See the details in this NYT article re Global Refugee Crisis.
Global Refugee Crisis
Reply
Opposition to Climate Change is Well-Funded
Secretive donors gave US climate denial groups $125m over three years
Funds allocated to organisations lobbying against Obama’s climate bill and working to undermine rules to reduce carbon pollution, tax records show
New National Response Plan for NZ
For those curious about how other countries manage emergencies and disasters, here is some news about a new national plan in NZ. See the descriptive article titled How NZ Will Cope in an Emergency.
The full text of the new plan is here: National Civil Defence Emergency Management Plan Order 2015
Thanks to Ian McLean for the citations.
The Storm after the Superstorm (Sandy)
Ongoing problems and delays in relief and assistance post-Sandy:
- From CBS News.
- Another article in the NY Post had another take. [At the moment the link escaped me.]
Tokyo – decades of preparedness
The Growing Threat of Heat Waves
From the NYT: The Deadly Combination of Heat and Humidity. Some details:
The most deadly weather-related disasters aren’t necessarily caused by floods, droughts or hurricanes. They can be caused by heat waves, like the sweltering blanket that’s taken over 2,500 lives in India in recent weeks.
Temperatures broke 118 degrees in parts of the country. The death toll is still being tallied, and many heat-related deaths will be recognized only after the fact. Yet it’s already the deadliest heat wave to hit India since at least 1998 and, by some accounts, the fourth- or fifth-deadliest worldwide since 1900.
These heat waves will only become more common as the planet continues to warm.
How Not to Deal with Climate Change
Mind, Hand, and Heart
Something to ponder over the weekend — this commencement speech on Mind, Hand, and Heart, delivered by Megan Smith, Chief Technology Office of the U.S. at MIT this past week.
Problems With the NFIP – in Texas this Time
After Texas Floods, A New Test for FEMA’s Beleaguered National Flood Insurance Program.
It looks like Brad Keiserman is leaving FEMA and the mess with the NFIP and will be joining the Red Cross.
No Hiatus in Global Warming – new NOAA report
NOAA Research Presents Evidence Against a Global Warming ‘Hiatus’
For years, scientists have been laboring to explain an apparent slowdown in global warming since the start of this century, which occurred at the same time that heat-trapping emissions of carbon dioxide were soaring. The slowdown, sometimes inaccurately described as a halt or hiatus, became a major talking point for people critical of climate science.
Now, new research suggests the whole thing may have been based on incorrect data.
Recovery Diva 