Each week, we review the papers, studies, reports, and briefings posted at the “indispensable” RFF Library Blog, curated by RFF Librarian Chris Clotworthy. Check out this week’s highlights below:
Insurer Climate Risk Disclosure Survey 2012
U.S insurance companies are generally unprepared for risks related to climate change, with some denying that climbing temperatures could affect their business and others neglecting to account for likely carbon regulations, according to a new analysis… — via Ceres
Temperature and Vegetation Seasonality Diminishment over Northern Lands
Declining snow and ice coverage in the northern latitudes and rising temperatures have triggered a significant increase in vegetation across large swaths of the Arctic, with some circumpolar regions seeing the type of plant growth that just a few decades ago occurred hundreds of miles to the south, according to a new study. In a comprehensive analysis of ground and satellite-based data, a team of scientists found that across a region covering more than 9 million square kilometers... — via Climate and Vegetation Research Group
A major release of radioactivity to the environment is always of concern, owing to potential acute and long-term health effects. Evidence from historic events confirms that any major uncontrolled release of radiation should be cause for immediate response and scientific assessment of potential health effects. — via World Health Organization
Forecasting Supply and Demand Balance in California’s Greenhouse Gas Cap and Trade Market
There is an 80 percent chance that carbon prices will be at or near the price floor in 2020 but also an 11 percent chance that prices will go higher than the state has provided for, according to the state-commissioned paper, released yesterday by several high-profile economists who have worked on California’s program… — via U.C. Berkeley
Water-controlled Wealth of Nations
Population growth is in general constrained by food production, which in turn depends on the access to water resources. At a country level, some populations use more water than they control because of their ability to import food and the virtual water required for its production. Here, we investigate the dependence of demographic growth on available water resources for exporting and importing nations. By quantifying the carrying capacity of nations on the basis of calculations of the virtual water available through the food trade...— via Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
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