As the weather heats up, conflicts between nations may heat up as well, at a time when less ice covers the than at any time in recent geologic history. It turns out that, despite past government denials about climate change, the military has been studying this threat for a long time.
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But the suburbs are EVEN HOTTER: Here’s why – Cities like New York are sweltering this summer, but if you live in suburbia, you’re in for a hot summer too! The number of very hot days is increasing worldwide, but the rate of increase is more than double in the most sprawling suburban-style metropolitan regions compared with more compact cities, even though one would think just the opposite effect would be the case. But this holds true regardless of the urban regions’ climate zone, population size, or rate of growth.
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Coming our way? – Climate change may be responsible for the spread of a potentially deadly fungus among animals and people in the US and Canada. Since freezing can kill the fungus, climate warming have something to do with it showing up along the Pacific Coast.
It started out infecting farm animals and then pets. When it moved to people, AIDS patients (and other people with compromised immune systems) got it first. However, like a virus, the fungus keeps mutating and may soon be able to infect healthy people. The new strain appears to be especially deadly, since about 25% of 21 people who have gotten it so far in the US and Canada have died.
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What’s going on here? Much of the substance that makes up our universe appears to be missing, and the same thing is true for climate change. Scientists can only account for roughly half of the heat that is believed to have built up on Earth in recent years. Scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) think we need to pay more attention to satellite sensors, ocean floats, and other instruments are inadequate to track this “missing” heat, which may be building up in the deep oceans or elsewhere in the climate system.
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