Warned 30 years ago, global warming ‘is in our living room’

Warned 30 years ago, global warming ‘is in our living room’

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We were warned. On June 23, 1988, a sultry day in Washington, James Hansen told Congress and the world that global warming wasn’t approaching — it had already arrived. The testimony of the top NASA scientist, said Rice University historian Douglas Brinkley, was “the opening salvo of the age of climate change.” Thirty years later, it’s clear that Hansen and other doomsayers were right. But the change has been so sweeping that it is easy to lose sight of effects large and small — some obvious, others less conspicuous. Earth is noticeably hotter, the weather stormier and more extreme. Polar regions have lost billions of tons of ice; sea levels have been raised by trillions of gallons of water. Far more wildfires rage. Over 30 years — the time period…
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Forecasters predict a near- or above-normal 2018 Atlantic hurricane season

Forecasters predict a near- or above-normal 2018 Atlantic hurricane season

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Forecasters predict a 35 percent chance of an above-normal season, a 40 percent chance of a near-normal season, and a 25 percent chance of a below-normal season for the upcoming hurricane season, which extends from June 1 to November 30. “With the advances made in hardware and computing over the course of the last year, the ability of NOAA scientists to both predict the path of storms and warn Americans who may find themselves in harm’s way is unprecedented,” said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. “The devastating hurricane season of 2017 demonstrated the necessity for prompt and accurate hurricane forecasts.” NOAA’s forecasters predict a 70-percent likelihood of 10 to 16 named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher), of which 5 to 9 could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or…
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Puerto Rico seeks to delay releasing death records after hurricane; judge rejects motion

Puerto Rico seeks to delay releasing death records after hurricane; judge rejects motion

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    San Juan, Puerto Rico (CNN) Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló told CNN last month that there would be "hell to pay" if officials withheld records related to Hurricane Maria. Yet his government filed a motion late Monday asking for permission to stall the delivery of death certificates and other data a judge had ordered to be released to CNN and the Center for Investigative Journalism, or CPI, after the organizations sued for access to those records. In response, the court said it would not lift its requirement that records be released to CNN and CPI by Tuesday. "This new delay tactic (speaks) to the Rosselló government's credibility," said Carla Minet, executive director of CPI. "The government didn't need seven days to hand in most of the information -- and yet…
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Can off-grid renewables close the energy access gap?

Can off-grid renewables close the energy access gap?

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[caption id="attachment_487" align="aligncenter" width="720"] A solar off-grid energy setup in Rwanda. Photo by: Azuri Technologies / CC BY-NC-ND[/caption] BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — Solar lightbulbs, mini power grids, and batteries could soon supply energy to disadvantaged, rural regions that old-fashioned transmission lines and centralized coal-fired generators will never reach. But while prices of renewables have tumbled, and some say the technology offers lower-income countries the chance to leapfrog over more cumbersome ways of delivering energy, significant challenges remain — particularly around how to finance energy access for the poor. Most of the world’s energy-poor populations live far from electricity networks. That includes about 57 percent of people in sub-Saharan Africa, or 588 million, who remain without access to electricity according to the International Energy Agency; and just over 1 billion worldwide, the United Nations estimates. The U.N.’s seventh Sustainable Development…
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