The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) predicts that electricity generated by coal will increase 9 percent next year, with an associated decrease in natural gas generation of about 10 percent. According to a recent report released by the agency, natural gas prices increased 34...
In The News
Coal-Generated Electricity—and Emissions—to Increase in 2013
September 23, 2012 |
U.S. Energy Information Administration
Global Urban Expansion to Triple by 2030
September 23, 2012 |
PNAS
Compared to 2000, the area of land containing urban populations is expected to triple globally by 2030, threatening biodiversity and affecting ecosystems, according to a new study published in PNAS. About half of this expansion will occur in Asia, mostly in China and India, but the fastest rate of expansion will be...
Wind Could Power the World
September 23, 2012 |
Nature Climate Change/PNAS
There is no physical limitation to powering the world with primarily wind energy, according to two new studies. Using a climate model, the authors of one of the studies, published in Nature Climate Change, found that if they consider only geophysical limits (ignoring economic and...
West Nile Cases Up Due to Drought, Heat
September 13, 2012 |
Annals of Internal Medicine
The recent climate extremes in the U.S. most likely contributed to higher incidences of West Nile Virus (WNV) so far this year, according to a recent article published in Annals of Internal Medicine. The number of cases of WNV—a disease that is now endemic in North America—are higher this year than that of any...
Warmer Droughts Change How Trees Die
September 13, 2012 |
Journal of Geophysical Research
Trees are more stressed under warmer conditions due to higher vapor pressure deficits (VPDs)—a measure of how much water the air can hold compared to what is already there—according to a study soon to be published in the Journal of Geophysical Research. The researchers compared two droughts in the...
Mid-Elevation Forests Particularly Vulnerable to Climate Change
September 13, 2012 |
Nature Geoscience
Mid-level forests in the western U.S.—at about 6,500 to 8,000 feet—will be particularly sensitive to higher temperatures due to climate change, according to a new study published in Nature Geoscience. Using observations and satellite data, the authors compared vegetation greenness with snow...
Warm, Dry Conditions Persist Across Much of the SW
September 13, 2012 |
NOAA
Temperatures across the U.S. were 1.6 degrees F above average in August, according to the latest State of the Climate from NOAA. Every state in the Southwest except Texas saw temperatures among their ten warmest, with Nevada tying its previous warmest August on record set in 1934....
Fires Still Blaze Across the West
September 7, 2012 |
National Interagency Fire Center
So far this year, almost eight million acres have burned across the nation, more than any other year-to-date and almost three million acres more than the 10-year average, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. As drought conditions persist, fire activity is still high across the western...
CA Heat Waves Becoming More Coastal, Humid
September 7, 2012 |
Geophysical Research Letters
Observations show that climate change is increasing the number of daytime heat waves, however a new study soon to be published in Geophysical Research Letters found that in California, humid nighttime heat waves and heat waves near the coast will intensify more with climate change than dry daytime and desert heat...
Climate Change Impact on Global Food Prices Underestimated
September 7, 2012 |
Oxfam
Existing research on how climate change will affect global food prices does not take account of extreme weather events and thus significantly underestimates potential impacts, according to a new report by Oxfam. The authors of the report modeled the impact...