Planet Earth – November 13, 2012 – Podcast

During the summer of 2007, following exceptionally high rainfall, the UK experienced devastating floods. They affected over 7000 businesses and 48,000 homes, and cost an estimated £3.2 billion. Research into the causes of the floods revealed that, rather than soaking through the soil, excessive water built up in urban areas because its flow into aquifers was blocked by impermeable concrete, tarmac and tiles. And with climate change making extreme weather more likely, planners, architects and engineers are being forced to consider how they might manage excess surface water. For full story and to view podcast, click here.

By David Gabel – ENN – November 28, 2012

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projected an annual sea level rise last year in 2011 of 2 millimeters per year. According to new satellite data, there appears to be a stark difference between their projections and reality. Sea-levels are rising 60 percent faster than predicted, at a rate of 3.2 millimeters per year. Global temperatures, on the other hand, are continuing to rise at the consistent pace which IPCC predicted. The study shows that the increased rate in sea-level rise is not significantly affected by internal variability in Earth's climate system, but is rather reflective of a general trend. To read full article, click here.

Comparing climate projections to observations up to 2011

By Stefan Rahmstorf and Grant Foster  et.al. – Environmental Research Letters – November 9, 2012
The authors analyze global temperature and sea-level data for the past few decades and compare them to projections published in the third and fourth assessment reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The results show that global temperature continues to increase in good agreement with the best estimates of the IPCC, especially if they account for effects of short-term variability due to the El Niño/Southern Oscillation, volcanic activity and solar variability. The rate of sea-level rise of the past few decades, on the other hand, is greater than projected by the IPCC models. This suggests that IPCC sea-level projections for the future may also be biased low. For study, click here. Full text PDF, click here.

By Cas R. Sunstein – The New York Times – November 10, 2012

The re-election of President Obama, preceded by the extraordinary damage done by Hurricane Sandy, raises a critical question: In the coming years, might it be possible for the United States to take significant steps to reduce the risks associated with climate change? A crucial decision during Ronald Reagan’s second term suggests that the answer may well be yes. The Reagan administration was generally skeptical about costly environmental rules, but with respect to protection of the ozone layer, Reagan was an environmentalist hero. Under his leadership, the United States became the prime mover behind the Montreal Protocol, which required the phasing out of ozone-depleting chemicals. For full story, click here.

By Alan Feuer –The New York Times – November 3, 2012

Arriving in Venice years ago, Robert Benchley, the New York journalist and wit, is said to have sent a mock-panicked telegram to his editor: “Streets flooded. Please advise.” After the enormous storm last week, which genuinely panicked New York with its staggering and often fatal violence, residents here could certainly identify with the first line of Benchley’s note. But what about the second? For full story, click here.