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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>A new study of sea level rise finds that it is occurring twice as fast as at any time in the past two million years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>At current levels of CO2 we are already committed to about two feet of rise by midcentury and about eight feet by the next century’s end, continuing to a rise of 25-30 feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The lead author: “We must virtually immediately take measures of carbon reduction.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Stefan Rahmstorf:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>“The study confirms, from a geological perspective, that our current greenhouse gas emissions are committing our planet to a sea level rise of several meters.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></font></font><a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/science/melting-ice-sleeping-giant-will-push-sea-levels-higher-scientist-2D11741831"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.nbcnews.com/science/melting-ice-sleeping-giant-will-push-sea-levels-higher-scientist-2D11741831</font></a>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>A study in PNAS estimates that changes in fresh water availability could double the loss of agricultural capacity due to climate change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Changes in water distribution have the potential to diminish the loss.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/5339/20131217/freshwater-loss-could-double-agricultural-losses-tied-to-climate-change.htm"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/5339/20131217/freshwater-loss-could-double-agricultural-losses-tied-to-climate-change.htm</font></a><font size="3"><font face="Calibri"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Another study in the same issue warns that water scarcity in general is expected to increase, with major regional variations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The southern US is among the areas anticipated to suffer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131216154853.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131216154853.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29</font></a><font size="3"><font face="Calibri"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">Other studies in this special edition of PNAS combine to present a picture of overlapping impacts which will degrade the lives of essentially everyone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/earth-insight/2013/dec/17/planet-climate-change-risk-drought-famine-epidemic"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.theguardian.com/environment/earth-insight/2013/dec/17/planet-climate-change-risk-drought-famine-epidemic</font></a><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>As climate disruption weakens human societies at all levels from the family up, human rights will erode.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/humanrights/2013/12/how-climate-change-destroys-human-rights-20131217174532837148.html"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.aljazeera.com/humanrights/2013/12/how-climate-change-destroys-human-rights-20131217174532837148.html</font></a><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">4.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Los Angeles is the first major US city to require cool roofs on all new and refurbished homes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Reflective roofing can cut energy use by 15% in southern areas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://e360.yale.edu/digest/los_angeles_becomes_first_major_us_city_to_adopt_cool_roof_rule/4031/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+YaleEnvironment360+%28Yale+Environment+360%29"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://e360.yale.edu/digest/los_angeles_becomes_first_major_us_city_to_adopt_cool_roof_rule/4031/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+YaleEnvironment360+%28Yale+Environment+360%29</font></a><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">5.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Reddit has banned climate disruption denying posts from its science site.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></font></font><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/dec/19/newspapers-ban-climate-deniers-reddit-science"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/dec/19/newspapers-ban-climate-deniers-reddit-science</font></a><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">6.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The first comprehensive study of the effort to prevent action on climate in the US found that up to $1 billion a year goes to the effort, mostly from the wealthy individuals who have replaced corporations as the primary funders of the effort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Three quarters of the funds come through trusts and other instruments which conceal the identity of the donors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/dec/20/conservative-groups-1bn-against-climate-change"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/dec/20/conservative-groups-1bn-against-climate-change</font></a><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">7.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>A Nature Climate Change article recommends taxing meat from ruminants, the largest single human-related source of methane emissions.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></font></font><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/dec/20/tax-meat-cut-methane-emissions-scientists"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/dec/20/tax-meat-cut-methane-emissions-scientists</font></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><font size="3" face="Calibri">
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