban. But that's not reason to give up. (December 7, 2011) Environment : NPR [more on Climate Change in our area]
Like our weather? Then you’ll love climate change – or not | 520 – An Environmental Blog | Rochester Democrat and Chronicle As we’re all remarking in wonderment over our exceptionally mild late fall, it’s fitting that the Finger Lakes Institute has devoted part of its December newsletter to climate change in our region. The general theme: What we’re seeing now is what we’re going to get, and then some. Average temperatures in this part of the country have risen and will continue to do so, reports Art DeGaetano, a professor of earth and atmospheric science at Cornell University and director of the Northeast Regional Climate Center. (December 7, 2011) 520 – An Environmental Blog | Rochester Democrat and Chronicle [more on Climate Change in our area]
At Durban Climate Talks, Back-Room Deals Begin In Earnest : NPR Back-room negotiations began in earnest Monday on a deal to rescue the only treaty governing greenhouse gas reductions and to launch talks on a broader agreement to include the world's largest polluters: China and other emerging economies, the United States and Europe. Key players laid out their opening positions in public at U.N. climate talks in South Africa, and were beginning a round of private meetings to probe each other's meanings and intentions — which remained murky. (December 5, 2011) Environment : NPR [more on Climate Change in our area]
2011: world’s 10th warmest year, warmest year with La Niña on record, second-lowest Arctic sea ice extent Global temperatures in 2011 have not been as warm as the record-setting values seen in 2010 but have likely been warmer than any previous strong La Niña year, based on preliminary data from data sources compiled by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). The global combined sea surface and land surface air temperature for 2011 (January–October) is currently estimated at 0.41°C ± 0.111°C (0.74°F ± 0.20°F) above the 1961–1990 annual average of 14.00°C/57.2°F. At present, 2011’s nominal value ranks as the equal 10th highest on record, and the 13 warmest years have all occurred in the 15 years between 1997 and 2011. Welcome homepage | WMO [more on Climate Change in our area]
As Kyoto Protocol Ends, An Uncertain Climate Future : NPR As diplomats from around the world gather in Durban, South Africa, for talks about climate change, a big question looms: What will become of the Kyoto climate treaty, which was negotiated with much fanfare in 1997. The treaty was supposed to be a first step toward much more ambitious actions on climate change, but it is now on the brink of fading into irrelevance. That could have major implications for the future of United Nations climate talks. Even under the best of circumstances, the Kyoto protocol would have made a barely measurable dent in the amount of greenhouse gases flowing into the Earth's atmosphere. (November 29, 2011) Environment : NPR [more on Climate Change in our area]
Climate Projections for the Finger Lakes | Happenings It’s November, Election Day, and as I begin to write this article, my meteorology undergraduates inform me that the high today will reach 70°. Although not unheard of, an occurrence that is rare in Ithaca; but one that is becoming increasingly more common. Since 1970, 70° November days have occurred on average every 2-3 years. Prior to this, in a record that extends back to 1893, the wait for a 70° November day was almost twice as long; as such temperatures were reported every 4-5 years. While a single November day in the 70s cannot be blamed on climate change, this is just one of many examples of what might become common in upstate NY in a warmer world. (December 1, 2011) Happenings | the monthly newsletter of the Finger Lakes Institute [more on Climate Change in our area]
Coalition Petitions Obama to Unlock Billions in Unspent Clean Energy Bonds | InsideClimate News Vaguely written legislation keeps local governments from putting federal funds to use and creating green jobs. An energy conservation subsidy that was enacted during the Bush administration is sitting largely untouched, even though it could add thousands of new jobs to the struggling U.S. economy. The Qualified Energy Conservation Bond program is supposed to help state and municipal governments develop clean energy projects. But of the $3.2 billion available, only $550 million—or just over 15 percent—has been spent since the program was created in 2008. (December 1, 2011) | InsideClimate News [more on Climate Change in our area]
When it rains, it pours more than it used to - News Blog - Rochester City Newspaper A recent report by the New York State Energy Development Authority lays out how climate change could affect different areas of the state. And precipitation is a big part of it. That's not to say average precipitation has increased or decreased. The report says there's no discernible trend from 1900 onward. But the state is seeing more heavy downpours, which can lead to flash flooding or stormwater surges, the report says. Less ice cover over Lakes Erie and Ontario can mean more lake-effect snow. The state report also says that climate change will have environmental and economic consequences. (November 23, 2011) Rochester NY News, Events, Restaurants, Music, Entertainment, Nightlife - Rochester City Newspaper [more on Climate Change in our area]
Durban climate change talks: Experts see warmer world as inevitable - CSMonitor.com Many of the nations gathered in Durban, South Africa, this week have proposed voluntary cuts to greenhouse gas emissions. But even if all of those cuts were successful, they would still result in catastrophic climate change. (November 29, 2011) The Christian Science Monitor - CSMonitor.com [more on Climate Change in our area]
Durban Climate Change Conference: US refusal to negotiate carbon emissions cuts risks derailing summit - Telegraph US refusal to negotiate legally-binding carbon emissions cuts risks derailing a UN summit convened to tackle climate change, environmental groups have warned in a letter to Hillary Clinton. The letter, signed by 16 different organisations and sent to the US Secretary of State, said that while President Barack Obama pledged in November 2008 to "engage vigorously in these negotiations, and help lead the world toward a new era of global co-operation on climate change," he had failed to deliver on that pledge. Instead, the letter claimed, America is fast becoming seen as a "major obstacle" to progress. (November 30, 2011) Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph - Telegraph [more on Climate Change in our area]
As Kyoto Protocol Ends, An Uncertain Climate Future : NPR As diplomats from around the world gather in Durban, South Africa, for talks about climate change, a big question looms: What will become of the Kyoto climate treaty, which was negotiated with much fanfare in 1997. The treaty was supposed to be a first step toward much more ambitious actions on climate change, but it is now on the brink of fading into irrelevance. That could have major implications for the future of United Nations climate talks. Even under the best of circumstances, the Kyoto protocol would have made a barely measurable dent in the amount of greenhouse gases flowing into the Earth's atmosphere. (November 29, 2011) NPR : National Public Radio : News & Analysis, World, US, Music & Arts : NPR [more on Climate Change in our area]
Ever-worsening weather events lead to inescapable verdict on climate change - The Irish Times - Mon, Nov 28, 2011 DURBAN 2011: AFTER ANOTHER year of extreme weather events, including October’s flooding in the Dublin area, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has warned global warming will cause even stronger storms, more heatwaves, droughts and wildfires unless steps are taken to curb the current trends. Its latest report, Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters , released on November 18th, says scientists are “virtually certain” the world will have more extreme spells of heat, and fewer cold spells. Heatwaves could be as much as 5 degrees hotter by 2050 and even 9 degrees hotter by 2100. (November 28, 2011) The Irish Times - Breaking Local and International News from Ireland [more on Climate Change in our area]
Britain's promotion of Canada's tar sands oil is idiotic | Environment | guardian.co.uk A deal to sell tar sands oil in Europe would outweigh any good the UK might do with all its other climate change measures | Here's the essential fact to bear in mind. The tar sands of northern Alberta are the second-largest pool of carbon on earth, second only to Saudi Arabia. It's burning Saudi Arabia, more than any other single thing, that has raised the temperature of the planet by a degree so far. But when oil was discovered in the Middle East, we knew nothing about climate change – it's not surprising that we started pumping. In the case of Canada, however, we've taken 3% of the oil from the sands. We're still at the start. If, knowing what we now know about climate change, we just keep going, then we're idiots. (November 22, 2011) Latest US and world news, sport and comment from the Guardian | guardiannews.com | The Guardian [more on Climate Change in our area]
NCPR News - Scientists: Climate change in New York could increase diseases A new report finds that New York may suffer disproportionate effects of climate change in the coming decades, when compared with other regions. The report was co-authored by scientists from Cornell, Columbia University, and Hunter College. It finds that because New York is a northern state, it has already warmed more than twice the global average--2.4 degrees Fahrenheit in the last forty years. (November 28, 2011) NCPR: North Country Public Radio [more on Climate Change in our area]
Climate talks commence in South Africa - Africa - Al Jazeera About 25,000 people gather in Durban, but expectations remain low for any global agreements. Up to 25,000 people, including 7,000 delegates from 194 nations, have gathered for United Nations-backed climate change talks in the South African port city of Durban (November 28, 2011) AJE - Al Jazeera English [more on Climate Change in our area]
Canada won't confirm it's pulling out of Kyoto | Reuters (Reuters) - Canada dismissed the Kyoto Protocol on climate change on Monday as a thing of the past, but declined to confirm a media report it will formally pull out of the international treaty before the end of this year. Although the Conservative government walked away from its Kyoto obligations years ago, a formal withdrawal would deal a symbolic blow to global talks to save the agreement, which opened in Durban, South Africa on Monday. (November 28, 2011) Business & Financial News, Breaking US & International News | Reuters.com [more on Climate Change in our area]
This November could be among the warmest on record | Democrat and Chronicle | democratandchronicle.com The month of November has been almost entirely snow-free, a circumstance clearly attributable to one factor before all others. It's been too warm for snow. The daily average temperature in Rochester this month has been 45.9 degrees through Sunday, 4.8 degrees above normal. The mercury has climbed into the 60s on 10 different days and fallen into the 20s only five times, creating conditions more like October than November. (November 29, 2011) Democrat and Chronicle | Rochester news, community, entertainment, yellow pages and classifieds. Serving Rochester, New York | democratandchronicle.com [more on Climate Change in our area]
Rich nations accused of climate-change 'bullying' - Climate Change - Environment - The Independent Britain and other rich countries are using aid money as a lever to bully developing countries over climate change, according to a new report by an anti-poverty pressure group. With international climate change negotiations beginning in South Africa tomorrow, a report by the World Development Movement reveals that threats and bribery are often attached to aid packages. (November 27, 2011) The Independent | News | UK and Worldwide News | Newspaper [more on Climate Change in our area]
As Durban conference opens, little hope for a climate-change agreement - The Globe and Mail With the Kyoto Protocol on the verge of death, gloomy negotiators are gathering in South Africa Monday in an attempt to salvage a vague “road map” for a future climate agreement in 2020 or later. Without hope for a binding agreement in the near future, the United Nations climate conference is likely to resign itself to at least an eight-year gap between the expiry of Kyoto next year and a possible future treaty on cutting greenhouse gases. In the interim, the world would be governed by voluntary pledges – or “climate anarchy” as some environmentalists call it. (November 22, 2011) The Globe and Mail [more on Climate Change in our area]
NCPR News - Scientists: Climate change in New York could increase diseases A new report finds that New York may suffer disproportionate effects of climate change in the coming decades, when compared with other regions. The report was co-authored by scientists from Cornell, Columbia University, and Hunter College. It finds that because New York is a northern state, it has already warmed more than twice the global average - 2-point-4-degrees Fahrenheit in the last forty years. (November 28, 2911) NCPR: North Country Public Radio [more on Climate Change in our area]
In Climate Talks West Would Redefine Rich And Poor : NPR JOHANNESBURG (AP) — As delegates gather in South Africa to plot the next big push against climate change, Western governments are saying it's time to move beyond traditional distinctions between industrial and developing countries and get China and other growing economies to accept legally binding curbs on greenhouse gases. It will be a central theme for the 25,000 national officials, lobbyists, scientists and advocates gathering under U.N. auspices in the coastal city of Durban on Nov. 28. Their two weeks of negotiations will end with a meeting of government ministers from more than 100 countries. (November 26, 2011) NPR : National Public Radio : News & Analysis, World, US, Music & Arts : NPR [more on Climate Change in our area]
Greenhouse Gases At Record Levels, U.N. Weather Agency Says : NPR Global warming gases have hit record levels in the world's atmosphere, with concentrations of carbon dioxide up 39 percent since the start of the industrial era in 1750, the U.N. weather agency said Monday. The new figures for 2010 from the World Meteorological Organization show that CO2 levels are now at 389 parts per million, up from about 280 parts per million a quarter-millenium ago. The levels are significant because the gases trap heat in the atmosphere. (November 21, 2011) NPR : National Public Radio : News & Analysis, World, US, Music & Arts : NPR [more on Climate Change in our area]
Dramatic climate change expected to be the norm | Star-Gazette | stargazette.com ALBANY, N.Y. - Devastating floods, caused by the remnants of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee, are among the climate change effects predicted in a new report written by 50 scientists and released this past week by the state's energy research agency. The 600-page report, called ClimAID, was intended as a resource for planners, policymakers, farmers and residents. It says New Yorkers should begin preparing for hotter summers, snowier winters, severe floods and a range of other effects on the environment, communities and human health. It was written by scientists from Cornell University, Columbia University and the City University of New York and funded by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. (November 20, 2011) Star-Gazette | Elmira news, community, entertainment, yellow pages and classifieds. Serving Elmira, New York | stargazette.com [more on Climate Change in our area]
Primer: What's New (and What Isn't) in the IPCC's Report on Extreme Weather | InsideClimate News The world's leading science panel studied the link between man-made warming and wild weather for the first time. InsideClimate News examines its results. Record heat waves, drought, floods, thunderstorms, tornado outbreaks—extreme weather battered much of the United States and parts of the world in recent years, causing an unprecedented number of deaths and economic losses. What role has global warming played, if any? (November 22, 2011) | InsideClimate News [more on Climate Change in our area]
The Atmosphere Doesn't Lie | Dan Lashof's Blog | Switchboard, from NRDC The United States, along with just about every other country on earth, has committed to the objective of stabilizing the amount of heat-trapping pollution in the atmosphere in order to prevent dangerous changes in our climate (see article 3 of the climate convention). How’s it going? Not well. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) monitors the concentration of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere more-or-less continuously and compiles an annual summary of the combined effect on the earth’s energy balance. NOAA released the results from 2010 last week. As you can see from the key figure reproduced here, the atmosphere doesn’t seem to have noticed the climate convention. In fact, the heating effect of atmospheric pollution has increased by 29 percent since 1990, the year international climate negotiations were initiated. (November 20, 2011) Home | Switchboard, from NRDC [more on Climate Change in our area]Extreme weather to worsen with climate change: IPCC | Reuters (Reuters) - An increase in heat waves is almost certain, while heavier rainfall, more floods, stronger cyclones, landslides and more intense droughts are likely across the globe this century as the Earth's climate warms, U.N. scientists said on Friday. The U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) urged countries to come up with disaster management plans to adapt to the growing risk of extreme weather events linked to human-induced climate change, in a report released in Uganda on Friday. (November 18, 2011) Business & Financial News, Breaking US & International News | Reuters.com [more on Climate Change in our area]
Experts urge action in NYSERDA report - YNN, Your News Now It took two years and more than fifty scientists. On Wednesday, NYSERDA released a report that shows what the impacts of climate change on New York State will be. Tamara Lindstrom spoke with researchers who say New Yorkers need to be prepared and now is the time to act. "What are the climate risks? What might the impacts be, or the opportunities? And then what's our capacity for really doing something about those vulnerabilities?" said David Wolfe, professor of plant and soil ecology at Cornell University. More than fifty experts from Columbia, Cornell and CUNY examined the potential impacts a warming planet could have on New York State in a 600 page report by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority known as ClimAID. (November 16, 2011) TOP STORIES - Rochester - YNN, Your News Now [more on Climate Change in our area]
Climate Change Health Costs Add Up to One Big Bill | OnEarth Magazine A new analysis calculates the costs for treating increased illnesses and injuries in a warming world In the summer of 2001, Craig Stephen got a call. A dead porpoise had washed up on Vancouver Island; could he take a look? Examining the carcass in his lab, Stephen, the president of the Centre for Coastal Health and a veterinary epidemiologist at the University of Calgary, realized immediately that the animal’s lungs had been damaged. "They felt like liver," he recalls. Lab tests soon showed that the porpoise had been infected with a fungus called Cryptococcus gattii. "That’s weird," Stephen thought: C. gattii is a tropical and subtropical organism. "How did a nice tropical fungus get to a cool place like Vancouver?" (November 7, 2011) Welcome | OnEarth Magazine [more on Climate Change in our area]
Dirty Air Fosters Precipitation Extremes - Science News Changes to clouds encourage drought in dry areas and torrential downpours in moist ones | Even clouds can suffer from inhaling air pollution, a new study finds, resulting in extreme rainfall patterns that appear to be altering climate across the globe. Farmers, municipal water authorities and others who depend on rainfall prefer moderate, dependable precipitation. But as soot and other minute airborne particles — a class of pollutants known as aerosols — get sucked into clouds, the pollution can dramatically alter when clouds deposit rain. The discovery emerged from analyzing every one of thousands of clouds passing over federal monitoring instruments at a site in the western United States over a 10-year period, explains Zhanqing Li of the University of Maryland in College Park. (November 13, 2011) Science News [more on Climate Change in our area]
NOAA: October warmer than average in the United States During October, a persistent upper-level weather pattern brought below-normal temperatures to the southeastern United States and above-normal temperatures from the Southwest, across the northern tier of the United States, and into parts of the Northeast. Near-normal precipitation during October across the Southern Plains made little change in long-term drought conditions. The drought stricken areas of the Southern Plains still need at least 18 inches of rain in a single month to end the on-going drought. The average U.S. temperature in October was 55.7 degrees F, 0.9 degrees F above the 1901-2000 long term average. Precipitation, averaged across the nation, was 2.04 inches. This was 0.07 inch below the long-term average, with variability between regions. This monthly analysis, based on records dating back to 1895, is part of the suite of climate services NOAA provides. (November 8, 2011) NOAA - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [more on Climate Change in our area]
NOAA greenhouse gas index continues climbing NOAA’s updated Annual Greenhouse Gas Index (AGGI), which measures the direct climate influence of many greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane, shows a continued steady upward trend that began with the Industrial Revolution of the 1880s. Started in 2004, the AGGI reached 1.29 in 2010. That means the combined heating effect of long-lived greenhouse gases added to the atmosphere by human activities has increased by 29 percent since 1990, the “index” year used as a baseline for comparison. This is slightly higher than the 2009 AGGI, which was 1.27, when the combined heating effect of those additional greenhouse gases was 27 percent higher than in 1990. (November 9, 2011) NOAA - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [more on Climate Change in our area]
Energy agency warns world must take action to greatly reduce emissions by 2017 _ or else - The Washington Post PARIS — The International Energy Agency warned Wednesday that the world is hurtling toward irreversible climate change and will lose the chance to limit warming if it doesn’t take bold action in the next five years. In its annual World Energy Outlook, the agency spelled out the consequences if those steps aren’t taken and what needs to be done to cap global temperature increases at 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels. That’s the threshold beyond which some scientists have said catastrophic changes could be triggered. (November 9, 2011) Business News, Financial News, Business Headlines & Analysis - The Washington Post [more on Climate Change in our area]
Largest demonstration to stop Climate Change ever Those of us who stood in Lafayette Square yesterday in Washington, DC and then marched around the White House to implore that President Obama reject the Keystone XL Tar Sand Pipeline project validated the concerns of millions of Americans and Canadians on Climate Change. Over 12, 000 souls took time out of their lives to come together to demonstrate that the wholesale capitulation of the public to the fossil fuel industry over our environment and our future is over. This is not a jobs or the environment kind of issue; forgetaboutit: “Jobs vs. our Environment – Wrong characterization of Tar Sands Action”. Admittedly, this massive rally with a host of world environmental leaders and activists on stopping this project to tear up a portion of the boreal forests in Canada and threaten many ecologies via a pipeline that would divide our country up and end up at the Gulf for refinement—a thoroughly nasty business fraught with all the planetary exploitation and pollution possible—was fun. Yes, it was fun to join with thousands to demand we finally stand up for stewardship of our environment. (November 7, 2011) Environmental Thoughts [more on Climate Change in our area]
Biggest jump ever seen in global warming gases - Canandaigua, NY - MPNnow Washington — The global output of heat-trapping carbon dioxide jumped by the biggest amount on record, the U.S. Department of Energy calculated, a sign of how feeble the world's efforts are at slowing man-made global warming. The new figures for 2010 mean that levels of greenhouse gases are higher than the worst case scenario outlined by climate experts just four years ago. (November 4, 2011) Home - Canandaigua, NY - MPNnow [more on Climate Change in our area]
Public Comments on Keystone Pipeline Have Disappeared into a Procedural Black Hole | InsideClimate News The State Department has lost tens of thousands of submissions and cannot say how the remainder will be handled or will influence the pending decision. Five weeks ago, Cindy Myers stood in a high school gymnasium before a crowd of 1,000 and said, "These words could be some of the most important of my life." Myers was speaking at the Keystone XL oil pipeline hearing in Atkinson, Neb., but her statement could have applied to any of the thousands of people who attended hearings in five other states. Many took a day off work to get in line early; others drove for hours to reach the meetings or spent weeks polishing their testimony. They spoke with passion about jobs and energy security, their fears of water contamination and the risk of an oil spill. (November 1, 2011) | InsideClimate News [more on Climate Change in our area]
Experts: Future holds more extreme weather - Canandaigua, NY - MPNnow Washington — For a world already weary of weather catastrophes, the latest warning from top climate scientists paints a grim future: More floods, more heat waves, more droughts and greater costs to deal with them. A draft summary of an international scientific report obtained by The Associated Press says the extremes caused by global warming could eventually grow so severe that some locations become "increasingly marginal as places to live." (November 2, 2011) Home - Canandaigua, NY - MPNnow [more on Climate Change in our area]
Skeptic finds he now agrees global warming is real Washington — A prominent physicist and skeptic of global warming spent two years trying to find out if mainstream climate scientists were wrong. In the end, he determined they were right: Temperatures really are rising rapidly. The study of the world's surface temperatures by Richard Muller was partially bankrolled by a foundation connected to global warming deniers. He pursued long-held skeptic theories in analyzing the data. He was spurred to action because of "Climategate," a British scandal involving hacked emails of scientists. (October 31, 2011) [more on Climate Change in our area]
Yukon delivers a plug of mercury in response to a changing climate — The Daily Climate The Yukon River is delivering upwards of five tons of mercury a year to the Arctic environment, likely in response to a warming climate, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey announced Tuesday. The river is pumping three to 32 times more mercury into the environment than similarly sized river basins, based on limited data. And while scientists don't know the reason for the Yukon's big mercury load, they say evidence points strongly to two suspects: Melting permafrost, and the Yukon basin's unique placement as a catchment for pollution from Asia and Europe. (October 25, 2011) The Daily Climate [more on Climate Change in our area]
Waterfront Toronto uses computer simulation to anticipate carbon footprint of neighbourhoods – Daily Commercial News Waterfront Toronto is working with the William J. Clinton Foundation and consulting engineering firm Arup on custom-built software designed to form urban planning strategies near the shore of Lake Ontario. Funded in part by the Ontario Power Authority, the goal was to create a computer tool to predict carbon dioxide emissions if areas were developed in certain ways, said Seth Schultz, director of the Climate Positive Development program for the Clinton Climate Initiative. (October 21, 2011) Daily Commercial News – Reporting on the Canadian Construction Industry since 1927 [more on Climate Change in our area]
Evidence builds that scientists underplay climate impacts — The Daily Climate Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2011 Far from being "alarmist," predictions from climate scientists in many cases are proving to be more conservative than observed climate-induced impacts. The warnings were dire: 188 predictions showing that climate-induced changes to the environment would put 7 percent of all plant and animal species on the globe - one out of every 14 critters - at risk of extinction. Scientists have been quite conservative in a lot of important and different areas. - Naomi Oreskes, University of California, San Diego Predictions like these have earned climate scientists the obloquy from critics for being "alarmist" - dismissed for using inflated descriptions of doom and destruction to push for action, more grant money or a global government. But as the impacts of climate change become apparent, many predictions are proving to underplay the actual impacts. Reality, in many instances, is proving to be far worse than most scientists expected. (October 18, 2011) The Daily Climate [more on Climate Change in our area]
What Is the Keystone XL Pipeline — and Why Is It So Controversial? - ProPublica By the end of this year, the State Department will decide whether to give a Canadian company permission to construct a 1,700-mile, $7 billion pipeline that would transport crude oil from Canada to refineries in Texas. The project has sparked major environmental concerns, particularly in Nebraska, where the pipeline would pass over an aquifer that provides drinking water and irrigation to much of the Midwest. It has also drawn scrutiny because of the company's political connections and conflicts of interest. A key lobbyist for TransCanada, which would build the pipeline, also worked for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton [1] on her presidential campaign. And the company that conducted the project's environmental impact report had financial ties to TransCanada. (October 15, 2011) ProPublica [more on Climate Change in our area]
U.S. experiences warmer than average September Tropical Storm Lee drenches parts of the U.S. while extreme drought conditions persist in the Southern Plains | During September, a persistent upper-level weather pattern brought above-average temperatures to the western third of the country, below-average temperatures to the central United States, and above-normal temperatures to the Northeast. The remnants of tropical storm Lee brought significant rainfall from the Gulf Coast into the Northeast, causing above-normal precipitation for most of the eastern United States, and alleviating drought across parts of the Gulf Coast. Dry conditions prevailed across the Plains and into the Northwest, with the national precipitation average near normal. (October 7, 2011) NOAA - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [more on Climate Change in our area]
How That Food You Throw Out Is Linked To Global Warming - NCPR News from NPR Oct 7, 2011 — The greenhouse gas emissions from the 55 million tons of food the U.S. food wastes every year add up to 135 million tons a year. Some foods, like beef, have a much bigger impact on the climate than others. (October 7, 2011) NCPR: North Country Public Radio [more on Climate Change in our area]
Study finds coal costly to U.S. economy - Business - The Charleston Gazette - West Virginia News and Sports - CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Air pollution from coal-fired power plants costs the U.S. more in health damage than those plants contribute to the American economy, according to a new study in a respected economics journal. Coal plants produce the largest "gross external damages" -- $53 billion annually -- of any of the industries examined in the new study published in the latest issue of The American Economic Review. (October 5, 2011) - - The Charleston Gazette - West Virginia News and Sports - [more on Climate Change in our area]
American eel may need protection: U.S. agency | Reuters (Reuters) - The American eel, a freshwater fish native to the eastern United States that is born and dies in the open ocean, may be at risk of extinction because of climate change, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said on Wednesday. The agency, which is considering a petition to add the eel to its official list of endangered species, said new scientific evidence, including "statistically significant long-term" declines in the stock of young eels, suggested the snake-like species is in enough peril to warrant federal protection. (September 29, 2011) Business & Financial News, Breaking US & International News | Reuters.com [more on Climate Change in our area]
Economic costs of climate change will be high, panel warns - The Globe and Mail Canadians face a high economic cost from the impact of a warming global climate, and the country should act quickly to reduce the financial price by investing in adaptation measures, a federal advisory panel warns. In a report released Thursday, the National Roundtable on the Environment and Economy forecasts that climate change will have a variety of increasingly harmful impacts, from flooding in low-lying coastal regions and threats to Canada’s timber supply, to health problems caused by worsening air quality. (September 30, 2011) The Globe and Mail [more on Climate Change in our area]
Al Gore: clear proof that climate change causes extreme weather | Environment | The Guardian Former US vice president tells Scottish green conference that evidence from floods in Pakistan and China is compelling | Al Gore has warned that there is now clear proof that climate change is directly responsible for the extreme and devastating floods, storms and droughts that displaced millions of people this year. Speaking to an audience of business leaders, political leaders including Scotland's first minister Alex Salmond and green energy entrepreneurs in Edinburgh, Gore said the world was at a "fork in the road". (September 28, 2011) Latest US and world news, sport and comment from the Guardian | guardiannews.com | US Network front | The Guardian [more on Climate Change in our area]
Report: Greenhouse Gas Reduction Investment Reaping NY Major Greenbacks ALBANY, N.Y. - While some presidential candidates are poking fun at the "green economy," a new report says the state of New York is getting solid returns. Ross Gould, air and energy program director with Environmental Advocates of New York, says that group's new report shows the state is reaping $3 to $4 for every dollar invested in the regional effort to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. The state's investments through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative - known as "REGGIE" - are making New Yorkers' homes more energy efficient, he says - and also making the state lots of greenbacks. (September 28, 2011) Public News Service [more on Climate Change in our area]
Health and Climate Change: 7 Ways You Are Being Harmed - Paul Epstein - Life - The Atlantic From the increase in frequency of heatwaves to the spread of infectious diseases, changing weather patterns are already affecting us all. The consequences of climate change sometimes appear far off. But warming and changing weather patterns are already driving changes in public health. The following are seven ways in which climate change affects you and your well-being. (September 26, 2011) The Atlantic — News and analysis on politics, business, culture, technology, national, international, and life – TheAtlantic.com [more on Climate Change in our area]
Globe had eighth warmest August on record The globe had its eighth warmest August since record keeping began in 1880, while June through August was the seventh warmest such period on record. The Arctic sea ice extent was the second smallest for August on record at 28 percent below average. This monthly analysis from NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center is part of the suite of climate services NOAA provides government, business and community leaders so they can make informed decisions. (September 15, 2011) NOAA - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [more on Climate Change in our area]
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Rule to Miss Deadline, Says EPA Chief | InsideClimate News On the heels of Pres. Obama's decision to scrap smog standards, EPA says it will miss its Sept. 30 deadline to propose greenhouse gas rules for utilities | The Environmental Protection Agency will miss an end-of-month target for proposing greenhouse gas regulations for power plants, the head of the EPA said on Wednesday. The administration of President Barack Obama is under pressure from business to cut environmental regulation that critics say is hurting the economy, and last week Obama backtracked on smog plans. (September 15, 2011) | InsideClimate News [more on Climate Change in our area]
More Americans believe world is warming: Reuters/Ipsos | Reuters More Americans than last year believe the world is warming and the change is likely influenced by the Republican presidential debates, a Reuters/Ipsos poll said on Thursday. The percentage of Americans who believe the Earth has been warming rose to 83 percent from 75 percent last year in the poll conducted Sept 8-12. Republican presidential candidates, aside from Jon Huntsman, have mostly blasted the idea that emissions from burning fossil fuels and other human actions are warming the planet. (September 15, 2011) Business & Financial News, Breaking US & International News | Reuters.com [more on Climate Change in our area]
Switch from Coal to Natural Gas Won't Slow Global Warming, Study Says | InsideClimate News Using more natural gas for fuel could produce leaks of methane, a heat-trapping greenhouse gas more than 20 times more potent than CO2, new research finds | Relying more on natural gas than on coal would not significantly slow down the effects of climate change, even though direct carbon dioxide emissions would be less, a new study has found. Burning coal emits far more climate-warming carbon dioxide than natural gas does, but it also releases lots of sulfates and other particles that block incoming sunlight and help cool the Earth, according to a study to be published in the peer-reviewed journal Climate Change Letters in October. (September 11, 2011) | InsideClimate News [more on Climate Change in our area]
Mass extinctions linked to climate change are already underway. — Environmental Health News New evidence confirms what scientists have long suspected: that climate change is already having major effects on many of the world's species. Researchers report for the first time that the documented species responses – migration to a higher or cooler climate or changes in population – suggest actual extinction risks linked to climate change are almost double those that were predicted. Just as grim are future outlooks – almost one-third of species will be threatened by 2100. Temperature, ocean acidity and other climate-related changes can set the stage for widespread extinctions by adding even more pressure to ecosystems already stressed by habitat loss, pollution, disease and other human-related impacts. (August 29, 2011) Environmental Health News: Front Page [more on Climate Change in our area]
Wisconsin fish could become climate change casualty | Lake Scientist According to a new study conducted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 30 to 70 percent of Wisconsin’s cisco fish, sometimes called lake herring, could become nonexistent in Wisconsin lakes by the year 2100 due to changing climate conditions. A member of the trout and salmon family, the cisco is found in about 170 inland lakes in Wisconsin and also in the Great Lakes. Sapna Sharma, a researcher at the UW-Madison Center for Limnology, said the cisco is the most vulnerable fish species in Wisconsin because it depends on cold water. However, continuously warmer weather during the winter months could spell disaster for the cisco in the future. (August 29, 2011) Lake Scientist | Your online source for lake science and technology [more on Climate Change in our area]
Bill McKibben: Will Hurricane Irene Be a Wake-Up Call about Climate Change? Hurricane Irene received a massive amount media coverage, but television reports made little or no reference to the role global warming played in the storm. We speak with someone with his eye on climate change and its impact. "We’ve had not only this extraordinary flooding, but on the same day that Hurricane Irene was coming down, Houston set its all-time temperature record, 109 degrees," says Bill McKibben, co-founder and director of 350.org. "We’re in a new situation." McKibben is among hundreds of people arrested last week during ongoing sit-ins outside the White House, protesting the proposed Keystone XL pipeline that would carry tar sands oil from Alberta, Canada, to the Gulf of Mexico (August 29, 2011) A daily TV/radio news program, hosted by Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez, airing on over 900 stations, pioneering the largest community media collaboration in the United States. [more on Climate Change in our area]
NASA's Hansen Explains Decision to Join Keystone Pipeline Protests | SolveClimate News "Einstein said to think and not act is a crime," James Hansen tells SolveClimate News. "If we understand the situation, we must try to make it clear." | WASHINGTON—Unless Hurricane Irene interrupts his travel, renowned NASA climate scientist James Hansen will join demonstrators today at the White House to protest the controversial Keystone XL pipeline. U.S. Park Police officers have arrested hundreds of participants since the sit-in began Aug. 20. Thirty years ago, Hansen was among the first scientists to warn that burning fossil fuels was warming the Earth—and would lead to dire consequences. Frustrated that few were heeding alarms about the dangers of climate change, he turned to civil disobedience a couple of years ago. Twice he has been arrested for protesting mountaintop removal coal mining—in West Virginia in 2009 and at the White House in 2010. (August 29, 2011) | SolveClimate News [more on Climate Change in our area]
House Republicans Seek to Remove U.S. Funding for UN Climate Efforts | SolveClimate News Their primary targets are the IPCC and UNFCCC, key programs designed to educate policymakers about climate science and slow warming worldwide | WASHINGTON—House Republicans are applying a search and destroy tactic to international funding for global warming this budget season. It goes like this: Ax any line items with the words "climate change." Their primary targets are a pair of crucial United Nations initiatives designed to slow warming worldwide and educate policymakers about the evolving science of climate change. (August 26, 2011) | SolveClimate News [more on Climate Change in our area]
State Department's Keystone XL environmental assessment said to be imminent - Winnipeg Free Press WASHINGTON - The U.S. State Department is expected to release its final environmental assessment of TransCanada's proposed Keystone XL pipeline on Friday, with environmentalists all but certain the report will give its blessing to the controversial project. "We haven't seen the analysis, but we are in regular contact with the State Department so we know what studies have been completed and we know they haven't done the studies we've asked for," Danielle Droitsch, a senior adviser at the National Resources Defense Council, said Thursday. Environmental groups wanted State Department officials to study whether Keystone XL could be rerouted to avoid environmentally sensitive areas in the U.S. Midwest, and to assess whether pipelines are prone to leaks. (August 26, 2011) Winnipeg Free Press - Breaking News, Sports, Manitoba, Canada [more on Climate Change in our area]
NCPR News - St. Lawrence County studies climate action plan Last month, the St. Lawrence County legislature considered a measure to create a climate action plan. The plan would find ways to save money while reducing the county government's carbon footprint. That could include anything from energy audits in county buildings to anti-idling policies in county parking lots. The legislature tabled the matter because it wanted a better cost-benefit analysis of the plan. (August 25, 2011)NCPR: North Country Public Radio [more on Climate Change in our area]
Greenhouse gas initiative criticized - Niagara County - The Buffalo News SOMERSET — Local officials charged at a news conference Tuesday that New York’s participation in a plan to charge coal-fired power plants for their emissions is endangering the AES Corp. power plant on Lake Road. That 675-megawatt coal-burning power plant employs 120 people. It’s the largest property taxpayer in Niagara County. (August 17, 2011) The Buffalo News - breaking local news, sports, business, entertainment, weather and multimedia [more on Climate Change in our area]
Scientists Predict End of Arctic Sea Ice by 2060, after Possible Brief Expansion | SolveClimate News Study author says she is concerned that climate skeptics will seize upon some of the new findings as evidence against human-made warming | Arctic sea ice will disappear completely by 2060 in the summer months due to accelerated warming at the poles from both a buildup of human-caused greenhouse gases and the planet's natural greenhouse effect, a group of scientists from the National Center for Atmospheric Research concluded in a new study. However, the researchers said they still can't predict with certainty whether sea ice will retreat or expand during the next decade. (August 16, 2011) | SolveClimate News [more on Climate Change in our area]
Climate Change an Extra Burden for Native Americans, Study Says - NYTimes.com Because tribal lands are particularly prone to drought, flooding, wildfires and other weather extremes, American Indian tribes suffer disproportionately from the impacts of climate change, a new study from the National Wildlife Federation and other groups reported Wednesday. American Indians and Alaska natives are more dependent than most other Americans on natural resources and on the bounty of oceans and rivers and thus are particularly at risk from the effects of a warming planet, according to the report, “Facing the Storm: Indian Tribes, Climate-Induced Weather Extremes and the Future for Indian Country.” Because many Native Americans live on reservations, they do not have the freedom to move in response to extreme climatic events and are forced to adapt, often with very limited resources. (August 3, 2011) The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia [more on Climate Change in our area]
Here’s how the debt deal could spell doomsday for climate and energy | Grist The debt deal Washington just passed is going to pit defense spending against the budgets of the DOE, EPA and incentives for clean energy production, GOP strategist Mike McKenna tells Politico. (Aug 2, 2011) Grist | Environmental News, Commentary, Advice [more on Climate Change in our area]
ALEC Exposed: Warming Up to Climate Change | Center for Media and Democracy As the U.S. suffers through catastrophic tornadoes, heat waves, and other climate extremes -- no doubt just a small taste of what the climate crisis will bring in the future -- polluting industries and the politicians that serve them want to convince you that excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is actually a good thing. Last December, almost like clockwork, Republican legislators in state houses across the nation sounded the alarm about an "out of control" Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). What had the EPA suddenly done to earn such criticism? The EPA had dared to take the first baby steps towards regulating greenhouse gas emissions. (July 22, 2011) Center for Media and Democracy | Publishers of PR Watch [more on Climate Change in our area]
Climate Scientist Joins the Faculty at University of Rochester : Rochester News The University of Rochester has its first-ever climate scientist, though Vasilii Petrenko says it's more accurate to describe him as a paleoclimatologist. Petrenko, who recently completed his postdoctoral work at the University of Colorado, researches the climate and environment of the past. By working with ice core samples from Greenland and Antarctica, Petrenko can uncover information such as temperature, wind speed, and atmospheric composition for specific time periods. "We know that people are changing the environment and warming the planet," said Petrenko, "but there are still many uncertainties about how exactly the whole earth system is going to respond to continued increases in greenhouse gases. One way to improve our understanding is to look at information from the past." (July 29, 2011) University of Rochester [more on Climate Change in our area]
Obama Unveils Sharp Increase in Auto Fuel Economy | SolveClimate News The plan 'represents the single most important step we've ever taken as a nation to reduce our dependence on oil,' says Obama | Several major automakers on Friday embraced the Obama administration's proposal to push the industry further away from once-dominant gas guzzlers to more lean and efficient vehicles. The proposal, which is the result of months of negotiations between the Obama administration and auto makers, would require the companies to reach an average fuel efficiency across their U.S. fleets of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. (July 29, 2011) | SolveClimate News [more on Climate Change in our area]
Climate Change Forcing Buried Toxics Back Into Atmosphere, Scientists Say | SolveClimate News New study finds that as warming heats up oceans and melts Arctic sea ice, buried POPs are being re-released into the environment During the industrial boom of the mid-twentieth century thousands of man-made chemicals were created to make chemical processes and products stronger and more durable. The substances became useful in pest control and crop production, but it wasn't long before they also proved deadly, causing cancers, birth defects and other health problems. (July 25, 2011) | SolveClimate News [more on Climate Change in our area]
Utility Shelves Ambitious Plan to Limit Carbon - NYTimes.com WASHINGTON — A major American utility is shelving the nation’s most prominent effort to capture carbon dioxide from an existing coal-burning power plant, dealing a severe blow to efforts to rein in emissions responsible for global warming. American Electric Power has decided to table plans to build a full-scale carbon-capture plant at Mountaineer, a 31-year-old coal-fired plant in West Virginia, where the company has successfully captured and buried carbon dioxide in a small pilot program for two years. (July 13, 2011) The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia [more on Climate Change in our area]
Great Lakes fish kill: Power plant intakes kill millions of Great Lakes fish - chicagotribune.com Industry resists alternative cooling equipment that would protect species | Reporting from Chicago— Despite decades of efforts to restore and protect the Great Lakes, dozens of old power plants still are allowed to kill hundreds of millions of fish each year by sucking in massive amounts of water to cool their equipment. Records obtained by the Chicago Tribune show that staggering numbers of fish die when pulled into the screens of water intake systems so powerful that most could fill an Olympic swimming pool in less than a minute. Billions more eggs, larvae and juvenile fish that are small enough to pass through the screens are cooked to death by intense heat and high pressure inside the coal, gas and nuclear plants. (July 21, 2011) Chicago Tribune: [more on Wildlife in our area]
Bloomberg, Sierra Club Make $50 Million Anti-Coal Move | SolveClimate News The $50 million grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies will pay for a significant part of Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign | New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg joined with the Sierra Club on Thursday in a $50 million, four-year plan to campaign for replacing one-third of aging U.S. coal-fired power plants with clean energy. "If we are going to get serious about reducing our carbon footprint in the United States, we have to get serious about coal," Bloomberg, founder of the news service that bears his name, said in a statement. (July 21, 2011) | SolveClimate News {more on Climate Change in our area]
Deadly Heat Wave Moves Toward Northeast - NYTimes.com A blistering, eastern-moving band of heat hovering over the Plains and southern United States has killed two dozen people this week, and forecasters expect it to scorch the Northeast in the coming days, pushing temperatures toward 100 degrees on Friday. The wave of heat transformed a large swath of the nation’s midsection into a sauna, with at least 17 states reaching the 100-degree mark on Tuesday, and many more experiencing temperatures into the 90’s — a result of high pressures compressing and cooking the air. States from Texas to Montana and the Dakotas had widespread heat warnings or advisories in place by Wednesday evening, affecting over 140 million Americans. And so far, at least 22 deaths across the nation have been attributed to the heat wave, the National Weather Service reported. (July 21, 2011) The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia [more on Climate Change in our area]
Climate change hits mightiest of the Great Lakes | WBEZ Declining ice cover, warming waters hit Lake Superior | Climate change isn’t just hitting polar bears and melting glaciers. Scientists and advocates say it’s affecting the Great Lakes too, even Lake Superior, the lake that’s so big, all the other Great Lakes could fit inside with room to spare. Climate change already is playing out in warmer temperatures and melting ice, and scientists expect more dramatic changes. That could alter the way of life, even on the greatest of the Great Lakes. (July13, 2011) HOME | WBEZ [more on Climate Change in our area]
Contradictory Studies: UN Climate Body Struggling to Pinpoint Rising Sea Levels - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International The United Nations' forecast of how quickly global sea levels will rise this century is vital in determining how much money might be needed to combat the phenomenon. But predictions by researchers vary wildly, and the attempt to find consensus has become fractious. (July 15, 2011) International - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News [more on Climate Change in our area]
Metro and State | Climate changes alter Great Lakes national parks, study says | The Detroit News Man-made climate change is behind a host of changes under way at several major national parks around the Great Lakes region, according to a new study. In Lake Superior, Isle Royale National Park has seen its moose population cut roughly in half from historic levels. As a result, there has been a matching decrease in the island's wolf population. Average temperatures at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore near Munising in the Upper Peninsula were 2.6 degrees warmer in the past decade than the average for the previous century. (July 14, 2011) Detroit News for Friday, July 15, 2011 | News, sports, features, blogs, photos and forums from Detroit and Michigan [more on Climate Change in our area]
Economists find flaws in federal estimate of climate damage — The Daily Climate A new report concludes that each ton of carbon dioxide emitted in the atmosphere inflicts as much as $900 in environmental harm - almost 45 times the amount the federal government uses when setting regulations. The gap, advocates say, disguises the true value of emissions reductions. Uncle Sam's estimate of the damage caused by each ton of carbon dioxide is fundamentally flawed and "grossly understates" the potential impacts of climate change, according to an analysis released Tuesday by a group of economists. The government's figures "could lead to a degree of inaction on climate change that frankly is not supported by either the economics or the science at this point." - Kristen Sheeran, E3 Network The study found the true cost of those emissions to be far beyond the $21 per ton derived by the federal government. (July 13, 2011) The Daily Climate [more on Climate Change in our area]
ClimateWatch Magazine » The New Climate Normals: Gardeners Expect Warmer Nights Many areas of the country—parts of the Great Plains, the Mississippi Valley, and the Northeast—actually had cooler July maximum average temperatures in the 2001-2010 time period compared to 30 years earlier; summer picnics in Missouri may have been less sweltering. At night, though, except for the southeasternmost part of the country, minimum temperatures in January were warmer. When temperatures were averaged for the entire year, every state came out warmer overall (June 25, 2011) ClimateWatch Magazine » Articles [more on Climate Change in our area]
Global Warming Continues as Greenhouse Gas Grows - ABC News The world's climate is not only continuing to warm, it's adding heat-trapping greenhouse gases even faster than in the past, researchers said Tuesday. Indeed, the global temperature has been warmer than the 20th century average every month for more than 25 years, they said at a teleconference. (June 28, 2011) ABCNews.com: Breaking News, Politics, World News, Good Morning America, Exclusive Interviews - ABC News [more on Climate Change in our area]
U.S. Had Most Extreme Spring on Record for Precipitation | ThinkProgress Meteorologist and Former Hurricane Hunter Jeff Masters has a comprehensive new analysis, “U.S. had most extreme spring on record for precipitation,” which I repost below. Extreme weather disasters, especially deluges and floods, are on the rise — and the best analysis says human-caused warming is contributing (see Two seminal Nature papers join growing body of evidence that human emissions fuel extreme weather, flooding). Craig Fugate, who heads the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency, said in December, “The term ’100-year event’ really lost its meaning this year” (see Munich Re: “The only plausible explanation for the rise in weather-related catastrophes is climate change”). (June 14, 2011) ThinkProgress [more on Climate Change in our area]
Thinning Snows In Rockies Tied To Global Warming : NPR The snowpack in the Rocky Mountains has been gradually thinning over much of the past century, and a new study attributes much of that to global warming. This year is a notable exception — unusually heavy snowfall throughout the Rockies this winter has caused a lot of flooding and water-management headaches downstream. But taking the long view, the trend is toward less and less snow. And snowpack in the Rockies isn't simply of interest to skiers and snowmobilers. "Over 70 million people are dependent on this water," says Greg Pederson from the U.S. Geological Survey in Bozeman, Mont. "This water feeds the Columbia River, the Missouri and the upper Colorado, as well as the Rio Grande." (June 10, 2011) Environment : NPR [more on Climate Change in our area]
Global warming: something to cough about | 520 - An Environmental Blog | Rochester Democrat and Chronicle A new report suggests Rochesterians, and many other people, will have to deal with more smog and thus more smog-related health problems. Another new report warns of growing food-supply problems, though that one focuses on the tropics and so we’re not included. Both reports blame the problems on global warming. (June 3, 2011) 520 - An Environmental Blog | Rochester Democrat and Chronicle [more on Climate Change in our area]
Rochester among 9 cities with record rain in April, May | Democrat and Chronicle | democratandchronicle.com ITHACA — April and May were the wettest on record for nine cities in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic. Cornell University’s Northeast Regional Climate Center says more than a foot of rain fell during the two months in Huntington, W. Va.; Burlington, Vt.; Williamsport, Pa.; Binghamton, Buffalo and Ithaca, N.Y.; and Erie and Harrisburg, Pa. The other record-setting city in April and May was Rochester, which had just less than 11 inches of rain. (June 3, 2011) Democrat and Chronicle | Rochester news, community, entertainment, yellow pages and classifieds. Serving Rochester, New York | democratandchronicle.com {More on Climate Change in our area]
Worst ever carbon emissions leave climate on the brink | Environment | The Guardian Exclusive: Record rise, despite recession, means 2C target almost out of reach | Greenhouse gas emissions increased by a record amount last year, to the highest carbon output in history, putting hopes of holding global warming to safe levels all but out of reach, according to unpublished estimates from the International Energy Agency. The shock rise means the goal of preventing a temperature rise of more than 2 degrees Celsius – which scientists say is the threshold for potentially "dangerous climate change" – is likely to be just "a nice Utopia", according to Fatih Birol, chief economist of the IEA. It also shows the most serious global recession for 80 years has had only a minimal effect on emissions, contrary to some predictions. (May 29, 2011) Latest news, comment and reviews from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk [more on Climate Change in our area]
NY Green Groups Dispute Christie's Climate Pact Claims NEW YORK, NY - New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is threatening to throw in the towel on the nation's first-ever effort to cut climate pollution from power plants. That news is drawing sharp reaction from "green" groups in the tri-state area. The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, commonly known as REGGIE, is a cooperative effort by New York, New Jersey and eight other states to reduce carbon emissions. Gov. Christie is threatening to pull the Garden State out of the program by year's end because he says it doesn't work. But Jackson Morris, senior policy adviser with the PACE Energy and Climate Center, says there are plenty of people with new jobs and lower utility bills in New York and New Jersey who would beg to differ. (May 27, 2011) Public News Service [more on Climate Change in our area]
New Yorkers Urged to Be Prepared for 2011 Hurricane Season The New York State Office of Emergency Management (State OEM) today urged New Yorkers to begin preparing for the 2011 hurricane /coastal storm season by reviewing their family emergency plans and checking on emergency supplies they have at home and at work. “A community’s level of preparedness begins with the individual,” said Andrew X. Feeney, Director of State OEM. “While State and local agencies continue to do everything possible to ensure that our response capabilities are as robust as possible, every resident has a responsibility to develop and practice plans to protect themselves, their families and property.” Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, recognizing the importance of both community and personal preparedness, has designated May 22-28 as Hurricane Preparedness Week in the Empire State. A copy of the proclamation is attached with this release. (May 15, 2011) New York State Department of Health [more on Climate Change in our area]
UPDATED PRESS RELEASE: Potential of Renewable Energy Outlined in Report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change "Abu Dhabi, 9 May 2011 – Close to 80 percent of the world‘s energy supply could be met by renewables by mid-century if backed by the right enabling public policies a new report shows. The findings, from over 120 researchers working with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), also indicate that the rising penetration of renewable energies could lead to cumulative greenhouse gas savings equivalent to 220 to 560 Gigatonnes of carbon dioxide (GtC02eq) between 2010 and 2050. " (May 9, 2011) Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation — SRREN [more on Climate Change in our area]
Scientists Cite ‘Pressing’ Need to Limit Greenhouse Gases - NYTimes.com The nation’s scientific establishment issued a stark warning to the American public on Thursday: Not only is global warming real, but the effects are already becoming serious and the need has become “pressing” for a strong national policy to limit emissions of heat-trapping gases. The report, by the National Research Council, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences, did not endorse any specific legislative approach, but it did say that attaching some kind of price to emissions of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, would ideally be an essential component of any plan. (May 12, 2011) The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia [more on Climate Change in our area]
World's Farmers Feel The Effects Of A Hotter Planet : NPR Scientists have long predicted that — eventually — temperatures and altered rainfall caused by global climate change will take a toll on four of the most important crops in the world: rice, wheat soy and corn. Now, as world grain prices hover near record highs, a new study finds that the effects are already starting to be felt. (May 7, 2011) NPR : National Public Radio : News & Analysis, World, US, Music & Arts : NPR [more on Climate Change in our area]
Cornell Chronicle: Quit Chamber of Commerce for environment Global warming, in a way, made environmental activist Bill McKibben ill with dengue fever, he said in delivering in the 2011 Jill and Ken Iscol Distinguished Environmental Lecture April 21 in Kennedy Hall's Call Auditorium. A few years ago in Bangladesh, McKibben was hospitalized in a dengue fever ward packed with shivering people. "I thought, this is not fair," he recalled. That's because dengue fever thrives in the "warm, wet world" created by global warming, he explained. As a result, in the past decade the mosquito-spread viral disease has "spread like wildfire" through Asia and South America" because of the burgeoning mosquito populations. (April 22, 2011) Cornell Center for a Sustainable Future - News [more on Environmental Education in our area]
GRITtv » Blog Archive » Mark Hertsgaard: Surviving Generation Hot Global climate change isn't an if anymore, it's a when, according to journalist Mark Hertsgaard. The planet is going to get warmer, and Hertsgaard says that only the "climate crooks and climate cranks" are still in the denial business. But legislation is stalled in Congress because those very same crooks control the purse strings of the politicians who make the decisions. (April 22, 2011) GRITtv [more on Climate Change in our area]
BEFORE U.S. SUPREME COURT, N.Y. SOLICITOR GENERAL ARGUES TO UPHOLD RIGHT TO SUE CARBON DIOXIDE POLLUTERS BEFORE U.S. SUPREME COURT, N.Y. SOLICITOR GENERAL ARGUES TO UPHOLD RIGHT TO SUE CARBON DIOXIDE POLLUTERS Multi-State Coalition Takes On The Nation’s Five Largest Producers of Greenhouse Gases States Argue Electric Utility Companies Are Causing a “Public Nuisance” and Can be Forced to Curb Emissions New York Solicitor General Barbara Underwood Makes Her 20th Argument Before the U.S. Supreme Court [En Español] WASHINGTON – In oral arguments today, the New York State Attorney General’s Office -- represented by state Solicitor General Barbara Underwood -- urged the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold the right of states to sue five polluting power companies to force them to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, the primary cause of climate change. Leading a coalition on behalf of New York, California, Connecticut, Iowa, Rhode Island, Vermont, and the City of New York, Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman’s office argued that the power companies are causing a “public nuisance” by releasing greenhouse gases into the air, and can therefore be held accountable in court. (April 19, 2011) HOME - OFFICE OF THE NEW YORK STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL [more on Climate Change in our area)
Court casts doubt on global warming suit WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Supreme Court appeared deeply skeptical Tuesday about allowing states to sue electric utilities to force cuts in greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. Both conservative and liberal justices questioned whether a federal judge could deal with the complex issue of global warming, a topic they suggested is better left to Congress and the Environmental Protection Agency. (April 19, 2011) NY Daily Record [more on Climate Change in our area]
04/18/2011: EPA Publishes National U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released the 16th annual U.S. greenhouse gas inventory. The final report shows overall emissions during 2009 decreased by 6.1 percent from the previous year. This downward trend was attributed to a decrease in fuel and electricity consumption across all U.S. economic sectors. Total emissions of the six main greenhouse gases in 2009 were equivalent to 6,633 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. These gases include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride. The report indicates that overall emissions have grown by more than 7.3 percent from 1990 to 2009. Emissions in 2009 represent the lowest total U.S. annual GHG emissions since 1995. These numbers reflect the most up to date data at the time of publication. (April 18, 2011) U.S. EPA Newsroom - News Releases [more on Climate Change in our area]
04/14/2011: EPA Names New York’s Tompkins County a “Climate Showcase” Community; Awards Grant for Study (New York, N.Y.) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that Tompkins County, New York has been awarded a $375,450 Climate Showcase Community grant for a project aimed at reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improving human health. The county will use information from the EcoVillage at Ithaca— a Tompkins County community that uses 40% fewer resources than the typical community of its size— to help construct three new energy-efficient residential projects. “Tompkins County has shown itself to be a leader in reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” said EPA Regional Administrator Judith Enck. “This ambitious project will become a model for communities across the country that want to reduce their residents’ fuel costs and lessen their impact on the environment.” (April 14, 2011) U.S. EPA Newsroom - News Releases [more on Climate Change in our area]
03/17/2011: EPA Issues Extension to Greenhouse Gas Reporting Deadline WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued a final rule that extends the deadline for reporting 2010 data under the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reporting Program to September 30, 2011. The original deadline was March 31, 2011. EPA previously announced its intent to extend the deadline on March 1, 2011. Under the GHG Reporting Program entities required to submit data must register with the electronic GHG reporting tool (e-GGRT) no later than 60 days before the reporting deadline. With this reporting deadline extension, the new deadline for registering with e-GGRT is August 1, 2011. Following conversations with industry and others and in the interest of providing high quality data to the public this year, EPA is extending this year’s reporting deadline to September 30, 2011. This extension will allow EPA to further test the system that facilities will use to submit data and give industry the opportunity to test the tool, provide feedback, and have sufficient time to become familiar with the tool prior to reporting. (March 17, 2011) U.S. EPA Newsroom - News Releases [more on Climate Change in our area]
Analysis: “The content of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is accelerating super-exponentially.” Overall, the evidence presented here does not augur well for the future. Recent climate science suggests human civilization is on the precipice. It turns out that a purely mathematical analysis, “Evidence for super-exponentially accelerating atmospheric carbon dioxide growth,” comes to the same conclusion. The paper itself is mostly for math and statistics junkies. It is essentially agnostic on climate science. But the conclusions are as stark as any in the climate literature (arch 16, 2011) Climate Progress A.G. SCHNEIDERMAN URGES U.S. SUPREME COURT TO UPHOLD STATES’ RIGHT TO SUE CARBON DIOXIDE POLLUTERS In Historic Legal Challenge, Schneiderman Leads Coalition Against the Nation’s Five Largest Producers of Greenhouse Gases A.G. Argues Electric Utility Companies are Causing a “Public Nuisance” and Can be Forced to Curb Emissions [En Español] WASHINGTON – In a landmark legal challenge, Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman filed a brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold the right of states to sue five polluting power companies to force them to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, the primary cause of global warming. Leading a coalition on behalf of New York, California, Connecticut, Iowa, Rhode Island, Vermont, and the City of New York, Attorney General Schneiderman argued that the power companies are causing a “public nuisance” by releasing greenhouse gases into the air, and can therefore be held accountable in court. The case is American Electric Power Co., Inc. v. Connecticut. (March 14, 2011) [more on Climate Change in our area]
EPA Budget Proposal Focuses on Air and Climate Rules, Cuts Water Grants - NYTimes.com U.S. EPA would take a 12.6 percent funding cut under President Obama's budget request for fiscal 2012, which would shrink the amount of grants for state and local water projects while keeping money flowing toward enforcement and the new air pollution regulations that House Republicans are trying to starve of funding. (February 14, 2011) The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia [more on Climate Change in our area]
Climate Change in Wisconsin - 1330 WHBL Sheboygan's News Radio Madison, Wis. (WHBL) - Wisconsin’s average annual temperature is expected to rise by 6-to-7 degrees in the next 40 years. And that might affect the quality of nature – plus the way we fish and farm. Those predictions come from the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at U-W Madison. It updated the forecasts made in 2007 by the Inter-governmental panel on Climate Change, and applied them specifically to the Badger State. The study says northwest Wisconsin will see the biggest rise in temperatures by the middle of the century – and the warming will be much less near Lake Michigan. (February 9, 2011) 1330 WHBL Sheboygan's News Radio [more on Climate Change in our area]
Heat-Related Deaths Could Jump | Latest News | Chemical & Engineering News Climate Change: A popular air pollution model simulates the health impacts of rising temperatures in the U.S. | Heat is the leading weather-related killer, ending more lives than do hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, and lightning combined. Experts agree that climate change will boost the number of these deaths, but predicting how many people will die has been challenging. Now researchers at the Environmental Protection Agency have simulated the future health effects of rising temperatures and found that heat-related deaths in the U.S. could increase greatly in the next few decades, with estimates ranging from 3,500 to 27,000 additional deaths per year (Environ. Sci. Technol., DOI: 10.1021/es102820y). (January 28, 2011) C&EN [more on Climate Change in our area]
Climate Benefits of Natural Gas May Be Overstated - ProPublica The United States is poised to bet its energy future on natural gas as a clean, plentiful fuel that can supplant coal and oil. But new research by the Environmental Protection Agency—and a growing understanding of the pollution associated with the full “life cycle” of gas production—is casting doubt on the assumption that gas offers a quick and easy solution to climate change. Advocates for natural gas routinely assert that it produces 50 percent less greenhouse gases than coal and is a significant step toward a greener energy future. But those assumptions are based on emissions from the tailpipe or smokestack and don’t account for the methane and other pollution emitted when gas is extracted and piped to power plants and other customers. (January 25, 2011) ProPublica [more on Climate Change in our area]
Obama speech expected to freeze spending on the environment Departure of climate tsar Carol Browner ahead of State of the Union address raises concerns green agenda is under threat | The announcement of the departure of Carol Browner, the senior White House energy and climate change adviser, ahead of the State of the Union address has deepened concerns among environmentalists that Obama is prepared to modify his green agenda to win support from Republicans in Congress and the business community. (January 25, 2011) Latest news, comment and reviews from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk [more on Climate Change in our area]
New Figures Confirm That 2010 Was a Hot Year - NYTimes.com New figures issued on Thursday in Britain show that 2010 was the second-warmest year in the historical record. That comes on the heels of reports last week from two American agencies that 2010 was tied for the warmest year in the record books. All three sets of numbers come from scientific programs that conduct rigorous analysis of the surface temperature of the earth, using thermometers and other instruments distributed across the globe. Despite slight differences in the three reports, they all show pretty much the same thing: that the earth is warming, that most of the warmest years in the historical record since 1880 have come in the past decade or so and that 2010 was so warm it came close to setting the all-time record. (January 20, 2011) [more on Climate Change in our area]
2010 ties for warmest year, emissions to blame (Reuters) - Last year tied for the warmest since data started in 1880, capping a decade of record high temperatures that shows mankind's greenhouse gas emissions are heating the planet, two U.S. agencies said. Global surface temperatures in 2010 were 1.12 degrees Fahrenheit (0.62 Celsius) above the 20th century average, tying the record set in 2005, the National Climatic Data Center at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said on Wednesday. (January 13, 2010) Business & Financial News, Breaking US & International News | Reuters.com [more on Climate Change in our area]
2010 hottest year on record for Canada Canada had its warmest year on record in 2010, according to the country's environmental agency, with the biggest impact seen in the Arctic region. The national average temperature for the year was 3 degrees Celsius above normal, based on preliminary data, according to a report put on Environment Canada's website on Monday. That made it the warmest year since nationwide records began in 1948. (January 12, 2011) Environmental News Network -- Know Your Environment [more on Climate Change in our area]
CU researchers, students offer ideas at climate conference With presentations on the benefits of biochar, the importance of labor and environmental partnerships, and the potential markets for carbon sequestration, Cornell researchers brought their voices and expertise to COP 16 (the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change's 16th Conference of Parties) in Cancun, Mexico, Nov. 29-Dec. 10. In all, Cornell's presence at the conference included 24 faculty members, research staff and student participants. The delegation was supported in part by the David R. Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future (ACSF). (January 10, 2011) Cornell Center for a Sustainable Future - News [more on Climate Change in our area]
The deadly decade The past 10 years have been the hottest since measurements began, and climate scientists have long warned of the extreme weather still to come. Adam Morton reports. Neville Nicholls is a climate scientist. He has long believed his role was research, not advocacy. But when he woke on the morning following Black Saturday, turned on his TV and caught his breath after witnessing the shocking aerial footage of what was once Marysville, he instinctively blamed himself. (December 31, 2011) Sydney Morning Herald [more on Climate Change in our area]
Climate Shifts Are Changing New Weather 'Normals' - NYTimes.com As the new decade opens up, researchers are gathering data that will redefine weather pattern averages for the nation. The "new normals" will update the averages for temperatures, rainfall and snow. A climate normal bases itself on the weather patterns of a particular region over a 30-year period. Every decade, in accordance with international agreements, the National Climate Data Center releases new temperature and rain and snowfall normals for 10,000 regions across the country. (January 7, 2010) The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia [more on Climate Change in our area]
Northeast had a broiler of a year in 2010 - WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports- ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) - As the Northeast hunkers down for winter, hot-weather worshippers can take heart: New Hampshire, Rhode Island and a handful of New England cities from Hartford and Boston to Caribou, Maine, are coming off their warmest year on record. Climatologists at Cornell University say Wednesday that 23 of the 35 cities they monitor in 12 northeastern states had an average temperature in 2010 that ranked among the 10 hottest on record. (January 5, 2011) WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports- - Home WCAX.com [more on Climate Change in our area]

2010

Climatologist Ben Santer on the attribution of extreme weather events to climate change « Climate Progress “When you warm up the planet, you experience that through changes in weather that makes up the climate,” says Dr. Benjamin Santer at the Lawrence Livermore National Lab. In a video interview with Climate Science Watch, Santer answers the questions: What is the most appropriate way for reporters and scientists to make a distinction between climate and weather when discussing the attribution of specific weather events, such as heat waves, droughts, and intense precipitation to climate change? What do you think is the most important message for the public to take away from witnessing these events? " (December 29, 2010) Climate Progress [more on Climate Change in our area]
The Northeast Snowstorms: One More Sign of Climate Change - TIME It's become as much a winter tradition as eggnog at Christmas and champagne on New Year's Eve — the first major snowstorm of the year bringing out the climate-change skeptics. And the bona fide blizzard that has frozen much of the Northeast just a few days after winter officially began definitely qualifies as major. But while piles of snow blocking your driveway hardly conjure images of a dangerously warming world, it doesn't mean that climate change is a myth. The World Meteorological Organization recently reported that 2010 is almost certainly going to be one of the three warmest years on record, while 2001 to 2010 is already the hottest decade in recorded history. Indeed, according to some scientists, all of these events may actually be connected. (December 28, 2010) Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews - TIME.com [more on Climate Change in our area]
12/23/2010: EPA Completes Framework for Greenhouse Gas Permitting Programs / EPA and states have worked closely to ensure a smooth transition WASHINGTON – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing the final series of actions that will ensure that the largest industrial facilities can get Clean Air Act permits that cover greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions beginning in January 2011. These actions are part of EPA’s common sense approach to GHG permitting outlined in the spring 2010 tailoring rule. The first set of actions will give EPA authority to permit GHGs in seven states (Ariz., Ark., Fla., Idaho, Kan., Ore., and Wyo.) until the state or local agencies can revise their permitting regulations to cover these emissions. EPA is taking additional steps to disapprove part of Texas' Clean Air Act permitting program and the agency will also issue GHG permits to facilities in the state. These actions will ensure that large industrial facilities will be able to receive permits for greenhouse gas emissions regardless of where they are located. (December 23, 2010) U.S. EPA Newsroom - News Releases [more on Climate Change in our area]
EPA moving unilaterally to limit greenhouse gases MPNnow.com — Stymied in Congress, the Obama administration is moving unilaterally to clamp down on power plant and oil refinery greenhouse emissions, announcing plans for developing new standards over the next year. In a statement posted on the agency’s website late Thursday, Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa Jackson said the aim was to better cope with pollution contributing to climate change. (December 27, 2010) Home - Canandaigua, NY - MPNnow [more on Climate Change in our area]
Climate change causing more snow, not less - Goderich Signal-Star - Ontario, CA Climate change will be causing more snow squalls in Huron County and across Southwestern Ontario not less, says Geoff Peach, of the Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation The severe storms over the past few weeks that stranded motorists from Sarnia to London on the 402, shut down highways and schools across Huron and Bruce Counties and came close to shutting down London were caused by cold air traveling across warmer than usual temperatures in the water of Lake Huron, which Peach says is unlikely to freeze this year. "This is one of the symptoms of planet change. We should expect to see snowbelts even snowier and squalls that extend further inland than usual," he says. "The only way to shut that off is an ice cover across the lake and that's not going to happen any time soon." (December 23, 2010) Goderich Signal-Star - Ontario, CA [[more on Climate Change in our area]
DEC Applauds EPA'S Announcement of A New Rulemaking Process for Greenhouse Gas Emissions - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) applauds today's U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announcement of intent to set emission standards for greenhouse gas emissions from new power plants. EPA has announced the settlement of a lawsuit brought by New York and other states to compel the EPA to use its existing authority under the Clean Air Act to reduce greenhouse gas pollution from new and existing power plants. With regard to existing power plants, EPA has agreed to commence a process that will lead to state regulation of emissions from those plants, something that New York and its partners in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative are doing already. (December 23, 2010) Press Releases - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation [more on Climate Change in our area]
NASA: Hottest November on record, 2010 likely hottest year on record globally — despite deepest solar minimum in a century « Climate Progress In U.S., heat records far exceed cold for 9th consecutive month NASA released its monthly global temperature data, revealing November was easily the hottest in the temperature record. The “meteorological year” — December to November — was also the hottest on record. Calendar year 2010 appears poised to be the hottest on record. These records are especially impressive because we’re in the middle of a strong La Niña, which would normally cool off temperatures for a few months (relatively speaking), and we’ve been in “the deepest solar minimum in nearly a century.” It’s just hard to stop the march of manmade global warming, other than by sharply reducing greenhouse gas emissions, that is. (December 10, 2010) Climate Progress [more on Climate Change in our area]
Company postpones nuke generator shipment on lakes - WSJ.com TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — A Canadian electric power company is postponing a shipment of 16 old generators with radioactive contents across three of the Great Lakes but remains committed to the plan, despite claims by environmentalists that it's too risky, a spokesman said Thursday. Bruce Power Inc. is awaiting a license from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission to send the generators, each the size of a school bus, to a recycling plant in Sweden aboard a 387-foot cargo vessel. It would depart from a port on Lake Huron's Owen Sound and traverse Lakes Erie and Ontario, plus the St. Lawrence River, before reaching the Atlantic Ocean. (December 9, 2010) Business News & Financial News - The Wall Street Journal - WSJ.com [ more on Great Lakes in our area]
World Environment News - Blue Tongue, Blight, Beetles Pester A Warmer World - Planet Ark Beetles killing trees in North America, blue tongue disease ravaging livestock in Europe, and borers destroying African coffee crops are examples of migrating invasive species not getting enough attention at global climate talks, scientists said on Wednesday. Invasive pests have plagued agriculture and nature for thousands of years as mankind's migrations brought them to places without natural enemies. But the price tag to battle them, now estimated at $1.4 trillion annually, may go up as rising temperatures and more storms and floods unleash species to new areas. (December 9, 2010) Planet Ark [more on Climate Change in our area]
UN’s Ban at climate talks: ‘We need results now’ - Canandaigua, NY - MPNnow CANCUN, Mexico — U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, trying to revive long-stalled climate talks, told world environment ministers on Tuesday he is “deeply concerned” that many years of negotiation have proven largely fruitless. “The pace of human-induced climate change is accelerating. We need results now, results that curb global greenhouse emissions,” Ban declared at the opening of high-level talks at the annual U.N. climate conference. (December 8, 2010) Home - Canandaigua, NY - MPNnow [more on Climate Change in our area]
Climate change will cost a billion people their homes, says report | Environment | The Observer British scientists will warn Cancún summit that entire nations could be flooded | Devastating changes to sea levels, rainfall, water supplies, weather systems and crop yields are increasingly likely before the end of the century, scientists will warn tomorrow. A special report, to be released at the start of climate negotiations in Cancún, Mexico, will reveal that up to a billion people face losing their homes in the next 90 years because of failures to agree curbs on carbon emissions. Up to three billion people could lose access to clean water supplies because global temperatures cannot now be stopped from rising by 4C. (November 28, 2010) Latest news, comment and reviews from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk [more on Climate Change in our area]
NASA study finds Earth's lakes are warming – This Just In - CNN.com Blogs The temperatures of Earth's largest lakes have risen in the past 25 years as a result of climate change, according to a new NASA study. NASA used satellite data to measure the surface temperatures of 167 lakes worldwide and found an average warming rate of .81 degrees Fahrenheit per decade and in some lakes, as much as 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit per decade, NASA said Tuesday. The greatest increases were in the mid- to high- latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, in a pattern consistent with changes associated with global warming, said Simon Hook, a scientist with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California (November 23, 2010) CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News [more on Climate Change in our area]
New Yorkers Learn the Troubles Posed by Sea Level Rise Flow Far Beyond Manhattan - NYTimes.com NEW YORK -- New York state is beginning to take the threat of sea level rise attributed to climate change seriously as a new government prepares to settle in next year. Starting Monday, state officials in Albany will gather with members of the public to discuss a recently released 93-page report that recommends major changes to development planning and conservation along coastlines from the tip of Long Island all way up the Hudson River Valley. (November 19, 2010) The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia [more on Climate Change in our area]
Sustainability group uses Grand Rapids as model for climate change preparation | MLive.com GRAND RAPIDS -- An international sustainability nonprofit is using Grand Rapids as a yearlong case study by giving city leaders a new data planning process to help them prepare for changing climate. Local Governments for Sustainability USA rolled out their new online "flagship tool" here and in Miami, Fla., this week. The program helps guide community decisions on capital improvement and infrastructure planning in an era of changing weather patterns (November 19, 2010) Michigan Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather - MLive.com [more on Climate Change in our area]
Cornell Chronicle: Climate change will affect maple syrup As the climate warms this century, maple syrup production in the Northeast is expected to slightly decline by 2100, and the window for tapping trees will move earlier by about a month, reports a Cornell study. Currently, the best times to tap maple trees are within an eight-week window from late winter to early spring when temperatures cause freezing at night and thawing by day. (November 19, 2010) Cornell Center for a Sustainable Future - News [more on Climate Change in our area]
Officials seeking input on N.Y. climate plan | democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle ALBANY — Gov. David Paterson released an interim New York State Climate Action Plan this week and is seeking public comment on it until Feb. 7. Pending further research and public response, a final report will be released sometime next year. Paterson is leaving office at year's end, to be succeeded by Gov.-elect Andrew Cuomo. (November 12, 2010) Democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle | Rochester news, community, entertainment, yellow pages and classifieds. Serving Rochester, New York [more on Climate Change in our area]
New York Unveils Plan to Slash Heat-Trapping Gases - NYTimes.com After a 10-month study, Gov. David A. Paterson is leaving his successor an ambitious environmental plan to reduce New York’s greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by the middle of the century. A blog about energy and the environment. Go to Blog The plan, released in draft form on Tuesday, calls for doubling the state’s sources of renewable energy by 2030, setting stricter efficiency standards for all buildings, shifting private transportation toward electric vehicles and supporting the creation of jobs in research on energy technology and in clean energy industries. (November 9, 2010) The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia [more on Climate Change in our area]
Governor Paterson Releases Climate Action Plan Governor David A. Paterson today released the New York State Climate Action Plan, which offers a path to rebuild New York's economy and create tens of thousands of jobs by providing a blueprint for reducing greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050. By refocusing New York's manufacturing infrastructure to support clean energy policies, the State could reach both economic and environmental goals simultaneously. The Governor's plan details how New York can modernize and transform the State power supply, building codes and agriculture through utilizing clean energy and technology. "The global race for the clean energy economy is on. We can buy solutions to our energy and environmental challenges from others. Or we can take the initiative and develop clean energy industries right here in New York State," Governor Paterson said. "We must make the investment in our future prosperity now by implementing the strategies and policies that will enable us to meet our aggressive clean energy and environmental goals. By reinventing our State's economy to lead in the global race toward energy independence, we can develop clean energy technologies right here in New York. Our present investments will ensure that the Empire State leads the way in utilizing clean, renewable energy as an engine for economic growth." (November 9, 2010) http://www.ny.gov/governor/press/index.html [more on Climate Change in our area]
Hypoxia in Great Lakes and other water systems expected to worsen with climate change | Great Lakes Echo Areas of low oxygen are 30 times more prevalent in the nation’s waterways now than they were in 1960, according to a recent federal report. And climate change means they’ll continue to worsen. The report says that the low-oxygen condition known as hypoxia has been detected in half of the more than 600 national waterways analyzed by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Geological Society, the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. (October 26, 2010) Great Lakes Echo - Environmental news across the basin [more on Climate Change in our area]
As Arctic warms, increased shipping likely to accelerate climate change ScienceDaily (Oct. 26, 2010) — As the ice-capped Arctic Ocean warms, ship traffic will increase at the top of the world. And if the sea ice continues to decline, a new route connecting international trading partners may emerge -- but not without significant repercussions to climate, according to a U.S. and Canadian research team that includes a University of Delaware scientist. (October 26, 2010) Science Daily: News & Articles in Science, Health, Environment & Technology [more on Climate Change in our area]
350 Day at Brighton Public Market - RochesterHomePage.net People in Brighton took part in a global celebration Sunday to reduce their carbon footprints. The farmer's market as well as the town and a group called "Color Brighton Green" held a special 350 day event. It aims to raise awareness about the need to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (October 11, 2010) RochesterHomePage [more on Climate Change in our area]
A time to share ideas to help save our Earth - Times Union The fair was one of more than 7,300 events planned in 188 countries on a day of worldwide acts of environmental volunteerism. The day was coordinated by the climate change group 350, whose name refers to the amount of carbon dioxide that scientists regard as safe to be in Earth's atmosphere -- 350 parts per million. According to CO2.org, which tracks greenhouse gas emissions, the amount of carbon dioxide in September was 386 parts per million. (October 11, 2010) Home - Times Union [more on Climate Change in our area]
Brighton part of global work party | democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle These are a few of the thousands of events, organized by grass-roots environmental group, 350.org, set to take place across the globe in nearly 200 countries as part of the 10/10/10 Global Work Party to "get to work" on positive solutions to climate change. And Brighton has been chosen to be a part of it, said Linda Isaacson Fedele of Perinton, who is organizing local efforts. (October 11, 2010) Democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle | Rochester news, community, entertainment, yellow pages and classifieds. Serving Rochester, New York [more on Climate Change in our area]
Greenhouse gas emissions drop in NYC NEW YORK - Mayor Michael. Bloomberg released the 2010 Inventory of New York City Greenhouse Gas Emissions, the City's fourth annual comprehensive carbon inventory. Completed pursuant to Local Law 22 of 2008, the inventory details the sources and levels of greenhouse gas emissions citywide and details emissions from municipal government operations. The inventory also reports progress on the ambitious emissions reduction goals in PlaNYC, the Mayor's long-term vision for a greener, greater New York. The entire city, including the City government, reduced emissions in 2009 below 2008 levels, putting the City on track to achieve the carbon reduction goals in PlaNYC. "Three years after launching PlaNYC, we are already seeing significant reductions in our carbon emissions," said Mayor Bloomberg. "But we have to keep the pressure on to continue our progress. We will never meet the ambitious goals we set in PlaNYC without solid data to measure our progress; as I've always said: if you can't measure it, you can't manage it." (October 4, 2010) New York State News on the Net! [more on Climate Change in our area]
10/01/2010: EPA Helps Launch Global Methane Initiative to Cut Greenhouse Gases/Countries to fight climate change while developing clean energy and stronger economies WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Mexico’s Ministry of Environment along with thirty-six other countries, the European Commission, the Asian Development Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank launched a new Global Methane Initiative that urges stronger international action to address near-term climate change. The initiative expands on existing global efforts to reduce emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change, while providing significant clean energy, human health, environmental and economic benefits. EPA Assistant Administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation, Gina McCarthy, represented the agency at the meetings that took place September 30 and October 1 in Mexico City. (October 1, 2010) U.S. EPA Newsroom - News Releases [more on Climate Change in our area]
UM, MSU to create center to study climate of Great Lakes - Detroit News and Information - Crain's Detroit Business The University of Michigan and Michigan State University announced today a joint effort to study how climate change is affecting the Great Lakes. Funded by a five-year, $4.2 million grant from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the universities will create the Great Lakes Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments Center. The center will initially focus on the watersheds of Lake Erie and Lake Huron and how climate impacts agriculture, watershed management and tourism. (September 23, 2010) Detroit News and Information - Crain's Detroit Business [more on Climate Change in our area]
Extreme Heat Bleaches Coral, and Threat Is Seen - NYTimes.com This year’s extreme heat is putting the world’s coral reefs under such severe stress that scientists fear widespread die-offs, endangering not only the richest ecosystems in the ocean but also fisheries that feed millions of people. From Thailand to Texas, corals are reacting to the heat stress by bleaching, or shedding their color and going into survival mode. Many have already died, and more are expected to do so in coming months. Computer forecasts of water temperature suggest that corals in the Caribbean may undergo drastic bleaching in the next few weeks. (September 20, 2010) The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia [more on Climate Change in our area]
NASA reports hottest January to August on record « Climate Progress August tied for hottest in UAH satellite record* Last month, NASA reported it was the hottest January-July on record, along with a terrific analysis, “July 2010 — What Global Warming Looks Like,” which noted that 2010 is “likely” to be warmest year on record. This month continues the trend of 2010 outpacing previous years, according to NASA: It seems all but certain we will outpace 1998, which currently ties for fourth hottest year in the NASA dataset (though it is technically described by NASA folks as tied for the second hottest year with 2005 and 2007). Outpacing 2005, the hottest year on record, will be closer. In NASA’s surface-based dataset, we are unlikely to set the record monthly temperatures for the rest of this year; last month wasn’t close to the hottest August for NASA. We have entered a moderate La Niña, which NOAA says is “expected to last at least through the Northern Hemisphere winter 2010-11.” September 14, 2010) Climate Progress [more on Climate Change in our area]
Ten States Mark Second Anniversary of Regional Program to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation September Auction Results: Current Control Period Allowances Sold at $1.86, Future Control Period Allowances Sold at $1.86 The ten states participating in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) today announced the successful completion of the 9th regional auction of carbon dioxide (CO2) allowances. The auction marks two years since the debut of the RGGI auctions and highlights the successful implementation of the nation's first market-based regulatory program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The offering of current control period CO2 allowances (2009-2011) in this week's auction yielded a total of $63,997,020 from the sale of 34,407,000 allowances. More than 75 percent of allowances offered for sale were sold. The auction clearing price was $1.86 per allowance, the reserve price for the auction. Electric generators and their corporate affiliates purchased 92 percent of the total number of current control period allowances sold. (September 9, 2010) Press Releases - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation [more on Climate Change in our area]
Great Lakes: How do Great Lakes factor into climate change equation? - chicagotribune.com Harvey Bootsma, a researcher at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, has been using the Lake Express ferry as a mobile laboratory since 2006 to tackle an unresolved question: Do the Great Lakes soak up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, the way forests do? Or do they behave "like we do," as Bootsma puts it, by exhaling it? Finding the answer would not only shed light on the lakes' ecosystems but contribute to our understanding of climate change. Scientists say carbon dioxide released through fossil fuel burning contributes to global warming. Carbon sinks — vast natural structures like forests and oceans — can slow the buildup by absorbing carbon dioxide from the air. (August 16, 2010) Chicago Tribune breaking news, sports, weather and traffic in Chicago - chicagotribune.com [more on Climate Change in our area]
Lake Superior surface waters are warmest on record | Duluth News Tribune | Duluth, Minnesota Surface waters of Lake Superior recorded at three buoys across the lake this week reached their highest average temperature in the 31 years records have been kept. Surface waters of Lake Superior recorded at three buoys across the lake this week reached their highest average temperature in the 31 years records have been kept. The water temperature Tuesday hit 68.3 degrees at a time of year it should be about 55, topping the previous record of 68 degrees set during the strong El Nino summer of 1998. (August 13, 2010) Duluth News Tribune | Duluth, Minnesota [more on Climate Change in our area]
NRDC: Climate Change, Water, and Risk Current Water Demands Are Not Sustainable | Climate change will have a significant impact on the sustainability of water supplies in the coming decades. A new analysis, performed by consulting firm Tetra Tech for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), examined the effects of global warming on water supply and demand in the contiguous United States. The study found that more than 1,100 counties -- one-third of all counties in the lower 48 -- will face higher risks of water shortages by mid-century as the result of global warming. More than 400 of these counties will face extremely high risks of water shortages (July 29, 2010) [more on Climate Change in our area]
07/29/2010: EPA Rejects Claims of Flawed Climate Science WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today denied 10 petitions challenging its 2009 determination that climate change is real, is occurring due to emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities, and threatens human health and the environment. The petitions to reconsider EPA’s Endangerment Finding claim that climate science cannot be trusted, and assert a conspiracy that invalidates the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and the U.S. Global Change Research Program. After months of serious consideration of the petitions and of the state of climate change science, EPA finds no evidence to support these claims. In contrast, EPA’s review shows that climate science is credible, compelling, and growing stronger. (July 29, 2010) U.S. EPA Newsroom - News Releases [more on Climate Change in our area]
Warmer water cause for alarm? | freep.com | Detroit Free Press But there have been some other recent developments that should scare us even more than the Asian carp threat and make all the Great Lakes states, plus Ontario and Quebec, work in concert. One is a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report that Lake Superior is warming this year at an incredible rate and may exceed record temperatures set in 1998. And if Superior is warming, the other lakes also are heating up. (July 25, 2010) freep.com | Detroit Free Press | Detroit news, community, entertainment, yellow pages and classifieds. Serving Detroit, MI [more on Climate Change in our area]
ATTORNEY GENERAL CUOMO LEADS 13-STATE COALITION TO DEFEND THE FIRST-EVER LIMITS ON GLOBAL WARMING POLLUTION FROM FACILITIES LIKE POWER PLANTS AND OIL REFINERIES NEW YORK, N.Y. (July 22, 2010) - Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo today announced a 13-state coalition has filed a motion in Washington, D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals defending a new environmental regulation limiting greenhouse gases. Starting in January 2011, pollution control requirements under the federal Clean Air Act will apply for the first time to new or modified facilities that emit global warming pollution. A new rule from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) focuses these requirements on the largest facilities, such as power plants, cement kilns, and oil refineries. These large facilities account for 70 percent of the greenhouse gases from stationary sources. (July 22, 2010)Official website of THE NEW YORK STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL ANDREW M. CUOMO [more on Climate Change in our area]
Great Lakes warm up, may hit new highs | detnews.com | The Detroit News Each of the Great Lakes is registering temperatures that are well above normal for this time of year, the result of a shortened winter season and a hot spring. And those warmer waters are impacting the region in a variety of ways -- from throwing off the spawning of native fish species to hurting some businesses that make a living off the waters. In other instances, the temperatures are seen as a welcome change. (July 23, 2010) The Detroit News | detnews.com | Monday, July 26, 2010 | News, sports, features, blogs, photos and forums from Detroit and Michigan [more on Climate Change in our area]
Global temperatures rise to record levels The world is enduring the hottest year on record, according to a US national weather analysis, causing droughts worldwide and a concern for US farmers counting on another bumper year. For the first six months of the year, 2010 has been warmer than the first half of 1998, the previous record holder, by 0.03 degree Fahrenheit, said Jay Lawrimore, chief of climate analysis at the federal National Climatic Data Center. (July 13, 2010) Sydney Morning Herald - Business & World News Australia | smh.com.au [more on Climate Change in our area]
Lake Superior, a Huge Natural Climate Change Gauge, Is Running a Fever - NYTimes.com The Great Lakes are feeling the heat from climate change. As the world's largest freshwater system warms, it is poised to systematically alter life for local wildlife and the tribes that depend on it, according to regional experts. And the warming could also provide a glimpse of what is happening on a more global level, they say. "The Great Lakes in a lot of ways have always been a canary in the coal mine," Cameron Davis, the senior adviser to the U.S. EPA on the Great Lakes, said last week. "Not just for the region or this country, but for the rest of the world." (July 19, 2010) The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia [more on Climate Change in our area]
SPECIAL REPORT: Researchers study impact of climate change on local fish | WSBT - News, Weather, Sports South Bend | Local News Since April, Purdue researchers have been catching fish in their larval stage along the Michigan shoreline to better understand the potential impacts climate change could have on their developmental processes. (July 8, 2010) WSBT - News, Weather, Sports South Bend [more on Climate Change in our area]
Public Invited to Meeting on State Climate Action Plan - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation Plan Focuses on Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Adapting to Climate Change The New York State Climate Action Council will hold a public meeting at 7 p.m., Thursday, July 8, to provide an update on the development of the State Climate Action Plan. The meeting will be held at the NYS Public Service Commission, 90 Church Street, 4th Floor, Manhattan. Staff from the State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) will describe the process the Climate Action Council is using to develop the plan, environmental justice considerations that have been identified to date and preliminary recommendations. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and express comments. (June 30, 2010) Press Releases - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation [more on Climate Change in our area]
Screenings planned for 'Carbon Nation' | theithacajournal.com | The Ithaca Journal Public screenings of the new documentary Film "Carbon Nation," which examines how to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and live more sustainably, are planned for 7 p.m. July 14 at the Unitarian Church, 306 N. Aurora St. and is 7 p.m. July 27 at the Harvest Cafe, 224 W. Main St. in Montour Falls. There will be no admission fee, although donations to help cover screening costs are appreciated. (June 28, 2010) theithacajournal.com | The Ithaca Journal | Ithaca news, community, entertainment, yellow pages and classifieds. Serving Ithaca, NY [more on Climate Change in our area]
Climate change could affect marine infrastructure - CTV News The federal government is trying to come up with ways to protect millions of dollars worth of vulnerable infrastructure and coastline, years after it was urged to adapt to the effects of climate change. (June 13, 2010) CTV News - Canada and World News, Breaking News, Headlines, Business, Entertainment, Sports, Health, Politics and more [more on Climate Change in our area]
06/14/2010: EPA Awards Half a Million Dollars to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Pollution in Central New York (Syracuse, N.Y.) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has provided a half million dollar grant to the Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board to fund a project designed to reduce greenhouse gas pollution in Central New York, including Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, Onondaga and Oswego Counties. During each of the next three years, the planning board will select three communities within Central New York to participate in its project, called the Central New York Climate Change Innovation program. The winning local communities will receive sub-grants from the Central New York Planning and Development Board to develop plans to retrofit vehicles, buildings and other equipment to make them energy efficient; introduce alternative-fuel vehicles and fueling systems; reduce the miles their fleets travel; and conduct feasibility studies for renewable energy projects. They will also consider how their city planning and land use policies can become more sustainable. Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board’s greenhouse gas reduction program is one of only twenty-five projects in the entire nation to receive funding as part of EPA’s $10 million competitive grant Climate Showcase Communities program. (June 14, 2010) U.S. EPA Newsroom - News Releases [more on Climate Change in our area]
06/08/2010: EPA announces $10 million for Communities to Combat Climate Change WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is making available up to $10 million in grants to local governments to establish and carry out initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Under the Climate Showcase Communities program, EPA expects to award approximately 25 cooperative agreements ranging from $100,000 to $500,000, with approximately five percent of the funds ($500,000) being made available specifically for tribal governments. (June 8, 2010) U.S. EPA Newsroom - News Releases [more on Climate Change in our area]
The American Power Act A New Start for Clean American Power and a New Economy The American Power Act will transform our economy, set us on the path toward energy independence and improve the quality of the air we breathe. It will create millions of good jobs that cannot be shipped abroad and it will launch America into a position of leadership in the global clean energy economy. (May 14, 2010)Welcome to Massachusetts Senator John Kerry's Online Office :: Home Page [more on Climate Change in our area]
05/06/2010: North America Collaborates to Reduce and Replace Potent Greenhouse Gases WASHINGTON - Canada and Mexico have joined the United States in proposing to expand the scope of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer to fight climate change. The proposal would phase down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are a significant and rapidly growing contributor to climate change. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) led the analysis in the proposal, which demonstrates environmental benefits equal to removing greenhouse gas emissions from 59 million passenger cars each year through 2020, and 420 million cars each year through 2050. Reducing HFCs would help slow climate change and curb potential public health impacts. (May 6, 20100) U.S. EPA Newsroom - News Releases [more on Climate Change in our area]
DEC chief cites progress, warns of threats to Lake Erie : City & Region : The Buffalo News Lake Erie has seen great progress since it was declared "dead" decades ago, but it still faces threats from old pollutants, invasive species and climate change. (April 22, 2010) The Buffalo News [more on Climate Change in our area]
04/16/2010: EPA to Hold Public Hearings on Additions to Greenhouse Gas Reporting Requirements WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will hold two public hearings on proposals to add reporting requirements for certain emissions source categories under the national mandatory greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting system. The hearing on April 19 will cover GHGs from fugitive and vented emissions from the petroleum and natural gas industry. The hearing will also cover reporting from facilities that inject carbon dioxide underground for the purposes of geologic sequestration or enhanced oil and gas recovery. The April 20 hearing will focus on the part of the proposal requiring emissions reporting from industries that emit fluorinated gases. (April 16, 2010) US Environmental Protection Agency [more on Climate Change in our area]
US climate bill weak for N.E., critics say - The Boston Globe Fear losing gains from states’ pact Climate and energy legislation being crafted in Washington could dismantle a landmark program to curb greenhouse gases in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states and replace it with a less flexible and weaker federal plan, according to New England officials. (April 9, 2010) Boston.com [more on Climate Change in our area]
U.S. Bid to Combat Climate Change Starts with Cars and Trucks: Scientific American The first national regulations to cut greenhouse gas emissions aim to reduce fuel consumption in vehicles | The nation's first mandatory attempt to cut back on greenhouse gas emissions is now a fact—and it will show up in a driveway near you in 2012. (April 1, 2010) Science News, Articles and Information | Scientific American [more on Climate Change in our area]
Climate Change Imperils the State of the Planet--Will the World Act?: Scientific American NEW YORK CITY—More than 100 countries have signed on to the Copenhagen Accord—the nonbinding agreement to combat climate change hastily agreed to this past December at a summit of world leaders. As signatories, the countries agree to cut greenhouse gas emissions to keep global average temperatures from warming more than 2 degrees Celsius. The countries that have signed up to date represent more than 80 percent of the global emissions of such heat-trapping gases. (March 26, 2010) [more on Climate Change]
Tracing the Demise of Cap and Trade - NYTimes.com WASHINGTON — Less than a year ago, cap and trade was the policy of choice for tackling climate change. Environmental groups and their foes in industry joined hands to embrace the approach, a market-driven system that sets a ceiling on global warming pollution while allowing companies to trade permits to meet it. President Obama praised it by name in his first budget, and the authors of the House climate and energy bill passed last June largely built their measure around it. (March 25, 2010) The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia [more on Climate Change in our area]
Our climate is changing - Niagara Falls Review - Ontario, CA Ryan Plummer is thinking beyond the causes of climate change. To be clear, the Brock University researcher still thinks cutting greenhouse gas emissions is important -- but so is preparing for the consequences of a warming planet. "To be blunt, if we stopped all emissions tomorrow, we'd still have to deal with climate change," said Plummer, an associate professor in the department of tourism and environment. "Thinking through what climate change might mean for us, and how we can adapt in a proactive way, is absolutely critical." (March 29, 2010) Niagara Falls Review - Ontario, CA [more on Climate Change in our area]
Cornell Chronicle: Climate-change impacts worse than thought The world's policymakers have underestimated the potential dangerous impacts that man-made climate change will have on society, said Charles H. Greene, Cornell professor of earth and atmospheric sciences. (March 22, 2010) Cornell Chronicle Online [more on Climate Change in our area]
Cornell Chronicle: Songbirds adapt to human-driven forest changes Can species quickly evolve when humans rapidly change their habitats? The answer, in some cases, is yes. A new study of North American songbirds finds that major changes in wing shape have occurred over the last 100 years in response to human-driven forest changes. (march 9, 2010) Cornell Chronicle Online [more on Wildlife in our area]
BBC - Earth News - Climate change 'makes birds shrink' in North America Songbirds in the US are getting smaller, and climate change is suspected as the cause. A study of almost half a million birds, belonging to over 100 species, shows that many are gradually becoming lighter and growing shorter wings. (March 12. 2010) BBC - Homepage [More on Climate Change in our area]
2010 Report: Climate Change — News Release Secretary Salazar Releases New “State of the Birds” Report Showing Climate Change Threatens Hundreds of Species Austin, TX–Climate change threatens to further imperil hundreds of species of migratory birds, already under stress from habitat loss, invasive species and other environmental threats, a new report released today by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar concludes. The State of the Birds: 2010 Report on Climate Change, follows a comprehensive report released a year ago showing that that nearly a third of the nation's 800 bird species are endangered, threatened or in significant decline. (March 11, 2010) 2010 Report: Climate Change — Report on Climate Change [more on Climate Change in our area]
Massive water crisis looming - The Cornwall Standard Freeholder - Ontario, CA Barring a huge worldwide reduction in fossil fuel use, global warming could pose massive environmental challenges on the St. Lawrence River ecosystem within 50 years or less. The river could drop one metre as the Great Lakes basin receives less precipitation--one of the expected fallouts from cli-mat e change, said Jeff Ridal, executive director of St. Lawrence River Institute of Environmental Sciences. (March 12, 2010) The Cornwall Standard Freeholder - Ontario, CA [more on Climate Change in our area]
Invasive Plants Move North Fall foliage is the veritable trademark of the Northeast. Families flock from around the world to take in the natural splendor. Imagine autumn in New England without its distinctive palette - choked out by a dense labyrinth of invasive vines. This nightmare may become a reality in the near future if current climate trends continue, increasing the threat of invasive plant species to the Northeast Region. (February 18, 2010) Northeast Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service [Climate Change in our area]
Climate Progress » Science stunner: Vast East Siberian Arctic Shelf methane stores destabilizing and venting NSF issues world a wake-up call: "Release of even a fraction of the methane stored in the shelf could trigger abrupt climate warming.” Methane release from the not-so-perma-frost is the most dangerous amplifying feedback in the entire carbon cycle. Research published in Friday’s journal Science finds a key “lid” on “the large sub-sea permafrost carbon reservoir” near Eastern Siberia “is clearly perforated, and sedimentary CH4 [methane] is escaping to the atmosphere.” (March 4, 2010) Climate Progress [more on Climate Change in our area]
Top Scientists Affirm Consensus on Global Warming SAN DIEGO, California, February 20, 2010 (ENS) - A panel of eminent U.S. and European scientists has confirmed the widespread scientific consensus that the Earth's climate is warming due to human activities, but said they and their colleagues should have responded more quickly and effectively to news of an error in a major climate report and hacked researcher e-mails. In a symposium Friday at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement Science, AAAS, the scientific leaders acknowledged errors in a 2007 report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and possibly impolitic email exchanges by East Anglian University climate researchers. (February 20, 2010) Environment News Service [more on Climate Change in our area]
An Ominous Warning on the Effects of Ocean Acidification by Carl Zimmer: Yale Environment 360 A new study says the seas are acidifying ten times faster today than 55 million years ago when a mass extinction of marine species occurred. And, the study concludes, current changes in ocean chemistry due to the burning of fossil fuels may portend a new wave of die-offs. (February 15, 2010) Yale Environment 360 [more on Climate Change in our area] An Ominous Warning on the Effects of Ocean Acidification by Carl Zimmer: Yale Environment 360 A new study says the seas are acidifying ten times faster today than 55 million years ago when a mass extinction of marine species occurred. And, the study concludes, current changes in ocean chemistry due to the burning of fossil fuels may portend a new wave of die-offs. (February 15, 2010) Yale Environment 360 [more on Climate Change in our area]
Arcuri says he's 'not convinced' on cap and trade | He favors eco-friendly policies instead GENEVA — Cap-and-trade legislation intended to protect the environment could instead hurt local businesses, Rep. Michael Arcuri said yesterday during a visit to Guardian Glass. (February 17, 2010) Finger Lakes Times Online - Front [more on Climate Change in our area]
Governments Confirm Climate Accord Pledges, No New Commitments BONN, Germany, February 8, 2010 - The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change has received national pledges to cut and limit greenhouse gases by 2020 from 55 countries, including China and the United States that together account for 78 percent of global emissions from energy use. The national pledges were required under the Copenhagen Accord agreed at the climate change talks in Copenhagen in December. The pledges were made for the period after the end of 2012 when the first phase of the Kyoto Protocol emissions targets expires. (February 11, 2010) Environment News Service [more on Climate Change]
NOAA - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - Commerce Department Proposes Establishment of NOAA Climate Service New office would target nation’s fast-accelerating climate information needs NOAA launches www.climate.gov as portal for climate science and services February 8, 2010 Individuals and decision-makers across widely diverse sectors – from agriculture to energy to transportation – increasingly are asking NOAA for information about climate change in order to make the best choices for their families, communities and businesses. To meet the rising tide of these requests, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke today announced the intent to create a NOAA Climate Service line office dedicated to bringing together the agency’s strong climate science and service delivery capabilities. (February 8, 2010) NOAA - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [more on Climate Change in our area]
Arctic climate changing faster than expected | Reuters WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) - Climate change is transforming the Arctic environment faster than expected and accelerating the disappearance of sea ice, scientists said on Friday in giving their early findings from the biggest-ever study of Canada's changing north. (February 7, 2010) Business & Financial News, Breaking US & International News | Reuters.com [more on Climate Change in our area]
Obama wants fed government emissions cut 28% | detnews.com | The Detroit News Washington -- Saying he wants to lead by example on global warming, President Barack Obama on Friday directed the federal government to reduce its emissions of heat-trapping gases 28 percent in the next decade -- a goal that exceeds targets for the country as a whole. From The Detroit News: http://www.detnews.com/article/20100129/POLITICS03/1290433/1448/LIFESTYLE14/Obama-wants-fed-government-emissions-cut-28-#ixzz0eNp1rez1 (January 29, 2010) http://www.detnews.com/ [more on Climate Change in our area]
Study: Global warming means wacky weather near Great Lakes In coming years, global warming will have a bizarre, seemingly incongruous impact on winters here in the Great Lakes region: shorter, milder cold seasons coupled with bigger winter storms. That is the consensus among researchers involved in a National Wildlife study titled "Oddball Winter Weather: Global Warming's Wake-up Call for the Northern United States." (January 30, 2010) [more on Great Lakes in our area]
GOVERNOR PATERSON DETAILS PROCESS FOR DEVELOPING NEW YORK STATE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN Governor David A. Paterson today outlined his initiative to develop an extensive plan that will dramatically reduce greenhouse gas pollution while also building New York's clean energy economy. The multi-faceted effort is driven by Executive Order No. 24, which the Governor issued last August and sets a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in New York State by 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. (January 21, 2010) Press Releases [more on Climate Change]
Nations stick to CO2 goals before January deadline | Reuters OSLO (Reuters) - The world is showing only lukewarm enthusiasm for a "Copenhagen Accord" to curb climate change, with no sign so far of deeper-than-planned 2020 curbs on greenhouse gas emissions before a January 31 deadline. (January 22, 2010) Business & Financial News, Breaking US & International News | Reuters.com [more on Climate Change]
Past Decade Warmest Ever, NASA Data Shows - NYTimes.com WASHINGTON — The decade ending in 2009 was the warmest on record, new surface temperature figures released Thursday by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration show. (January 21, 2010) The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia [more on Climate Change in our area]
Past decade the hottest on record | Grist The first decade of the twenty-first century was the hottest since recordkeeping began in 1880. With an average global temperature of 14.52 degrees C (58.1 degrees F), this decade was 0.2 degrees C (0.36 degrees F) warmer than any previous decade. The year 2005 was the hottest on record, while 2007 and 2009 tied for second hottest. In fact, 9 of the 10 warmest years on record occurred in the past decade. (January 14, 2010) Grist | Environmental News, Commentary, Advice [more on Climate Change)
BBC News - Methane release 'looks stronger' Scientists have uncovered what appears to be a further dramatic increase in the leakage of methane gas that is seeping from the Arctic seabed. Methane is about 20 times more potent than CO2 in trapping solar heat. (January 6, 2010) BBC - Homepage [more on Climate Change]

2009

Hobart student delves into climate change issues GENEVA — A trip this month to Copenhagen, Denmark, gave one Hobart College senior some expert opinions on international policy and lightbulbs. (December 31, 09) Finger Lakes Times Online - Front [more on Climate Change in our area]
BBC News - Climate summit: Where's the beef? He came. He did a quick deal. He left. That was how US President Barack Obama intervened in the global warming conference in Copenhagen and whether he saved it from total deadlock or condemned it to issuing a powerless piece of paper depends on your point of view. So the result was a political commitment not a treaty one. (December 19, 09) BBC - Homepage [more on Climate Change]
Climate change blamed for Great Lakes decline - The Globe and Mail Canadian-U.S. study attributes discernible drop in water levels in Huron and Michigan to drier weather (December 17, 09)News from Canada and the world - The Globe and Mail [more on Climate Change in our area]
Climate Talks Near Deal to Save Forests - NYTimes.com COPENHAGEN — Negotiators have all but completed a sweeping deal that would compensate countries for preserving forests, and in some cases, other natural landscapes like peat soils, swamps and fields that play a crucial role in curbing climate change. (December 15, 09) The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia [more on Climate Change in our area]
N.Y. lawmakers differ on prospects for climate change legislation | pressconnects.com | Press & Sun-Bulletin WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama's plan to tell an international conference on climate change that the U.S. will aid efforts to control global warming comes as prospects dim for turning that commitment into law, members of New York's congressional delegation say. (December 12, 09) pressconnects.com | Press & Sun-Bulletin | Binghamton news, community, entertainment, yellow pages and classifieds. Serving Binghamton, New York [more on Climate Change in our area]
Readers are closely split on climate change issue | Rochester Business Journal New York business news and information By a narrow margin, respondents to this week’s RBJ Daily Report Snap Poll say they do not think climate change is a serious global problem that needs to be addressed now. (December 11, 09) Home | Rochester Business Journal New York business news and information [more on Climate Change in our area]
Tough bargaining still ahead at UN climate talks - COP15 United Nations Climate Change Conference Copenhagen 2009 After one week of UN-led climate negotiations in Copenhagen, some money is finally on the table and a draft agreement has been circulated. Now the really hard bargaining begins. The draft proposal was sent around Friday to the 192-nation conference, although it set no firm figures on financing or cutting greenhouse gas emissions. And the negotiations on sharing the burden are likely to still go down to the wire and await the arrival of the world's leaders next week. (December 12, 09) Home - COP15 United Nations Climate Change Conference Copenhagen 2009 [more on Climate Change in our area]
U.S. sees robust climate talks, no reparations | Reuters COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's top aides promised on Wednesday "robust" negotiations toward a global climate change deal this month, but firmly stated the United States does not owe the world "reparations" for centuries of carbon pollution. (December 10, 09) Business & Financial News, Breaking US & International News | Reuters.com [more on Climate change]
Poll: We'll pay to avert climate change if it creates jobs | McClatchy WASHINGTON — As President Barack Obama prepares to attend a world summit on climate change, a majority of Americans are willing to pay more for a solution only if it would create "green" jobs in the United States, according to a McClatchy-Ipsos poll released Wednesday. (December 9, 09)McClatchy | Homepage [more on Climate Change]
EPA official asserts greenhouse gases a danger, vows action | WASHINGTON - As representatives from 192 countries began the world's most historic climate talks in Copenhagen yesterday, Lisa Jackson, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administrator, stole the show on the west side of the Atlantic Ocean when she declared greenhouse gases a threat to "the public health and welfare of the American people" at a news conference in Washington. (December 8, 09) http://toledoblade.com/home [more on Climate Change]
Global Warming Is Not Slowing, Report Says - NYTimes.com COPENHAGEN — Despite recent fluctuations in global temperature year to year, which fueled claims of global cooling, a sustained global warming trend shows no signs of ending, according to new analysis by the World Meteorological Organization made public on Tuesday. (December 8, 09) The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia [more on Climate Change in our area]
12/07/2009: EPA: Greenhouse Gases Threaten Public Health and the Environment / Science overwhelmingly shows greenhouse gas concentrations at unprecedented levels due to human activity EPA: Greenhouse Gases Threaten Public Health and the Environment Science overwhelmingly shows greenhouse gas concentrations at unprecedented levels due to human activity WASHINGTON – After a thorough examination of the scientific evidence and careful consideration of public comments, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that greenhouse gases (GHGs) threaten the public health and welfare of the American people. EPA also finds that GHG emissions from on-road vehicles contribute to that threat. (December 7, 09) U.S. EPA Newsroom - News Releases [more on Climate Change in our area]
Bill McKibben: Why Politics-As-Usual May Mean the End of Civilization Most political arguments don’t really have a right and a wrong, no matter how passionately they’re argued. They’re about human preferences -- for more health care or lower taxes, for a war to secure some particular end or a peace that leaves some danger intact. On occasion, there are clear-cut moral issues: the rights of minorities or women to a full share in public life, say; but usually even those of us most passionate about human affairs (December 6, 09) Breaking News and Opinion on The Huffington Post [more on Climate Change]
Countdown to Copenhagen: The 'people's summit' - Climate Change, Environment - The Independent Seven days to go: It's not just world leaders who will be gathering in Denmark next week. Environmental activists will be there too | Only seven days to go now, in the Countdown to Copenhagen – one week until 192 nations come together to try to negotiate a new international climate treaty that will allow the world to deal with the potentially catastrophic threat of global warming. (November 30, 09) The Independent | News | UK and Worldwide News | Newspaper [more on Climate Change]
The Copenhagen Diagnosis The Copenhagen Diagnosis: Climate Science Report It is more than three years since the drafting of text was completed for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report (AR4). In the meantime, many hundreds of papers have been published on a suite of topics related to human-induced climate change. The purpose of this report is to synthesize the most policy-relevant climate science published since the close-off of material for the last IPCC report. The rationale is two-fold. (November 29, 09) The Copenhagen Diagnosis [more on Climate Change in our area]
Cornell Chronicle: Professors brief Congress on carbon offsets By sequestering carbon, farmers and other land managers could earn and sell carbon credits. This revenue could provide incentives for best management practices and buffer such land managers from rising fossil fuel costs that may arise from new energy and carbon policies, asserted two Cornell professors in Congressional briefings Nov. 18-19. (November 24, 09) Cornell Center for a Sustainable Future - News [more on Climate Change in our area]
NYSGS to play key role in national geothermal energy search ALBANY - As part of a nationwide project to identify and assess new sources of renewable geothermal energy that could help mitigate global warming, the New York State Geological Survey (NYSGS) has received a $280,000 federal grant to collect data that will help scientists to better understand the potential for geothermal resources in New York State. (November 26, 09) New York State News on the Net! [more on Climate Change in our area]
Corporate America Prepares, and Braces, for Emissions Rules - NYTimes.com The nation’s corporations have long been bracing for the day when they would be required to carry out sharp cuts in the emissions that cause global warming. That day seemed to move a bit closer on Wednesday, when President Obama outlined a national target for such reductions. (November 26, 09) The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia [more on Climate Change in our area]
ATTORNEY GENERAL CUOMO ANNOUNCES AGREEMENT WITH AES TO DISCLOSE CLIMATE CHANGE RISKS TO INVESTORS Latest agreement in Cuomo’s disclosure initiative requires AES to fully detail financial liabilities posed by regulation of global warming pollution NEW YORK, N.Y. (November 19, 2009) - Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo today announced an agreement that requires the AES Corporation (AES) - a global energy company operating in 29 countries with annual revenues exceeding $16 billion - to disclose timely and relevant information to investors about financial risks associated with the production of global warming pollution. (November 19, 09) HOME - OFFICE OF THE NEW YORK STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL ANDREW M. CUOMO [more on Climate Change in our area]
Yale Environment 360: East Antarctic Ice Sheet Appears to Be Melting Faster, Study Says East Antarctica’s massive ice sheets, which scientists believed to be relatively unaffected by global warming, have been melting at an accelerating rate since 2002, according to a new study. Using a NASA satellite that can measure gravity and mass from space, researchers from the University of Texas estimated that East Antarctica lost an average of 57 billion metric tons of ice a year from 2002 to 2009, with the melt rate appearing to accelerate after 2006 (November 23, 09) Yale Environment 360 [more on Climate Rochester]
11/20/2009: New Interactive Tools Show Continuing SO2 Reductions at Coal-Fired Power Plants WASHINGTON - New interactive tracking tools are now available on EPA’s Web site to help the public follow nation-wide changes in sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions from coal-fired power plants. Using interactive charts and Google Earth satellite maps, the public can now observe recent changes in SO2 emissions and other indicators at individual coal-fired power plants in the Acid Rain Program. (November 20, 09) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [more on Climate Change in our area]
Rumors of Copenhagen’s demise have been greatly exaggerated | Grist Waking up on a dreary Sunday morning this weekend in Copenhagen (where I’ve recently moved to prepare for the upcoming climate talks in December), I was met with a barrage of headlines, mostly from U.S. media, telling me that Copenhagen is doomed to total failure and I might as well head off to Mexico City where next year’s summit will be held. The New York Times cried out: World Leaders Agree to Delay a Deal on Climate Change. The Washington Post bellowed: Copenhagen talks unlikely to yield climate accord, leaders told. Not the best way to start a Sunday morning. (November 16, 09) Grist | Environmental News, Commentary, Advice [more on Climate Change]
Observatory - Changes in the Climate and a Windier Great Lake - NYTimes.com Chalk up another effect of climate change: it’s getting windier over Lake Superior. That is the conclusion of a study by scientists who have looked at the effects of increasing surface water temperatures in the lake and air temperatures over it. The water has warmed faster than the air, creating instability in the air mass that results in stronger winds. (November 17, 09) The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia [more on Climate Change in our area]
Toward a Stalemate in Copenhagen - Global Climate Change Lobby Washington — In the poor, but mineral-rich mountains of the eastern United States known as Appalachia, coal millionaire Don Blankenship hosts a rally for “Friends of America” to hear country music and “learn how environmental extremists and corporate America are both trying to destroy your jobs.” (November 4, 2009) Global Climate Change Lobby - A Center for Public Integrity Investigation [more on Climate Change in our area]
What Would Failure at Copenhagen Mean for Climate Change?: Scientific American The planet's quickening pace toward irreversible climate change grows far more dire if world leaders fail to find a way to stem emissions this December, experts warn. (November 10, 09) Science News, Articles and Information | Scientific American [more on Climate Change in our area]
Tear down mental walls on climate, German chancellor says | McClatchy WASHINGTON — German Chancellor Angela Merkel made an impassioned plea Tuesday to a joint session of Congress to work together on efforts to curb global warming and to help forge a binding climate-change deal at an international meeting next month. (November 3, 2009) McClatchy | Homepage [more on Climate Change in our area]
Obama EPA adviser on Great Lakes says climate change will dictate restoration efforts | Metro - cleveland.com - cleveland.com CLEVELAND -- Cameron Davis, Great Lakes 'czar' for the Obama administration, said today that climate change will drive future clean-up efforts on the lakes. "I look at the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative as a climate change adaptation effort," Davis said in Cleveland this afternoon at a press briefing at the Great Lakes Science Center prior to the final public hearing of the a federal task force on oceans and the Great Lakes. "Everything that we're trying to do -- we, meaning the EPA and its 15 federal partners -- is designed to address the kind of stressors that we're likely to see coming to the Great Lakes as a result of climate change." (October 29, 09) Cleveland OH Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather - cleveland.com [more on Climate Change]
UN signals delay in climate change treaty : 24 Hour Breaking News : The Buffalo News Just weeks before an international conference on climate change, the United Nations signaled it was scaling back expectations of reaching agreement on a new treaty to slow global warning. (October 26, 09) The Buffalo News [more on Climate Change in our area]
Amidst Uncertainty on US Role in Upcoming Climate Talks, 350.org Holds International Climate Action Day in 170 Nations Seven weeks before the UN Copenhagen Climate Conference, the group 350.org is organizing an International Climate Action Day. More than 4,500 events are scheduled to take place in 170 nations. We speak to two of the major thinkers and writers tackling climate change: the writer and environmentalist Bill McKibben, co-founder and director of 350.org, and Australian scientist Tim Flannery, chair of the Copenhagen Climate Council and author of the international bestseller The Weather Makers (October 23, 09) Democracy Now! | Radio and TV News [more on Climate Change in our area]
First Nation Women 'Walk the Environmental Talk' | Womens eNews Tomorrow's global day of climate activism aims for media and political attention. First Nation women have another way. Since 2003, they've walked the shoreline of a Great Lake or major river, meditating on the needs of an unborn generation. (WOMENSENEWS)--Their lips wind-burned, feet blistered, shoes worn out. They keep walking. Sometimes they walk as much as 54 miles in a single day, taking turns carrying eight liters of water in a copper pail and an eagle staff, a six-feet long carved staff with eagle feathers attached, which serves as a flag for Native Americans. At night, they rest in the houses of their supporters or in lodging arranged by a casino. Some nights they camp out in the bitter cold. (October 24, 09) Women's eNews [more on Climate Change in our area]
Climate Change Action Awareness Week Seeks to Inspire and Empower Citizens Advocates for climate change reform will come together to better develop the tools necessary to effect change in individual communities all over the world. These global actions come six weeks before the world’s nations convene in Copenhagen for the United Nations Climate Change Conference to draw up a new international climate treaty to replace the Kyoto Accords. (October 22, 09) RIT - University News [more on Climate Change in our area]
Global warming fund faces cuts -- Page 1 -- Times Union - Albany NY:2887: ALBANY -- The organizer of a global effort to fight climate change said Gov. David Paterson's raid of millions of dollars from a state climate change program sends "a terrible message" just weeks before world leaders meet to discuss the issue. Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=854386&category=REGION#ixzz0UNva7WJy (October 19, 09) Albany NY News - Times Union - Serving Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady, Troy [more on Climate Change in our area]
Organizing the Biggest Day of Action the World Has Ever Seen | CommonDreams.org Organizing the Biggest Day of Action the World Has Ever Seen by Bill McKibben Even two years ago, I was in complete despair about our chances of fighting climate change. But something's changed. It's not the science, which has gotten steadily worse. It's the first signs that the planet's immune system--conscious citizens ready to make a difference--is finally kicking in. Bloggers, in this metaphor, are key antibodies--they recognize threats, and rally people to take the steps needed. So this year's Blogger Action Day is, in a sense, a test: is the planet now wired together in a way that will let it act swiftly, nimbly, decisively against the great trouble we've ever faced? (October 13, 09) Common Dreams | News & Views [more on Climate Change]
ATTORNEY GENERAL CUOMO LEADS 18-STATE COALITION IN BATTLE TO PROTECT STATES’ RIGHT TO FIGHT GLOBAL WARMING Suit Seeks to Defend the EPA’s Waiver Allowing Individual States to Limit Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Cars NEW YORK, NY (October 9, 2009) – Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that he is leading an 18-state coalition to defend a decision by President Obama’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that grants states the right to regulate global warming pollution from automobiles. The coalition is opposing a lawsuit brought by the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that seeks to deny individual states the ability to limit greenhouse gas emissions from cars. (October 9, 09) HOME - OFFICE OF THE NEW YORK STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL ANDREW M. CUOMO [more on Climate Change in our area]
Energy Secretary Chu speaks on global warming at UR | democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu was at the University of Rochester on Saturday, where he talked about the "catastrophic" consequences that will be in store if Americans don't address energy issues soon. Chu, who attended UR as an undergraduate from 1966-70, spoke to a packed-house crowd at the Palestra as part of Meliora Weekend, a series of UR homecoming events. (October 9, 09)democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle | Rochester news, community, entertainment, yellow pages and classifieds. Serving Rochester, New York [more on Climate Change in our area}
New York joins coalition to fight global warming NEW YORK - Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced that he is leading an 18-state coalition to defend a decision by President Obama’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that grants states the right to regulate global warming pollution from automobiles. The coalition is opposing a lawsuit brought by the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that seeks to deny individual states the ability to limit greenhouse gas emissions from cars. (October 9, 09 ) New York State News on the Net! [more on Climate Change in our area]
Report: climate change threatens national parks | McClatchy WASHINGTON — America's national parks are at risk of disappearing or being fundamentally changed as seas rise, glaciers melt, trees die and animal habitat changes as a result of climate change, according to a report Thursday from two environmental groups. (October 1, 09) McClatchy | Homepage [more on Climate Rochester ]
Counties establish innovative carbon credit program ALBANY - Proclaiming that reducing carbon pollution should be a priority for all levels of government, the New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC) announced today a new program that will reward counties for controlling carbon emissions in their communities. The Avoided Deforestation Carbon Credit Program is a program launched by NYSAC on behalf of New York counties. It is design to curb greenhouse carbon pollution, the leading cause of global warming. Today’s announcement comes on the heels of the introduction of ‘Cap and Trade’ legislation in the U.S. Senate, where the issue has been under considerable debate. (October 5, 09) New York State News on the Net! [more on Climate Rochester ]
Challenge is to cut carbon footprint | democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle As the Dakota proverb says, "We will be known forever by the tracks we leave." This statement has taken on a whole new meaning in regard to our environment. The carbon footprint from the past and present are causing devastating effects to the future. (October 3, 09) democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle | Rochester news, community, entertainment, yellow pages and classifieds. Serving Rochester, New York [more on Climate Rochester ]
Report: climate change threatens national parks | McClatchy WASHINGTON — America's national parks are at risk of disappearing or being fundamentally changed as seas rise, glaciers melt, trees die and animal habitat changes as a result of climate change, according to a report Thursday from two environmental groups. (October 1, 09 )McClatchy | Homepage [more on Climate Change]
Study projects steep Great Lakes water level drop if greenhouse gases remain unchecked | Great Lakes Echo Great Lakes water levels could drop by up to two feet by the turn of the century as temperatures rise, according to a recent series of reports released by the Union of Concerned Scientists. (September 30, 09) Great Lakes Echo - Environmental news across the basin [more on Climate Change in our area]
Cornell Chronicle: Cornell unveils climate neutrality plan Cornell's new Climate Action Plan, released Sept. 15, will not only make the university far more energy efficient but also could save Cornell hundreds of millions of dollars over the next 40 years (September 15, 09) Cornell Center for a Sustainable Future - News [more on Climate Change in our area]
Changes in net flow of ocean heat correlate with past climate anomalies Physicists at the University of Rochester have combed through data from satellites and ocean buoys and found evidence that in the last 50 years, the net flow of heat into and out of the oceans has changed direction three times. (August 14, 09) PhysOrg.com - Science News, Technology, Physics, Nanotechnology, Space Science, Earth Science, Medicine
Review puts activists on edge -- Page 1 -- Times Union - Albany NY:1372: ALBANY -- Happy one day, angry the next: That sums up the feelings of environmentalists who, just a day after praising Gov. David Paterson for his proposal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, blasted him for a deregulation scheme they believe could do precisely the opposite. (August 08, 09) Albany NY News - Times Union - Serving Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady, Troy
WXXI: Governor Calls for 80 Percent Carbon Cut by 2050 (2009-08-06) ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) - Governor David Paterson has signed an executive order that cuts greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent, over 1990 levels, by 2050. (August 8, 09) WXXI NewsRoom
GOV SITE - GOVERNOR PATERSON SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER TO REDUCE NEW YORK’S GREENHOUSE GAS POLLUTION Executive Order to Tackle Climate Change by Setting Goal of Reducing Emissions by 80 Percent by 2050 Requires a Climate Action Plan on How to Reduce Greenhouse Gases Governor David A. Paterson today signed Executive Order No. 24 setting a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in New York State by 80 percent below the levels emitted in 1990 by the year 2050. The Executive Order also creates a Climate Action Council with a directive to prepare a draft Climate Action Plan by September 30, 2010. The Climate Action Plan will assess how all economic sectors can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change, as well as identify the extent to which such actions support New York’s goals for a clean energy economy. (August 6, 09) Press Releases
Pollution outruns Adirondacks -- Page 1 -- Times Union - Albany NY:2695: TUPPER LAKE -- Every day, Adirondack forests soak up and store about 1,600 tons of carbon to help slow global warming. But even tens of millions of trees can't keep up with greenhouse gas emissions from a much smaller number of cars, homes and businesses. (July 15, 09)Albany NY News - Times Union - Serving Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady, Troy
In Close Vote, House Passes Climate Bill - washingtonpost.com The House narrowly passed an ambitious climate bill yesterday that would establish national limits on greenhouse gases, create a complex trading system for emission permits and provide incentives to alter how individuals and corporations use energy. (June 22, 09) washingtonpost.com - nation, world, technology and Washington area news and headlines
Historic climate bill hinges on Upstate New York votes in Congress - syracuse.com Washington -- Upstate New York's congressional delegation may hold the deciding votes Friday on a landmark energy and climate bill that President Obama said "will open the door to a new clean energy economy." On the eve of the vote Thursday, most of the region's Democratic House members were still undecided whether to support their party in what some have called the most important vote by Congress on an environmental issue in almost three decades. (June 25, 09) Syracuse NY Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather - syracuse.com
Giant Carbon Clock Unveiled in Center of New York City | Deutsche Bank has erected a seven-story sign in the heart of New York City that ticks off the tons of carbon dioxide being emitted into the atmosphere — a public relations move designed to raise awareness of global warming . (June 19, 09) Environmental News Network -- Know Your Environment
New Report Predicts Effects of Warming in Different U.S. Regions - washingtonpost.com Man-made climate change could bring parching droughts to the Southwest and pounding rainstorms to Washington, put Vermont maple sugar farms out of business and Key West underwater over the next century, according to a federal report released yesterday. (June 17, 09) washingtonpost.com - nation, world, technology and Washington area news and headlines
U.S. report to press case for quick moves on climate | Green Business | Reuters WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration's top climate change scientists will unveil a report on Tuesday that details the impact of global warming on the United States and argues for fast action against it. (June 15, 09) Reuters.com - World News, Financial News, Breaking US & International News
Not so windy: Research suggests winds dying down | detnews.com | The Detroit News Washington -- The wind, a favorite power source of the green energy movement, seems to be dying down across the United States. And the cause, ironically, may be global warming -- the very problem wind power seeks to address. (June 10, 09) The Detroit News | detnews.com | Thursday, June 11, 2009 | News, sports, features, blogs, photos and forums from Detroit and Michigan
ENVIRONMENT: Poison ivy beefs up - News Articles - Rochester City Newspaper It sounds like the plot of a sci-fi film: poison plant goes on a rampage made possible by the careless habits of the very public that demonized it for so long. (June 10, 09) Rochester City Newspaper
Stressers changing fish - The Whig Standard - Ontario, CA ENVIRONMENT: Lake Ontario getting warmer | Lake Ontario is accumulating what one expert calls "stressers," factors that may affect fish perhaps more than some species can handle. "It's changing the fish communities from colder fish communities to warmer ones," warns John Casselman. "Different species now are becoming more abundant. "I've seen this dramatic change." (June 4, 09) The Whig Standard - Ontario, CA
Commission on Smart Growth recommends fundamental reforms to local development | BINGHAMTON – The Commission on Sustainable Development & Smart Growth Wednesday released its final report. The 72-page document outlines a comprehensive approach to improving the city’s economic, environmental, and social health over the long-term. Focus areas include economic development, green building, land use, stormwater management, and climate protection. (June 4, 09)New York State News on the Net!
Water from Melting Greenland Ice Sheath May Impact Northeast US Coast | New research by the National Center for Atmospheric Research points to the possibility that water from the melting Greenland Ice Sheath could change oceanic circulation in the North Atlantic, in a way that would raise sea levels off the Northeast by about eight inches more than the average global sea level rise that is expected with global warming. (May 27, 09) Environmental News Network -- Know Your Environment
Scientists propose helping wildlife relocate due to climate change Rapid climate change is forcing scientists to consider for the first time whether to help wildlife relocate to places where they are not currently found, says a group of international researchers who have created a tool for evaluating such relocations. (May 25, 09)CBCNews.ca - Breaking News, Canada, World, Health, Business, Entertainment
House panels will make haste on climate bill, Hoyer says - NYTimes.com Expect another fast-paced month of committee action on a sweeping global warming and energy bill ahead of possible floor debate in late June or early July, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said today. (May 22, 09) The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia
Climate change driving Michigan mammals north (Includes interview) - Digital Journal: Your News Network Some Michigan mammal species are rapidly expanding their ranges northward, apparently in response to climate change, a new study shows. The finding, by researchers at the University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Ohio's Miami University, appears in the June issue of the journal Global Change Biology. (May 14, 09) Digital Journal: Your News Network
Class studies climate's impact on lake | burlingtonfreepress.com | The Burlington Free Press As the New England climate warms, Lake Champlain is likely to become richer in phosphorus and more susceptible to noxious blue-green algae blooms. Mass die-offs of alewives may occur more frequently, while potentially toxic mercury content may rise in food fish. (May 3, 09) http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/
Warmer winters mean longer mud season in N.E. - The Boston Globe New England winters have warmed on average more than 4 degrees Fahrenheit over the last 40 years, allowing spring melt to begin earlier and the ground to freeze later in the fall. Add to that an increase in winter thaws, mini-mud seasons that are a preview for the main spring event. It all adds up to more muddy days per year. (April 19, 09) Boston.com
Early Birds & Springtime | ScienCentral | Science Videos | Science News The sounds of birds chirping and fluttering outside your bedroom window are a welcome sign of spring, but scientists have evidence that suggests birds are nesting earlier due to global warming. And the harmful consequences aren’t just for the birds --ScienCentral | Science Videos | Science News
SUNY ESF study: Migrating bird species range farther north in reaction to climate change Now scientists in Syracuse may have solved the local mystery in a study with much larger implications: Their research suggests the Canada warbler is among a variety of North American bird species moving north as a result of climate change. (March 29, 09) Syracuse NY Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather - syracuse.com
WXXI: Unusually Dry Spring Leads to "Red Flag" Warning (2009-03-25) This month's dry weather is leading to an unusual increase in grass fires throughout New York State. WXXI NewsRoom
Press Release - PATERSON ADMINISTRATION TELLS ENVIRONMENTAL & ENERGY GROUPS THERE IS NO AGREEMENT TO RE-OPEN CLIMATE PLAN REGULATIONS (ALBANY, NY)—At a meeting with New York Governor David Paterson’s top staff on Thursday, environmental and energy groups were told the administration has not made a deal with power producers to re-open regulations designed to guide the state’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a 10-state plan to reduce global warming pollution. In the meeting with Larry Schwartz, Secretary to the Governor, and Dennis Whalen, the Director of State Operations, the groups were told the Governor has made no commitment to reopen the RGGI rule at this time. (March 13, 09) Environmental Advocates of New York
Great Lakes ice cover shows climate change's existence -- and its complexity - Metro - cleveland.com Looking for some solid evidence that global warming is forcing slow but certain changes on the Great Lakes region? (March 23, 09) Cleveland OH Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather - cleveland.com
Statewide initiative launched to cut greenhouse gas emissions and save taxpayer money WEST BABYLON - New York Power Authority (NYPA) President and Chief Executive Officer Richard Kessel was joined by environmental, business and community leaders to announce a campaign to reduce by approximately 20 percent the energy demand of water supply and wastewater treatment plants in New York State by 2015 and help to lower greenhouse gas emissions. (March 19, 09) New York State News on the Net!
03/10/2009: EPA Proposes First National Reporting on Greenhouse Gas Emissions EPA Proposes First National Reporting on Greenhouse Gas Emissions Release date: 03/10/2009 Contact Information: Cathy Milbourn, 202-564-4355 / milbourn.cathy@epa.gov (Washington, D.C. – March 10, 2009) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today proposed the first comprehensive national system for reporting emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases produced by major sources in the United States. “Our efforts to confront climate change must be guided by the best possible information,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “Through this new reporting, we will have comprehensive and accurate data about the production of greenhouse gases. This is a critical step toward helping us better protect our health and environment – all without placing an onerous burden on our nation’s small businesses.” - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Paterson Draws Fire in Shift on Emissions ALBANY — At the urging of the energy industry, Gov. David A. Paterson has agreed to reconsider a key rule New York adopted as part of a 10-state pact aimed at reducing the threat of global warming by cutting power plant emissions. - March 5, 09) http://www.nytimes.com/
Bloomberg: City must adapt to global warming now -- Newsday.com Water levels around New York City could rise by 2 feet or more in the coming decades and average temperatures are likely to go up 4 to 7.5 degrees, according to a report released yesterday by a panel of scientists convened by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The city must adapt to global warming or risk having to rebuild facilities after flooding, Bloomberg said in releasing the report by the New York City Panel on Climate Change. (Feb 18, 09) Long Island and New York City news from Newsday.com - A Long Island Newspaper -- Newsday.com
Birds staying here longer - MLive.com The National Audubon Society released a study Tuesday showing that more than half of 305 bird species in North America -- including robins, gulls, chickadees and owls -- are spending the winter about (Feb 11, 09) Michigan Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather - MLive.com
Climate Change Could Drain Great Lakes: Discovery News Jan. 29, 2009 -- The Great Lakes have long been a bastion of stability -- with water hovering at about the same level for as long as anyone can remember. But a new study shows that climate change once pushed lake levels far below where they are now. That opens up the possibility that future climate change might do the same thing. Discovery Channel : Science, History, Space, Tech, Sharks, News
Great Lakes rivers have dried up before Rivers that connect the Great Lakes have dried up completely through climate warming in the fairly recent past, say scientists who warn this could happen again in this century. (Jan 16, 09) The Windsor Star
GOVERNOR PATERSON HAILS NEW YORK’S FIRST SALE OF CARBON DIOXIDE POLLUTION ALLOWANCES AS A SUCCESS Governor Reaffirms New York’s Commitment to Advancing Renewable and Clean Energy - Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) Auction Generates $42 Million for Clean Energy Technologies to Help New York’s Economic Recovery - Governor David A. Paterson today heralded New York’s participation in the sale of carbon dioxide (CO2) pollution allowances as a success. The sale occurred as part of a ten-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) auction held on Wednesday, and generated $106.5 million for investment in energy efficiency, clean and renewable energy technologies, and strategies to reduce CO2. New York’s share of the auction proceeds will be approximately $42 million.

2008

Ohio.com - Study lists global-warming risks to Ohio Climate change to affect environment, economy and health, group says - Global warming poses a big threat to Ohio's health, environment and economy. That assessment came in a report released Wednesday by the statewide eco-group Environment Ohio at news conferences in Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo and Cincinnati. (Dec 18, 08) Ohio.com
10 Northeastern states hold 2nd carbon auction - NewsFlash - Syracuse.com ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — About 31.5 million tons of carbon is on the block as 10 Northeastern states hold their second auction of pollution credits aimed at curbing global warming. (Dec 17, 08) Syracuse NY Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather - syracuse.com
Methane-belching cows could cost farmers under EPA's tax plan | democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle An Environmental Protection Agency document suggests the government consider controlling methane emissions from cows, with one possibility a $175-per-cow annual tax. (Dec 10, 08) democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle | Rochester news, community, entertainment, yellow pages and classifieds. Serving Rochester, New York
Climate change affects forest -- Page 1 -- Times Union - Albany NY - TUPPER LAKE — Conference studies peril, potential for profit in Adirondack Park - What if we looked at the Adirondacks as more than just a 6-million-acre forest? What if we also viewed it as a kind of living factory in the fight against global warming, a mechanism capable of sucking up tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere every day? (Nov 23, 08) Albany NY News - Times Union - Serving Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady, Troy
LOW CARBON DIET CHALLENGE FINALE WHAT: Cool Communities Grand Awards Celebration: The Finale event for the Low Carbon Diet Challenge! All are invited- you need not have participated in the Challenge to celebrate our successes and prepare for an expansion in the Spring. (Nov 18, 08) Welcome to the City of Rochester
kare11.com | Twin Cities, MN | Climate change pushes hundreds of birds further north Spying a camera shy-cardinal behind the bird feeders at Staring Lake in Eden Prairie isn't out of the ordinary. But wildlife photographer Stan Tekiela says seeing one of these red-feathered flyers in Duluth is very unusual; but it's happening. (Nov 19, 08) kare11.com | Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN | News, Weather and Sports
10 ways global warming could make us sicker | Scientists the world over have observed climate changes that are impacting individuals’ health and have also created models to predict where we might be headed. Among the potential problems in the United States attributable to climate change: (Oct 28, 08) Buffalo News
ATTORNEY GENERAL CUOMO, JOINED BY VICE PRESIDENT GORE, ANNOUNCES AGREEMENT WITH MAJOR ENERGY COMPANY, DYNEGY INC. Second Major Agreement in Cuomo Initiative Requires Dynegy to Detail Financial Liabilities Related to Climate Change NEW YORK, N.Y. (October 23, 2008) – Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo, joined by Vice President Al Gore, today announced an agreement that requires a national energy company, Dynegy Inc. (“Dynegy”), to disclose timely and relevant information to investors about climate change risks. (Oct. 23, 08) HOME - OFFICE OF THE NEW YORK STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL ANDREW M. CUOMO
Governor hails nation’s first global warming car and trade auction a success ALBANY - Governor David Paterson Monday heralded the first auction for the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) as a success, setting an example for other states and the nation to follow. Governor Paterson opened the nation’s first-ever auction of carbon dioxide allowances when he and New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine rang the ceremonial bell at the New York Mercantile Exchange in Manhattan, launching the nation’s most serious initiative yet to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. All of the 12.6 million allowances offered on September 25th were sold at a clearing price of $3.07 per allowance, generating nearly $40 million of funding for investment in energy efficiency, clean and renewable energy technologies and strategies that reduce carbon dioxide. (Sept 30, 08) New York State News on the Net!New era to combat climate change announced - NEW YORK - Governor David Paterson Thursday opened the nation’s first-ever auction of carbon dioxide allowances when he rang the ceremonial bell at the New York Mercantile Exchange in Manhattan, and by doing so launched the nation’s most serious initiative yet to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. New York and nine other Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states have come together to launch the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a mandatory program that covers more than 200 fossil fuel power plants, requiring the owners of those plants pay for the carbon dioxide they emit into the air. (Sept 25, 08) New York State News on the Net!
A Negative Signal on State Carbon Pact - City Room - Metro - New York Times Blog Gov. David A. Paterson was asked, at the tail end of a public appearance, whether a draft executive order might affect the state’s participation in the regional greenhouse gas initiative, an agreement among New York and nine other states to curb carbon emissions from power plants. (Sept 3, 08) The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia
CUOMO FILES LAWSUIT TO FORCE BUSH EPA TO CONTROL GLOBAL WARMING POLLUTION FROM BIG OIL REFINERIES Cuomos Coalition of Twelve States, the District of Columbia, and the City of New York Sues EPA for Refusing to Adopt Pollution Controls, Violating Clean Air Act ~ Todays Action is the Latest Front in New Yorks Effort to Fight Global Warming | NEW YORK, NY (August 25, 2008) - Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo today announced he is suing the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for failing to adopt regulations that control emissions of global warming pollution from oil refineries. Cuomo is leading a group of twelve states, the District of Columbia, and the City of New York in a suit that challenges the EPAs refusal to require new or renovated oil refineries to install technologies that control global warming pollution, in violation of the Clean Air Act. (Aug 25, 08) Office of New York State Attorney General Andrew M Cuomo
AG files lawsuit to force EPA to control oil refinery pollution | NEW YORK - Attorney General Andrew Cuomo Monday announced he is suing the federal Environmental Protection Agency for failing to adopt regulations that control what it claims are emissions of global warming pollution from oil refineries. Cuomo is leading a group of 12 states, the District of Columbia, and the City of New York in a suit that challenges the EPAs refusal to require new or renovated oil refineries to install technologies that control global warming pollution, in violation of the Clean Air Act. (Aug. 26, 08) New York State News on the Net!
Plan to control air pollution costs at least $120M | stargazette.com | Star-Gazette Cost is for New York's participation in group to cut greenhouse gases. (Aug 18, 08) stargazette.com | Star-Gazette | Elmira news, community, entertainment, yellow pages and classifieds. Serving Elmira, NY
Rochester Museum & Science Center brings weather phenomena within reach | democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle RMSC's new exhibit lets kids discover meteorologic phenomena firsthand (July 4, 08) Democrat and Chronicle | Rochester news, community, entertainment, yellow pages and classifieds. Serving Rochester, New York
Rochester Ranks 14th for Small Carbon Footprint - 13WHAM.com (Rochester, N.Y.) -- A new report released by the Brookings Institution on Thursday says Rochester residents have a smaller "carbon footprint" than many cities around the country. (May 29, 08) - 13WHAM.com
Rochester ranks 14th best in national study of cities' carbon emissions | democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle Rochester-area residents have a smaller "carbon footprint" than residents of most other large American cities, a new study has found, though much room remains for reduction of greenhouse-gas emissions locally. In a study being released today by the Brookings Institution, the five-county Rochester area — Monroe, Livingston, Ontario, Orleans and Wayne counties — ranked 14th-best among the nation's 100 largest metro areas in per capita emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases that contribute to global warming. (May 29, 08) democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle | Rochester news, community, entertainment, yellow pages and classifieds. Serving Rochester, New York
Summer-like heat breaks Rochester record | democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle You may not have noticed it by the lake, but Rochester broke a 119-year-old record today. The high temperature, recorded at the Greater Rochester International Airport, was 86 degrees. That surpassed the date’s previous record high of 85 degrees, set April 19, 1889, according to the National Weather Service. (April 21, 08) democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle | Rochester news, community, entertainment, yellow pages and classifieds. Serving Rochester, New York
CUOMO DEMANDS THAT THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION STOP THE FOOT-DRAGGING AND COMPLY WITH SUPREME COURT’S RULING ON GLOBAL WARMING NEW YORK (April 2, 2008) – New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo today announced he is taking action against the EPA. Cuomo commenced action, joining the Attorneys General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and 15 additional states in filing a lawsuit demanding that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) comply with the Supreme Court’s decision holding that the Agency has the authority to regulate global warming pollution under the Clean Air Act. “Despite clear directions a year ago from the highest court in the land, the EPA has failed to move forward on combating global warming. The EPA’s foot-dragging would not be tolerated from any other defendant that failed to comply with a court order,” said Cuomo. “Global warming is one of the most critical environmental problems of our generation, posing huge risks to our environment, health, and economy, both globally and right here in New York. We all know that global warming is dangerous -- it’s beyond dispute. But a year after the Supreme Court’s decision, the EPA refuses to acknowledge even this simple truth.” --Office of New York State Attorney General Andrew M Cuomo
Cuomo demands that the Bush Administration stop ‘foot-dragging’ on global warming - ALBANY - New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo Wednesday announced he is taking action against the EPA. Cuomo commenced action, joining the Attorneys General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and 15 additional states, in filing a lawsuit demanding that the Environmental Protection Agency comply with the Supreme Court’s decision holding that the Agency has the authority to regulate global warming pollution under the Clean Air Act. New York State News on the Net!
MinnPost - It's cold outside, but Lake Superior is getting warmer DULUTH — Lake Superior is undergoing sudden increases in its water temperatures and dramatic declines in its lake levels, prompting scientists and others to wonder: Is the world's largest fresh water lake in the throes of irreversible change due to global warming? (Feb 21, 08) MinnPost
Later freezes, earlier thaws wave of future - Michigan, Great Lakes Environmental & Conservation Issues - MLive.com Scientists at the University of Wisconsin found a steady trend toward reduced ice cover on inland lakes in the Great Lakes region from 1975 through 2004. On average, there are now 16 fewer days of ice cover on inland lakes than 30 years ago, according to the study funded by the National Science Foundation. The last three decades were marked by "rapid climate warming," according to a National Science Foundation press release. Several of the planet's warmest years in recorded history have occurred over the past 20 years, according to government data. (Jan 29, 08) MLive.com: Everything Michigan

2007

Cuomo and coalition of 15 states against EPA over global warming - New York - New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo Wednesday announced he is leading a 15 state coalition that is joining a lawsuit brought by California against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to uphold the right of states to regulate greenhouse gas pollution from automobiles. (Jan 05, 07) New York State News on the Net!
ENN: New study increases concerns about climate model reliability ROCHESTER, NY (Dec. 11, 2007) — A new study comparing the composite output of 22 leading global climate models with actual climate data finds that the models do an unsatisfactory job of mimicking climate change in key portions of the atmosphere. “The usual discussion is whether the climate model forecasts of Earth’s climate 100 years or so into the future are realistic,” said the lead author, Dr. David H. Douglass from the University of Rochester. “Here we have something more fundamental: Can the models accurately explain the climate from the recent past? “It seems that the answer is no.” Environmental News Network
Group warns Ohio's future bleak if greenhouse effect is unchecked COLUMBUS — The impact of climate change on Ohio could be perilous unless action is taken to curtail greenhouse gases, a conservation group warned. Ohio faces a future of extended droughts and extreme heat, loss of important species and increased pressure from agricultural pests, among other things, said the group, Nature Conservancy. (Dec 20, 07) Dayton Daily News | Dayton, Ohio, News and Information
ENVIRONMENT: You're getting warmer - News & Opinion - Rochester City Newspaper The Kyoto Accord began the race to halt global warming. On its 10th anniversary, why are we barely past the starting gate? (Dec 05/07) Rochester City Newspaper
Spitzer participates in carbon markets partnership meeting on global warming - Lisbon, Portugal -- A coalition of European countries, U.S. states, Canadian provinces, New Zealand and Norway Monday announced the formation of the International Carbon Action Partnership to fight global warming. New York Governor Spitzer was among those participating. (Oct. 30, 07) New York State News on the Net!
Climate change already upon us - In 50 years, New York will be like Georgia, expert says — At first blush, the forecast doesn't sound that bad. Temperatures in upstate New York have climbed, on average, 1 degree over the past 50 years and will do the same during the next 50. The biggest seasonal change is in winter: Over the past 50 years, average winter temperatures have risen 2 degrees. (October 31, 2007) Democrat & Chronicle
www.ny.gov - GOVERNOR SPITZER UNVEILS CUTTING-EDGE GLOBAL WARMING REGULATIONS New York to Be Part of First ‘Cap and Trade’ Program in the Nation - Fulfilling his pledge to provide sound environmental stewardship, Governor Eliot Spitzer today unveiled new draft regulations to carry out a cutting-edge regional program that will cut greenhouse gases emitted by New York power plants. Today, New York issued draft regulations for implementing the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). RGGI is an agreement by 10 Northeastern states to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Under RGGI, participating states will each issue their own regulations, and when fully implemented RGGI will achieve a 16 percent reduction in emissions from projected business-as-usual emissions. Under the groundbreaking draft regulations established by Governor Spitzer, a power plant would have to buy enough carbon credits or allowances (one allowance per ton of emissions) to cover its emissions in a flexible, market-based system that are similar to those used to combat acid rain. (Oct. 24, 07) GOV SITE
Greenhouse-gas emissions would fall under Spitzer proposal — ALBANY — Gov. Eliot Spitzer unveiled new regulations Wednesday to cut greenhouse-gas emissions from New York power plants by 10 percent over the next 12 years. New York is one of 10 Northeast states that have banded together to try to reduce the greenhouse gases, in the absence of what they see as an effective federal effort. (October 25, 2007) Democrat & Chronicle
Global warming regulations unveiled - Albany -- Governor Eliot Spitzer Wednesday unveiled new draft regulations to carry out a regional program that will cut greenhouse gases emitted by New York power plants. Today, New York issued draft regulations for implementing the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. (Oct. 25, 07) New York State News on the Net!
The Future Is Drying Up - Scientists sometimes refer to the effect a hotter world will have on this country’s fresh water as the other water problem, because global warming more commonly evokes the specter of rising oceans submerging our great coastal cities. (Sept. 21, 07) The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia
Global warming could cause rise in sewer bills Increase in storms may overwhelm system upgrades - Global warming, already on the hook for declining polar bear populations, disappearing glaciers and rising sea levels, may also increase your sewer bill. A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency climate change expert says warming temperatures over the next several decades will be accompanied by an increase in the number and severity of storms. The combination will reduce the effectiveness of scores of federally mandated sewer improvements and water treatment upgrades designed to stop almost all of the sewage pollution flowing into rivers and creeks when it rains. (Oct.3, 2007) Post-Gazette NOW
Canadians alarmed over climate change OTTAWA - Canadians are now expressing alarm about climate change in greater numbers than in any developed nation except France, according to a poll released Tuesday. Unless politicians respond with aggressive action to curb greenhouse gas emissions, they risk paying a heavy price, warns the president of the polling firm that commissioned the survey. (Sept 7, 07) http://www.canada.com/
TheStar.com - Environment - Could climate change herald mass migration? Concerns raised as the U. S. Southwest grapples with historic drought, water supply depletion and the creeping sense that things can only get worse - than 300 golf courses, a booming economy, endless sunshine and, at last count, at least five Saks Fifth Avenue department stores — in short, nearly everything the well-heeled sybarite would need. There’s just one thing missing: rain. For the past month, not a drop has fallen in Maricopa County, home to greater Phoenix, the state’s economic engine and fastest-growing hub. Over that period, temperatures have hovered five to seven degrees above the 30-year average, at one point holding steady at over 43C for 10 straight days, while hundreds of brush fires burned statewide. (July 22, 07) TheStar.com
Global Warming to Hit U.S. Northeast Hard, Scientists Say Long-term Severity Depends On Near-term Choices, Scientists Say "CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—If heat-trapping emissions are not significantly curtailed, global warming will substantially change critical aspects of the Northeast's character and economy, according to a new report by the Northeast Climate Impacts Assessment (NECIA), a two-year collaboration between the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) and a team of more than 50 scientists and economists. Near-term choices about energy, transportation, and land-use will largely determine the extent and severity of climate change." (July 11, 2007) Union of Concerned Scientists
An inconvenient truth is re-examined The risks of global warming have been well-documented. However, might there also be advantages to climate change? - GHENT — It’s not in Al Gore’s PowerPoint presentation, but there are some upsides to global warming. Northern homes could save on heating fuel. Rust Belt cities like Buffalo might stop losing snowbirds to the South. Canadian farmers could harvest bumper crops. Greenland may become awash in cod and oil riches. Shippers could count on an Arctic shortcut between the Atlantic and Pacific. Forests may expand. Mongolia could see a go-go economy. So . . . surf’s up, Buffalo? (June 20, 07) Buffalo News
Cornell expert paints grim picture of climate - ALBANY -- Imagine if summers in New York were more like those in Georgia. Huge rainstorms cause massive floods that are followed by months of drought. Snow-belt strongholds such as Rochester and Buffalo see only a few days of snow every winter. This is the picture that a climate change expert painted here Friday. (April 4, 07) http://www.stargazettenews.com/
Warming could spark N. American water scramble-UN | Reuters NEW YORK, April 11 (Reuters) - Climate change could diminish North American water supplies and trigger disputes between the United States and Canada over water reserves already stressed by industry and agriculture, U.N. experts said on Wednesday. Breaking News, World, U.S., Video, Investing and Business News & More | Reuters.com
Good editorial in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle on Global Warming. You can join in the discussion: Bush must catch up - Fortunately, efforts under way to reduce greenhouse gases (Feb 12, 07) Democrat & Chronicle
02/15/07 - Here’s an interesting speculation on the importance of the recent climate change report: Change coming for Ohio trees, birds Global warming could drive out native species, bring southern varieties up north - Young Ohioans walking through the woods today likely will remember a different place when they stroll the same forest in 75 years. When the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its report Feb. 2 in Paris, the world heard clearly that humans are causing global warming. What that means to different continents and regions varies. In the United States, forecasts suggest that rising oceans will swallow coastal areas. (Feb 13, 07) The Columbus Dispatch
MPNnow.com: Why is it so warm? Storms in the West have been getting headlines, but even more puzzling are record highs in the East tied to something called the North Atlantic Oscillation. Is global warming responsible? Some experts are zeroing in on a seesaw climate pattern that occurs over the North Atlantic, called the North Atlantic Oscillation or NAO — less publicly known than El Niño, and certainly less understood. MPNnow.com: Rochester and Western Finger Lakes News, Entertainment, Sports, Opinions, Photos and More
Weird warmth puzzles plants - With springlike temperatures and no snow cover, buds making early arrival. — As above-normal temperatures have stretched into January, the Rochester region's landscapes have been growing faster and without their usual insulating blanket of white. That creates an unusual dynamic for plants and wildlife. (January 6, 2007) Democrat & Chronicle
Warmth Brings Out The Buds - Most Januaries, we don't expect to see the kinds of things one will notice on a walk through Highland Park. But a much warmer-than-usual winter means flowers are flowering, and buds on trees and shrubs are budding. (January 5, 2007) R News: As It Happens, Where It Happens
Where's winter? El Niño said to cause startling warmth in East — Maybe Rochester's winter hitched a ride out of town on the high-speed ferry. Regardless, winter weather has been notably absent. Last month, the Rochester area saw the least amount of snowfall of any December on record with the National Weather Service going back to 1940. (January 4, 2007) Democrat & Chronicle
ce wine prospects are melting away - Ice wine makers in the region, as well as Canada, are in dire straits because of this winter's mild weather, and some fear there will be no product at all if January doesn't bring icy temperatures. Ice wines, which are very sweet, dessert-style drinks, are unique because the grapes used are harvested and pressed while frozen. Finger Lakes Times Online

2006

Mild weather leaves us wondering where the snow is - According to National Weather Service data, only 4.2 inches of snow has fallen in Rochester since Oct. 1, with 3.3 inches of that this month. The normal snowfall for December to date is 17.9 inches. And in an average winter, 25 inches of snow falls on Rochester for all of December. (December 27, 2006) Democrat & Chronicle
Impact of pollution plan debated -- Page 1 -- Times Union - Albany NY ALBANY -- Power plant executives and environmentalists squared off Thursday over the cost of the state's ambitious proposal to combat global warming. Under proposed rules for the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, plant owners would be forced to purchase state-issued credits to emit carbon dioxide, a leading greenhouse gas. Starting in 2009, the state would sell credits for 63.4 million tons of carbon dioxide annually. The target is to cut emissions 10 percent starting in 2015 by reducing the amount of credits. (December 17, 2006) Albany NY News - Times Union - Serving Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady, Troy
GLOBAL WARMING REPORT PREDICTS INCREASE IN HEAT-RELATED ILLNESSES, ASTHMA & FLOODING, INFRASTRUCTURE DAMAGE FOR NYS - Environmental Advocates of New York Releases Forecast for New York Report Documenting Global Warming Impacts & Next Steps - (Albany, NY)—On November 29, Environmental Advocates of New York released Forecast for New York: Projected Global Warming Impacts & Next Steps, a report projecting the impacts of climate change on New York State, including the effects of global warming on the state’s public health, infrastructure, agriculture industry, and water supply, among other impacts. Forecast for New York also describes the state’s current strategies to address global warming and policy recommendations to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These recommendations are particularly relevant in light of the anticipated release of the state’s rule for implementation of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) in New York, a seven-state plan to cut carbon dioxide emissions from electric power generators in the Northeast. -- from Environmental Advocates of New York
Buffalo News - Climate change is coming, climate change is coming! How global warming will affect the Great Lakes and Western New York - Stronger storms. Shorter winters. Drier soils, heat waves, heavy rains and flooding. Lake Erie levels that are lower than ever - maybe. You probably have heard so much about climate change by now that your mind freezes at its mere mention. News reports, scientific testimonials, advertisements, television programs, movies, political posturing and conversation abound. It can be exhausting, and as a result some jump to the conclusion that it is too complicated an issue and not much can be done about it anyway. Thinking shuts down. People shut up.
WXXI: U of R Panel Says No Silver Bullets for Energy Policy (2006-10-07) ROCHESTER, NY A panel that included a Nobel Prize winner and a former U.S. Department of Energy official told an audience at the University of Rochester on Saturday that it's too late to avoid climate change from fossil fuels. They said the world has to find options to oil and coal in ways that preserve its economy and also fights global warming. Director John Holdren of the Woods Hole Research Center, Nobel Prize winning physicist Steven Chu and others spoke at the U of R's Meliora Weekend. (2006-10-07) Public NewsRoom
City Newspaper: Cover Story: Cover story: The hots, for you The planet is warming up. What does that mean for Rochester? The short answer is that nobody really knows. A climate is a complex thing. Change one little part of it and you may change the whole thing --- and in unpredictable ways. Still, that doesn't mean scientists can't make some sound educated guesses about what could happen. And if any of those guesses prove accurate, the Rochester of tomorrow could be a very different place from the one we know today. May 3, 2006) City Newspaper
Nature's calendar springing forward - Whiff of warmth, early buds point to stronger and stronger trend — The budding trees on Rochester streets are a testament to this extraordinarily warm winter. But earlier springs have been a reality for the past 30 years as the climate began to change, according to data collected across New England and discussed by researchers during a telephone conference Friday. "Stronger and stronger evidence of climate change is upon us," said David Wolf of Cornell University. "Nature's calendar is responding to the warming." Warming trend Many records suggest that spring is arriving earlier in the Northeast. All figures reflect average changes over at least the past 30 years. Lake ice is disappearing nine to 16 days earlier. Average winter temperatures are 4.4 degrees warmer. The growing season has increased by eight days. The period of time with snow on the ground has decreased by 16 days. Plants are blooming four to eight days earlier. (March 11, 2006) Democrat and Chronicle

2005

Activist has solutions to warming - Speaker says global changes can be halted — Americans can't afford to wait for the world to solve our climate change problems, a local activist said Monday night. Hugh Mitchell of Rochester recently returned from a national Sierra Club meeting. The role of irresponsible energy choices in increasing global warming was chosen as the club's top national priority. "We need to make radical changes in our energy use and lifestyle," Mitchell said to local environmentalists in Penfield. (October 26, 2005) Democrat and Chronicle

2004

Study: Lilacs say spring is coming earlier— Already eager for spring? It's coming a week earlier than it did 40 years ago, new research suggests. Cornell University scientists, using first-bloom data on Rochester lilacs and other plants, say their study illustrates shifting patterns in the Northeast's climate. (December 14, 2004) Democrat and Chronicle
Democrat & Chronicle: Rising temps a local worry Cornell researcher says global warming will affect area's crops. (November 15, 2004) — To David W. Wolfe, a crop biologist at Cornell University, global warming is not only very real, its effects are local. In the Northeast, where he and other scientists have been studying the likely regional effects of global warming for a decade, the average annual temperature has already jumped 1.8 degrees in the last century. (November15, 2004) Democrat and Chronicle

2003

Democrat & Chronicle: Speaker warns of global warming — Since the 1950s, a 750 billion-ton section of ice shelf, larger than Rhode Island and warmed by rising global temperatures, has slipped into the sea. This and other startling facts were part of a presentation Tuesday evening by Richard H. Moss, director of the U.S. Climate Change Science Program Office in Washington, D.C. (October 29, 2003) Democrat and Chronicle
Democrat & Chronicle: Study: Future climate to heat up — Are fig trees coming soon to the Snow Belt? Not quite. But a leading scientist will be in Rochester this month to discuss the impact of climate change on New York. Richard Moss, director of the U.S. Climate Change Science Program Office, will deliver the keynote address at the annual Salute to the Environment on Oct. 28, sponsored by the Rochester-based Center for Environmental Information. (October 20, 2003) Democrat and Chronicle
Near Drought - Cornell Cooperative Extension of Monroe County says farmers are reporting near drought conditions. Agricultural specialist Bob King says this situation is close to one last year and possibly even worse..."We're pretty close, we're on the edge of an agricultural drought we're not quite there yet. We're hoping that the weather will change and we'll get a good inch or two of rain." WHAM News
Warm welcome - Lots of studies point to the disastrous consequences of climate change on oceans and glaciers, continental climates, and other things global. But now the Boston-based Union of Concerned Scientists and the Ecological Society of America have brought the issue down to our backyards. The two groups recently issued a report, Confronting Climate Change in the Great Lakes Region, which looks at problems and offers regional solutions state-by-state. The report predicts "New York's climate will grow considerably warmer and probably drier during this century." Summer temperatures around here could rise seven to 14 degrees Fahrenheit, "roughly the same as the warming since the last ice age." There also could be changes in precipitation patterns (with drier soils and more droughts), more frequent "extreme events," and declines in Great Lakes ice cover. (May 22, 2003) http://www.rochester-citynews.com
GOVERNOR CALLS ON NORTHEAST STATES TO FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE Governor George E. Pataki today announced that he has asked the governors from Maine to Maryland to join together in a regional strategy to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. The initiative would involve developing a regional market-based emissions trading system to require power generators to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. "While New York State has already implemented some of the nation's toughest air pollution regulations and developed effective energy efficiency initiatives to improve air quality, we can build on these efforts through a regional approach that promotes further emission reductions at power generating facilities," Governor Pataki said. "To that end, I have contacted governors from Maine to Maryland to encourage them to work with us to develop a strategy that will help the region lead the nation in the effort to fight global climate change. -- Office of the Governor Press Releases 2003
'Tougher greenhouse gas limits urged' - timesunion.com New York would lead the nation in limiting the main greenhouse gas emitted by power plants if Gov. George Pataki accepts the recommendations in a final report by his task force on global warming, members of the body said Wednesday. The report, which is not yet public, calls for a less-dramatic reduction of carbon dioxide emissions than discussed in a 2002 draft report, but still calls for the most aggressive cuts adopted by any state. (April 27, 2003) Albany NY Times Union: timesunion.com

2002

'Statewide campaign aims to curb global warming' - timesunion.com Environmentalists, teachers organize grass-roots effort to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 10 percent (November 26, 2002) Albany NY Times Union: timesunion.com
Scientist Links Dying Lobsters To Warmer Waters STONY BROOK, NY (AP) - A scientist suspects that increasingly warm water may be responsible for the precipitous decrease in the number of lobsters in the Long Island Sound, a published report said Saturday. "The correlation is very strong," Alistair Dove, a pathologist at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, told The New York Times. "Not proven, but strong. Climate is the killer here." (November 11, 2002) WOKR-TV 13 || ROCHESTER
Farmers Get Rain Too Late Isidore soaked us with all she had left Friday. Two to five inches of rain from what used to be a tropical storm should have had us bailing, but it didn't. Thank your dry summer of 2002 for that. Still, not many people want to get wet picking out produce at a roadside farmer’s stand. "It's been very slow, probably ten people the whole day," Elaine Boyer said. R News: Your NewsChannel
State Officials Ask Bush to Act on Global Warming — In a letter that attacks what it says is the Bush administration's failure to address the looming crisis of global warming, the attorneys general of 11 states have written to the president pressing for strong federal measures to limit emissions of so-called greenhouse gases. The state officials argue in the letter, to be sent on Wednesday to President Bush, that his administration's "regulatory void" has left it to the states to piece together a patchwork of inconsistent regulations on the environment and that a strong federal policy would be far more effective. July 16 The New York Times on the Web
Ozone Alert Blankets Rochester If you had a tougher time of it mowing the lawn or even taking a stroll, you can blame it on the weather and something scientists call an ozone alert day. (July 3, 2002) RNews.
N.Y. and the greenhouse Governor Pataki has an opportunity to set the standard on carbon dioxide
Yahoo! News - Alaska, No Longer So Frigid, Starts to Crack, Burn and Sag ANCHOR POINT, Alaska, June 13 To live in Alaska when the average temperature has risen about seven degrees over the last 30 years means learning to cope with a landscape that can sink, catch fire or break apart in the turn of a season. (June 17, 2002) The New York Times on the Web
Yahoo! News - Global Warming Shatters Giant Antarctic Ice Shelf LONDON (Reuters) - An Antarctic ice shelf the size of a small country has disintegrated under the impact of global warming (news - web sites), scientists said Tuesday. Although scientists at the British Antarctic Survey predicted four years ago the eventual disintegration of the giant Larsen B ice shelf -- 1,255 square miles and 655 feet deep -- they were astounded by the speed of the break up. (March 19, 2002) Yahoo News
Warm Weather Causing Early Maple Syrup Season Rochester, NY - The state's maple syrup season is getting an early start, thanks to the spell of warm weather. Bob King of the Cornell Cooperative Extension says maple syrup producers in the Rochester region are in the midst of a major sap run that started on Monday. (February 21, 2002) iKnowRochester.com

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