National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration- NOAA: U.S. Winter and February Cooler Than AverageNOAA’s State of the Climate report for the winter season (December through February) and the month of February, state that temperatures were below normal for the contiguous United States. The winter season was wetter than normal; however precipitation in February alone was slightly below average. […]
- NOAA’s Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Propose ESA Listing Changes for the Loggerhead Sea TurtleNOAA’s Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), jointly referred to as the Services, announced today their joint determination that the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) is globally comprised of nine distinct population segments (DPSs) that qualify as “species” for listing as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Sp […]
- Hurricane Forecasters Bring Preparedness Message to Atlantic, Mexico and CaribbeanNOAA and the U.S. Air Force Reserve will host a series of public events from March 18 to 27 in six coastal communities in Bermuda, Mexico and the Caribbean to urge residents to prepare for the upcoming hurricane season. […]
- NOAA: U.S. Winter and February Cooler Than Average
- Sea Shephard Ocean Protection
- Antarctic Campaign Report – Success Defending Whales!Antarctic Campaign Report – Success Defending Whales! Ships are expendable, endangered whales species are not 2009-2010 Antarctic Whale Defense Campaign: Operation Waltzing Matilda After three long weary and dramatic months upon the most remote and hostile seas in the world, the Sea Shepherd ships Steve Irwin and Bob Barker were welcomed by crowds of cheer […]
- Japanese Whalers Are Clear Cutting the “Forests” of the Southern OceanJapanese Whalers Are Clear Cutting the “Forests” of the Southern Ocean Intelligence willfully destroyed to read booksMoby Dick read by the light of burning whales,Without a thought, blind to the connectionsBy death’s bright light, is read another bookThou shalt not kill is one of the lying tales.We define what is right by biased selections- Captain P […]
- Sea Shepherd Ships Complete Operations in Southern Ocean for 2010Sea Shepherd Ships Complete Operations in Southern Ocean for 2010 1800 Hours: Perth and Fremantle100 Hours: Sydney and Hobart0200 Hours: (PST) Friday Harbor and Los Angeles Captain Paul Watson has ordered the Sea Shepherd ship Bob Barker to disengage from further pursuit of the Japanese factory ship Nisshin Maru and to set a course for Hobart, Tasmania. “T […]
- Antarctic Campaign Report – Success Defending Whales!
- Environmental Protection Agency
- Science Wednesday: Sustainability Is Our True NorthEach week we write about the science behind environmental protection. Previous Science Wednesdays. A week ago at the Keck Center of the National Academies, I heard Paul Anastas, EPA’s Assistant Administrator for the Office of Research and Development, speak about sustainability. He said, “sustainability is our true north.” That started my thinking ab […]
- Discussing the DiscussionMy job provides a lot of opportunities to meet with people face-to-face. I’ve met with environmental justice advocates in New Orleans, mayors affected by auto sector closures in the Midwest, and tribal representatives in Montana, just to name a few. It’s all part of Administrator Jackson’s directive to expand the conversation on environmentalism. But n […]
- CHILDHOOD OBESITY PART I: Healthy DietsFor the past two years I have been volunteering at a local elementary school in my hometown. Only recently did I have a chance to see the cafeteria. Scanning the trays I saw the “typical” cafeteria foods : pizza, hotdogs, and hamburgers. Rarely did I see fruits and vegetables, but I always saw some sort [...] […]
- Science Wednesday: Sustainability Is Our True North
- Environment
- Reduce U.S. Consumption of PetroleumThe price of oil is currently hovering near $80 per barrel, but that doesn’t include the potential economic costs to the United States that would be caused by disruptions in oil supply, according to a recent discussion paper by Resources for the Future (RFF), an independent research group. That report estimated the oil security premium [...] […]
- Reduce U.S. Consumption of Petroleum
Biggest Health Threat: Global Warming
Human induced climate change is “the biggest global health threat of the 21st century,” according to a group of experts.
“This is a bad diagnosis not just for children in different lands. It’s for our children and grandchildren,” Anthony Costello, a professor of international child health and director of the Institute for Global Health at University College London. “Even the most conservative estimates are profoundly disturbing and demand action. Climate change raises an important issue of intergenerational justice, that we are setting up a world for our children and grandchildren that may be extremely frightening and turbulent.” Mr. Costello is the lead author of a report produced jointly by The Lancet journal and University College London (UCL).
“There are no institutions at the global level who can really deal effectively with devising complex solutions to these complex problems,” said Dr. Richard Horton. “It is an urgent threat. It is a dangerous threat. It has been neglected, and requires an unprecedented response by governments and international organizations.”
“The vast majority of experts, 95 percent, maybe even 99 percent, agree that global warming is taking place,” said Kirby Donnelly, head of environmental and occupational health at Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health. “The big issue is the model: When will global warming become a problem?”
The report based predicts a 4-degree rise in temperature over the coming century. There are many health concerns over such a rise, including: vector-borne diseases, dengue fever and malaria. Also, heat waves will liekly kill more people than the 70,000 people killed Europe in 2003.
Another consideration — crop yields will decline and starvation will rise. Gastroenteritis and malnutrition will increase due to water shortages.
“Extreme climactic events such as flash flooding due to changing rainfall patterns and melting ice sheets will hinder the world’s sewage systems, leading to diarrhea and other problems,” said Dr. Hugh Montgomery, director of UCL’s Institute for Human Health and Performance. “Severe cyclones and hurricanes will also take more lives.”
“We have a moral dilemma: How do we protect the health of the poorest people in the world and allow them to develop,” Maslin said.
“There are so many public health issues associated with global warming that certainly, once it becomes a significant problem, it will be the most significant public health problem at that point in time,” said Donnelly.
“This is a problem that affects the entire planet, and the longer it takes ‘us,’ the people on this planet, to take action, the more difficult it will be to resolve the problem,” Donnelly continued. “We urgently need to take at least minimal action to try to reduce emissions and move toward taking more significant action to reduce global warming.”