Some fascinating tidbits from The Union of Concerned Scientists. I am especially intrigued by their approach to the questions of whether the floods, tornados and other severe storms are caused by Global Warming. While one can never ascribe single weather events, or even a single year of weather, to "climate" change, the models all predict, and the weather trends all show, that increasingly severe storms are coming. The powerful storms of 2011 are "the new normal", and it is going to keep getting worse.
JBK
Union of Concerned Scientists action@ucsusa.org 7/7/2011 6:33 PM >>>
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Dear James, A new UCS report reveals that global warming threatens public health and increases health care costs by exacerbating ground-level ozone--the primary component of smog. "Climate Change and Your Health: Rising Temperatures, Worsening Ozone Pollution," explains how climate change-induced ozone increases are likely to result in millions of additional respiratory illnesses and thousands of more hospitalizations due to serious breathing problems in 2020. And what will all these health-related impacts cost? Approximately $5.4 billion. The good news is that both ozone pollution and climate change are fundamentally caused by the same activities--human beings burning fossil fuels--and we have ready-to-roll solutions for this problem. To check out our new report online, visit: http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=jSKHvaaOe4IV5Z54-Ee3wA.. -Karla
SCIENCE IN ACTION Tell Congress: Global warming could take our breath away. Unchecked global warming could lead to more serious respiratory illnesses like asthma and cost us billions in health costs. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is working right now to draft new regulations that would help protect us from the dangerous effects of global warming. Send a message to your members of Congress today urging them to let the EPA protect our health and save us money by reducing global warming emissions. Click Here to Take Action: http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=GWvmnyyVs21uz9lafdi9GQ..
LINKS FOR YOU: :: UCS ticker shows the enormous amount of money the Clean Air Act has saved the country from 1970 through today. http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=3ggdhWSDKi8tDUTDqYMz2w.. :: USA today: UCS warns climate change could increase breathing problems and health costs. http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=sK-Pk6aQr8oVo3vOyzXWog.. :: New Climate Hot Map shows effects of global warming around the world. http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=dNQ9d7U9xDDkCvSsq3lq-A.. :: Don't miss your chance to win a carbon-neutral trip for two to research climate change in Brazil! Embark on our Climate Hot Map Scavenger Hunt today. http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=n-f4DpSedy8G8liT_eGo4A..
ASK THE SCIENTIST: How much ozone depletion has occurred over the past two decades, and to what degree are more harmful UV rays now reaching Earth? --K. Roumph, Fremont, NE. Answered by Peter Frumhoff, Ph.D., Director of Science & Policy Earth's ozone layer, high in the atmosphere, which had thinned significantly by the 1980s and early 1990s, has actually stabilized over the past two decades. Its recovery is uneven and complicated by global warming, but overall, a scientific and political success story averted a much more serious threat from ultraviolet radiation, or UV rays. When ozone is created near Earth's surface, however, it's called ground-level ozone and this type of ozone is a human health irritant and component of smog. Unfortunately, warmer temperatures increase ground-level ozone. Therefore, unlike its high-flying counterpart, ground-level ozone is cause for mounting concern. MORE: http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=wCmsNt8XyW6Dki7E8ajnOg..
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THIS JUST IN Reality in a warming world: Powerful storms become the new normal. This past spring, the United States experienced some of the worst extreme weather ever-and its effects were devastating for communities across the country: Massive flooding, monster wildfires, severe drought, and historic tornadoes. How much of this can be attributed to global warming? A lot of it, but not all of it, according to UCS climate scientists. MORE: http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=WrZBoKj0oL66dMo_5mp2Xg..
GREENTIPS For many, reducing environmental harm is a guiding principle in life. But what about in death? Since green burial practices are not yet widespread, here are factors to consider when looking for a suitable final resting place. http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=K4Psf6w9FYP1R1BuFO8XTQ..
FEED: THE FOOD AND ENVIRONMENT ELECTRONIC DIGEST :: UCS joins lawsuit against the FDA on antibiotics. http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=BHQ5cyrbpJlHc5MuEysf6w.. :: New report says we waste one third of our food! http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=iCXYAxgIaChBhxNVgLaNWA.. :: Antibiotic-resistant superbug pops up in British milk. http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=6R5B_3iVPRnX8HTIjtALaQ.. :: Farmers markets beat grocery stores on organic prices http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=-JtJJn8oFNkiUfK74TpG5Q.. MORE: http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=_zUpfyv7fNKHbXy91vx5Ng..
DRIVING CHANGE NETWORK: :: 2011 UCS Hybrid Scorecard just released! http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=rMelBrAutX0o0rN5Bps7Ug.. :: Secretary of Transportation responds to UCS activists. http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=kc7hpda9_TfuSmIsr5f_4Q.. :: Google estimates 90 percent of vehicles on the road by 2030 could be hybrids or EVs. http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=EU0-M7wvg4cScsozhS5umQ.. MORE: http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=KAFOaKWCaA92XNpVVcS4hQ..
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