A preliminary report authored by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and obtained by the Associated Press has linked increases in extreme weather to global warming. The report focused mainly on short-duration rainstorms and drought, both which are likely to to increase in frequency over the next ten years. Texas is currently experiencing one of the worst droughts in state history. A final version of the report is scheduled for release later this month.
Read more at USA Today
On Monday, a cliff the size of a football field collapsed and spilled debris and pollutants into lake Michigan. The cliff likely contained various substances from a nearby power plant, including unregulated but still toxic coal ash. "This spill in the Great Lakes is a tragic reminder of why the status quo is not good enough," said Mary Anne Hitt, a Sierra Club director. A pickup truck and "other equipment," also ended up in the lake.
Read more at Bloomberg Businessweek
Contractors working for the State of Florda found and killed a 16-foot-long Burmese python late last week that had recently eaten a 76-pound deer. It is the largest animal eaten by a python on record in Florida. Burmese pythons, which are native to Asia, have established a population in the Everglades after escaping or being released into the wild. They are known to eat alligators and can grow to 20 feet. The snake measured 44 inches in diameter where it had swallowed the deer.
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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is investigating whether a surfer who posed for a photograph while riding a green sea turtle in Hawaii has violated the federal Endangered Species Act. O'Brien also posted a message to his Tumblr account detailing the threat to green sea turtles from fibropapillomatosis, a virus that causes tumor growth and has damaged turtle populations worldwide. The picture shows O'Brien straddling the turtle's back. Pat Opay, NOAA endangered species branc... Read More
A 12-year-old British boy last week became the youngest photographer ever admitted to the Royal Photographic Society after submitteding ten wildlife photos he took while on vacation in South Africa with his family. The society judged Sam Kaye's photos anonymously and deemed them appropriate for a Licentiateship distinction.
Read more at the Daily Mail
