Climate Change 'Affects 300M': Think Tank

Number of 'extremely hot days' have tripled, Euro study shows

(NEWSER) - The duration of heatwaves in Western Europe has doubled and the frequency of extremely hot days has nearly tripled since 1880, according to a study released yesterday. Periods of sweltering weather last an average of 3 days now compared to 1.5 in 1880, a shift that forebodes a higher rate of extreme weather events in the future, the BBC reports. More»

Three reports say rising seas endanger continental US

(NEWSER) - Coastal states are now twice as likely to experience a so-called once-in-a-century flood by 2030, thanks to a global warming-fueled rise in sea levels, according to a trio of reports released today. Census data shows 5 million people are in the danger zone, particularly in cities, where many people live below the four-foot mark. South Florida in particular has 106 such municipalities and is basically "indefensible," because it's built on "bedrock that's like Swiss cheese," Ben Strauss, author of one report, tells Reuters . More»

Texas also set its own record for hottest July

(AP) - Sweltering may have reached a new record last month, as Oklahoma racked up the country's highest monthly average temperature ever. That's the highest average temperature, for any month, for any state, associate Oklahoma state climatologist Gary McManus said. According to automated weather recording instruments, the state's average for July was 89.1 degrees. That tops an average of 88.1 set in July 1954, McManus said. More»

Creatures' movements may carry carbon dioxide to ocean depths

(NEWSER) - Jellyfish may be secretly affecting the climate of the oceans: Their movements appear to help change the balance of carbon in the atmosphere, NPR reports. Many jellyfish hide from predators deep underwater during the day and head to the surface at night for a snack, says an oceanographer. When they return, a study in Nature says, they may be carrying carbon dioxide dissolved in surface water down with them. More»

(NEWSER) - The Florida Keys are in serious danger from rising ocean levels—and woefully unprepared to deal with the challenge, the Miami Herald reports. “South Florida is on the front line against sea-level rise in the United States, and the Florida Keys are ground zero,” a scientist said. In the best-case scenario, the Keys will lose $11 billion in real estate by 2100. More»