Rain barrels help counter drought, water shortage

(Photo of rain barrels from Flickr and photographer fireballsedai)

News Update: What can you do to help conserve an increasingly scarce resource – water? Well, growing numbers of people are setting out rain catchers to collect water to use on their lawn and plantings, and for things like flushing toilets and doing laundry. With severe droughts and water shortages in the Southwest and Southeast, catching rain can give some relief from water restrictions. The average American uses 101 gallons a day for their home and yard. Agricultural and industrial use per capita drives that up to 1.430 gallons/day. In addition to providing a scarce resource, rain barrels help prevent run-off from paved areas in downpours that can flow quickly into rivers instead of seeping into the soil. Storm surges, at their worst, cause flooding or rush to sewers, sometimes causing raw sewage to flow into lakes and oceans. Rain barrels may become more common as global warming causes more erratic weather, droughts and downpours. (Sources: MSNBC, Greenwire)

Canada feels effects of climate change

(Photo of retreating Columbian Icefields from Flickr and photographer Bruno Bolzano)

News Update: Retreating glaciers in the west, sea level rise on Price Edward Island and a dramatic drop in water in the Great Lakes are all the results of climate change, according to a new study on Canada. No region is unaffected, says the report by Natural Resources Canada. There are some advantages: more summer tourism and more land available for forests. But the melting permafrost in northern Canada will damage infrastructure (not to mention release of GHG methane), more likely droughts in the prairies will hurt farmers, and water shortages will impact Ontario. On average, Canada has warmed 1.3 degrees Celsius (2.34 Fahrenheit)since 1948, twice the global average. The province of Quebec has heated up 2 degrees C (3.6 F) just since 1993. For more, see globalandmail.com, 3/11

Etc.: Sweden has a target of 49% renewable energy by 2020, under the EU plan. Already at 40%, nearly all Sweden’s energy, except for transportation, is fossil-fuel free. See PlanetArk, 3/6

Car stickers will show a global warming score in California, starting with the 2009 models. They will be rated 1-10, with 10 the best. Other states are likely to adopt the idea. See the blog, Climate Progress.

Dust storms grow in American West

(Photo from Flickr and photographer michelangelo_mi)

Xtreme weather watch: A big increase in dust storms in the American West over the past 150 years is linked to human activity -- including a surge in settlers, cattle ranching and industry, a new study found. Researchers made their discovery by digging down to sediment in two lakes. The dust adds to the impact of global warming on the snowpack melt, and is helping to cause a much earlier spring melt in the San Juan mountains, researchers said. (PlanetArk)

China faces water shortage for Olympics, future forest fires
China, beset by severe drought in the north is worried about having enough water for the Olympics this summer. Reservoirs that supply water to Beijing’s 16 million people are dangerously low. The country ironically also is having severe cold and snow in the south, causing at least $15 billion in damage. There are fears of forest fires when the snow melts, because of the damage it did to the 10% of the trees. In some areas 90% of the forests were hurt. The “freak” winter weather in the south is the worst in 50 years. UN experts said it shows how the world must prepare for changing weather patterns brought on by global warming. (PlanetArk)

Madagascar hit by one of biggest cyclones ever; 60 dead
Cyclone Ivan struck the east coast of Madagascar, affecting more than 200,000 people, many of whom were still awaiting aid, officials said last week. At least 60 were reported dead. The island nation was victim to 6 cyclones last year, killing 150. Warming of the sea is expected to increase the intensity of cyclones, which some think is already happening. (PlanetArk)

Somaliland VP asks for drought aid to ‘avert calamity’
Suffering through a severe drought and drinking water shortage, Somaliland is calling for aid from rich nations and is asking its people to pray for rain. (PlanetArk)