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Reinsurance Association of America's Senate Testimony on Climate Change

Sat, 2013-10-05 17:08 — admin

On July 18, 2013, Frank Nutter, President of the Reinsurance Association of America, testified before the Senate Committee on Environment Protection and Public Works as to the RAAs perspective on weather and climate-related impacts in the United States.

 

Following are excerpts from his report:

"In the 1980’s, the average number of natural catastrophes globally was 400 events per year. In recent years, the average is 1000. Munich Re’s analysis suggests the increase is driven almost entirely by weather-related events. North America has seen a fivefold increase in the number of such events since 1980. In comparison, Europe has seen a twofold increase.

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The Oceans are Heating, Acidifying and Choking

Sat, 2013-10-05 10:28 — Kathy Gilbeaux

newscientist.com - by Fred Pearce - October 4, 2013

CLICK HERE - State of the Ocean Report 2013

We know the oceans are warming. We know they are acidifying. And now, to cap it all, it turns out they are suffocating, too. A new health check on the state of the oceans warns that they will have lost as much as 7 per cent of their oxygen by the end of the century.

The cascade of chemical and biological changes now under way could see coral reefs irreversibly destroyed in 50 to 100 years, with marine ecosystems increasingly taken over by jellyfish and toxic algal blooms.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

(CLICK HERE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION)

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IPCC - Climate Change 2013 - The Physical Science Basis

Mon, 2013-09-30 17:10 — Kathy Gilbeaux

ipcc.ch - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

"Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis" is the contribution of Working Group I to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. This comprehensive assessment of the physical aspects of climate change puts a focus on those elements that are relevant to understand past, document current, and project future climate change.

(CLICK HERE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND FOR LINKS TO THE FULL REPORT)

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Action on Climate Change is a Moral Imperative - New U.N. Report Underscores the Urgency

Mon, 2013-09-30 16:39 — Kathy Gilbeaux

submitted by Margery Schab

eesi.org - Environmental and Energy Study Institute

Educating Congress on energy efficiency and renewable energy; advancing innovative policy solutions

For more information contact: Amaury Laporte at (202) 662-1884 or ***@***.***

"The emergence of the global warming problem creates an imperative for action that cannot be ignored." – The Environmental and Energy Study Institute's Board of Directors' unanimous statement, 1988.

In the past quarter century, the case for action has become ever more pressing, and the latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a scientific body under the auspices of the United Nations, adds yet more urgency. The IPCC, first set up in 1990, has become the world's leading scientific authority on climate change.

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U.N. Climate Change Report Points Blame at Humans

Sun, 2013-09-29 18:36 — Kathy Gilbeaux

cnn.com - by Dave Hennen, Brandon Miller and Eliott C. McLaughlin - September 27, 2013

(CNN) -- The world's getting hotter, the sea's rising and there's increasing evidence neither are naturally occurring phenomena.

So says a report from the U.N. International Panel on Climate Change, a document released every six years that is considered the benchmark on the topic. More than 800 authors and 50 editors from dozens of countries took part in its creation.

The summary for policymakers was released early Friday, while the full report, which bills itself as "a comprehensive assessment of the physical science basis of climate change," will be distributed Monday. Other reports, including those dealing with vulnerability and mitigation, will be released next year.

Here are the highlights from Friday's summary:

Man-made climate change is almost certain

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Colorado Flooding: Did Climate Change Play A Role In Recent Disaster?

Sat, 2013-09-21 23:02 — Maeryn Obley

Local residents look at the damage along Topaz Street September 13, 2013 in Boulder, Colorado. (Photo by Marc Piscotty/Getty Images) Image: Local residents look at the damage along Topaz Street September 13, 2013 in Boulder, Colorado. (Photo by Marc Piscotty/Getty Images)

huffingtonpost.com - September 14th, 2013

The Boulder, Colo. area is reeling after being inundated by record rainfall, with more than half a year’s worth of rain falling over the past three days. During those three days, 24-hour rainfall totals of between 8 and 10 inches across much of the Boulder area were enough to qualify this storm as a 1 in 1,000 year event, meaning that it has a 0.1 percent chance of occurring in a given year.

At least four people have been confirmed dead so far, and thousands have been evacuated from their homes and businesses.

(VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE)

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The Uncertain Summer of Our Discontent

Sun, 2013-09-08 22:03 — Maeryn Obley

Sea ice melts.

Image: Sea ice melts.

huffingtonpost.com - August 23rd, 2013 - Carl Pope

Advance copies of the latest assessment by the global climate science communities have been leaked to Reuters and the New York Times. Their fundamental message -- man caused changes in climate patterns are no longer in even trivial doubt, the certainty is now over 95 percent. This is the conclusion of the 5th report of the IPCC.

But this latest news is unlikely to move politicians, media outlets and businesses to change the way they handle the question of loading up the atmosphere with carbon dioxide and other greenhouse pollutants.

(VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE)

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A New California Oil Boom? - Drilling the Monterey Shale Part 1: Distracted by Fracking?

Sat, 2013-09-07 01:20 — Kathy Gilbeaux

 

thenextgeneration.org - by Robert Collier - August 8, 2013

This is the first installment of a special series looking at the potential climate and public health implications of a boom in Monterey Shale production.

Over the past few years, the United States has found itself in the midst of a major boom in oil and gas production. Rapid expansion in the use of a drilling technique called hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” has opened up previously unreachable pockets of oil and gas, and returned the U.S. to its historic position as a major global producer of these fossil fuels.

And it seems the boom may be coming to California.

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14 U.S. Cities That Could Disappear Over The Next Century, Thanks To Global Warming

Tue, 2013-08-27 23:05 — Kathy Gilbeaux

          

1.  Miami, Fla.

There is really no way around it: Thanks to climate change, sea levels are rising. A huge question on the minds of many is, what does this mean for America? Will sea walls and city planning protect major metropolises, or are we bound to lose some national gems?

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NOAA - State of the Climate in 2012

Wed, 2013-08-07 17:53 — Kathy Gilbeaux

noaa.gov - August 2013

CLICK HERE - Highlights

Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society (BAMS)
CLICK HERE - State of the Climate in 2012

CLICK HERE - State of the Climate in 2012
(258 page .PDF report)

2012 was one of the 10 warmest years on record globally

The end of weak La Niña, unprecedented Arctic warmth influenced 2012 climate conditions

August 6, 2013

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