Mountain pine beetles that are destroying forests along much of the Rocky Mountain range are doing so much damage that they may affect climate change, Canadian researchers reported on Wednesday.
The damage is nearly equivalent to the polluting effects of forest fires, they report in the journal Nature.
"In the worst year, the impacts resulting from the beetle outbreak in British Columbia were equivalent to 75 percent of the average annual direct forest fire emissions from all of Canada during 1959-1999," Werner Kurz of the Canadian Forest Service in Victoria, British Columbia and colleagues wrote.
Earth Changes
TORONTO - A study by the global conservation group World Wildlife Fund says that climate change is having a greater impact in the Arctic than was previously thought.
The report is being unveiled at the meeting of the Arctic Council, an intergovernmental forum of Arctic nations Thursday in Norway. WWF says the new report represents the most wide-ranging view of the situation since the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment was published in 2005.
The report is being unveiled at the meeting of the Arctic Council, an intergovernmental forum of Arctic nations Thursday in Norway. WWF says the new report represents the most wide-ranging view of the situation since the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment was published in 2005.
Newly designated marine protected area, west of Queen Charlotte Islands, is 'just full of life,' lucky diver finds
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| ©The Globe and Mail |
| Bowie Seamount called an oceanic oasis because of the variety of life around it |
Sunspot activity has not resumed up after hitting an 11-year low in March last year, raising fears that - far from warming - the globe is about to return to an Ice Age.
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| ©Reuters |
| Chop and change ... scientists says we should be less concerned by global warming and more worried about a new Ice Age |
So much for that job requirement of balance and objectivity. When it came to global warming the media clearly left out dissent in favor of hype, cute penguins and disastrous predictions.
A nursing home at Warwick was directly hit by lightning last night which blew out windows and sent a tree crashing through a wall.
Emergency crews were called to the Blue Care home on Law Road at about 9.20pm after the strike caused significant damage.
Frightened elderly residents were evacuated to a large room at the back of the facility, but fire crews discovered a tree had collapsed through the wall.
Residents were then taken to another safe spot while crews worked to patch up the building.
Emergency crews were called to the Blue Care home on Law Road at about 9.20pm after the strike caused significant damage.
Frightened elderly residents were evacuated to a large room at the back of the facility, but fire crews discovered a tree had collapsed through the wall.
Residents were then taken to another safe spot while crews worked to patch up the building.
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| ©Ryan Edwards |
| Flood waters cascade onto the highway near Maugerville, New Brunswick |
The St. John River is expected to stabilize in Fredericton, New Brunswick on Thursday but will continue to rise outside the city, say Emergency Measures Organization officials.
The latest river watch reports the flooded river will remain at its current level of about 7.1 metres into Saturday, while it will rise in nearby Maugerville and Jemseg.
Washington - The rule of unintended consequences threatens to strike again. Some researchers have suggested that injecting sulfur compounds into the atmosphere might help ease global warming by increasing clouds and haze that would reflect sunlight.
Severe weather pounded parts of Texas with baseball-sized hail, 70-mph winds and possible tornadoes on Wednesday, knocking down power lines and trees, and damaging some buildings. No injuries were reported.
In northern Jones County, Judge Dale Spurgin said a storm damaged roofs in Anson and one highway was closed by downed utility poles. Spurgin said there was minor flooding on some roads.
As the storm moved east, at least one tornado was reported in Erath County, about 60 miles southwest of Fort Worth. The same one appears to have touched down nearby in Palo Pinto County, said Nick Hampshire, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Trees were knocked down and outbuildings were destroyed along the county line.
In northern Jones County, Judge Dale Spurgin said a storm damaged roofs in Anson and one highway was closed by downed utility poles. Spurgin said there was minor flooding on some roads.
As the storm moved east, at least one tornado was reported in Erath County, about 60 miles southwest of Fort Worth. The same one appears to have touched down nearby in Palo Pinto County, said Nick Hampshire, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Trees were knocked down and outbuildings were destroyed along the county line.
Mount Anak Krakatau, a volcanic island in the Sunda Strait, has started hurling flaming rocks from its southern crater, Indonesian Antara news agency said on Thursday.
The agency quoted Anton Tripambudi, head of the monitoring post in a nearby village, as saying that the red-hot rocks shooting up from its crater have reached as high as 600 meters and are clearly visible from the nearby coast indicating that volcanic activity was set to continue.
The agency quoted Anton Tripambudi, head of the monitoring post in a nearby village, as saying that the red-hot rocks shooting up from its crater have reached as high as 600 meters and are clearly visible from the nearby coast indicating that volcanic activity was set to continue.
Comment: While the above recommendations have merit, it is unlikely that they will be implemented because the Climate Change meme appears to be politically driven as part of a "deeper" agenda for control of the planet.