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U.S. Agency Projects Widening Gap Between U.S. Carbon Emissions from Fossil Fuels and Reduction Commitments

Submitted by Nick Sundt on 23 January 2012 - 3:01pm

The U.S. Energy Information Administration today (23 January 2011) released its Annual Energy Outlook 2012, with projections of U.S. carbon emissions from fossil fuel use through 2035.  EIA projects that U.S. emissions in 2020 will be 7.5% below 2005 levels, far short of the 17% reduction the U.S. committed to in January 2010 under the Copenhagen Accord of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Arctic Temperatures Continue Rapid Rise as 2011 Breaks Record Set in 2010

Submitted by Nick Sundt on 20 January 2012 - 6:52pm

NASA yesterday (19 January 2012) released data showing that last year temperatures in the Arctic rose beyond the record established in 2010 -- setting a new record for 2011. News of the record Arctic temperatures follows a series of alarming developments related to the Arctic in recent months.

Video and Transcript: Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Al Franken Team Up for a Colloquy on Climate Change

Submitted by Nick Sundt on 15 December 2011 - 9:57am

Yesterday evening (14 December 2011) Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (Democrat, Rhode Island) and Al Franken (Democrat, Minnesota) spent an hour on the floor of the U.S. Senate repudiating climate change denialists and arguing for serious U.S. action on climate chhange.  We provide the video and transcript.

Signed, Sealed and Delivered: Backed by 21,000 Signatures, WWF and ActionAid Call for "Bold Steps" by U.S. Climate Negotiators

Submitted by Nick Sundt on 8 December 2011 - 7:23pm

On behalf of their organizations and 21,000 petition signers, ActionAid USA and WWF-US today (8 December 2011) delivered a call for "bold steps" by U.S. climate negotiators in Durban, South Africa. 

Emissions Transparency: High Priority for the US in Durban, Lower Priority at Home?

Submitted by Ivan Dario Valencia on 8 December 2011 - 10:39am

Deferral granted by the Environmental Protection Agency risks the ability to verify emissions data from individual facilities.

Girl Scouts USA Announce "Girl Scouts Forever Green" Project, Including Participation in Earth Hour 2012

Submitted by Nick Sundt on 6 December 2011 - 6:46pm

Girl Scouts of the USA announced today (6 December 2011) the launch of Girl Scouts Forever Green, its signature project marking the Girl Scouts' 100th anniversary. In 2012, the Girl Scouts will focus on three main projects: Reduce Waste, Earth Hour, and Rain Gardens.

Video: Americans Feel Emerging Impacts of Climate Change, as U.S. Negotiators Show Lack of Urgency

Submitted by Nick Sundt on 6 December 2011 - 12:07pm

Keya Chatterjee, Director of International Climate Policy for WWF-US, comments from the climate negotiations in Durban, South Africa, on the extraordinary year of climate extremes experienced this year in the U.S., on the negotiations and on what you can do to make a difference.

U.S. Lacks National Climate Change Preparedness Strategy, Lagging Behind Leading Developed and Industrialized Countries

Submitted by Nick Sundt on 5 December 2011 - 7:13pm

WWF’s new brief on Planning Development in a Carbon Constrained World (Dec 2011) shows that leading national governments in both industrialized and developing countries are not only well ahead of the U.S. government in their initiatives to curb greenhouse gas emissions, but also have progressed much further in preparing for the impacts of climate change. 

IPCC Says Essential Actions Needed to Reduce Risks of Changing Climate Extremes

Submitted by Nick Sundt on 20 November 2011 - 3:34pm

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) approved on Friday (18 Nov 2011) a report on preparing for weather and climate extremes. The report’s summary warns that a changing climate “can result in unprecedented extreme weather and climate events” and says that actions ranging “from incremental steps to transformational change are essential for reducing risk from climate extremes.” The U.S. this year has experienced a record fourteen weather-related disasters each in excess of a billion dollars – and many more disasters of lesser magnitudes. Yet the U.S. has no national climate change preparedness strategy; and Federal efforts to address the rising risks have been undermined through budget cuts and other means. Though seriously constrained by the lack of strong and unified leadership in Washington, communities and others around the country nevertheless are taking commonsense actions to address the emerging impacts of increasingly disruptive climate extremes.

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