Beginning in just eight years, we could see permanent climate conditions across the North American Southwest that are comparable to the worst megadrought in 1,000 years. (1)

The latest research from the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University published in December 2012 has some truly astounding news. The megadroughts referred to in the paper published in Nature Climate Change happened around about 900 to 1300 AD and are so extreme that they have no modern counterpart for comparison (these megadroughts will be referred to in the following as the ’12th century megadrought’). The research was funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

We have been warned for decades that we would be facing a megadrought if we did not do something about climate pollution. We did not, and now according to the projections of a new study, that is just what the future may hold. And remember, projected conditions similar to the worst megadrought in 1,000 years would be the baseline conditions. Dry periods, which we normally refer to as drought times today, would be superimposed on top of the megadrought extremeness.

Click here to support courageous reporting and commentary by making a tax-deductible contribution to Truthout!

The Lamont-Doherty research not only […]

No Comments

As they zero in on their sugary reward, foraging bumblebees follow an invisible clue: electric fields. Although some animals, including sharks, are known to have an electric sense, this is the first time the ability has been documented in insects.

Pollinating insects take in a large number of sensory cues, from colours and fragrances to petal textures and air humidity. Being able to judge which flowers will provide the most nectar, and which have already been plundered by other pollinators, helps them to use their energy more efficiently.

It has long been known that bumblebees build up a positive electrical charge as they rapidly flap their wings; when they land on flowers, this charge helps pollen to stick to their hairs. Daniel Robert, a biologist at the University of Bristol, UK, knew that such electrical interactions would temporarily change the electrical status of the flowers - but he did not know whether bumblebees were picking up on this.
Flower power
Related stories

The buzz about pesticides
Pigeons may ‘hear’ magnetic fields
The pollinator crisis: What’s best for bees

More related stories

Keen to find out, he and a team of colleagues measured the […]

No Comments

BP has announced that it will square off against the federal government in court next week to fight ‘excessive’ claims arising from the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil disaster.

In a combative statement, the oil giant said it had been open to a settlement in the civil trial, set to start on Monday in a federal court in New Orleans. But it had failed to reach a deal with federal government lawyers.

The trial could potentially result in $21bn (£13.6bn) in civil damages for BP, but the company said on Tuesday it would rather take its chances in court than continue negotiations with federal government lawyers.

‘Faced with demands that are excessive and not based on reality or the merits of the case, we are going to trial,’ said Rupert Bondy, the BP’s general counsel, said in a statement.

The trial is the last major hurdle to BP’s efforts to move beyond the fatal blowout of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, which killed 11 people and resulted in the biggest oil spill in US history.

BP has already accepted criminal responsibility for the disaster, pleading guilty last November to manslaughter and lying to Congress and paying $4.5bn in fines. It reached a separate $7.8bn settlement […]

No Comments

Start asking security experts which powerful Washington institutions have been penetrated by Chinese cyberspies, and this is the usual answer: almost all of them.

The list of those hacked in recent years includes law firms, think tanks, news organizations, human rights groups, contractors, congressional offices, embassies and federal agencies.

The information compromised by such intrusions, security experts say, would be enough to map how power is exercised in Washington to a remarkably nuanced degree. The only question, they say, is whether the Chinese have the analytical resources to sort through the massive troves of data they steal every day.

‘The dark secret is there is no such thing as a secure unclassified network,

No Comments

The Clean Energy Opportunity

‘Energy innovation is a commitment to long-term prosperity.’
-American Energy Innovation Council

The global clean energy economy is rapidly expanding for a variety of reasons, including falling prices; growing demand for power, especially in emerging economies; the desire to create jobs and economic opportunities; and the need to reduce local and global air pollutants. Since 2004, private investment in such technologies has grown by more than 600 percent, and the sector could expand to $1.9 trillion in revenues between 2012 and 2018.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, worldwide energy demand is likely to increase 47 percent over 2010 levels by 2035. Demand in developing nations will grow by 72 percent, compared with 18 percent in developed nations. The International Energy Agency forecasts that clean energy will provide half the electricity generation capacity installed over the next 25 years. During that period, renewable energy could attract up to $5.9 trillion worth of investment.

This is a significant economic opportunity for countries that innovate, enhance, manufacture, and export new renewable energy technologies. Pew’s research concludes that nations whose policies promote a culture of innovation will be well positioned to reap the economic […]

No Comments