News Roundup
‘Insurance commissioners in California, New York and Washington State will require that companies disclose how they intend to respond to the risks their businesses and customers face from increasingly severe storms and wildfires, rising sea levels and other consequences of climate change, California’s commissioner said Wednesday.’
via Three States Tell Insurers to Disclose Responses to Climate Change – NYTimes.com.
‘In New York City, where “unseasonably mild” and “balmy” have been the forecasts of late, temperatures this week have been at least 10 to 20 degrees warmer than the usual average high of 39, a pattern seen across much of the eastern half of the country.’
‘The Obama administration will likely announce rejection of TransCanada Corp.’s Keystone XL pipeline later today or tomorrow, according to two people familiar with the matter.’
via Obama Administration Said to Reject Keystone Pipeline – Bloomberg.
‘As the deadline looms for President Obama’s Feb. 21 decision on whether to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline, the dogfight is focused on job numbers. Project proponents tout an enormous number of new jobs created by the pipeline, but a labor institute says those numbers are greatly inflated.’
via New ads reignite fight over Keystone XL jobs numbers – latimes.com.
‘A giant tortoise species studied by Charles Darwin and believed to be extinct for more than 150 years may be alive and well, an ambitious genetic survey has revealed.’
via ‘Extinct’ tortoises may still be roaming a Galapagos island – latimes.com.
‘WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Congressional Republicans, who are urging President Barack Obama to give a permit to the Canada-to-Texas Keystone XL oil pipeline project, are working on a plan to take the reins of approval from the president should the White House say no.’
via Republicans move to control Keystone approval – Yahoo! News.
‘The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announced Tuesday that it has moved its “Doomsday Clock” to five minutes to midnight.’
via ‘Doomsday Clock’ moves 1 minute closer to midnight – Yahoo! News.
‘Bulletin authors are scheduled to decide today whether to adjust the clock again, after moving it a little further from the end of humanity two years ago 6 minutes to midnight. “The dangers posed by climate change are growing, but there are pockets of progress. Most notably, at Copenhagen, the developing and industrialized countries agree to take responsibility for carbon emissions and to limit global temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius,” the website timeline noted of 2010.’
‘HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Police have confiscated the carcass of an endangered wild tiger from a Hanoi restaurant where it was being boiled down to make an expensive traditional medicine.’
via Vietnam police seize tiger carcass from restaurant – Yahoo! News.
‘The 2011 “Climate B.S. of the Year Award” goes to the entire field of candidates currently stumping in New Hampshire for the Republican Party presidential nomination, the Pacific Institute announced Thursday.’