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The Hard Math of Flood Insurance in a Warming World

Sat, 2013-10-26 23:14 — Kathy Gilbeaux

      

A man walks through flooded streets in Hoboken, New Jersey, after Superstorm Sandy | Emile Wamsteker/Bloomberg via Getty Images

As subsidized rates of federal flood insurance rise, property owners along the coasts get angry. But we need insurance that reflects the risks of a changing planet

time.com - by Bryan Walsh - October 1, 2013

Thousands of homeowners in flood-prone parts of the country are going to be in for a rude awakening.  On Oct. 1, new changes to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which offers government-subsidized policies for households and businesses threatened by floods, mean that businesses in flood zones and homes that have been severely or repeatedly flooded will start going up 25% a year until rates reach levels that would reflect the actual risk from flooding. (Higher rates for second or vacation homes went into effect at the start of 2013.) That means that property owners in flood-prone areas who might have once been paying around $500 a year—rates that were well below what the market would charge, given the threat from flooding—will go up by thousands of dollars over the next decade.

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New Study Predicts Year Your City's Climate Will Change

Thu, 2013-10-24 17:17 — Kathy Gilbeaux

                                               (CLICK ON MAP IMAGE BELOW TO ENLARGE)

       

smithsonianmag.com - nationalgeographic.com - October 9, 2013

Climate change is a global problem, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to hit us all the same time.

If you live in Moscow, scientists estimate that your local climate will depart from the historical norm in the year 2063. In New York, that date is the year 2047. And if you happen to reside in Mexico City or Jakarta, those numbers are 2031 and 2029, respectively.

See a pattern here? These estimates, which all come from a new study published today in Nature by scientists from the University of Hawaii, reflect a concerning trend that some scientists believe will define the arrival of climate change’s effects on the planet: It’ll arrive in tropical, biodiverse areas first.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

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FUKUSHIMA DISASTER: IMPACTS AND CONTINUING THREATS

Wed, 2013-10-23 12:36 — Gina Angiola

Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) Report, 2013

More than two years since the nuclear disaster began at the Fukushima Daiichi reactors, its impact is massive and widespread. It will be decades before the full scope of the impacts of this ongoing disaster is fully understood but significant health, economic, environmental and social consequences are already evident and quantifiable. Furthermore, independent expert analyses has documented extraordinary industry influence on government regulators, especially widespread collusion among the Japanese government, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the owner/operator of Fukushima, and the nuclear/utility industry. The Fukushima disaster leaves Japan with massive economic loss, radiation exposure to children and others, and a nation grappling with an uncertain nuclear future.

FULL REPORT HERE

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Gut Bacteria May Exacerbate Depression

Tue, 2013-10-22 14:06 — Gina Angiola

Scientific American, October 23,2013

The digestive tract and the brain are crucially linked, according to mounting evidence showing that diet and gut bacteria are able to influence our behavior, thoughts and mood. Now researchers have found evidence of bacterial translocation, or “leaky gut,” among people with depression.

Normally the digestive system is surrounded by an impermeable wall of cells. Certain behaviors and medical conditions can compromise this wall, allowing toxic substances and bacteria to enter the bloodstream... 

FULL ARTICLE HERE

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Supreme Court Preserves Victory Over Oil/Gas Development in Utah

Sun, 2013-10-20 23:58 — admin

earthjustice.org - October 18, 2013 - Doug Pflugh

It is rewarding to successfully wrap-up a case. This can be especially true when our work protects special places, preserving them for future generations. It is a pleasure to be able to point at a map and say, “Those are the places that were saved.”

The U.S. Supreme Court took action last week that did just that—endorsing an earlier conservation victory and ending the long fight over proposed oil and gas development on the doorstep of beloved public lands in the west ...

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Climate Change Creates Complicated Consequences for North America's Forests

Sun, 2013-10-20 20:29 — Maeryn Obley

Dartmouth Professor Matt Ayres studies the southern pine bark beetle, a forest pest that may be the largest source of disturbance in coniferous forests throughout North America. (Credit: Eli Burakian)

Image: Dartmouth Professor Matt Ayres studies the southern pine bark beetle, a forest pest that may be the largest source of disturbance in coniferous forests throughout North America. (Credit: Eli Burakian)

sciencedaily.com - October 15th, 2013

Climate change affects forests across North America -- in some cases permitting insect outbreaks, plant diseases, wildfires and other problems -- but Dartmouth researchers say warmer temperatures are also making many forests grow faster and some less susceptible to pests, which could boost forest health and acreage, timber harvests, carbon storage, water recycling and other forest benefits in some areas.

The Dartmouth-led study, which appears in the journal Ecological Monographs, reviewed nearly 500 scientific papers dating to the 1950s, making it the most comprehensive review to date of climate change's diverse consequences for forests across the United States, Canada and the rest of North America.

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Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Accident: Ongoing Lessons for New York (and elsewhere)

Sun, 2013-10-20 11:34 — Gina Angiola
This panel discussion,Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Accident: Ongoing Lessons for New York, is an extremely informative review of the devastating nuclear event in Japan, the continuing challenges there, and the implications for our own nuclear energy facilities in the U.S. Start the video around 5 minutes in, as there is dead-time at the beginning. The total length is roughly three hours.

The panel includes the former Japanese Prime Minister, Naoto Kan; Ralph Nader, political activist, author, attorney and lecturer; Dr. Gregory Jaczko; former NRC Commissioner, Peter Bradford; and nuclear engineer, Arnie Gundersen. The panel specifically addresses concerns regarding the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant now operating with an expired license in Buchanan, New York.

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Chevron Goes to Trial in New York Over $18 Billion Ecuador Award

Sat, 2013-10-19 18:12 — Kathy Gilbeaux

A Chevron gas station sign is pictured at one of their retain gas stations in Cardiff, California October 9, 2013. 
Credit: Reuters/Mike Blake

reuters.com - by Bernard Vaughan - October 14, 2013

(Reuters) - Chevron Corp will try to convince a U.S. judge this week that a group of Ecuadorean villagers and their U.S. lawyer used bribery to win an $18 billion judgment against Chevron from a court in Ecuador, in the latest chapter in a long-running fight over pollution in the Amazon jungle.

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CLICK HERE - Wikipedia - History - Lago Agrio Oil Field

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What is the Future of Energy Storage in North America?

Thu, 2013-10-17 21:42 — Kathy Gilbeaux

                                                (CLICK ON IMAGE BELOW TO ENLARGE)

    

submitted by Albert Gomez

greentechmedia.com - by Chet Lyons - October 10, 2013

Grid-Scale Energy Storage in North America 2013: Applications, Technologies and Suppliers

We are now entering the early growth stages of what will surely become a giant global industry - energy storage - which will both support and compete with conventional generation, transmission and distribution resources. The evolution of the industry will lead to new business models and the creation of new companies that make, apply and operate storage assets to help the grid work more reliably and cost-effectively, while decreasing unwanted environmental impacts.

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Increased Mercury Levels Near Tar Sands

Thu, 2013-10-17 21:10 — Kathy Gilbeaux

priceofoil.org - by Andy Rowell - October 15, 2013

CLICK HERE - STUDY - Mercury Trends in Colonial Waterbird Eggs Downstream of the Oil Sands Region of Alberta, Canada

Scientists have released yet another academic study that indicates the growing ecological impact of the tar sands.

They measured the amount of mercury in birds eggs downstream from the tar sands and compared them to eggs some distance away from the polluting region.

What they found was that the eggs of certain species of predatory birds living downstream from the tar sands were found to have “statistically significant increases” of the dangerous heavy metal, mercury.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

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