Despite a wet start to the monsoon in some parts of the Southwest, severe to extreme drought conditions persist across most of Arizona and New Mexico, according to the US Drought Monitor. The August Southwest Climate Outlook from CLIMAS reports that inflow into Lake Powell is...
In The News
CA Assesses Social Vulnerability to Climate Change
August 25, 2012 |
Pacific Institute/California Energy Commission
Populations concentrated in Los Angeles and Orange, San Diego, and San Bernardino counties will be especially vulnerable to extreme heat days in the future, according to a new California climate change vulnerability analysis conducted by the Pacific Institute. Using 19 indicators such as climate impacts, childhood...
EPA’s Cross-State Air Pollution Rule Overturned
August 25, 2012 |
New York Times
An EPA rule attempting to regulate cross-state air pollution was overturned by a federal appeals court this week, reported the New York Times. The issue the EPA is tasked with is regulating air pollution in a state...
Groundwater Resources Stressed Across the Globe
August 25, 2012 |
Nature
Humans are overexploiting groundwater on a massive scale, with a global groundwater footprint (the area required to sustain groundwater use and support ecosystems) 3.5 times that of the actual area of aquifers. In total, about 1.7 billion people live in areas where groundwater resources are under threat, according to the authors of a new study published in...
Urban Expansion May Bring Greater Heat Than Global Climate Change
August 18, 2012 |
Nature Climate Change
Summertime warming due to megapolitan expansion and associated land-use changes in Arizona’s Sun Corridor—the region stretching from Nogales to Prescott—could approach 7.2 degrees F over 2006 temperatures by mid-century, according to a new study in Nature Climate Change....
U.S., Mexico Sign Border Environmental Agreement
August 18, 2012 |
EPA
The U.S. and Mexico signed the Border 2020 environmental program agreement last week, according to the U.S. EPA. The program, which follows the Border 2012 environmental agreement, will continue to address environmental and public health issues along the 2,...
U.S. Carbon Dioxide Emissions Fall in 2011
August 18, 2012 |
U.S. Energy Information Administration
Energy-related carbon dioxide emissions fell 2.4 percent in 2011, even as GDP increased 1.8 percent, according to a report by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Since 1990, last year was only the sixth year to experience a decline in emissions. This reduction is partly attributed to an increase in natural gas usage due to...
New Tool Allows CA Water Mangers to Evaluate Urban Water Demand
August 18, 2012 |
The Pacific Institute
The Pacific Institute has created a model to analyze future urban water demand in California through 2100, and how it will be impacted by changes in climate, population, and conservation efforts. The report shows that the state’s urban...
July Was Warmest Month Ever Recorded
August 11, 2012 |
NOAA
The contiguous U.S. experienced its warmest July on the record, and July was the all-time warmest month, with temperatures 3.3 degrees F above average, according to the newest State of the Climate from NOAA. What’s more, this year to date has been the warmest January-July period of any year on record, with temperatures 4.3...
Extreme Precipitation Events More Common Today
August 11, 2012 |
Environment California