JEDI COMMAND: March 2012

Monday, March 26, 2012

2001-2010: WARMEST DECADE ON RECORD

GENEVA —

Climate change has accelerated in the past decade, the U.N. weather agency said Friday, releasing data showing that 2001 to 2010 was the warmest decade on record.
The 10-year period was also marked by extreme levels of rain or snowfall, leading to significant flooding on all continents, while droughts affected parts of East Africa and North America.
“The decade 2001-2010 was the warmest since records began in 1850, with global land and sea surface temperatures estimated at 0.46 degrees Celsius above the long term average of 14.0 degrees Celsius (57.2 degrees Fahrenheit),” said the World Meteorological Organization.
Nine of the 10 years also counted among the 10 warmest on record, it added, noting that “climate change accelerated” during the first decade of the 21st century.
The trend continued in 2011, which was the warmest year on record despite La Nina—a weather pattern which has a cooling effect.
The average temperature in 2011 was 0.40 degrees Celsius above the long term average, said the WMO.
“This 2011 annual assessment confirms the findings of the previous WMO annual statements that climate change is happening now and is not some distant future threat,” said WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud.
“The world is warming because of human activities and this is resulting in far-reaching and potentially irreversible impacts on our Earth, atmosphere and oceans,” he added.
The U.N. weather agency noted that during the decade, “numerous weather and climate extremes affected almost every part of the globe with flooding, droughts, cyclones, heat waves and cold waves.”
Historical floods hit Eastern Europe in 2001 and 2005, Africa in 2008, Asia and Australia in 2010.Global precipitation—including rain or snow—reached the second highest average since 1901. The highest average was recorded for the decade 1951-1960.
Meanwhile for the North Atlantic basin, the 10 years marked the highest level of tropical cyclone activity, including Hurricane Katrina which struck the United States in 2005 and Cyclone Nargis which hit Myanmar in 2008.

Planet Earth Busting World Heat Records in 2012

First decade of 21st Century warmest on record; US locations break 7,000 temperature records in March

- Common Dreams staff

Accelarated climate change, driven by human activity, has led to soaring temperatures around the world and the decade between 2001 and 2010 was the warmest ever recorded in all continents of the globe, according to a new report released by the World Meteorological Organization.
Additionally, an 'unprecedented' heatwave in the United States "has set or tied more than 7,000 high temperature records" across the country, according to a report from Climate Central. "This heat wave is essentially unprecedented," said the media and research orgnanization's Heidi Cullen told Reuters. "It's hard to grasp how massive and significant this is."
The increase in global temperatures since 1971 has been “remarkable” according to the WHO's assessment. Atmospheric and oceanic phenomena such as La Niña events had a temporary cooling influence in some years, the report says, but did not halt the overriding warming trend.
The “dramatic and continuing sea ice decline in the Arctic” was one of the most prominent features of the changing state of the climate during the decade, according to the preliminary findings. Global average precipitation was the second highest since 1901 and flooding was reported as the most frequent extreme event, it said.
“This 2011 annual assessment confirms the findings of the previous WMO annual statements that climate change is happening now and is not some distant future threat. The world is warming because of human activities and this is resulting in far-reaching and potentially irreversible impacts on our Earth, atmosphere and oceans,” said WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud. "The world is warming because of human activities and this is resulting in far-reaching and potentially irreversible impacts on our Earth, atmosphere and oceans," he added.

* * *

Reuters: US Heat 'Unprecedented,' 7,000 Records Set or Tied

An "unprecedented" March heat wave in much of the continental United States has set or tied more than 7,000 high temperature records, and signals a warming climate, health and weather experts said on Friday.
While natural climate variability plays a major role, it is the addition of human-spurred climate change that makes this particular hot spell extraordinary, the scientists said in a telephone and web briefing. [...]
Since March 12, more than 7,000 high temperature records have been equaled or exceeded, Cullen said, citing figures from the U.S. National Climatic Data Center.
These records include daytime high temperatures and record-high low temperatures overnight, which in some cases are higher than previous record highs for the day, Cullen said.
"When low temperatures are breaking previous record highs, that's when you see this is incredibly special," she said.

* * *

From Climate Central: State-by-State Look at How Early Spring Has Arrived:Click for access to interactive map at Climate Central.

For most of the country spring has sprung earlier this year, but is this anything more than a single warm year? It seems that it is. During the past several decades, with the exception of the Southeast, spring weather has, indeed, been arriving earlier.
In the interactive above, you can see how much earlier spring has arrived state-by-state, measured by the date of "first leaf." As you hover over any state, it'll display two boxes: a gray box that represents the day spring used to arrive (based on the 1951-1980 average) and a colored box that represents how much earlier spring has arrived in recent years (based on the 1981-2010 average).
Nationwide, the date of “first leaf” has clearly shifted — arriving roughly three days earlier now on March 17th (1981-2010 average) from March 20th (1951-1980 average). This shift affects all sorts of biological processes that are triggered by warmer temperatures — not just flowering, but animal migration and giving birth and the shedding of winter coats and the emergence from cocoons. How much will an earlier spring disrupt the intricate natural balance between the tens of thousands of species that depend on each other for food, reproduction and ultimately, survival? No one really knows.

* * *

AFP adds:

"Most likely the weird weather arises from natural variation on top of a warming climate," said Michael Oppenheimer, a geoscientist at Princeton and a veteran participant in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. "What we're seeing now is not surprising in the greenhouse world ... It's just the beginning of our experience with the new atmosphere."
Oppenheimer was a lead author of the panel's path-breaking 2007 report that analyzed research by hundreds of scientists and found there was a 90 percent probability that climate change is occurring and human activities contribute to it.
That report projected an increase in heat waves, droughts, floods, severe storms and extreme temperatures as a result of human-spurred global warming, caused in part by rising emissions of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide emitted by fossil fuel burning.

* * *

The WMO report looks at the increased prevalence of extreme weather events around the world:

Numerous weather and climate extremes affected almost every part of the globe with flooding, droughts, cyclones, heat waves, and cold waves. Two exceptional heat waves hit Europe and Russia during summer 2003 and 2010 respectively with disastrous impacts and thousands of deaths and outbreaks of prolonged bush fires.
Flooding was the most reported extreme event during the decade with many parts of the world affected. Historical widespread and prolonged flooding affected Eastern Europe in 2001 and 2005, Africa in 2008, Asia (in particular Pakistan) in 2010 and India in 2005, and Australia in 2010.
A large number of countries reported extreme drought conditions, including Australia, eastern Africa, the Amazonia region and the western United States. Humanitarian consequences were significant in eastern Africa during the first half of the decade, with widespread shortage of food and loss of lives and livestock.
Forty-eight out of 102 countries (47 per cent) reported that their highest national maximum temperature was recorded in 2001-2010, compared to 20 per cent for 1991-2000 and around 10 per cent for the earlier decades.
The decade saw the highest level of tropical cyclone activity on record for the North Atlantic basin. In 2005 category 5 hurricane Katrina was the most costly hurricane to hit the United States, with a significant human toll of more than 1 800 deaths. In 2008, tropical cyclone Nargis was the worst natural disaster in Myanmar and the world’s deadliest tropical cyclone during the decade, killing more than 70 000 people.

# # #

Friday, March 23, 2012

Greenpeace calls for zero deforestation globally by 2020

Greenpeace reiterated its call for an end to deforestation in Brazil by 2015 and globally by 2020 during its launch of an awareness-raising expedition down the Amazon River aboard the Rainbow Warrior.

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"Brazil is now the sixth largest economy in the world, the largest meat exporter and second largest grain exporter. Brazil's rise to become the world's sixth largest economy coincided with consecutive years of decline in deforestation in the Amazon," said Kumi Naidoo Greenpeace International Executive Director. "Brazil must lead as an example of sustainable development without forest destruction for other forest countries like Indonesia and the Congo."
The Greenpeace voyage is timed to end in Rio around the start of the Rio+20 conference on sustainable development. The conference is expected to attract thousands of business and political leaders, as well as scientists, activists, and academics.
While the annual deforestation rate in the Brazilian Amazon has fallen by nearly 80 percent since 2004, environmentalists fear the country's politicians may backslide on their commitment toward greener economic growth.
"Brazil could be the example of an economic super power that continues to grow without recklessly destroying the forests. However, actions over the past year by President Dilma and the Brazilian congress show that we are at risk of failing to achieve this," said Paulo Adario, Greenpeace Brazil's Amazon Campaign Director. "It will only be with a strong legal framework that Brazil will have the necessary tools to continue to fight deforestation."
Greenpeace has therefore launched a petition calling for a "zero deforestation" law in Brazil. It is seeking 1.4 million signatures of Brazilian voters for the initiative.
Article continues: http://news.mongabay.com/2012/0322-greenpeace_zero_deforestation.html#ixzz1pslslqUZ

Feeding The Homeless Banned In Major Cities All Over America

Michael Snyder, Contributor
Activist Post

What would you do if you came across someone on the street that had not had anything to eat for several days? Would you

Michael Snyder, Contributor
Activist Post

What would you do if you came across someone on the street that had not had anything to eat for several days? Would you give that person some food? Well, the next time you get that impulse you might want to check if it is still legal to feed the homeless where you live. Sadly, feeding the homeless has been banned in major cities all over America.

Other cities that have not banned it outright have put so many requirements on those that want to feed the homeless (acquiring expensive permits, taking food preparation courses, etc.) that feeding the homeless has become "out of reach" for most average people. Some cities are doing these things because they are concerned about the "health risks" of the food being distributed by ordinary "do-gooders". Other cities are passing these laws because they do not want homeless people congregating in city centers where they know that they will be fed. But at a time when poverty and government dependence are soaring to unprecedented levels, is it really a good idea to ban people from helping those that are hurting?

This is just another example that shows that our country is being taken over by control freaks. There seems to be this idea out there that it is the job of the government to take care of everyone and that nobody else should even try.

But do we really want to have a nation where you have to get the permission of the government before you do good to your fellow man?

It isn't as if the government has "rescued" these homeless people. Homeless shelters all over the nation are turning people away each night because they have no more room. There are many homeless people that are lucky just to make it through each night alive during the winter.

Sometimes a well-timed sandwich or a cup of warm soup can make a world of difference for a homeless person. But many U.S. cities have decided that feeding the homeless is such a threat that they had better devote law enforcement resources to making sure that it doesn't happen.

This is so twisted. In America today, you need a "permit" to do almost anything. We are supposed to be a land of liberty and freedom, but these days government bureaucrats have turned our rights into "privileges" that they can revoke at any time.

The following are some of the major U.S. cities that have attempted to ban feeding the homeless....

Philadelphia
Mayor Nutter recently banned feeding homeless people in many parts of Philadelphia where homeless people are known to congregate....

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter has announced a ban on the feeding of large numbers of homeless and hungry people at sites on and near the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

Mayor Nutter is imposing the ban on all outdoor feedings of large numbers of people on city parkland, including Love Park and the Ben Franklin Parkway, where it is not uncommon for outreach groups to offer free food.

Nutter says the feedings lack both sanitary conditions and dignity.

Orlando
Last June, a group of activists down in Orlando, Florida were arrested by police for feeding the homeless in defiance of a city ordinance....

Over the past week, twelve members of food activist group Food Not Bombs have been arrested in Orlando for giving free food to groups of homeless people in a downtown park. They were acting in defiance of a controversial city ordinance that mandates permits for groups distributing food to large groups in parks within two miles of City Hall. Each group is allowed only two permits per park per year; Food Not Bombs has already exceeded their limit. They set up their meatless buffet in Lake Eola knowing that they would likely be arrested as a result.

Houston
Down in Houston, a group of Christians was recently banned from distributing food to the homeless, and they were told that they probably would not be granted a permit to do so in the future even if they applied for one....

Bobby and Amanda Herring spent more than a year providing food to homeless people in downtown Houston every day. They fed them, left behind no trash and doled out warm meals peacefully without a single crime being committed, Bobby Herring said.

That ended two weeks ago when the city shut down their "Feed a Friend" effort for lack of a permit. And city officials say the couple most likely will not be able to obtain one.

"We don't really know what they want, we just think that they don't want us down there feeding people," said Bobby Herring, a Christian rapper who goes by the stage name Tre9.

Dallas
Dallas has also adopted a law which greatly restricts the ability of individuals and ministries to feed the homeless....

A Dallas-area ministry is suing the city over a food ordinance that restricts the group from giving meals to the homeless.

Courts dismissed Dallas’ request for a summary judgment last week, saying the case, brought up by pastor Don Hart (in video above) may indeed be a violation of free exercise of religion, as protected by the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the blog Religion Clause reported.

In the court filing, the ministry leaders argue that their Christian faith requires them to share meals with the homeless (Jesus did!) and that the requirement that even churches and charities provide toilets, sinks, trained staff and consent of the city keeps them from doing so.

Las Vegas
A few years ago, Las Vegas became the first major U.S. city to specifically pass a law banning the feeding of homeless people....

Las Vegas, whose homeless population has doubled in the past decade to about 12,000 people in and around the city, joins several other cities across the country that have adopted or considered ordinances limiting the distribution of charitable meals in parks. Most have restricted the time and place of such handouts, hoping to discourage homeless people from congregating and, in the view of officials, ruining efforts to beautify downtowns and neighborhoods.

But the Las Vegas ordinance is believed to be the first to explicitly make it an offense to feed “the indigent.”

That law has since been blocked by a federal judge, and since then many U.S. cities have been very careful not to mention "the indigent" or "the homeless" by name in the laws they pass that are intended to ban feeding the homeless.

New York City
New York City has banned all food donations to government-run homeless shelters because the bureaucrats there are concerned that the donated food will not be "nutritious" enough.

Yes, this is really true.

The following is from a recent Fox News article....

The Bloomberg administration is now taking the term “food police” to new depths, blocking food donations to all government-run facilities that serve the city’s homeless.

In conjunction with a mayoral task force and the Health Department, the Department of Homeless Services recently started enforcing new nutritional rules for food served at city shelters. Since DHS can’t assess the nutritional content of donated food, shelters have to turn away good Samaritans.

Can you believe that?

The bureaucrats are officially out of control.

In America today, it seems like almost everything is illegal.

One church down in Louisiana was recently ordered to stop giving out water because it did not have a government permit.

Well, I don't know about you, but I sure am going to give a cup of cold water to someone if they need it whether I have a permit or not.

It is as if common sense has totally gone out the window in this nation.

Over in New Hampshire, a woman is being sued for planting flowers in her own front yard.

This is the kind of thing that makes me glad that I have moved to a much more rural location. People in the country tend to be much more relaxed.

Sadly, those that love to micro-manage others continue to get the upper hand in America. Back in January, 40,000 new laws went into effect all over America. The politicians continue to hit us with wave after wave of regulations and laws with no end in sight.

All of this is making America a very unpleasant place in which to live.

This article first appeared on the EconomicCollapseBlog. Michael Snyder is a writer, speaker and activist who writes and edits his own blogs The American Dream and Economic Collapse Blog. Follow him on Twitter here.

Palestinians Lose Water Access as Israelis Take Over Springs

GENEVA, Switzerland, March 21, 2012 (ENS) - Palestinians are losing access to water sources in the West Bank as Israeli settlers take over springs. The settlers use threats, intimidation and fences to ensure control of water sources near the settlements, finds a new United Nations survey released today.
Thirty of the springs were found to be under full settler control, with no Palestinian access to the area, according to the assessment carried by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs over the course of the past year.

Ein Al Ariq spring near Nablus, a Palestinian city in the northern West Bank. Following its takeover by Eli settlers, the spring was renamed Ein Hagvura. (Photo courtesy OCHA)

The survey identified a total of 56 water springs close to the Israeli settlements, the majority of which are located in Area C - which represents over 60 percent of the West Bank where Israel retains control over security, planning and building - and on land parcels recorded by the Israeli Civil Administration as privately owned by Palestinians.
In 22 of the water sources, Palestinians have been deterred from accessing the springs by acts of intimidation, threats and violence perpetrated by Israeli settlers, while in the eight springs under full settler control, Palestinian access has been prevented by physical obstacles, including the fencing of the spring area, and its "de facto annexation" to the settlement.
"Despite the decline in their yield, springs have remained the single largest water source for irrigation and a significant source for watering livestock," the report says.
To a lesser extent, springs are also a source of water for domestic consumption for Palestinians
The survey also points out that the loss of access to springs and adjacent land reduced the income of affected farmers, who either stop cultivating the land or face a reduction in the productivity of their crops.
In Geneva, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said human rights challenges in the occupied Palestinian territory are linked to the continuing expansion of Israeli settlements, including violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.

The U.S. nonprofit International Relief and Development delivered 120 miles of water pipes to the Palestinian Water Authority for water distribution networks in Palestinian communities to mark World Water Day 2012. These water projects will benefit about 100,000 Palestinians. (Photo courtesy IRD)

"The Israeli government must investigate all incidents of violence against Palestinians and ensure that the perpetrators are held accountable," Pillay told the UN Human Rights Council's general debate on the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territory and other occupied Arab territories.
She also said that Israel's blockade of Gaza perpetuated poverty, unemployment and the deterioration of health care, education and water and sanitation facilities.
On the Palestinian side, Pillay voiced concern over arbitrary detention and ill-treatment of people, especially in Gaza, and urged Palestinian leaders to ensure credible allegations of abuse are investigated promptly and impartially.
She also decried the firing of indiscriminate projectiles toward Israel from Gaza, terming the actions "illegal and unjustifiable."
In a related development, a new report from the Office of the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process says that Palestinian state-building is threatened by financial pressure on the Palestinian Authority and the continued absence of a negotiated settlement to the conflict.
The report, prepared for the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee, the 15-member body that serves as the principal policy-level coordination mechanism for development assistance to the Palestinian people, states that in the past six months the Palestinian Authority has continued to realize progress in a range of different areas, including improving the capacity of the security forces in the West Bank and providing basic services.

A Palestinian man raises water from an ancient Roman cistern in the West Bank village of Burin. (Photo courtesy UNRWA)

However, the Palestinian Authority continues to face an immediate challenge in meeting its funding gap required to help it honor its obligations and avoid further arrears.
"I am very worried about the dire financial situation of the Palestinian Authority as described by the IMF [International Monetary Fund] and the World Bank in their reports," said UN Special Coordinator Robert Serry.
"Our immediate priority must be to ensure that the Palestinian Authority is able to address its budget shortfall, and I therefore call on donors to meet their commitments and also to front-load their contributions. I urge the speedy conclusion and implementation of technical agreements that will both strengthen revenue collection and minimize revenue leakage," Serry said.
The prolonged absence of a "credible political horizon" as a result of the continuing failure by the parties to engage in meaningful negotiations is also beginning to undermine the viability of the Palestinian state-building effort, Serry said.
Palestinian divisions and the unsustainable situation in the Gaza Strip, as highlighted by the recent upsurge of violence there, represent fundamental challenges which must also be addressed, he said.
Meanwhile, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today highlighted the work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, UNRWA, noting that the generosity of donors has helped the agency empower countless refugees to seize and create opportunities for a better life.
"But what we owe above all to the youth of the Palestinian refugee camps is peace," Ban said in a message delivered by Serry to the UNRWA Stakeholder Conference in Brussels. "We must persist in our efforts to make progress towards a resolution of the Middle East conflict, including a just and agreed resolution of the refugee question as one of the core issues. It is the refugee's right, and it is our responsibility, to see this realized."

US Intelligence Report: Expect Water Wars Soon

Report sees biotechnology, agricultural exports and virtual water trade as the way forward

- Common Dreams staff

A report released today on global water security from the Defense Intelligence Agency assesses that in next 10 years, water instability will be likely in "nations important to the United States", and says that in the next decades, the use of water as a weapon will be more become more likely.
The report, which focused on the Nile, Tigris-Euphrates, Mekong, Jordan, Indus, Brahmaputra, and Amu Darya water basins, states that the availability of potable water will not keep up with demand without better water management.
(photo: waterdotorg)
While environmentalists have pointed to agroecology, food sovereignty and viewing water as part of the commons as a path towards responsible water management, the intelligence report sees biotechnology, agricultural exports and virtual water trade as the way forward.
Today, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who requested the report, commented on the report in a speech at the State Department, saying, "As the world's population continues to grow, demand for water will go up but our fresh water supplies will not keep pace." "These difficulties will all increase the risk of instability within and between states," she said.

* * *

The report: Global Water Security

We assess that during the next 10 years, water problems will contribute to instability in states important to US national security interests. Water shortages, poor water quality, and floods by themselves are unlikely to result in state failure. However, water problems— when combined with poverty, social tensions, environmental degradation, ineffectual leadership, and weak political institutions— contribute to social disruptions that can result in state failure.
We assess that a water-related state-on-state conflict is unlikely during the next 10 years. Historically, water tensions have led to more water-sharing agreements than violent conflicts. However, we judge that as water shortages become more acute beyond the next 10 years, water in shared basins will increasingly be used as leverage; the use of water as a weapon or to further terrorist objectives also will become more likely beyond 10 years.

* * *

The report notes that agriculture is responsible for approximately 70 percent of the global fresh water supply, and implies the need for geneticically modifed crops to deal with the decreasing water supply. From the report:

• Research to develop drought resistance in crops has been conducted for several decades, but no commercialization exists to date. During the next three decades, selected crops could be developed that require half the water used by current crops, but widespread cultivation of such crops is problematic.

• Limited experiments are being conducted to develop food plants that can tolerate salt or waste water. The advances in biotechnology may result in new plants or genetically altered strains that can grow in salt water from the ocean or large saltwater aquifers.

* * *

It also touts virtual water trade as one of "the best solutions for water problems" and says that the U.S. will lead in the export of virtual water:

The United States is also one of the highest exporters of “virtual water” (water consumed in the manufacturing or growing of an export product), providing numerous opportunities for engagement with the rest of the world.

The reports sees other countries' water scarcity as a boon for U.S. exports:

The United States can benefit from an increased demand for agricultural exports as water scarcity increases in various parts of the world. This would be especially true if states expecting increased water scarcity rely upon open markets instead of seeking bilateral land-lease arrangements in other countries to achieve their food security.

* * *

Today, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who requested the report, commented on the report in a speech at the State Department.

"I think it's fair to say the intelligence community's findings are sobering."
"As the world's population continues to grow, demand for water will go up but our fresh water supplies will not keep pace."
"These difficulties will all increase the risk of instability within and between states," she said.
"Within states they could cause some states to fail outright. And between and among states, you could see regional conflicts among states that share water basins be exacerbated and even lead to violence."

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Extreme Weather Makes a Convincing Case for Climate Change

Extreme weather is becoming the norm in a warming world

The subject of extreme weather is of great importance because it provides a tangible illustration of climate change. The average person understands that the increasing number of record-breaking heat waves and tornadoes are more than isolated weather events, they reflect a changing climate.
This point was born out in a recent study, which showed that more Americans are accepting the reality of climate change. According to a Brookings Institute poll, extreme weather is one of the most compelling reasons why more Americans are accepting climate change. The poll indicated that of those who believe in global warming, almost half said that they were primarily convinced by personal observations of warmer temperature or weather changes.
Extreme weather events help people to visualize climate change. The environmental organization 350.org understands the importance of drawing attention to the relationship between climate change and extreme weather events, which is why they are organizing an event on May 5, 2012, called “Connect the Dots.”
“This is no longer something that’s theory or conjecture or something that comes out of computer models,” said Dr. Richard Somerville. “We’re observing the climate changing. It’s real. It’s happening. It’s scientific fact.” Extreme weather helps people to see that this is not a prediction for the future, it is happening here and now.
The number of extreme weather events has been growing for years. The year 2010 was amongst the hottest and wettest year on record. The 2010 State of the Climate report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) indicated a steady rise in ocean temperatures around the world. The same report sites clear evidence that the period between 2000 and 2010 was the the warmest on record.
The August 2010 floods that devastated Pakistan swamped one-fifth of the nation and left twenty million people homeless. Thousands died and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said there is no doubt that warmer ocean temperatures in the Atlantic were a contributing factor to the disaster.
Last year was a record-setting year of extreme weather events. 2011 is now considered to be one of the warmest on record. In 2011, the U.S. experienced widespread record-breaking heat waves that affected almost every state. According to NOAA, the summer of 2011 was the 2nd hottest on record in the U.S. In the first month of the summer of 2011, a total of 1,966 high temperature records were tied or broken and 4,376 highest minimum temperature records were broken.
As Christopher Vaccaro, a spokesman for the National Weather Service, explained at the time, “this heat wave is exceptional not only for its strength, but also for its breadth and duration.”
There has been a host of bizarre weather events that people cannot help but notice. In January 2011, New York City was freezing over while the Arctic was melting. Last year was one of the worst tornado seasons ever, with nearly 1,700, which is more than 400 more than the statistical average of 1,300 per year. What makes people stand up and notice is not only the number of tornadoes, but where they are occurring.
On the first of June 2011, Massachusetts was hit by several deadly tornadoes, which is one of the most bizarre weather events in the state’s history. The Massachusetts tornadoes came after an outbreak of dozens of tornadoes that killed 314 people in five states on April 27 and a massive twister that killed 138 in Joplin, Missouri on May 22. These two events represent the one of the deadliest days and one of the deadliest single tornadoes since modern record keeping began in 1950. Further, May 24th 2011 was one of the largest geographical regions of high tornado risk in American history. Three previous high risk days spawned at least 52 tornadoes.
Extreme weather events like Hurricane Irene, which struck landlocked Vermont in August 2011, graphically demonstrate just how anomalous extreme weather is becoming.
This year, much of the eastern two-thirds of the U.S. are smashing heat records in numerous locations. In the first quarter of 2012, we have seen extreme warm weather from Texas and the Midwest all the way to the East Coast. While the east was experiencing a heat wave, on March 19, parts of Arizona were buried under snow as an anomalous late-winter storm paralyzed travel and closed schools. Both Arizona and Texas are but two examples of states that have experienced violent late winter storms.
In March 2012, heat waves set records across the U.S. EcoWatch reports that the daytime high temperatures are close to 40°F above average in some places.
In mid-March, the NOAA reported that more than 1,200 temperature records were set. During the first half of March, more than 2,000 daily record-high temperatures have been set in the U.S.
On March 15 alone, 593 record daily high temperatures were set or tied, along with 445 record warm low temperatures. In Chicago, temperatures have soared past 80°F for many days in a row. This is the earliest that has ever occurred in Chicago and it broke a record set in mid-April, 1896.
The National Weather Service issued a statement saying: “It is extraordinarily rare for climate locations with 100+ year long periods of records to break records day after day after day.” The National Weather Service released a statement saying that Chicago and Rockford are on pace to “not only break… but shatter” their records for the warmest March.
Here are some noteworthy records set on March 15-17:

Minneapolis: 79°F on March 16, the warmest it’s ever been this early in the year, and 39°F above average.
Rockford, Ill.: 82°F on March 15, breaking the old record of 73°F set in 1995. This was the earliest 80-degree reading on record for this location. Rockford set another daily record on the 16th with a high of 80°F, and on the 17th, with a high temperature of 82°F.
Chicago: 81°F on March 15, breaking the old record of 74°F set in 1995. Chicago has been running nearly 12 degrees above average for the first half of March. On March 16 and 17, Chicago hit 82°F, which was the earliest it had ever been that warm. The previous record was set on March 27, 1945, and 82°F is the typical record high for June 24, the National Weather Service reported.
Bismarck, N.D.: 81°F on March 16, the warmest all-time March temperature on record. (H/T Jeff Masters.)
Madison, Wisc.: 82°F on March 15, breaking the old record by 13 degrees, tying the record for the warmest temperature on record during the month of March, and setting the record for the earliest 80-degree day, beating the old date by nearly two weeks.
Williston, N.D.: 68°F on March 15, beating the old record of 67°F set in 1996.
Minot, N.D.: 64°F on March 15, exceeding the old record of 62°F set in 1938.
International Falls, Minn.: 71°F on March 16, which was their earliest 70°F reading. The temperature reached 77°F on March 17, which set an all-time monthly record, beating the old monthly record by 4°F.
Moline, Ill.: 81°F on March 15, the warmest it’s ever been there so early in the year. This broke the previous record of 80°F on March 12, 1990.
Dubuque, Iowa: 78°F on March 15 and 16, the warmest it’s ever been there so early in the year, going back to 1874. This record was short-lived, however, since it was toppled on March 17, when the temperature reached 81°F
Cedar Rapids, Iowa: 75°F on March 15, 79°F on March 16, and 82°F on March 17, which was the earliest 80-degree reading on record.
Sioux Falls, S.D.: on March 16 it was in the 70s, which is about 30 degrees above normal.

As reported in a Christian Science Monitor article, on March 18, Winner, S.D., hit 94 degrees. According to the director of meteorology for the Weather Underground, Jeff Masters, this is the earliest date the Northern Plains has posted a 90-degree day. International Falls, Minn., registered a record-setting 79 degrees. St. Patrick’s Day weekend came to Houghton, Mich., with back-to-back 76-degree days, which is 44 degrees above normal. On Sunday, Boston posted a high of 74, 28 degrees above normal for the day and Chicago has had five consecutive days above 80 degrees.
This extreme heat has increased severe thunderstorms and kicked off an early start to the tornado season. Masters said the March tornadoes near Detroit was the earliest that such a powerful tornado had occurred in the state since reliable records began in 1950. On March 2, in southern Indiana, 13 people died after an F4 tornado caused massive destruction. Most recently south-central Texas was hit by a tornado on March 19. Tornadoes are not uncommon in the area but the rapid succession in which they came was anomalous. The tornado was part of a weather system that has affected sections of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana.
As reported in another Christian Science Monitor article, a warmer than normal spring has spawned a spate of recent tornadoes in Indiana, Alabama, and Kentucky. In February 2012, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 57 tornadoes were reported, nearly twice the 1991-2010 average of 29.
The major storm system that moved through the central and much of the eastern US on March 18 and 19 created ideal conditions for violent weather, including severe thunder storms and tornadoes. On March 18, storm systems triggered severe thunderstorms over the Great Plains, with reports of tornadoes touching down in five communities in South Dakota, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. According to Masters, this is due to the unusually warm, unusually moist air in the central US.
“I don’t think we’ve seen such a moist and warm air mass in March over the center of the US,” Masters says. He points out that sea-surface temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico are among the five warmest on record for the month. Those record moisture levels extend as far north as Minnesota, he notes.
National Weather Service forecasters wrote, “our historic and unprecedented stretch of record-breaking temperatures generally looks to continue.” The US Global Change Research Program has also warned of more extreme weather events in the future as the planet gets warmer.
Taken together, these anomalous weather events make a convincing case for climate change. Levels of CO2 in the atmosphere may be hard to see but extreme weather is readily observable by everyone. One day of record-breaking heat or one tornado cannot be construed as evidence for climate change, but a large number extreme weather events are hard for the average person to ignore.
——————-
Richard Matthews is a consultant, eco-entrepreneur, green investor and author of numerous articles on sustainable positioning, eco-economics and enviro-politics. He is the owner of THE GREEN MARKET, a leading sustainable business blog and one of the Web’s most comprehensive resources on the business of the environment. Find The Green Market on Facebook and follow The Green Market’s twitter feed.
Image credit: Earthtimes.org

Americans Catching Up – Seeing the Link between Global Warming & Extreme Weather (planetsave.com)
How Extreme Weather Will Impact World’s Major Cities (planetsave.com)
500 Days Of Summer: Get Used To It, Says ABC News, Thanks to Global Warming. But NBC Is Still Out In The Cold. (thinkprogress.org)
Texas Suffered Most from Extreme Weather in 2011 (planetsave.com)

Source: Global Warming is Real (http://s.tt/17R90)

Minneapolis: 79°F on March 16, the warmest it’s ever been this early in the year, and 39°F above average.
Rockford, Ill.: 82°F on March 15, breaking the old record of 73°F set in 1995. This was the earliest 80-degree reading on record for this location. Rockford set another daily record on the 16th with a high of 80°F, and on the 17th, with a high temperature of 82°F.
Chicago: 81°F on March 15, breaking the old record of 74°F set in 1995. Chicago has been running nearly 12 degrees above average for the first half of March. On March 16 and 17, Chicago hit 82°F, which was the earliest it had ever been that warm. The previous record was set on March 27, 1945, and 82°F is the typical record high for June 24, the National Weather Service reported.
Bismarck, N.D.: 81°F on March 16, the warmest all-time March temperature on record. (H/T Jeff Masters.)
Madison, Wisc.: 82°F on March 15, breaking the old record by 13 degrees, tying the record for the warmest temperature on record during the month of March, and setting the record for the earliest 80-degree day, beating the old date by nearly two weeks.
Williston, N.D.: 68°F on March 15, beating the old record of 67°F set in 1996.
Minot, N.D.: 64°F on March 15, exceeding the old record of 62°F set in 1938.
International Falls, Minn.: 71°F on March 16, which was their earliest 70°F reading. The temperature reached 77°F on March 17, which set an all-time monthly record, beating the old monthly record by 4°F.
Moline, Ill.: 81°F on March 15, the warmest it’s ever been there so early in the year. This broke the previous record of 80°F on March 12, 1990.
Dubuque, Iowa: 78°F on March 15 and 16, the warmest it’s ever been there so early in the year, going back to 1874. This record was short-lived, however, since it was toppled on March 17, when the temperature reached 81°F
Cedar Rapids, Iowa: 75°F on March 15, 79°F on March 16, and 82°F on March 17, which was the earliest 80-degree reading on record.
Sioux Falls, S.D.: on March 16 it was in the 70s, which is about 30 degrees above normal.

Americans Catching Up – Seeing the Link between Global Warming & Extreme Weather (planetsave.com)
How Extreme Weather Will Impact World’s Major Cities (planetsave.com)
500 Days Of Summer: Get Used To It, Says ABC News, Thanks to Global Warming. But NBC Is Still Out In The Cold. (thinkprogress.org)
Texas Suffered Most from Extreme Weather in 2011 (planetsave.com)

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       The subject of extreme weather is of great importance because it provides a tangible illustration of climate change. The average person understands that the increasing number of record-breaking heat waves and tornadoes are more than isolated weather events, they reflect a changing climate. This point…
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Tuesday, March 20, 2012

New temperature record confirms world HAS warmed 0.75C since 1900

World has warmed by less than a degree centigrade between 1900 and 2012
2010 is now hottest year on record
'Virtually all' data behind new study to be published - in contrast to earlier 'Climategate' scandal
Nasa image shows how gravity has changed due to melting ice

By Rob Waugh
PUBLISHED: 12:17 EST, 19 March 2012 | UPDATED: 20:01 EST, 19 March 2012

Updated records of global temperatures stretching back more than 160 years confirm the world has warmed by 0.75 celsius since 1900, scientists said today.
The new version of a Met Office 'temperature series' dating back to 1850 adds information from weather stations in Africa and from Canada and Russia, where the Arctic is warming more quickly.
The full data behind the study is to be available, to prevent a repeat of the 'Climategate' scandal in which scientists were accused of 'editing' climate data to suit their theories of global warming.
The report comes in the wake of a release from Nasa's GRACE gravity-measuring satellite which shows the 'deforming' effect melting ice has had on Earth's gravity.

Data from Nasa's twin gravity-sensing Grail satellites was used to asssemble a 3D map of how melting ice has changed the gravity of Earth

HOW MELTING ICE HAS 'WARPED' GRAVITY ON EARTH

Nasa's twin Grace satellites were able to measure the melting of glaciers in Greenland with high accuracy from space.

The twin satellites measure changes in their flight path as they orbit - and thus capture tiny changes in Earth's gravity due to the 'lost weight' of melting ice.

The Greenland ice shield had to cope with up to 240 gigatons of mass loss between 2002 and 2011. This corresponds to a sea level rise of about 0.7 mm per year.

‘When the mass of the Greenland ice sheet changes, so does the gravity there,’ explains Dr. Frank Flechtner from the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences. ‘The GRACE gravity field measurements therefore give us information on mass changes, including climate-related ones.’

The new record also addresses differences in the way sea surface temperature measurements have been made in the past, for example water temperatures taken from buckets hauled on board ship or made from engine rooms of ships.
Colin Morice, climate monitoring research scientist at the Met Office, said: ‘The new study brings together our latest and most comprehensive databases of land and marine temperature observations, along with recent advances in our understanding of how measurements were made at sea.
‘These have been combined to give us a clearer a picture of what the historical record can tell us about global climate change over the past 161 years.
‘Updates have resulted in some changes to individual years in the nominal global mean temperature record, but have not changed the overall warming signal of about 0.75C since 1900.’
The latest study suggests that 2010 and 2005 were the warmest years on record, slightly warmer than 1998 - which the Met Office and UEA’s Climatic Research Unit (CRU) had previously put as the hottest year.
But the margin of error in the results means the years were all similarly warmer than average global temperatures. All of the 10 warmest years in the record occurred in the past 14 years.

A Nasa image showing the very different gravity on Earth in 1995, before melting ice around the world reshaped the map

Slight increases in the temperatures for recent years is due to inclusion of more data from the rapidly-warming Arctic.
Professor Phil Jones, director of CRU, said the temperature series may not have been fully capturing changes in the Arctic because of a lack of data from the area.
‘For the latest version we have included observations from more than 400 stations across the Arctic, Russia and Canada. This has led to better representation of what’s going on in the large geographical region.’
Previous analysis of temperature records came under fire at the height of the ‘climategate’ scandal, in which researchers were accused of manipulating data to support a theory of global warming.
Scientists were criticised for not publishing the data behind the temperatures series, and today Prof Jones said virtually all the data for the records underpinning the latest analysis would be publicly available.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2117101/New-temperature-record-adds-500-new-weather-stations--confirms-world-HAS-warmed-0-75C-1900.html#ixzz1pghF7GUv

GMO Protesters Shut Down California Monsanto Office

Anthony Gucciardi
Infowars.com
March 19, 2012
While proposed government regulation, previous legal action, and the threat of agricultural collapse does not seem to affect Monsanto’s daily operations, it appears protesters can and do. Dozens of protesters disrupted Monsanto’s California office in Davis, an area close to Sacramento, through vocal activism and calls to shut down the biotech giant with deep known ties into the United States government. Braving the rain, the dozens of protesters — not thousands — were successful in shutting down the entire office for the day.
The response to the activism presented by the protesters highlights just how powerful of a voice even just a few individuals have. If even a small group of anti-Monsanto grassroots activists can pause the entire business operations of a Monsanto corporation hub for the day, imagine what thousands or millions of concerned citizens could do. Monsanto is afraid of public outrage, which is why they are continually trying to squash labeling initiatives that would visually demonstrate to consumers just how ubiquitous their genetically modified ingredients are throughout the food supply. Many consumers now know and understand the negative effects of Monsanto’s creations, and oftentimes are consuming them unknowingly thanks to a lack of proper labeling guidelines.

“We were successful today in shutting down Monsanto,” said Steve Payan, the event organizer.

These developments have hit the news following two vital stories revealing the true nature of both Monsanto’s GMO crops and best-selling herbicide Roundup. Monsanto’s Roundup and a modified ‘biopesticide’ known as Bt were found to be killing human kidney cells by scientists, actually exhibiting direct toxicity to human biology. In the same vein, a group of 22 expert agricultural scientists warned the EPA that Monsanto’s GMO corn was extremely ineffective despite being toted as a method of increasing crop yields and reducing pesticide usage. Beyond the ineffective nature of the crops, the scientists warned that the GMO crops are developing mutated rootworms. The ‘super’ worms actually threaten the future of corn production as a whole, and could be a wrench in the agricultural wheel of progress.
It’s time for more than just a few dozen to stand up to Monsanto. If a small group can take down their office for a day from some mild protests, a few hundred thousand can take down the entire company — permanently.
This article first appeared at Natural Society, covering other important health news.

Glacier-Fed River Systems Threatened by Climate Change

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Antisana-mountain in Ecuador, where scientists have taken samples. (Credit: Dean Jacobsen)

ScienceDaily (Mar. 16, 2012) — Glacial meltwater increases biodiversity in mountainous freshwater ecosystems. As glaciers vanish due to global warming, so will those species dependent upon the icy runoff. This is the conclusion of a study authored by researchers from, among other institutions, the University of Copenhagen.

The article "Glacial river biodiversity" with the alarming new findings can be found in the journal Nature Climate Change.
"The knowledge is new and startling. Glacial runoff is cold, nutrient-poor and physically unstable, and therefore, typically species-poor. Traditionally, we have not attached great significance to these ecosystems within the context of local or regional biodiversity," states Associate Professor Dean Jacobsen of the Freshwater Biology Section at the University of Copenhagen's Department of Biology. Jacobsen is one of the study's authors.
Jacobsen and his European colleagues are the first to research ecology and mountain macroinvertebrates, primarily insect larvae found in tropical glacial streams. In the recent study, researchers compiled and analysed data from analogous regions located on three continents and predicted the consequences of the global retreat and disappearance of glaciers.
One-third of species threatened
The research results clearly demonstrate that the greatest number of freshwater macroinvertebrates are encountered in mountain streams where glacial runoff contributes to the streams' total volume of water. The study also finds that if glaciers were to vanish entirely, we could expect to lose between 11 and 38 percent of a region's total macroinvertebrate species. The expected losses would be particularly high for species, which have adapted to the unique and otherwise challenging living conditions of glacial streams.
Jacobsen emphasises, "That species of insects such as chironomids (non-biting midges), crane flies and stoneflies could disappear. The wiping out of these invertebrates and others would be much more extensive than once supposed and with unknown consequences for the functioning of the ecosystem."
Glacier-fed streams are one of several stream types which together create a mosaic of ecosystems. Each system has its own environmental characteristics anf unique living conditions.

Global Sea Level Likely to Rise as Much as 70 Feet for Future Generations

Sea levels won't get as high as depicted in this fanciful image for a long time. But a substantial rise is inevitable, Rutgers scientists say. (Credit: © Alaska-Tom / Fotolia)

ScienceDaily (Mar. 19, 2012) — Even if humankind manages to limit global warming to 2 degrees C (3.6 degrees F), as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recommends, future generations will have to deal with sea levels 12 to 22 meters (40 to 70 feet) higher than at present, according to research published in the journal Geology.

The researchers, led by Kenneth G. Miller, professor of earth and planetary sciences in the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers University, reached their conclusion by studying rock and soil cores in Virginia, Eniwetok Atoll in the Pacific and New Zealand. They looked at the late Pliocene epoch, 2.7 million to 3.2 million years ago, the last time the carbon dioxide level in the atmosphere was at its current level, and atmospheric temperatures were 2 degrees C higher than they are now.
"The difference in water volume released is the equivalent of melting the entire Greenland and West Antarctic Ice Sheets, as well as some of the marine margin of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet," said H. Richard Lane, program director of the National Science Foundation's Division of Earth Sciences, which funded the work. "Such a rise of the modern oceans would swamp the world's coasts and affect as much as 70 percent of the world's population."
"You don't need to sell your beach real estate yet, because melting of these large ice sheets will take from centuries to a few thousand years," Miller said. "The current trajectory for the 21st century global rise of sea level is 2 to 3 feet (0.8 to1 meter) due to warming of the oceans, partial melting of mountain glaciers, and partial melting of Greenland and Antarctica."
Miller said, however, that this research highlights the sensitivity of Earth's great ice sheets to temperature change, suggesting that even a modest rise in temperature results in a large sea-level rise. "The natural state of the Earth with present carbon dioxide levels is one with sea levels about 20 meters higher than at present," he said.
Miller was joined in the research by Rutgers colleagues James G. Wright, associate professor of earth and planetary sciences; James V. Browning, assistant research professor of earth and planetary sciences; Yair Rosenthal, professor of marine science in the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences; Sindia Sosdian, research scientist in marine science and a postdoctoral scholar at Cardiff University in Wales; and Andrew Kulpecz, a Rutgers doctoral student when the work was done, now with Chevron Corp. Other co-authors were Michelle Kominz, professor of geophysics and basin dynamics at Western Michigan University; Tim R. Naish, director of the Antarctic Research Center at Victoria University of Wellington, in New Zealand; Benjamin S. Cramer of Theiss Research in Eugene, Ore.; and W. Richard Peltier, professor of physics and director of the Center for Global Change Science at the University of Toronto.

Monday, March 26, 2012

First decade of 21st Century warmest on record; US locations break 7,000 temperature records in March

Friday, March 23, 2012

Greenpeace calls for zero deforestation globally by 2020

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Ein Al Ariq spring near Nablus, a Palestinian city in the northern West Bank. Following its takeover by Eli settlers, the spring was renamed Ein Hagvura. (Photo courtesy OCHA)

The U.S. nonprofit International Relief and Development delivered 120 miles of water pipes to the Palestinian Water Authority for water distribution networks in Palestinian communities to mark World Water Day 2012. These water projects will benefit about 100,000 Palestinians. (Photo courtesy IRD)

A Palestinian man raises water from an ancient Roman cistern in the West Bank village of Burin. (Photo courtesy UNRWA)

Report sees biotechnology, agricultural exports and virtual water trade as the way forward

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

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Tuesday, March 20, 2012

New temperature record confirms world HAS warmed 0.75C since 1900

HOW MELTING ICE HAS 'WARPED' GRAVITY ON EARTH