NASA is continuing a multi-year study which, so far, is demonstrating that Arctic permafrost is warming more rapidly than the air. In a release this week the situation in the Arctic is referred to as the “canary in the coal mine” for climate change. The extreme conditions in the Arctic…
Climate Change Attorney Blog
New York City Plan to Address Climate Change Impacts
On June 11, 2013 New York City Mayor Bloomberg announced a plan for the City to address the impacts of climate change. The full report details a multi-billion dollar plan described in the introduction as providing initiatives that: “…will further protect the coastline-our first defense against storms and rising sea…
US and China Agree to Work Toward Reduction of HFCs
The United States and China have agreed to work to “phase down” HFCs. In a press release the White House announced: ” …the United States and China agreed to work together and with other countries through multilateral approaches that include using the expertise and institutions of the Montreal Protocol to…
Scenic Hudson Sea Level Rise Mapper
The conservation group, Scenic Hudson has developed maps demonstrating the potential impacts of sea level rise along the Hudson River. Noting that over the last century the river has risen about one foot, the Scenic Hudson’s site indicates the river is expected to rise by as much as another six…
CO2 Levels Reach 400 PPM
For the first time in what is believed to be 3 million years, carbon dioxide levels were recorded this week at 400 ppm on top of the 11,000 foot Mauna Loa mountain in Hawaii. As noted by National Geographic, the last time CO2 was at those levels: ” the Earth…
NASA Study Predicts Climate Change Will Increase Extremes in Rainfall and Drought
NASA released a study predicting that, with increased global warming, areas prone to heavy rains will see increases in rainfall while areas prone to drought will experience even less rainfall. The the announcement of the study released on May 3, 2013 notes: “The models project for every 1 degree Fahrenheit…
New Reaserch on Greening of the Arctic
A study released on March 31, 2013 projects a significant increase in Arctic tree cover and resultant impacts on climate change into the 2050s. As reported in Science Daily, a study appearing in Nature Climate Change Projects a 50% increase in wooded areas. The increase in tree cover is projected…
U.S. Releases National Strategy to Address Climate Change
On March 26, 2013 the Obama Administration released what it calls the “first nationwide strategy to help public and private decision makers address the impacts that climate change is having on natural resources and the people and economies that depend on them.” In a press release the Climate Adaptation Strategy…
Draft Supplemental EIS For Keystone Pipeline Released
The State Department released the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the controversial Keystone XL Pipeline last week. Along with the full report is a summary of the history of the project. The discussion of the impacts of climate change on the proposed pipeline, while acknowledging significant ongoing changes…
NASA Study Finds Cimate Change Impacts On Rain Forest
NASA has released a report showing severe impacts on a large area of the Amazon rain forest resulting from the effects of climate change. The report notes that a 2005 drought, likely resulting from the same weather patterns that brought severe weather to the Southern United States, severely impacted 270,000…