News Roundup
‘WASHINGTON — The Obama administration announced fuel economy standards Tuesday that would require car makers to almost double the average gas mileage for passenger vehicles to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025.’
via Obama administration calls for cars to get almost 55 mpg by 2025 – latimes.com.
‘The Arctic has lost more sea ice this year than at any time since satellite records began in 1979, Nasa says.Scientists involved in the calculations say it is part of a fundamental change.’
via BBC News – Arctic sea ice reaches record low, Nasa says.
‘PITTSBURGH — In a surprising turnaround, the amount of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere in the U.S. has fallen dramatically to its lowest level in 20 years, and government officials say the biggest reason is that cheap and plentiful natural gas has led many power plant operators to switch from dirtier-burning coal.’
‘(Reuters) – Parasites look set to become more virulent because of climate change, according to a study showing that frogs suffer more infections from a fungus when exposed to unexpected swings in temperatures.’
via Parasites may get nastier with climate swings: study | Reuters.
‘UBAI, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) — Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) said Wednesday it awarded a total of six leading companies nuclear fuel supply contracts worth 3 billion U.S. dollars, local news agency WAM reported.’
via UAE awards nuclear fuel supply contracts worth USD 3 bn – Xinhua | English.news.cn.
‘The United States will suffer a series of severe droughts in the next two decades, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change. Moreover, global warming will play an increasingly important role in their abundance and severity, claims Aiguo Dai, the study’s author.’
via Climate models that predict more droughts win further scientific support – The Washington Post.
‘HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut’s nuclear power plant shut down one of two units on Sunday because seawater used to cool down the plant is too warm.’
via Warm seawater forces Conn. nuclear plant shutdown – Businessweek.
‘Humans are over-exploiting underground water reservoirs in many large agricultural areas in Asia and North America, sucking up water faster than nature can replenish it, according to a recent inventory of global aquifer use.’
via Groundwater over-exploited in agricultural regions, study finds – latimes.com.
‘OSLO (Reuters) – A big expansion of Antarctica’s ice almost a million years ago may help scientists predict modern climate change, a study showed.’
via Antarctica’s ancient ice growth gives climate clues – Yahoo! Weather.
Above average climate reporting by the LA times and the Madeline Brand Show which interviewed Richard Muller, simply because they refer both to Jim Hansen’s recent climate/heat wave conclusions and to Muller’s comments in response. Muller says the while Jim Hansen findings are correct, his presentation exaggerates the results.
“If we are a degree warmer, which is what he and I agree we have warmed up in the last 50 years — one degree warmer — then you will have more heat spells, they’ll be a little bit hotter, more records — but they’ll only be one degree. When he says expect more heat waves, what that means is, if you were used to a heat wave of 101 degrees, now you’ll have a heat wave of 102.” [~ Muller]
via Hot summers and global warming: Another scientist’s view – latimes.com.