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:
US EPA Releases Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data from Large Facilities
Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its third year of greenhouse gas data detailing carbon pollution emissions and trends broken down by industrial sector, greenhouse gas, geographic region, and individual facility. The data, required to be collected annually by Congress, highlight a decrease in greenhouse gas emissions as more utilities switch to cleaner burning natural gas... — via U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Biotic and Human Vulnerability to Projected Changes in Ocean Biogeochemistry over the 21st Century
Climate change caused by human activity could damage biological and social systems. Here we gathered climate, biological, and socioeconomic data to describe some of the events by which ocean biogeochemical changes triggered by ongoing greenhouse gas emissions could cascade through marine habitats and organisms, eventually influencing humans. — via PLOs Biology
Traces of Nitrogen Fertilizer Remain in Soil for Decades: PNAS Study
Traces of nitrate fertilizers can stay in the ground for decades after their first application, researchers say. The findings…raise new questions about the efficacy of environmental efforts underway in the Midwest and mid-Atlantic regions that aim to reduce agricultural runoff by setting limits on how much of the chemicals can enter streams and rivers... — via Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Robust Increases in Severe Thunderstorm Environments in Response to Greenhouse Forcing
Although severe thunderstorms are one of the primary causes of catastrophic loss in the United States, their response to elevated greenhouse forcing has remained a prominent source of uncertainty for climate change impacts assessment. We find that the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project, Phase 5, global climate model ensemble indicates robust increases in the occurrence of severe thunderstorm environments... — via Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
The Geography of Poverty, Disasters and Climate Extremes in 2030
Extreme weather events driven by climate change will exacerbate poverty in regions where people are already among the world’s poorest, according to a study by the U.K.’s Overseas Development Institute. Where disasters such as drought are common, those events are the leading cause of poverty... — via Oversees Development Institute
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