Climate Change

"The race is on for the next chairman of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee--and no matter who wins, he won't be a big fan of science."

"More than anything else, climate change is a water problem. Scientists expect more coastal flooding and possibly more inland flooding. They expect higher temperatures and greater evaporation to deplete water resources, creating risks for the food supply. They believe sea-level rise will eventually render some regions uninhabitable. But a new paper published on Sunday in the journal Nature Climate Change suggests that the outlook on fresh water may not be entirely bad."

"SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Despite fierce opposition from much of the business community, California's grand experiment in taming global warming begins in earnest Wednesday."

"State officials are set to auction tens of millions of dollars' worth of carbon-emission allowances to scores of oil refiners, cement manufacturers and other large industrial polluters.

Years of poor land-use decisions and neglect of emergency preparedness probably made the losses of life and property from superstorm Sandy significantly worse. Similar situations exist in other U.S. coastal areas.

"WASHINGTON -- Climate change is accelerating, and it will place unparalleled strains on American military and intelligence agencies in coming years by causing ever more disruptive events around the globe, the nation’s top scientific research group said in a report issued Friday."

A lot of environmental controversies were postponed until after the 2012 election (except in the GOP-controlled House). Now that's going to change.

"Money raised from carbon taxes on energy bills should be used to lift millions of households out of fuel poverty and boost the economy, it has been suggested."

Turns out that computer models may have been underestimating the severity of climate change.

"Hot and dry conditions in parts of middle America deepened an ongoing drought in many states over the last week, according to a climatology report issued Thursday."

"For a clue to the possible impact of climate change on modern society, a study suggests a look back at the end of classic Maya civilization, which disintegrated into famine, war and collapse as a long-term wet weather pattern shifted to drought."