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February 25 News: Climate Change Has Cut Humans’ Work Capacity 10%, With 40% Cut Projected For 2100
First published on ClimateProgress.org, a project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, which was recently named one of Time magazine’s Top 25 blogs of 2010.
According to researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a combination of rising heat and humidity is likely to cut the world’s labor capacity to 80 percent during summer months by 2050 — twice the effect observed today. [Climate Central]
That one-two punch has already cut the world’s working capacity by 10 percent since humans began burning large amounts of oil, gas, coal and other fossil fuels at the start of the Industrial Revolution, found the analysis, which was published Sunday in the journal Nature Climate Change….
“The planet will start experiencing heat stress unlike anything experienced today,” said study co-author Ron Stouffer, a climate modeler at NOAA’s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory. “The world is entering a very different environment, and the impact of that on labor will be significant.”
Those calculations don’t take into effect the relief offered by air conditioning. They do assume people will take other measures to beat the heat — working or exercising in early morning, early evening or even nighttime, seeking shade and wearing clothing that helps maximize their ability to stay cool.
Opening statements are set to begin Monday in the maritime trial of the century, as British oil giant BP defends itself against billions of dollars in damages sought by the U.S. government and states affected by the 2010 Gulf of Mexico spill disaster. [Fuel Fix]
The sequester would likely cut $100 million from the Environmental Protection Agency’s air program, and another $64.5 million from its enforcement budget. 20 percent of those cuts would be to funds for state and local governments to monitor air pollution levels, administer permits for industrial facilities, and other key aspects. [ALA]
A study by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, outlining the damage climate change will do to the state, has been kept secret by agency officials for more than a year. [The State]
Some of the West’s biggest reservoirs could dry up completely as the region gets warmer and drier in coming decades, according to a new study. [Summit County Voice]
Two-thirds of California voters believe global warming is a threat and measures need to be taken to stop it, but the level of concern has dropped significantly over the past six years. [SFGate]
Economic crisis has bought time to tackle unreliable and costly European power, but raised the risk no one will spend the 1 trillion euro ($1.3 trillion) needed to improve the supply network, a new report has found. [Reuters]
Apples produced in the Himalayan state of Arunachal Pradesh are now gradually losing their taste and even turning sour as a result of climate change. [ZeeNews]
Showa Shell has predicted its solar unit Solar Frontier will be able to cut production costs of its solar modules by half in the next few years. [Renew Economy]
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2013-02-25 08:34:58
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