As Earth Warms, the Diseases That May Lie Within Permafrost Become a Bigger Worry

This past summer anthrax killed a 12-year-old boy in a remote part of Siberia. At least 20 other people, also from the Yamal Peninsula, were diagnosed with the potentially deadly disease after approximately 100 suspected cases were hospitalized. Additionally, more than 2,300 reindeer in the area died from the infection. The likely cause? Thawing permafrost. According to Russian officials, thawed permafrost—a permanently frozen layer of soil—released previously immobile spores of Bacillus anthracis into nearby water and soil and then into the food supply. The outbreak was the region's first in 75 yearshttps://www.scientificamerican.com/article/as-earth-warms-the-diseases-that-may-lie-within-permafrost-become-a-bigger-worry/?utm_content=buffer2c180&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
Article courtesy of Scientific American by Sara Goudarzi 

Inside one naval base's battle with sea-level rise

NAVAL STATION NORFOLK, Va. — A submarine resembling a slug sits heavily in these waters alongside a concrete pier whose underbelly has gotten 18 inches closer to the ocean over almost 100 years of docking warships.
This pier and 13 others on the waterfront of the world's biggest naval base are slowly being replaced as rising sea levels contribute to the submersion of equipment that provides power and heat to some of the nation's most sophisticated vessels. Destroyers, cruisers, an aircraft carrier and the sub were seen roped to piers here last month.  http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060044863
Article courtesy of E&E Publishing LLC by Evan Lehmann

Green Roofs Take Root Around the World

This week, San Francisco became the first U.S. city to require that certain new buildings be built with a green roof—an eco-friendly design technique that sows plants above a roofline. This latest action builds on a growing trend that has taken root around the world, and which boosters say offers significant benefits for the planet.  http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/10/san-francisco-green-roof-law/
Article courtesy of National Geographic by Jackie Snow

Lack of Cheap, Clean Hydrogen Slows Fuel-Cell Cars

Several automakers in the United States now offer fuel-cell-powered cars for sale as hardware costs have plummeted. Toyota Motor Corp. ramped up production of its hydrogen fuel-cell-powered car, the Mirai, from 700 units last year to 2,000 this year, and is aiming to make 3,000 in 2017.  https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/lack-of-cheap-clean-hydrogen-slows-fuel-cell-cars/
Article courtesy of Scientific American /ClimateWire by Umar Irfan

“The hottest hole in the world”: Iceland’s bold idea for renewable energy

The country can easily tap geothermal heat and steam beneath the surface to generate electrical power and heat — all without any carbon dioxide emissions. Much of Iceland’s electricity comes from hydropower, but most of its heating comes from geothermal.

But now Iceland’s going even further — or deeper, as it were. This fall, the country is drilling an unprecedented 3-mile hole in the southwest region of Reykjanes, hoping to reach even hotter magma far beneath the surface and generate even more power.  http://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2016/10/24/13386400/iceland-deep-drilling-geothermal

Article courtesy of VOX by Brad Plumer

This new technology could save the troubled nuclear power industry

Small nuclear reactors, funded by investors like Bill Gates, are emerging in the US as cheaper, safer alternatives to traditional nuclear power plant designs. https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/oct/16/safer-small-nuclear-reactors-power-plant-technology
Article courtesy of The Guardian by Debbie Carlson

US companies brace for climate-friendly alternatives in cooling systems.

U.S. chemical companies including Honeywell and Chemours Co are ramping up efforts to produce alternative coolants used in air-conditioners and refrigerators, following a global pact to reduce planet-warming greenhouse house gas emissions.  http://www.reuters.com/article/us-companies-climatechange-idUSKBN12H040
Article courtesy of Reuters by Malathi Nayak

'Space tourism' may be possible as soon as 2020, say companies

Bigelow Aerospace and Axiom Space plan to attach their space modules to the International Space Station as part of a new NASA partnership. They hope this will pave the way for commercial ventures into space. http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2016/1014/Space-tourism-may-be-possible-as-soon-as-2020-say-companies?cmpid=ema:nws:Daily%2520Newsletter%2520%2810-14-2016%29&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20161014_Newsletter:%20Daily&utm_term=Daily
Article courtesy of The Christian Science Monitor by Ellen Powell

What an ancient comet collision teaches us about global warming

A comet impact 56 million years ago on Earth contributed to global warming, say scientists after studying tiny glass spheres, or microtektites, found in ancient sediment from a period of massive climate change.  http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2016/1014/What-an-ancient-comet-collision-teaches-us-about-global-warming?cmpid=ema:nws:Daily%2520Newsletter%2520%2810-14-2016%29&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20161014_Newsletter:%20Daily&utm_term=Daily
Article courtesy of The Christian Science Monitor by Christina Beck

What Causes Global Warming?

Scientists have determined that a number of human activities are contributing to global warming by adding excessive amounts of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide accummulate in the atmosphere and trap heat that normally would exit into outer space.
http://environment.about.com/od/faqglobalwarming/f/globalwarming.htm?utm_term=Global%20Warming%20Causes&utm_content=p1-main-1-title&utm_medium=sem-rel&utm_source=msn_s&utm_campaign=adid-82cde265-9dc7-4935-b074-0eb82273ce38-0-ab_mse_ocode-28799&ad=semD&an=msn_s&am=exact&q=Global%20Warming%20Causes&o=28799&qsrc=6&l=&askid=82cde265-9dc7-4935-b074-0eb82273ce38-0-ab_mse
Article courtesy of About News by Larry West

Top 10 Things You Can Do to Reduce Global Warming

Burning fossil fuels such as natural gas, coal, oil and gasoline raises the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and carbon dioxide is a major contributor to the greenhouse effect and global warming. Global climate change is certainly one of the top environmental issues today.  http://environment.about.com/od/globalwarming/tp/globalwarmtips.htm?utm_term=global%20warming%20solutions&utm_content=p1-main-2-title&utm_medium=sem&utm_source=msn_s&utm_campaign=adid-82cde265-9dc7-4935-b074-0eb82273ce38-0-ab_mse_ocode-28799&ad=semD&an=msn_s&am=exact&q=global%20warming%20solutions&o=28799&qsrc=999&l=sem&askid=82cde265-9dc7-4935-b074-0eb82273ce38-0-ab_mse
Article courtesy of About News by Larry West

Ethanol in U.S. Gas Tanks is Backfiring for Climate Change

A team of researchers has concluded that for every three gallons of corn ethanol that’s being burned under America’s flagship renewable fuel rules, Americans will avoid burning just one gallon of gasoline made from crude.Their findings add to evidence that the mandated use of biofuels under the Renewable Fuel Standard, which was approved by Congress and is overseen by the EPA, is making the problem of global warming worse — while doing little to ease fuel imports.
  http://www.climatecentral.org/news/ethanol-backfiring-for-climate-change-20760
Article courtesy of Climate Central by John Upton

Reykjavík: the geothermal city that aims to go carbon neutral

Reykjavík used to be marketed as a place of “pure energy”, run on geothermal power – and now Iceland’s capital is trying to become the world’s first carbon neutral city. https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/oct/03/reykjavik-geothermal-city-carbon-neutral-climate
Article courtesy of The Guardian by Senay Boztas

Four ways technology will change how we commute in the future

By 2019, residents of Columbus could see autonomous shuttles cruising the Easton commercial district, motion-sensitive LED streetlights that also provide free Wi-Fi internet to the residential neighborhood of Linden, and 175 smart traffic signals that aim to ease traffic jams and speed first-responders’ paths through the city. Residents will also be able to use one app to plan and pay for trips that require multiple types of public transportation.  https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/aug/17/urban-transportation-uber-lyft-smart-cities-san-Francisco
Article courtesy of The Guardian by Matthew Wheeland

Daimler unit to pay $28.5 million to settle U.S. Clean Air Act claims

Detroit Diesel Corp, a unit of automaker Daimler AG, will spend $14.5 million to reduce pollutants and pay a $14 million civil penalty to settle alleged violations of the U.S. Clean Air Act, the Justice Department said on Thursday. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-daimler-pollution-idUSKCN1261RF
Article courtesy of Reuters by David Shepardson

Hurricane Matthew: With Miami behind it, Hurricane Matthew pushes up Florida coast.

As it plowed up the coast, Hurricane Matthew largely spared South Florida on Thursday and into Friday morning but cut a razor-thin path that still threatened to make history: the first major hurricane on record to strike Central Florida’s east coast.  http://www.miamiherald.com/news/weather/hurricane/article106500877.htmlArticle courtesy of The Miami Herald By David Ovalle, Jenny Staletovich and Nicholas Nehamas

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/weather/hurricane/article106500877.html#storylink=cpy

Will climate change sink the Mekong Delta?

That paradox was much on my mind during a recent visit back to Vietnam’s fabulously fertile Mekong Delta, a soggy plain the size of Switzerland. Here the livelihood of 20 percent of Vietnam’s 92 million people is gravely threatened by climate change and by a manmade catastrophe, the seemingly unstoppable damming of the upper reaches of the Mekong River.   https://news.mongabay.com/2016/10/will-climate-change-sink-the-mekong-delta/
Article courtesy of Mongabay by David Brown