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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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ExxonMobil company charged with fracking-related crimes

Fri, 2013-10-04 23:53 — Maeryn Obley

ExxonMobil's flag flies near an oil refinery.Image: ExxonMobil's flag flies near an oil refinery.

grist.org - September 12th, 2013 - John Upton

ExxonMobil subsidiary XTO Energy is being prosecuted for alleged environmental crimes after it spilled fracking wastewater into a Pennsylvania river in 2010.

The company’s response? It claims the criminal charges could harm the environment.

(VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE)

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Tackling Antibiotic Resistance for Greater Global Health Security

Tue, 2013-10-01 22:48 — Kathy Gilbeaux

      

chathamhouse.org - Gemma L. Buckland Merrett, October 2013

DOWNLOAD PAPER HERE (16 page .PDF file)

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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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Nearly One In 10 U.S. Watersheds Is Stressed; Demand For Water Outpacing Supply: CIRES Study

Wed, 2013-09-25 21:31 — Kathy Gilbeaux

      

Nearly one in 10 U.S. watersheds is “stressed,” with demand for water exceeding natural supply, according to a new, CIRES-led analysis of surface water in the United States. This map shows all stressed watersheds in the continental United States (1999-2007), with color indicating increasing levels of stress, from light green to red. (Map – CIRES)

CIRES Study - Sectoral contributions to surface water stress in the coterminous United States

huffingtonpost.com - by Matt Ferner - September 24, 2013

Nearly one in 10 watersheds in the United States is "stressed," with demand for water exceeding natural supply -- a trend that appears likely to become the new normal, according to a recent study.

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CDC Sets Threat Levels for Drug-Resistant Superbugs

Wed, 2013-09-18 17:17 — Kathy Gilbeaux

      

CDC - cnn.com - by Miriam Falco - September 17, 2013

(CNN) -- Health officials have been warning us about antibiotic overuse and drug-resistant "superbugs" for a long time. But today the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is sounding the alarm in a new way.

For the first time, the CDC is categorizing drug-resistant superbugs by threat level.

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Press Release - Centers for Disease Control - Untreatable: Today’s Drug-Resistant Health Threats
http://www.cdc.gov/media/dpk/2013/dpk-untreatable.html

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Russia To Push Syria To Put Chemical Weapons Under International Control

Thu, 2013-09-12 21:42 — Maeryn Obley

Report: A New Direction - Our Changing Relationship with Driving and the Implications for America’s Future

Sun, 2013-09-01 22:45 — Kathy Gilbeaux

uspirg.org

Released by: U.S. PIRG Education Fund Release date: Tuesday, May 14, 2013

The Driving Boom—a six decade-long period of steady increases in per-capita driving in the United States—is over.

Americans drive fewer total miles today than we did eight years ago, and fewer per person than we did at the end of Bill Clinton’s first term. The unique combina­tion of conditions that fueled the Driving Boom—from cheap gas prices to the rapid expansion of the workforce during the Baby Boom generation—no longer exists. Meanwhile, a new generation—the Mil­lennials—is demanding a new American Dream less dependent on driving.

(CLICK HERE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION)

Report:  A New Direction - Our Changing Relationship with Driving and the Implications for America’s Future (69 page .PDF file)

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Rim Fire - Fire Tracker

Mon, 2013-08-26 22:55 — Kathy Gilbeaux

View Rim Fire in a larger map

http://projects.scpr.org/firetracker/rim-fire/

Fire Tracker, KPCC's tool for following & researching California wildfires, contains fire information displayed by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection -- also known as CalFire -- which protects more than 31 million acres of California's privately-owned wildlands and provides emergency services in 36 of the State's 58 counties.

About the data

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