17 November, ABC Science, New map of Earth’s groundwater to help estimate when it may run out. Less than 6 per cent of ground water in the upper two kilometres of the Earth’s landmass is renewable within a human lifetime, according to a new map showing the world’s hidden groundwater. “This has never been known before,” said the study’s lead author, Dr Tom Gleeson of the University of Victoria in Canada. “We already know that water levels in lots of aquifers are dropping. We’re using our groundwater resources too fast -faster than they’re being renewed.” Using data and computer models, an international group of hydrologists has produced the first data-driven estimate of the Earth’s total supply of groundwater. “Since we now know how much groundwater is being depleted and how much there is, we will be able to estimate how long until we run out.” The study, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, estimated a total volume of underground water to be almost 23 million cubic kilometres, of which 0.35 million cubic kilometres is younger than 50 years old. Underground water is found beneath the Earth’s surface and is recharged by rain, snow or water that leaks from the bottom of lakes and rivers. Its age can be a few months to millions of years. It can be found as deep as nine kilometres, according to the United States Geological Survey. “Since we now know how much groundwater is being depleted and how much there is, we will be able to estimate how long until we run out,” Dr Gleeson said. Read More here
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17 November 2015, Washington Post, In a major step on the road to Paris, rich countries agree to slash export subsidies for coal plants. After a concerted push from the United States, members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development agreed Tuesday to slash subsidies aimed at exporting technology for coal-fired power plants. The decision by the world’s wealthiest countries to eliminate export credits for the least efficient coal plants, which will take effect Jan. 1, 2017, and can be strengthened four years later, marks a major negotiating success for the Obama administration in the run-up to U.N. climate talks later this month. The U.S. and several other key global players–including France, the World Bank, the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development–have already limited its export financing for coal plants and had been pressing other nations, including Japan and South Korea, to follow suit. A senior administration official, who briefed reporters about the agreement reached in Paris on the condition of anonymity, said that under the new rules OECD countries would still provide export credits for coal plants using ultra-supercritical technology and help finance slightly less-efficient plants in the world’s poorest countries. But the policy would effectively cut off public financing for 85 percent of coal plants currently in the pipeline, he said. Jake Schmidt, who directs the international program at the Natural Resources Defense Council, estimated that these export agencies typically fund between five and seven coal plants a year. A large number of private banks follow the OECD guidelines for their own lending practices, he added, so the move could have “a ripple effect.” Read more here
16 November 2016, Science Daily, Study ranks six American cities on preparation for climate change. A new study assesses the factors that affect climate change adaptation and ranks six American cities, finding that Portland, Boston and Los Angeles are all in the advanced to middle stages of planning for extreme weather events linked to climate change while Raleigh and Tucson are in the early to middle stages. Tampa, a city that is at the highest risk for hurricanes in the United States, was at the bottom of the list with little or no planning for the shifting risks due to climate change, according to researchers at Milken Institute School of Public Health (Milken Institute SPH) at the George Washington University. This study, which is a first of a kind, found that the political culture of a given city could affect how well city officials moved to prepare for extreme weather. “Tampa is vulnerable to climate change and associated extreme weather,” says lead author Sabrina McCormick, PhD, an associate professor of environmental and occupational health at Milken Institute SPH. “Despite this risk, Florida’s political representatives remain largely unconcerned about climate change.” Without the political will or public education, city decision-makers interviewed said that Tampa was one of the least prepared cities in the nation. McCormick notes that more than 125,000 residents of the Tampa area live below the flood line and would face great danger during the next big hurricane that hits the Tampa coastline. The study is the first to look at societal factors, such as the political environment, and how they affect a city’s ability to act on climate change. “This research is critical to moving cities forward in addressing climate impacts so that economic risk can be reduced and human health can be protected,” McCormick and her co-author report. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and others, climate change will lead to a number of human health threats that range from premature death or injuries caused by wildfires or hurricanes to post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health issues triggered by natural disasters. Read More here
16 November 2015, Science Daily, Bird decline shows that climate change is more than just hot air. Scientists have long known that birds are feeling the heat due to climate change. However, a new study of a dozen affected species in the Western Cape suggests their decline is more complex than previously thought — and in some cases more serious. According to the study, published in Conservation Physiology, by scientists from the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute at the University of Cape Town and Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, there could be several reasons why birds are being negatively affected by human-made climate change. They suggest that contrary to expectations the birds’ heat tolerance — or lack thereof — is not necessarily the main factor chasing species out of their preferred habitat. Other factors like changing fire and rainfall patterns, and new bird behaviour patterns could also be responsible for the decline, according to the study which includes some well-known species such as the Malachite Sunbird and the Familiar Chat. Lead researcher Susie Cunningham says a better understanding of how climate change affects bird species could help develop conservation strategies to increase chances of survival: “We know climate change is linked to changes in species’ numbers and distributions, but we don’t always know exactly how or why,” Cunningham says. “We need to figure out the factors actually driving declines before we can develop proper conservation measures to halt them.” Read More here