Masters: “The Great Russian Heat Wave of 2010 continues…. Thousands of deaths, severe fires, and the threat of radioactive contamination”

Prior to this year, the hottest temperature in Moscow’s history was 37.2°C (99°F), set in August 1920. The Moscow Observatory has now matched or exceeded this 1920 all-time record five times in the past eleven days, including today….

… soil moisture in some portions of European Russia has dropped to levels one would expect only once every 500 years.

That’s meteorologist Jeff Masters writing about “One of the most remarkable weather events of my lifetime.”  The impact of the decline in soil moisture, along with the epic heat and fires, has been devastating, causing Russia to ban wheat exports.  Coupled with extreme weather around the globe, it has helped nearly double wheat prices since June.

Sharp and long-lasting declines in soil moisture over much of the planet’s habited landmass are a major prediction of climate science, something I’ve called “DUST-BOWL-IFICATION” (since readers pointed out to me that many deserts really aren’t so bad).  Here’s what the recent scientific literature says we face in the second half of the century if we stay anywhere near our current emissions path:

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Summer is rapidly drawing to a close, and that means it’s time for back-to-school shopping. But before you frantically stock up on new school supplies, take a moment to think about how you can green your child’s schooling. Purchasing recycled and used supplies, rethinking how you pack lunches, and redesigning your children’s morning commutes can have substantial cumulative effects on your family’s carbon footprint.  CAP has the story.

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This is a CAP cross-post by Kate Gordon and John Emerson.

The BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico may be the worst environmental accident ever to hit U.S. shores. But it is by no means the only disaster. America’s short history has been rife with natural and manmade environmental disasters that have tested our nation’s ability to balance economic and environmental interests””from the San Francisco earthquake, to the Dust Bowl, to the Exxon Valdez spill.

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