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☆ At least 4 deaths in Houston, official says, as storms bring ‘life-threatening’ flood risk to Texas and Louisiana
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Joe Sutton | Elizabeth Wolfe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

More than 100,000 are also in the dark in Louisiana as storms batter the state, as well. Parts of Texas and western Louisiana are under a rare Level 4 of 4 high risk of excessive rainfall Thursday, the Weather Prediction Center said. Major flooding has prompted water rescues in at least one Texas city. Texas and Louisiana have been in the bull’s-eye of seemingly unrelenting rounds of torrential, flooding downpours since the start of April. A tornado warning had been issued earlier Thursday evening in Harris County, including downtown Houston, according to the National Weather Service.

Persons: Samuel Peña, John Whitmire, Houston Mayor John Whitmire, Houstonians, what’s, Hurricane Harvey Organizations: CNN, Houston Fire, Hyatt, Weather Prediction, WPC, National Weather Service, Houston, KPRC, Houston Astros, Oakland Athletics, Houston Mayor, Centerpoint, METRO, Training, Florida Panhandle, Regional Climate Center ., Hurricane Locations: Houston, Hyatt Regency, Texas, Louisiana, Bryan, United States, Georgia, Waco, Mississippi, Lake Charles , Louisiana, Harris County, Harris, city’s, Gulf, Alabama, Florida, Shreveport , Louisiana

Not fun.”Many scientists who study the intersection of climate change, flooding, winter storms and sea level rise agree the kind of damage Levy experienced was more of a sign of things to come than an anomaly. Climate change is forecast to bring more hurricanes to the Northeast as waters warm, some scientists say. In the Northeast, the problem of climate change is especially acute because of forecasted sea level rise here, said Hannah Baranes, a coastal scientist with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute's Climate Center in Portland, Maine. “This is a real moment to consider how much flooding is in several feet of sea level rise,” Baranes said. Vermont, which also suffered heavy damage in Hurricane Irene in 2011, is working to establish statewide floodplain standards, Moore told the Maine Climate Council.

Persons: Haim Levy, ” Levy, “ It's, Levy, Hannah Baranes, it's, Baranes, ”, ” Baranes, Joe Biden, Patrick Keliher, Janet Mills, “, we've, ” Mills, We're, Julie Moore, Hurricane Irene, Moore, hasn't, Irene, Laura Dwyer, Dwyer, Conrad Ferla, Ferla, Charles Krupa, Rodrique Ngowi, ___, Patrick Whittle, @pxwhittle Organizations: Haim, United Nations, European Union, of, state's Department of Marine Resources, Democratic, Maine Climate Council, Vermont Agency of Natural, Coastal Resources Management, Associated Press Locations: PORTLAND, Maine, Hampton , New Hampshire, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Massachusetts, of Maine, Portland , Maine, New England, Vermont Agency of Natural Resources . Vermont, Hurricane, Vermont, ”, North Wildwood, Rhode Island, Narragansett , Rhode Island, South Kingstown

☆ The Midwest is having a ‘non-winter.’ El Niño is only partially to blame
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Mary Gilbert | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Winter has gone missing across the Midwest and Great Lakes, and time is running out to find it. Dozens of cities are on track for one of the warmest winters on record, making snow and ice rare commodities. A classic El Niño pattern coupled with the effects of a warming climate are to blame for this “non-winter” winter, said Pete Boulay, a climatologist with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Missing snowfall is even more pronounced in areas surrounding the Great Lakes, especially those that are typically buried by lake-effect snow. The lackluster ice coverage is part of a larger troubling trend across the Great Lakes.

Persons: Pete Boulay, we’ve, ” Boulay, “ I’ve, Boulay, ” Melissa Widhalm Organizations: CNN, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Regional Climate Center, Paul International, Nashville, Twin Cities, Purdue University, NOAA, Climate Central, Climate Locations: Midwest, Great Lakes, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Minneapolis, St, Erie , Pennsylvania, Great, Climate Central

☆ Climate Change Is Causing Severe Drought in a Volatile Mideast Zone, Study Finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Manuela Andreoni | More About Manuela Andreoni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Human-made climate change is driving a yearslong extreme drought in Iran, Iraq and Syria, an area that encompasses a region known as the Fertile Crescent and a cradle of civilization, scientists said on Wednesday. In the last three years, the drought, the second worst on record, has shriveled wheat crops and led to tensions between neighboring countries and communities over access to dwindling water supplies. It has also displaced tens of thousands of people, and helped push millions into hunger. The crisis is evidence of how global warming caused by the burning of fossil fuels can act “as a threat multiplier,” said Rana El Hajj, a technical adviser at the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Center in Lebanon, and one of the 10 authors of the study. It was put out by the World Weather Attribution initiative, an international scientific collaboration that specializes in rapid analysis of extreme weather events.

Persons: ”, Rana El Hajj Organizations: Climate Locations: Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon

☆ Fire Exposes Flaws in Hawaii’s Defenses Against Climate Shocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Christopher Flavelle | More About Christopher Flavelle | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Part of the problem is the sheer diversity of threats. “Hawaii is a leader among states in its approach to adaptation planning, particularly as it relates to sea level rise, extreme storms and infrastructure,” said Mark Rupp, adaptation program director for the Georgetown Climate Center in Washington. Josh Green of Hawaii issued an order that stops the state from adopting new or updated building standards. The governor said the move was necessary to address a severe housing shortage. Attempts to block tougher building codes in the name of affordability are common nationwide, even if it sacrifices safety, said Michele Steinberg, wildfire division director for the National Fire Protection Association.

Persons: ”, Mark Rupp, “, Josh Green, Michele Steinberg Organizations: Georgetown Climate Center, International Code Council, National Fire Protection Association Locations: Hawaii, Washington, California

CNN —Torrential downpours and flooding have killed at least 15 people and four others remain missing in Chongqing, southwest China, state-run news agency Xinhua reported Wednesday, citing local authorities. More than 85,000 Sichuan residents have been displaced, state-run broadcaster CCTV reported Tuesday. At least 400 emergency teams have been dispatched to help rescue and relief operations in the area, according to state media. Chinese leader Xi Jinping has ordered authorities to “give top priority” to keeping residents safe and minimizing losses, according to Xinhua. This summer has already seen heavy rain, with four people killed and three missing in Sichuan last week after landslides triggered by rainstorms and flash floods, Xinhua reported.

Persons: Xi Jinping, “, ” Organizations: CNN, Xinhua, China’s Ministry of Emergency Management, National Climate Center Locations: Chongqing, China, floodwater, China’s, Sichuan, Xinhua, Henan, Northern China

☆ China beats its own record for hot days over six months
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —China has registered the highest number of hot days over six months since records began, according to authorities, as the country confronts another record-breaking summer of blistering heat. The national average was calculated from the number of high temperature days recorded by weather stations across the country. Northern China, a heavily populated region with hundreds of millions of residents, has been particularly hard hit, with more heat waves expected in coming weeks. So far this year, Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei province, has seen 17 high temperature days, followed by Beijing’s 14 days. As the climate crisis intensifies, scientists say dangerous, record heat waves are set to become more frequent and more severe.

Persons: Beijing’s, Sheng Jiapeng, Zhou Bing, El Nino, ” Zhou Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, National Climate Center, Museum, China News Service, Climate Center, China Meteorological Administration, Times, El Nino, El, Xinhua Locations: Hong Kong, China, Northern China, Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, Beijing, Sichuan

☆ Farm animals, crops suffer from extreme weather affecting China
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

This year, extreme heat has ravaged many parts of the country even earlier than last year. Animals killedIn recent days, reports of farm animals killed by extreme heat have dominated the news. The pigs suffocated to death amid extreme heat and poor air circulation, Jimu News, a government-owned news website, cited an unnamed employee at the farm as saying. The heat wave was blamed for killing large numbers of farmed carp living in rice fields in the southwestern region of Guangxi. And more extreme weather events are likely to come.

Persons: Sheng Xia, El, El Niño, ”, Sheng, Wang Gang, Niño, Xi Jinping, Shi Guangming Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, China Meteorological Administration, Citic Securities, “, El, World Meteorological Organization, Qiushi, Communist, Villagers, China Today, China Media Group Locations: Hong Kong, China, Yunnan, Sichuan, El, Shanghai, Beijing, Jiangsu, Guangxi, Henan, Pingdingshan, Henan province, Xinjiang

NEW YORK, April 14 (Reuters) - Firms find that investors penalize their stock less for high greenhouse gas emissions if they voluntarily disclose that data, researchers at Lazard's climate center said on Friday. For energy companies the effect was more pronounced: Disclosure actually increased their P/E measure by 0.8%. "People might assume the worst if you don't disclose," said Peter Orszag, chief executive of financial advisory at Lazard. Many firms have pledged in recent years to reduce their carbon emissions, but the report found this had little observable impact on their valuations. "Investors may not interpret pledges as bearing material weight, but rather as ... bolstering public relations," the report said.

110 30% 50 70 90 150 200 300 400 Short-term view: Past month Long-term view: Past 3 years Redding Redding Sacramento Sacramento San Francisco San Francisco Fresno Fresno Los Angeles Los Angeles San Diego San Diego 110 30% 50 70 90 150 200 300 400 Short-term view: Past month Long-term view: Past 3 years Redding Redding Sacramento Sacramento San Francisco San Francisco Fresno Fresno Los Angeles Los Angeles San Diego San Diego 110 30% 50 70 90 150 200 300 400 Short-term view: Past month Long-term view: Past 3 years Redding Redding Sacramento Sacramento San Francisco San Francisco Fresno Fresno Los Angeles Los Angeles San Diego San Diego 110 30% 50 70 90 150 200 300 400 Short-term view: Past month Redding Sacramento San Francisco Fresno Los Angeles San Diego Long-term view: Past 3 years Redding Sacramento San Francisco Fresno Los Angeles San Diego 110 30% 50 70 90 150 200 300 400 Short-term view: Past month Redding Sacramento San Francisco Fresno Los Angeles San Diego Long-term view: Past 3 years Redding Sacramento San Francisco Fresno Los Angeles San Diego 110 30% 50 70 90 150 200 300 400 Short-term view: Past month Long-term view: Past 3 years Redding Redding Sacramento Sacramento San Francisco San Francisco Fresno Fresno Los Angeles Los Angeles San Diego San Diego Source: PRISM Climate Group at Oregon State University Note: Data from the past six months is preliminary. California has built its water infrastructure — reservoirs, wells and irrigation systems — in part to account for the imbalanced timing in precipitation. California has a naturally variable climate: Periods of drought are punctuated by periods of wetter weather. A chart shows average snow water equivalent levels for each water year from 2003 through Jan. 17, 2023. Atmospheric rivers don’t always bring more snow; storms can actually shrink the snowpack if precipitation falls as rain instead of snow at high elevations.

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SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Beyond the headlines from the annual U.N. climate conference, progress in advancing the global climate agenda relies on the behind-the-scenes efforts of technocrats over years. Offsets allow countries or companies to pay others to cut greenhouse gas emissions to make up for their own. But discussions on how to curb those emissions are relatively new within U.N. climate negotiations. The work also deals with food security and the economic impacts of global warming. As the initial mandate expired, countries at COP27 authorised the KJWA work to continue for another four years.

☆ Historic compensation fund approved at U.N. climate talks
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

The decision establishes a fund for what negotiators call loss and damage. Early Sunday morning, delegates approved the compensation fund but had not dealt with the contentious issues of an overall temperature goal, emissions cutting and the desire to target all fossil fuels for phase down. This year’s talks “were very focused on the fund and less on the mitigation (cutting emissions) part,” Eide added. However, that fight was overshadowed by the historic compensation fund. But like all climate financials, it is one thing to create a fund, it’s another to get money flowing in and out, she said.

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