Study reveals climate obsessions

Dr Jones, and her co-researchers at University of Sydney's Anxiety Disorders Clinic, studied 50 people with OCDs and found 14 (28 per cent) had concerns directly related to climate change.

The most common were about wasting water, electricity and gas, often leading to constant checking light switches, taps and stoves.

Other concerns were more out of the ordinary.

"Two of the 14 participants were concerned that increased air temperatures would result in rapid evaporation of the water in their pet bowls," the study found.

This led them to constantly check their pets had enough water.

Iditarod Updates | Alaska Dispatch

...Alaska’s snowy and brutally cold winter is one reason why. Even after snowmachines that break the trail before the dog sleds pass through, “snow just won’t harden as you would imagine,” Runyan wrote. “With any kind of disturbance, including machine traffic, the loosely bound snow turns to powder. Counterintuitive, for sure, but the Alaskans will tell you that minus-50F has modified the snow, actually dried it out, and given it that peculiar powdery character.”

FAO forecasts near-record wheat production in 2012 - Xinhua | English.news.cn

In its quarterly report of Crop Prospects and Food Situation, FAO said wheat production in 2012 would be slightly lower than the record harvest of 700 million tonnes last year. But the 2012 output is still well above the average of the past five years.

Although wheat crops were sewn or were expected to be sewn to more areas in many countries this year in response to continuing strong prices, a return to normal yields is expected in areas where record highs were achieved last year, said the report.