The United States faces the possibility of much more rapid climate change by the end of the century than previous studies have suggested, according to a new report led by the U.S. Geological Survey. The survey — which was commissioned by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program and issued this month — expands on the 2007 findings of the United Nations Intergovernment Panel on Climate Change. Looking at factors such as rapid sea ice loss in the Arctic and prolonged drought in the Southwest, the new assessment suggests that earlier projections may have underestimated the climatic shifts that could take place by 2100. However, the assessment also suggests that some other feared effects of global warming are not likely to occur by the end of the century, such as an abrupt release of methane from the seabed and permafrost or a shutdown of the Atlantic Ocean circulation system that brings warm water north and colder water south. But the report projects an amount of potential sea level rise during that period that may be greater than what other researchers have anticipated, as well as a shift to a more arid climate pattern in the Southwest by mid-century. […]
NEW YORK — Non-profit organisations may find it harder to raise money, and will almost certainly face calls for greater scrutiny by donors and regulators, after losing billions of dollars by investing with Bernard Madoff. Mark Charendoff, the president of the Jewish Funders Network, which represents 900 philanthropists and foundations, said: ‘There’s no question that donors are going to be asking very, very hard questions of non-profits before they give to them. His views were echoed by others in the non-profit world, who said they had faced questions not only about their endowments’ exposure to Mr Madoff’s alleged $50bn ‘Ponzi scheme, but also about the safety of their other investments. Several foundations and charities have closed after losing either their endowment or their donors through investments with Mr Madoff. Others have lost money but say they will continue and try to replace funding. Many endowments had all their money, or a large part of it, invested with Mr Madoff. Jeff Solomon, president of The Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies, said: ‘There was a failure here by governing bodies to do due diligence . . . diversification is the first rule of investment. He said: […]
GAZA — Israel launched air strikes on Gaza for a second successive day on Sunday, piling pressure on Hamas after 229 people were killed in one of the bloodiest 24 hours for Palestinians in 60 years of conflict with the Jewish state. ‘Palestine has never seen an uglier massacre,’ said Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and his Islamist group, which has controlled the coastal territory since June 2007, vowed revenge including suicide bombings in Israel’s ‘cafes and streets.’ Israel bolstered armored and infantry forces along the Gaza Strip border, and a military spokesman said on Sunday: ‘The (Gaza) operation is continuous. It is still taking place.’ The Jewish state said it was responding to ‘intolerable’ almost daily rocket and mortar fire by Gaza militants that intensified after Hamas ended a six-month ceasefire a week ago. The militant attacks caused some injuries, raising the stakes for Israeli leaders ahead of a February 10 election which surveys show the right-wing opposition Likud party may win. Israel said its warplanes mounted about 100 strikes on Saturday and that Palestinian militants had fired some 70 rockets at the Jewish state, killing one Israeli man. ‘There is a time for […]
This time of year, wind turbine blades ice up, biodiesel congeals in tanks and solar panels produce less power because there is not as much sun. And perhaps most irritating to the people who own them, the panels become covered with snow, rendering them useless even in bright winter sunshine. So in regions where homeowners have long rolled their eyes at shoveling driveways, add another cold-weather chore: cleaning off the solar panels. ‘At least I can get to them with a long pole and a squeegee, said Alan Stankevitz, a homeowner in southeast Minnesota. As concern has grown about global warming, many utilities and homeowners have been trying to shrink their emissions of carbon dioxide – their carbon footprints – by installing solar panels, wind turbines and even generators powered by tides or rivers. But for the moment, at least, the planet is still cold enough to deal nasty winter blows to some of this green machinery. In January 2007, a bus stalled in the middle of the night on Interstate 70 in the Colorado mountains. The culprit was a 20 percent biodiesel blend that congealed in the freezing weather, according to John Jones, the transit director […]
WASHINGTON, DC — The national trade association of America’s wind industry says in 2008 the industry had another record growth year – the third record year in a row and generated more than $18 billion in revenues. This year, the United States passed Germany to become the world leader in wind generation, said the American Wind Energy Association in its year-end report. AWEA says that this summer, the U.S. wind industry reached the 20,000-megawatt installed capacity milestone, doubling installed wind power generating capacity since 2006. By the end of September, the U.S. had over 21,000 megawatts of wind capacity up and running. Germany had 22,300 megawatts, but U.S. windpower developers sprinted to the end of the year while German wind development slowed. ‘With additional projects coming on line every week since, the wind industry is on its way to charting another record-shattering year of growth,’ AWEA said in its report. That 21,000 megawatts of capacity are expected to generate over 60 billion kilowatt hours of electricity in 2009, enough to serve over 5.5 million American homes. This means that in 2009 wind power is estimated to displace the burning of 30.4 million short tons […]
Remote Viewing the Year 2060
