David Burwell: Heat: A Bridge to Climate Consensus?

Excessive heat is becoming a public health threat, especially in cities. It leads to heat stroke, heat exhaustion, and is a catalyst for ground-level ozone creation as well as asthma and lung disease.

However, and perhaps even more importantly, heat may be the bridge to climate consensus...According to 50 years of data collected by Brian Stone at Georgia Institute of Technology, this heat island effect can be anywhere from two to 12 degrees Fahrenheit compared to the surrounding countryside. ...The reality is that there is no place to hide from a hotter future

Swaziland: 362 cattle found dead

MBABANE - A total of 362 cattle have been killed in the Manzini region in just one week.

The cause of death has been identified as hypothermia that came about as a result of the incessant rainfall and subsequent low temperatures experienced from last Tuesday.

The changing climate and a much-needed carbon tax - The Globe and Mail

The MIT study found that taxing carbon at $20 a ton in the U.S. would generate $1.5-trillion in revenue in a 10-year period, which would reduce corporate and personal income taxes, maintain social services spending and reduce the deficit.

“With the carbon tax there are virtually no serious trade-offs. Our analysis shows the overall economy improves, taxes are lower and pollution emissions are reduced,” said John M. Reilly, co-director of MIT’s Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change. The study said the carbon tax would lower pollution by 20 per cent by 2050 and prevent oil imports from rising. It would also, most importantly, shift energy markets to clean technology.

Average U.S. Wind Farm Creates 1,079 Jobs, Report Finds - Bloomberg

A 250-megawatt project generates 522 construction jobs, 432 positions in manufacturing, 80 for planning and development, 18 sales slots and 27 for operations, the New York-based environmental group said in a report today.