Situation Report

High Methane Levels Over the Arctic Ocean

Sun, 2014-02-23 00:39 — Kathy Gilbeaux

(CLICK ON POSTER IMAGE BELOW TO ENLARGE)

submitted by Tim Siftar

arctic-news.blogspot.com - February 19, 2014

High methane concentrations have persistently shown up over the Arctic Ocean since October 1, 2013.

The danger is that methane will further warm up the air over the Arctic, causing further weakening of the Jet Stream and further extreme weather events, particularly extreme warming of water all the way along the path of the Gulf Stream from the Atlantic Ocean into the Arctic Ocean, in turn triggering further releases from hydrates at the seafloor of the Arctic Ocean and escalating into runaway global warming.

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Video - Dr. Michael D. McDonald | Public-Private Partnerships in Aid - USAID

Mon, 2014-02-17 16:53 — Kathy Gilbeaux

Click on the video above, or CLICK HERE to view Dr. McDonald's suggestion - at the 40:30 mark.

wilsoncenter.org - February 14, 2014

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Wavier Jet Stream May Drive Weather Shift

Sat, 2014-02-15 18:11 — Kathy Gilbeaux

Pallab Ghosh: "We may have to get used to winters where spells of weather go on for weeks - or even months"

bbc.co.uk - by Pallab Ghosh - February 15, 2014

The main system that helps determine the weather over Northern Europe and North America may be changing, research suggests.

The study shows that the so-called jet stream has increasingly taken a longer, meandering path.

This has resulted in weather remaining the same for more prolonged periods.

The work was presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Chicago.

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CLICK HERE - RESEARCH STUDY - Exciting Science: Rapid Arctic Warming and Wacky Weather: Are They Related?

CLICK HERE - Evidence linking Arctic amplification to extreme weather in mid-latitudes

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UK Floods: Prime Minister Says Money No Object in Relief Effort

Thu, 2014-02-13 14:58 — Kathy Gilbeaux

David Cameron: "Whatever money is needed, we will spend it."

bbc.co.uk - February 11, 2014

The prime minister says money will be no object as flood relief efforts continue across swathes of the UK.

David Cameron warned the severe weather was not over, saying: "Things could get worse before they get better."

Speaking at a Downing Street press conference after returning from the flood-stricken South West, Mr Cameron said: "Money is no object in this relief effort. Whatever money is needed, we will spend it."

He said recovering from the floods could take time, telling reporters: "It will be a long haul and it will require a stepped up national effort, with the whole country pulling together.

He vowed lessons would be learned, adding: "We will deal with the floods and we will build a more resilient country for the future."

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(CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW FOR UK FLOODING PICTURES)

http://www.businessinsider.com/uk-flooding-pictures-2014-2

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Climate Change is to Blame, Says Met Office Scientist

Sun, 2014-02-09 22:44 — Kathy Gilbeaux

Dame Slingo has warned that the country should prepare for similar events in future Photo: JAMES DADZITIS/SWNS

Flooding like that in Somerset may become more frequent

telegraph.co.uk - by Tim Ross - February 8, 2014

Climate change is behind the storms that have struck Britain this winter, according to the Met Office.

Dame Julia Slingo, the Met Office’s chief scientist, said while there was not yet “definitive” proof, “all the evidence” supported the theory that climate change had played a role.

She warned that the country should prepare for similar events in future.

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UK - Met Office - Most Exceptional Periods of Winter Rainfall in at Least 248 Years

Thu, 2014-02-06 17:54 — Kathy Gilbeaux

metoffice.gov.uk - February 6, 2014

Regional statistics suggest this is one of the most exceptional periods of winter rainfall in at least 248 years
https://twitter.com/metoffice/statuses/431417739367165952

UK’s exceptional weather in context
http://metofficenews.wordpress.com/2014/02/06/uks-exceptional-weather-in-context/

Met Office
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/

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What are the Sustainable Development Goals?

Tue, 2014-02-04 21:22 — Kathy Gilbeaux

Countries are designing Sustainable Development Goals to replace the Millennium Development Goals in 2015. CIFOR/Aulia Erlangga

cifor.org - by Center for International Forestry Research

BOGOR, Indonesia (4 February 2014) — The United Nations’ Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will convene for its final meeting from 3-7 February 2014 in New York. The 30-member working group will focus on the role of biodiversity, forests and oceans in human development. . . Following this meeting, the group will develop a report that will be handed to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in September.

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Keystone: The Pipeline to Disaster

Mon, 2014-02-03 23:18 — Kathy Gilbeaux

huffingtonpost.com - by Jeffrey Sachs - February 3, 2014

CLICK HERE - Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the Keystone XL Project - Executive Summary January 2014 (44 page .PDF report)

The new State Department Environmental Impact Statement for the Keystone Pipeline does three things. First, it signals a greater likelihood that the pipeline project will be approved later this year by the administration. Second, it vividly illustrates the depth of confusion of US climate change policy. Third, it self-portrays the US Government as a helpless bystander to climate calamity.

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Growing Disease Burden in South Sudan Conflict

Wed, 2014-01-29 14:39 — Kathy Gilbeaux

Lucky delivery: A south Sudan refugee mother takes a meal after successfully delivering her newborn at Nzjaipi health center III. A number of expecting mothers in limbo due to inadequate health facilities at refugee transit and sattlement sites in Adjumani. Charles Akena/IRIN

irinnews.org

GULU-NAIROBI, 27 January 2014 (IRIN) - Disease burden is growing among people who fled their homes following the outbreak of conflict in South Sudan.

The mid-December eruption of fighting between army forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and those supporting former vice-president Riek Machar has adversely impacted the already weak health system.

“Even before this crisis, South Sudan’s health system was extremely fragile - 80 percent of the health services were provided by international organizations," Raphael Gorgeu, the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) head of mission for South Sudan, told IRIN in an email. “So for MSF, the current conflict exacerbates an already dire situation.”

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With an Eye Toward the Future: Building Resilience in a Changing World

Tue, 2014-01-28 13:01 — Kathy Gilbeaux

worldbank.org - Habiba Gitay / Sofia Bettencourt
January 10, 2014

Typhoon Haiyan, the Category 5 super storm that devastated parts of the Philippines and killed thousands late last year, continues to remind us, tragically, of how vulnerable we are to weather-related disasters.

As the images of destruction and desperation continue to circle the globe, we’re also reminded that those most at risk when natural disaster strikes are the world’s poor – people who have little money to help them recover and who lack food security, access to clean water, sanitation and health services.

Over the last year, as one major extreme weather event after another wreaked havoc and claimed lives in the developing world, terms such as "resilience" and "loss and damage" have become part and parcel of our efforts here at the World Bank Group – and for good reason.

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