By Roy L Hales  

Reprinted with permission from: http://www.sandiegolovesgreen.com/articles/the-federal-advisory-committee-minces-no-words/

January 16, 2013 (San Diego)--Justin Gillis, of the New York Times Green Blog, titles his introduction to the recently released Federal Advisory Committee Draft Climate Assessment Report” as “An Alarm in the offing on Climate Change.” Personally, I find it reminiscent of a modern day Book of Revelation - only many of the predicted calamities are aimed directly at me and mine. The message is not new. Some scientists have been warning us about Climate change for decades. What is new, is that this is a Government report which, Gilllis writes, “minces no words”. He adds a note of caution, that “it is a draft, so we don’t know what final language will make it into the report.” 

By Miriam Raftery

January 8, 2013 (Washington D.C.) – If the weather seemed hotter last year than in the past, your memory is correct.

In its State of the Climate Report, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Climatic Data Center reveals today that 2012 averaged the hottest temperatures ever recorded for the lower 48 states in the U.S.  Nationwide, the average temperature for 2012 was 55.3 degrees Fahrenheit—a full 3.2 degrees higher than the 20th Century average and one degree hotter than the previous hottest year on record (1998).

It was also a historic year for extreme weather that included severe drought, larger wildfires, hurricanes and storms--the second worst year on record.

View report:   http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/   and  scroll down for highlights. 

September 20, 2012  --  (San Diego’s East County)--East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego’s inland regions, published in other media. This week’s top “Roundup” headlines include:

LOCAL/REGIONAL

• County invokes state suspension of meeting laws (UT San Diego)
• SDG&E to pay federal government $643 million for fire damage (North County Times)
• Cal-Trans wins fatal crash suit, asks family to pay (UT San Diego)
• 2 former Navy Seals from San Diego killed in embassy attack (10 News)
• Scientists weigh effects of climate change: Scripps conference seeks solution to sea level rise (North County Times)
• Sycamore landfill approved after years of litigation (Santee Patch)
• Lawsuit aims to reveal misuse of baseball funds at Grossmont High (La Mesa Patch)

STATE

• Cal State system to hike tuition 5% if Prop 30 fails (Los Angeles Times)
• Jerry Brown and Molly Munger both want to raise taxes to help schools, but differ on approach (Sacramento Bee)
• Brown signs overhaul of California’s worker compensation (Sacramento Bee)
• 700 bills on Brown’s desk (Sacramento Bee)
• State restricts military funeral protests (UT San Diego)
• California Legislature approves public pension changes (Sacramento Bee)
• The Salton Sea: Death and Politics in the Great American Water War (Wired)

Read more for excerpts and links to full stories.

• Forty-nine headless corpses found in Mexico (Reuters)
• Merkel’s conservative party routed in Germany (Reuters)
• France’s “Monsieur Normal” takes office…unmarried (NBC)
• Surfer recognized for riding biggest wave ever (Los Angeles Times-video)
  
• North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has explosive family secret (Business Insider)
• One in six cancers worldwide are caused by infections (BBC)

• Gouged by the wind: Renewable fuel mandates are raising electricity costs  (Wall Street Journal)
• Court rejects Iraq-Afghanistan veterans demand for better VA care
• Navy to demonstrate great green fleet (10 News)
• Bush convicted of war crimes in absentia (Foreign Policy Journal)
• The unbelievable brutality released on kids in for-profit prison (Alternet)
• Humane Society calls for reform of federal wildlife agency (Sacramento Bee)
• The killing agency:  wildlife services’ brutal methods leaves a trail of animal deaths (Sacramento Bee)
• Game over for the climate (New York Times)   

April 4, 2012 (San Diego) – “GreenBlue San Diego" kicks off Earth Month in San Diego, on April 5th, 2012.  A distinguished group of regional Green leaders will brief on the next wave in the renewable sector, the sustainable oceans and water economy. Career experts will also discuss the growth of careers and job paths in this new and expanding area of the economy.

• CBO says GOP budget would double cost of healthcare for seniors (Forbes)
• Home sales show strength, prices rise (Reuters)
• GOP budget calls for fire sale of public lands (Think Progress)
• Wind energy poses threat to golden eagle population (Fox News)
• California could decide the GOP nominee (Washington Post)

• Hundreds of houses damaged after strong quake hits Mexico (CNN)
• France on high security alert after 4 killed in shootings at Jewish school (CNN)
• Chevron execs barred from leaving Brazil over spill (Reuters)
• Explosions rock Syrian capital (CNN)
• Europe’s chief scientist warns against climate delays (Reuters)
• Israel  issues travel warning on Turkey (UT San Diego)
• North Korea says it will launch long-range rocket (UT San Diego)