Environment

Modeling Thawing at Base of Antarctic Ice Sheet
Across Antarctica, some parts of the base of the ice sheet are frozen, while others are thawed. Scientists show that if some currently frozen areas were also to thaw, it could increase ice loss from glaciers that are not currently major sea-level contributors.
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Increasing Impacts of Floods and Droughts Worldwide
Risk management has reduced the vulnerability to floods and droughts around the world, but their impact is still increasing worldwide.
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“Prediction Markets” Could Improve Climate Risk Policies and Investment Decisions
A market-led approach could be key to guiding policy, research and business decisions about future climate risks, a new study outlines. The paper details how expert ‘prediction markets’ could improve the climate-risk forecasts that guide key business and regulatory decisions.
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Intense Heat Waves and Flooding Are Battering Electricity and Water Systems, as America’s Aging Infrastructure Sags Under the Pressure of Climate Change
The underlying issue for infrastructure failure is age, resulting in the failure of critical parts such as pumps and motors. Compounding the problem of age is the lack of funds to modernize critical systems and perform essential maintenance. The consequences of inadequate maintenance are compounded by climate change, which is accelerating infrastructure failure with increased flooding, extreme heat and growing storm intensity.
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Climate Change Puts Availability of Vital Renewable Energy Source at Risk
Climate change is putting the availability of biomass fuels and technologies – vital alternatives to fossil fuels – at risk, according to new research. The study has found that as temperatures rise, the window of opportunity to maximize the use of biomass from plants, wood and waste as a renewable energy source and an alternative to petrochemicals is closing.
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Parched California prepares for first-ever Colorado River Cuts
An emerging deal would cut water deliveries to Southern California — but fall far short of federal demands.
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Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier Retreat Faster than Expected – with Spine-Chilling Consequences
The Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica – about the size of Florida — is already in a phase of fast retreat leading to widespread concern about exactly how much, or how fast, it may give up its ice to the ocean. The potential impact of Thwaites’ retreat is spine-chilling: a total loss of the glacier and surrounding icy basins could raise sea level from three to ten feet.
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Laredo Confronts Drought and Water Shortage with Minimal Options
A mounting water supply crisis in scorching far-South Texas has left local governments pressed to respond. Two major cities, Brownsville and McAllen, rolled out watering restrictions in recent weeks, but leaders in the South Texas city of Laredo are reluctant to impose substantial restrictions on watering lawns even as water supplies near record lows.
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Multiform Floods: A Growing Climate Threat
We are in the thick of danger season (aka summer), that time of year when droughts, heat waves, wildfires, floods and hurricanes are more likely to happen. Not only that; climate change has made these disasters more severe and more likely to occur.
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Risks of Megafloods in California Increase
California is currently contending with historic drought, but climate change is sharply increasing the risk of a catastrophic megaflood that could submerge large swaths of the state and displace millions of residents. The frequency of catastrophic deluges increases as temperatures rise.
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World's Biggest Ice Sheet Could Cause Massive Sea Rise Without Action
A new study shows that the worst effects of global warming on the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) could be avoided. That depends upon temperatures not rising by more than 2°C above pre-industrial levels.
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More Than 107M Americans Will Soon Live inside an Emerging “Extreme Heat Belt” with Temperatures above 125 F
Fifty U.S. counties, home to 8.1 million residents, are expected to experience temperatures above 125°F in 2023, the highest level of the National Weather Services’ heat index. By 2053, 1,023 U.S. counties are expected to exceed this temperature, an area that is home to 107.6 million Americans and covers a quarter of the U.S. land area.
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Wealthiest Homeowners Most at Risk of Wildfire Hazard
The top 10 cent most valuable homes in the western United States are 70% more likely to be in high wildfire hazard areas than median-value properties, measured by county.
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Support for Carbon Capture and Sequestration Key to Greener, More Reliable Grid
Existing fossil-fuel capacity can play a significant role in reaching net-zero with both current and modified “Section 45Q” tax incentives for carbon capture and storage (CCS).
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For Advance Drought Warning, Look to the Plants
Among the extreme weather impacts resulting from climate change, drought is a growing problem around the globe, leading to frequent wildfires, threats to water resources, and greater food insecurity. Researchers find signals in vegetation can help forecast devastating ‘flash’ droughts.
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