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U.S. Cities Dithering on Climate Change Impacts</span>
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June 8, 2012
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MIT study says that while many U.S. cities are taking action to prepare
for climate change impacts, their efforts as a whole still lag compared
to communities located elsewhere in the world.</div>
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While cities around the world are reporting more and more impacts from
climate change, a new study suggests those in the United States are less
prepared for what lies ahead than their international counterparts. </span>
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According to researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
in partnership with the ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability USA,
74 percent of U.S. cities have perceived changes in the climate. </p>
<p>These include increased storm intensity, higher temperatures and more precipitation. </p>
<p>The researchers also found that U.S. cities were the least active in
assessing their vulnerabilities and risks from the changing climate,
while those in Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Canada were the most
aggressive in planning for it. </p>
<p>Many climate experts blame an orchestrated campaign of misinformation
by the energy industry for a lack of resolve among politicians to cope
with climate change, or to even acknowledge that it exists.</p>_____________________________<br><br><div id="dateline">
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Trees Expanding Across Tundra as Arctic Climate Warms</span>
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June 8, 2012
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“The speed and magnitude of the observed change is far greater than we
expected.” — Prof. Bruce Forbes of the Arctic Center, University of
Lapland.</div>
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The greenhouse-driven warming of the Arctic appears to be allowing small
trees to emerge across parts of the tundra landscape, according to a
new study. </span>
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Scientists from the University of Oxford and the University of Lapland
found that low tundra shrubs, many of which are willow and alder
species, have rapidly grown into small trees over the last 50 years. </p>
<p>The findings were made across Russia’s northwest Arctic coast, and
could indicate what is in store across the rest of the Arctic tundra
region. </p>
<p>The researchers say that the darker color of the expanding trees
probably means the region will absorb even more heat from sunlight that
previously would have been reflected back into space. </p>
<p>This, in turn, could cause the Arctic to heat up even more than the
record warming the region has experienced under climate change.</p>
<p>The researchers also say that forests to the south could also expand
northward into the tundra as the warming climate allows them to survive
in formerly inhospitable environments.</p>______________________________<br><br>
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<h5 class="details" style="float:right">June 10, 2012</h5>
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<h1>Americans slow to act on saving energy</h1>
<h5 class="subhead">Poll shows people know but don’t practice</h5>
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Matthew Daly<br>
Associated Press
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<p>WASHINGTON – When it comes to saving energy, people in the United
States know that driving a fuel-efficient car accomplishes more than
turning off the lights at home. </p>
<p>But that doesn’t mean they’ll do it. </p>
<p>A new poll shows that while most of those questioned understand
effective ways to save energy, they have a hard time adopting them. </p>
<p>Six in 10 surveyed say driving a more fuel-efficient car would save a
large amount of energy, but only 1 in 4 says that’s easy to do,
according to the poll by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
People also are skeptical of carpooling or installing better home
insulation, rating them as effective but impractical. </p>
<p>On the other end of spectrum, 8 in 10 say they easily can turn off
the lights when they leave a room, and 6 in 10 have no problem turning
up the thermostat in summer or down in winter, although fewer than half
think those easy steps save large amounts of energy. </p>
<p>Even those who support conservation don’t always practice it. </p>
<p>Cindy Shriner, a retired teacher from Lafayette, Ind., buys
energy-efficient light bulbs and her 2009 Subaru Impreza gets nearly 30
miles per gallon on the highway. </p>
<p>Still, she keeps her house at about 73 degrees year-round, despite
government recommendations to turn thermostats to 68 degrees in winter
and 78 degrees in summer. </p>
<p>“I’m terrible,” Shriner, 60, said in an interview. “In all honesty
we have extreme weather in all seasons” in Indiana, she said, and her
thermostat settings keep her comfortable. </p>
<p>The public looks to large institutions for leadership in saving
energy, believing that individuals alone can’t make much of a
difference. Nearly two-thirds look to the energy industry to show the
way toward energy conservation, and nearly 6 in 10 say the government
should play a leading role. Democrats, college graduates and people
under 50 are the most likely to hold industry is responsible for
increasing energy savings. </p>
<p>The poll, paid for by a grant to the AP-NORC Center from the Joyce
Foundation, shows that just 4 in 10 questioned think their own actions
can significantly affect the country’s energy problems. Some 15 percent
say individual actions make “a very large difference,” while 7 percent
say individual action makes no difference at all. </p>
<p>On some energy topics, people are in the dark. </p>
<p>Only 1 in 3 reports knowing a lot or a great deal about the
government’s Energy Star product labels, which are meant to help
consumers choose energy-efficient appliances and other products. Even
fewer, 25 percent, report detailed knowledge about fuel-efficiency
standards for cars. Not even 20 percent know a lot or a great deal about
rebates for energy-saving products, home renovation tax credits or home
energy audits. </p>
<p>About 6 in 10 people cite lack of knowledge about energy-saving products as a major reason they don’t do more to conserve. </p>
<p>Lacking hard data, nearly half of those questioned say they use
somewhat or a lot less energy than others in their community, while only
9 percent think their consumption is above average. </p>
<p>Overall energy use by people in the United States is four times the
world average, according to the Energy Information Administration, but
Americans use less energy per person than people in countries such as
Canada, Norway and Iceland. Average energy use by Americans declined by
about 9 percent from 2005 to 2009, largely because of increased
efficiency of appliances and machinery, and the economic downturn, the
EIA said. </p>
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