Californians Become World's Leading Water Thieves & More

Liquid treasure: Water theft rising in 

drought-ravaged California

It’s not quite “Mad Max,” but Californians are resorting to water theft and police are playing catchup, as nearly half of the state suffers in the throes of an intense drought.

Proposed Rule for Big Trucks Aims at Cutting Fuel Emissions 

It will require truck manufacturers to increase their fuel efficiency by about a third, up from the current average of about six miles a gallon. The E.P.A. estimates the cost of improving vehicle fuel efficiency technology will cost $10,000 to $12,000 a vehicle for the largest trucks, and somewhat less for smaller trucks, but it estimates that those costs will be recouped by fuel savings in less than two years.

Championing Environment, Francis Takes Aim at Global Capitalism 

“I respect what the pope says about the need for action, but this is out of step with the thinking and the work of informed policy analysts around the world, who recognize that we can do more, faster, and better with the use of market-based policy instruments — carbon taxes and/or cap-and-trade systems,” Robert N. Stavins, the director of the environmental economics program at Harvard, said in an email.

Norway Coal Divestment Not What It Seems 

The spike is largely the result of the fund’s downstream activity in Asia, where coal has gained some ground after years of high natural gas prices. In China and Japan, coal investments increased 32 percent and 21 percent respectively. In India, the fund withdrew from 13 coal companies, though it reinvested some $50 million dollars into Reliance Group – one of Asia’s biggest developers of coal-fired power. In all – and in these three countries – planned expansions in which the NGPFG holds shares amount to more than 160,000 megawatts of additional coal-fired capacity.

Climate Change Shortens Growing Seasons 

The researchers identified the range of temperatures, water supply, and sunlight under which plants grow around the globe. They then calculated the number of days per year that would fall within these thresholds of suitable growing conditions under three climate change projections—one in which strong carbon emission mitigation strategies are adopted, another with moderate mitigation strategies, and a "business-as-usual" scenario in which emissions continue at the current rate through the end of the 21st century.

 Top Weekly Ideas Or Insights

"The Extinction Debate"

NASA, EPA, #AMA et al - Officially Declare #GOP Brain Dead

Texas Congressman Lamar Smith Declares War on NASA and EPA Climate Science Research

MRI CONFIRMS NOTHING TO REPORT

Lamar Smith, a Republican member of the US House of Representatives, has declared war on the Obama administration, NASA and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to undermine attempts to prevent dangerous climate change, report Kyla Mandel and Brendan Montague from Washington DC, USA.

TOP SECRET GOP CLIMATE DENIER TRAINING VIDEO

Speaking at the Heartland Institute’s climate denier conference in WashingtonDC today, the Texas congressman described how three subpoenas for EPA staff emails and texts have now been issued following claims about “secret emails” and personal use of email accounts by the agency. 

This follows a similar-spirited freedom of information request submitted to the EPA by Chris Horner, a senior legal fellow for the Energy and Environment Legal Institute supported by the ExxonMobil funded Competitive Enterprise Institute. 

Read More.

Texas Congressman Says -

"The Pope And His Boss Should Keep  Their Noses Out Of Climate Change"

 




JOIN US

WATCH  VATICAN’S OFFICIAL TRAILER

Released Here Tomorrow



THE  POPE'S 2015 GLOBAL WARMING SUMMIT

Canadian Leaders Know Tar Sands Huge Risk

Document Shows Canadian Government  Fully Aware of Tar Sands Dangers

A document recently released under Canada's access-to-information law reveals that Canadian government officials have been aware of the proliferation of contaminants associated with tar sands mining even as they continues to promote industry expansion with minimal regulation. The January 2015 briefing note, prepared for Natural Resources Minister Greg Rickford, discusses findings from a tar sands monitoring report published in December 2014 describing dangerous concentrations of iron and cadmium in Alberta's wetlands and of phosphorus and nitrogen in the Athabasca River.

In addition, increased concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in the toxic tailings ponds near tar sands strip mines are raising PAH levels in the atmosphere, which can lead to human health concerns like DNA damage and impaired development. The briefing note also highlights serious declines in species that rely on old forest habitat, which has been decimated by mining operations. Yet even with the knowledge furnished by this briefing note, the Canadian government has continued to promote the expansion of the tar sands industry, particularly through its support for tar sands pipelines like Keystone XL and Energy East.

Read More

We Stand On Guard For Thee

Bullwinkle Reports Warm Weather Ticks Attack Moose Population

Warming climate and winter ticks decimating moose populations

BROWNVILLE, Maine — Chris Read is the owner of the Gunsmoke Lodge in Brownville, Maine, and, along with many of his patrons, is a lifelong hunter of Maine’s wildlife, including moose.

But these days, he is worried. Though the state’s last official count of its moose population, in 2012, put the number of moose roaming Maine’s forests and mountains at about 76,000, he no longer believes that is accurate.

“I think the state’s numbers of deer moose are way off,” Read said. “I’m guessing it’s more like 50,000 to 55,000. It’s just my theory, based on sightings. I think the moose population is definitely in decline.”

He is not alone in his fears. Hunters, academics and environmentalists fear that moose numbers across Maine and in other parts of the U.S. are experiencing a worrying decline in numbers in the face of deadly ticks that are decimating populations. And at the root of the parasite problem could be something much harder to control: climate change. Read More.

Not Just A Cartoon

FIRE Causes Mass Alberta Oilsands Evacuation

Alberta forest fire forces evacuation of oilsands facilities

Cenovus Energy and Canadian Natural Resources Limited have evacuated their facilities within the Cold Lake Air Weapons range, close to Alberta's eastern border, due to an out-of-control forest fire in the area.

"Yesterday, CNRL evacuated their plant facilities in the Primrose area and then, last night at 11 o'clock, we advised Cenovus in Foster Creek that it would be a good precautionary move to evacuate their personnel as well," said  Leslie Lozinski, spokeswoman for the province's environmental and resource ministry.

Cenovus evacuated their facilities at Foster Creek because the fire threatened the only road out, which would have made any evacuation of the facility difficult. Read More

 Alberta Bound??

California - Why So Dry?

California Drought Caused By Climate Change

Human released greenhouse gas pollution changes the climatic system through a variety of mechanisms. Trade winds and jet streams change their patterns of movement, and the distribution of moisture in the air changes, with precipitation either lacking more than usual or being more abundant than usual. The patterns of movement of major air masses and the increased bifurcation of air masses into more wet than usual and more dry than usual can result in long periods where region experiences excess precipitation or a lack of precipitation. When the latter happens, there can be a drought.

Increasingly, the California drought is being seen as an effect of climate change. Air masses that should have contributed precipitation in the form of mountain snow, which in turn feed the western ground water system, have been kept away. Increased temperature has increased evaporation. Other factors related to climate change have contributed. The result is an historic drought over California that shows at present no sign of stopping any time soon. There was hope that last winter there would be additional precipitation, and there was some, but not enough. Read More

African Migrant Crisis Ties To Climate

Cause behind African migrant flood has terrifying implications for the world

The migrant crisis in the Mediterranean is symptomatic of deep dislocation in the Sahel region and sub-Saharan Africa — dislocation exacerbated by climate change.

Climate change is affecting such basic environmental conditions as rainfall patterns and temperatures and is contributing to more frequent natural disasters like floods and droughts. Over the long term, these changing conditions can undermine the rural livelihoods of farming, herding and fishing. The resulting rural dislocation is a factor in people’s decisions to migrate.

Migratory decisions are complex, of course, and nobody would argue that climate change is the only factor driving them. But climate change cannot be ignored. The second-order effects of climate change — undermined agriculture and competition for water and food resources — can contribute to instability and to higher numbers of migrants. Read More.

More Tragedies

Dr. Kinesa's - Global Edge

This is so awful, but you should expect more and more to come as populations move because of both climate change and the lack of any form of basic resources to survive with. Europe already in an economic pinch can ill afford to deal with a growing massive and costly migration problem.

Expect further social and political unrest as conditions deteriorate, including wars and greater violence.

International Offices

May 1, 2015

California Water #Crisis May Be Impossible To Fix

A guide to California's water crisis — and why it's so hard to fix

California saw this drought coming. Even if people in the state didn't know it would be this bad — now the worst in recorded history — they've known that dry years are inevitable and had all sorts of ideas for how to deal with them.

But for all that planning, California's current drought has been a disaster. Reservoirs are drying up. Crops are wilting in the fields. For the first time ever, towns and cities will face a mandatory 25 percent cut in their water use.

The problem isn't that no one foresaw the drought. The problem is that no one has been able to solve an underlying issue that is simultaneously less scary and also much harder than a dry spell: California's convoluted water system and intractable water politics. Read More

More Facts And Figures

Dr. Kinesa's - Global Edge

California is fast becoming the stage for one of the biggest climate related disasters; begging the obvious question - who in their right minds would be thinking about growing the state further in any economic  or physical way. The by-product consequences will also drive food costs everywhere to unprecedented heights.

Is this what happens when you put bone-head celebrities in key leadership positions? For sure, this  is not the only reason for the years of short -sightedness.

International Offices
April 28, 2015

DEAD SEA Is Truly Dying As #Sinkholes Grow

Sinkholes as Deep as Eight-Story Buildings Form Along Shoreline of the Disappearing Dead Sea

Sinkholes Litter Shorelines Spelling Doom For Sea

The Dead Sea is disappearing at an alarming rate, leaving behind thousands of sinkholes that are chipping away at the coastline's vibrant and touristy atmosphere.

The Dead Sea - which is actually a lake - is known for being almost 10 times as salty as the ocean and for having the lowest elevation on Earth. However, over the last few decades, the shoreline has become known for sinkholes that appear to just pop up out of nowhere.

Grand Canyon II?

More than 3,000 sinkholes exist along the banks of the Dead Sea, ABC News reported. And some of these craters dive 80 feet into the ground - the equivalent of about an eight-story building. Read More.

Dead Sea Is Drying Up

WATER CRISIS #BRAZIL - A Ghost of #Christmas Future?

Water crisis: 56 Northeastern cities 

are in situation of collapse, says 

Government

BRASILIA — in yet another Government meeting to evaluate the water crisis in part of the country, the diagnosis is that, in the Northeast, there are currently 56 cities in State of collapse, i.e. for more than four days without water.

Will IT Happen Here?

 According to the Government, there is an ongoing kite cars operation being managed by State and local governments. In the Southeast, despite the March rains, the water regime was lower than expected and the reservoirs of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo are still operating below the average. Read More

Dicken's Scrooge Also Climate Allegory?

A NEW ATLANTIS- #MIAMI Sinking!

Miami’s rising sea level is an enormous problem







In Miami Beach, Henry Briceño, a professor at Florida International University’s Southeast Environmental Research Center has been trying to raise awareness on how global warming is affecting his own community.

By Chiamaka Nwakeze

(Science Recorder ) – Eighteen American scientific societies including the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) have reached a consensus on global warming, namely that it is occurring and is largely attributable to human activities. These rising temperatures create significant changes in weather patterns across the globe, resulting in stronger hurricane storms, loss of natural habitats, species extinctions and rising sea levels.

In Miami Beach, Henry Briceño, a professor at Florida International University’s Southeast Environmental Research Center, has been trying to raise awareness on how global warming is affecting his own community.

Briceño has begun to sample the water around Miami Beach and has found high levels of nutrients such as nitrogen, which indicates that the quality of the water is poor. And like many scientists, Briceño, believes that the poor water quality is a result of climate change and global warming.

Read More 

Paradise in Peril