EPA keeps threshold in place for greenhouse gas emissions
(July 4, 2012)
Greenwire via Redlodge Clearinghouse
U.S. EPA reaffirmed that it would not regulate smaller sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the near future.
Drought hits 56 percent of continental US; ‘significant toll’ on crops
(July 3, 2012)
MSNBC
“The prolonged heat across the Midwest has not only set temperature records, it is also expanding and intensifying drought conditions — and relief isn’t on the horizon for most areas, the National Weather Service reported Thursday. Drought conditions are present in 56 percent of the continental U.S., according to the weekly Drought Monitor. That’s the most in the 12 years that the data have been compiled, topping the previous record of 55 percent set on Aug. 26, 2003. It’s also up five percentage points from the previous week.”
Scientists sorting out the beetle-fire relationship
(July 2, 2012)
Associated Press, MSNBC
Scientists across the country continue to mix dozens of variables to gain a better understanding of wildfires, what makes them go, and how bark beetle destruction affects them. Studies sometimes show opposing results regarding beetles and fire intensity, and new models show that beetles can have an influence, but only under certain, unpredictable, conditions.
Experts say forests need to be thinned to be saved
(June 26, 2012)
Aspen Times
With drought and higher temperatures affecting forests across the globe, experts at the Forests at Risk conference in Aspen said they view thinning trees on large expanses of public lands as the only way to stop the increase of catastrophic wildfires afflicting the West.
Sea-Level Rise for the Coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington: Past, Present, and Future (2012)
(June 25, 2012)
The National Academies, Earth and Life Sciences
“Tide gages show that global sea level has risen about 7 inches during the 20th century, and recent satellite data shows that the rate of sea-level rise is accelerating.” This report looks in particular at the west coast to estimate sea level rises for the years 2030, 2050, and 2100 for CA, OR, and WA.
