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Waste ash from hundreds of coal-fired power plants has contaminated groundwater in 39 states with toxic substances such as arsenic, lithium and mercury, according to a report by two environmental groups. SOURCE: CNN

CLICK HERE - REPORT - Coal’s Poisonous Legacy - Groundwater Contaminated by Coal Ash Across the U.S. (80 page .PDF report)

cnn.com - by Gregory Wallace - March 4, 2019

Waste ash from hundreds of coal-fired power plants has contaminated groundwater in 39 states with toxic substances like arsenic, lithium and mercury, according to a report by two environmental groups that was based on data the plants reported to the US Environmental Protection Agency.

The report, released Monday by the Environmental Integrity Project and Earthjustice, highlights more than a dozen instances in which those substances have reached drinking water supplies. The full extent of the effect on drinking water supplies is not known because private sources of drinking water are not tested, the report said.

nytimes.com - by Brad Plumer and Blacki Migliozzi - February 13, 2019

The United States is reducing its greenhouse gas emissions far too slowly to help avert the worst effects of global warming. But what would happen if the country adopted seven of the most ambitious climate policies already in place around the world?

1)  adopt an economy-wide carbon tax similar to British Columbia’s

2)  require utilities to produce all their electricity from zero-carbon sources

3)  encourage aggressive electric-vehicle incentives similar to Norway’s

4)  set efficiency targets for industries

5)  set energy efficiency standards for new homes and commercial buildings

6)  curb methane emissions from oil and gas operations

7)  adopt legislation to end the use of hydrofluorocarbons similar to the European Union’s

CLICK HERE - READ COMPLETE ARTICLE AND METHODOLOGY

A man helping strangers remove flood-damaged items from their home in a suburb of Townsville, in the Australian state of Queensland, on Thursday.  Credit Dan Peled/EPA, via Shutterstock

nytimes.com - by Livia Albeck-Ripka - February 7, 2019

. . . Community support is the biggest predictor of how well people recover from disasters, “over and above the horrors of the trauma” . . .

As climate change makes it likely that disasters will become more intense and frequent, researchers are studying how communities respond, and what they need to be resilient. Being part of a community response can be “protective” . . .

. . . the real danger zone is six to 12 months after a disaster strikes. It is then, experts agree, when the news coverage fades and others seem to move on, that residents who are still struggling with practical issues, like insurance claims, and emotional trauma, can feel abandoned.

(CLICK HERE - READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

The U.S. experienced 14 billion-dollar weather and climate disasters

CLICK HERE - NOAA - 2018 Global Climate Analysis - Global Climate Report - Annual 2018

CLICK HERE - NOAA - Assessing the U.S. Climate in 2018 - U.S. billion-dollar weather and climate disasters

noaa.gov - February 6, 2019

Earth’s long-term warming trend continued in 2018 as persistent warmth across large swaths of land and ocean resulted in the globe’s fourth hottest year in NOAA’s 139-year climate record. The year ranks just behind 2016 (warmest), 2015 (second warmest) and 2017 (third warmest).

In separate analyses of global temperatures, scientists from NASA, the United Kingdom Met Office and the World Meteorological Organization also reached the same heat ranking . . .