impacts

Water & Climate: Not Everything Is Negative

I had a bit of press coverage during World Water Week last August. I'll spare you from the article that appeared in the People's Daily Worker in China, but ThinkGloballyRadio.org conducted a nice 30-minute interview (and I didn't say "uh" too much either, which was a relief). You can stream the interview at the station's website and clicking on the episode listed (at the top right of the window) as 091011. I talk about the impacts of climate change on freshwater ecosystems, the ability of climate change to bring disparate groups together, and the state (as of August 2009) of international freshwater adaptation policy leading up to COP15. Read More...
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Guest Blog: A National "Climate Service"?

Paul Fleming works on freshwater climate adaptation issues for the US City of Seattle, Washington. Seattle obtains much of its water from large rivers, and much of that water during the summer and fall is derived from the melting of annual snowpack — a process that is shifting rapidly as a result of climate change.
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Among his other responsibilities, Paul helps the city’s water supply utility think about how to manage their water resources in fiscally prudent, flexible ways, given that Seattle’s “normal” climate is altering rapidly. In early May, Paul spoke before the U.S. Congress in regard to the Waxman/Markey bill (discussed in several previous blogs here, most recently here) about the need for a National Climate Service — modeled in part on the existing National Weather Service. Such a group would likely focus on delivering analytical services for how climate is changing in critical parameters in particular regions — an excellent idea, which would be a great boon for facilitating and groundtruthing climate adaptation efforts. Below is his statement, as well as the statement of marine biologist Jane Lubchenco, who is now the head of NOAA, which is the agency that would host both the Weather Service and the Climate Service. Many thanks to Paul for supplying his remarks! — JM
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Flowing Regimes in Central Europe

The Danube — the Donau in German — is not a Great River like the Mississippi, the Congo, or the Amazon. But in Europe, it is a critical resource, culturally and economically. And it is a complex place. I have just returned from Vienna and a swirling mixture of ideas, impacts, and people focused on the Danube. Read More...
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NEWS: IPCC freshwater climate change report

The IPCC has recently put together a separate report on freshwater and climate change. Read More...
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Wetlands in the Air

A study late last week suggested that atmospheric methane emissions are way up. This is disturbing on a number of levels that should have a lot of people very worried. Read More...
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