Author Archives: hmcadmin

PLEA Network

JUST RELEASED 13 April 2015: To order Worldwatch Institute: State of the World 2015: About confronting Hidden Threats to sustainability. “We think we understand environmental damage: pollution, water scarcity, a warming world. But these problems are just the tip of the iceberg. Deeper issues include food insecurity, financial assets drained of value by environmental damage, and a rapid rise in diseases of animal origin. These and other problems are among the under reported consequences of an unsustainable global system.

 In State of the World 2015, the flagship publication of the Worldwatch Institute, experts explore hidden threats to sustainability and how to address them. Eight key issues are addressed in depth, along with the central question of how we can develop resilience to these and other shocks. With the latest edition of State of the World, the authorities at Worldwatch bring to light challenges we can no longer afford to ignore….” Read More here

PLEA Network

16 April 2015 The New York Times: Judges Hear Challenge to Proposed E.P.A. Rule to Curb Climate Change by Coral Davenport (They just won’t give up will they?!) “WASHINGTON — A panel of federal judges on Thursday appeared inclined to dismiss the first legal challenge to President Obama’s most far-reaching regulation to slow climate change. But in arguments before the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, lawyers for the nation’s two largest coal companies, several states and the Environmental Protection Agency offered a preview of what is expected to be a protracted battle over what Mr. Obama hopes to leave as his signature environmental achievement….” Read More here

PLEA Network

16 April 2015 BOOK RELEASE: The Great Transition: Shifting from Fossil Fuels to Solar and Wind Energy Earth Policy Institute: Lester R. Brown, with Janet Larsen, J. Matthew Roney, and Emily E. Adams. “The worldwide transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy is under way,” said Lester R. Brown, EPI President and lead author. “As fossil fuel resources shrink, as air pollution worsens, and as concerns about climate instability cast a shadow over the future of coal, oil, and natural gas, a new world energy economy is emerging. The old economy, fueled largely by coal and oil, is being replaced with one powered by solar and wind energy.” The Great Transition details this evolving trend, focusing on falling prices and rising adoption for wind, solar, electric vehicles, hydropower, geothermal energy, and energy efficiency; and the emerging turn from coal, nuclear power, oil, and traditional transportation that is happening faster than anticipated. To view contents/PP presentation/ to order

PLEA Network

15 April 2015, Severe drought due to climate change: Where and when? New research from the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) shows that some regions may see unprecedented levels of drought before 2050—drawing increasing urgency to calls for adaptation and updated water management policy. Many regions of the world, including the Mediterranean and the western United States, may see unprecedented drought due to climate change before the year 2050. These findings were presented this week at the European Geosciences Union General Assembly in Vienna, Austria. Read More here