Sen. Bernie Sanders: ‘This election is about climate change’

PBS NewsHour

Published on Jul 25, 2016

Global Climate Change
Environment Ethics
Environment Justice

Calculate ways to save water – Yale Climate Connections

A new online water calculator shows ways you can save water.As the climate changes and droughts become more common, water conservation will become critical. And chances are you’re using a lot more water than you think you are.

Peter Hanlon of the Grace Communications Foundation says many people believe they use between 50 to 100 gallons of water each day.

HANLON: “Which isn’t that far off if we’re talking direct water use.”

But the water out of our tap is just a tiny fraction of the water we use. When we add in the water used to produce the food we eat, fuel we burn, and products we buy, the total goes way up.

Peter Hanlon

HANLON: “We’re talking average somewhere around 2,000 gallons a day.”

So to help us better understand how much water we really use, Hanlon created an online water footprint calculator. This simple tool asks a series of questions like “How many miles do you drive?” and “How often do you eat meat?” and then estimates how much water you’re really using.

And most of that water is not coming from your local environment. Instead, it’s coming from all over the world, including places experiencing droughts.

HANLON: “We have to think beyond just what’s coming out of our tap and think of water as kind of a universal resource.”

The water out of our tap is just a tiny fraction of the water we use. Click To Tweet

You can figure out how much water you’re using at watercalculator.org.

Reporting credit: Les Vonderlin/ChavoBart Digital Media.
Water continents photo: Copyright protected.

More Resources
Water Footprint Calculator
Water Footprint Calculator (Español)
Water Footprint Calculator Methodology and Tips
Grace Communications Foundation

Global Climate Change
Environment Ethics
Environment Justice

Synthesis report | Committee on Climate Change – UK-CCC

The Adaptation Sub-Committee has summarised the results of the independent analysis presented in the CCRA Evidence Report, and drawn conclusions that are presented in the Synthesis Report.

Following the systematic review of the available evidence by leading academics and other experts included in the Technical Chapters, the Adaptation Sub-Committee has identified six key areas of climate change risk that need to be managed as a priority.

The six immediate priority areas are related to risks of flooding and coastal change, the impact of high temperatures on health and wellbeing, risks to natural capital, risks of future water shortages, impacts on the global food system, and risks arising from new and emerging pests and diseases.

Global Climate Change
Environment Ethics
Environment Justice
Public Health

UK Climate Change Risk Assessment 2017 – Urgent priorities for the UK

TheCCCUK

Published on Jul 11, 2016

This animation accompanies the UK Climate Change Risk Assessment 2017 Evidence Report. This report has been prepared for the UK Government by the Adaptation Sub-Committee of the Committee on Climate Change.

www.theccc.org.uk/uk-climate-change-risk-assessment-2017

Script

Climate change is a global problem. The world is already around a degree warmer than it was, due to extra greenhouse gases in the atmosphere from human activity.

Scientists have warned for some time that a temperature rise of two degrees or more risks severe and potentially irreversible changes to our planet.

2016 is set to be the warmest year ever recorded. If so, it will be the third record warmest year in a row.

Last year’s historic Paris Agreement was an important step towards tackling this.

But the effects of climate change are already being felt in the UK.

Average temperatures are increasing and there is a trend towards milder winters and hotter summers.

We can also expect more frequent floods, like those we’ve seen in recent years.

And there are plenty of other challenges on the horizon.

Which is why the Committee on Climate Change has carried out a comprehensive, scientific assessment of the risks and opportunities for the UK.

The climate change risk assessment is the result of more than three years of work, involving hundreds of leading scientists, and experts from both the public and private sectors.

It shows that the greatest threats to the UK come from periods of too much or too little water, increasing average and extreme seasonal temperatures, and rising sea levels.

Action is needed to tackle six key risks:

The increasing chance of more severe and widespread flooding.

Risks to public health from higher temperatures, including in overheating homes.

A risk of shortages in public water supplies, and scarce water for farming.

A threat to nature including loss of native species.

Food price spikes and potential disruption to UK and global food production.

And risks from new and emerging pests and diseases affecting people, animals and plants.

The longer action is delayed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and adapt to the changes, the higher the costs and risks will be.

Climate change is happening now.

This new UK risk assessment identifies where more effort is necessary, and urgent, to address these risks.

It’s time to act.

Global Climate Change
Environment Ethics
Environment Justice

Lord Krebs sets out key findings of UK Climate Change Risk Assessment 2017

TheCCCUK

Published on Jul 11, 2016

Lord Krebs, Chairman of the Adaptation Sub-Committee of the Committee on Climate Change outlines the key risks and opportunities facing the UK from rising average global temperatures.

www.theccc.org.uk/uk-climate-change-risk-assessment-2017

Global Climate Change
Environment Ethics
Environment Justice

UK poorly prepared for climate change impacts, government advisers warn

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jul/12/uk-poorly-prepared-for-climate-change-impacts-government-advisers-warn

A 2,000 page report by Committee on Climate Change predicts global warming will hit UK with deadly heatwaves, more flooding and water shortages

Damian Carrington Tuesday 12 July 2016 01.00 EDT

The UK is poorly prepared for the inevitable impacts of global warming in coming decades, including deadly annual heatwaves, water shortages and difficulties in producing food, according the government’s official advisers.

Action must be taken now, according to the report from the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) published on Tuesday, with more widespread flooding and new diseases among the risks in most urgent need of addressing.

The CCC further warns that climate-stoked wars and migration around the world could have very significant consequences for the UK, through disrupted trade and more military intervention overseas.

The 2,000-page report is a comprehensive assessment of the dangers of climate change to the UK, produced over three years by 80 experts and reviewed by many more. The main analysis is based on thetemperature rise expected if the global climate agreement signed in Paris in 2015 is fully delivered and also takes account of plans already in place to cope with impacts.

The worst case scenarios in the CCC report – if action to tackle climate change completely fails – foresees searing heatwaves reaching temperatures of 48C in London and the high-30s across the nation.

“We are not sufficiently prepared and we need to do more now, even for the [Paris deal] scenario of 2.7C of warming,” said Lord John Krebs, chair of the CCC’s adaptation sub-committee. “Many impacts are affecting us now, as climate change is already happening.”

…(read more).

Global Climate Change
Environment Ethics
Environment Justice

UPDATE: Some Climate Policy-Related Events: Recent Brexit “Fallout” and Foll ow-up

Global Climate Change
Environment Ethics
Environment Justice

Managing the Health effects of Climate Change

Published: June 23, 2015

Executive Summary

The 2015 Lancet Commission on Health and Climate Change maps out the impacts of climate change, and the necessary policy responses, to ensure the highest attainable standards of health for populations worldwide. This Commission is multidisciplinary and international, with strong collaboration between academic centres in Europe and China. The central finding from the Commission is that tackling climate change could be the greatest global health opportunity of the 21st century.

See Commission for a full Executive Summary.

…(read more).

Global Climate Change
Environment Ethics
Environment Justice