14.04.2012 The Portugal News Online
Frost and drought lead to huge losses in Algarve agriculture
Recent early morning frosts and the lack of rain have led to an almost complete loss of production in a number of Algarvian fruit and vegetable farms, according to farmers who lament the lack of adequate insurances. With so much loss, some farmers have said they are only living “on hope”.
|
12.04.2012 WNDU.com
Frost damage up to 90 percent of blueberry crops in some areas
The overnight lows left some blueberry farms with plenty of damage during a season that had been expected to be the best in years. Some farms saw up to 90 percent damage to their crops.
|
03.04.2012 Environment News Service
IPCC: Smart management can reduce risk of climate extremes
Climate change has led to extremes such as heat waves, record high temperatures and heavy precipitation over the past 50 years, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says in a new report on managing the risks of extreme events.
|
30.03.2012 Caterer and Hotelkeeper
Drought conditions raise fears of negative impact on brewing industry
The changes in Britain's weather and its effect on farming could have a detrimental impact on Britain's brewing and distilling industries, which rely on 1.7 million tonnes of high-quality malted barley from the UK's farmers every year.
|
29.03.2012 RTCC
Deloitte climate expert says business must wake up to extreme weather threats
Businesses that are not planning for the long-term effects of climate change are risking their future viability, according to a leading climate change consultant. Speaking to RTCC, Nick Main, Chief Sustainability officer at Deloitte says companies who fail to take into account climate risk now could run into trouble in a matter of decades.
|
26.03.2012 The Guardian
Extreme weather events increased over past decade, study says
Extreme weather events over the past decade have increased and were "very likely" caused by human-induced global warming, according to a study in the journal Nature Climate Change.
|
22.03.2012 Bloomberg Businessweek
Stores getting a boost from warm weather
Though painful for retailers early on, this winter's warm weather later turned into a boon. Sales of cold-weather gear were well below expectations, leaving stores with piles of boots and coats and snow shovels to mark down and push out in December and January. But warm-weather items started selling well in February, long before they usually do.
|
22.03.2012 The Conversation
Drought, flood and a whole lot else: the lived experience of farm households
It has been a summer of flooding for farmers in northeast Victoria and NSW. Reporters talk about the effect on crops, pastures and yields. But what about the effect on farming households? How do they cope with these severe weather events? We can get an insight from research into similar experiences in northwest Victoria in 2011.
|
22.03.2012 Tagesanzeiger
Manche Bauern haben alles verloren
Die Kältewelle hinterlässt Spuren: Es drohen Einbrüche bei Europas Weizenernte. In der Schweiz traf der Frost eine andere Pflanze stark.
|
15.03.2012 Agriculture.com
Early corn planting poses risks
As is said about politics, all planting season conditions are local. But, 2012 is already shaping up as having its own national slant -- the prospect of a lot of farmers planting early -- maybe too early. The generally warm weather has been highly abnormal for large parts of the country. “Unseasonably warm temperatures this month have brought on an early start to the 2012 growing season much farther north than would be expected by mid-March,” Freese-Notis Weather reported on Agriculture.com this week.
|
14.03.2012 BBC News
Will droughts hit crisp production in England?
Britain loves crisps. As a country we consume an estimated six billion packets per year- the equivalent of almost 100 packets of crisps per person. However drought conditions are producing smaller potatoes and lower yields. Does that mean our favourite starchy snack could soon be in short supply?
|
12.03.2012 The Conversation
Why hedging a bet on Mother Nature is a hot commodity
For some industries, the weather plays a significant role in determining revenue. Unexpected weather events can often cause significant financial losses. For instance, a drought can yield a severe impact on an agribusiness' amount and quality of produce; unseasonably mild winters can similarly diminish the profit margins of utility companies. So, how can companies – particularly those at the mercy of Mother Nature – protect themselves against the elements and limit their exposure to financial risk?
|
06.03.2012 Reminder News
Snow drought a blessing for towns, curse for private operators
The dearth of snow this winter has been a blessing for local municipalities but a curse for private snowplow operators. The sparse snowfall has meant that many towns haven’t used up the money budgeted for snow removal costs. But in some cases, that surplus will simply offset later or extra road work costs, including those associated with tropical storm Irene.
|
01.03.2012 NOAA
U.S. cities analysis for February
CHART – February 2012 Temperatures, departure from normal
|
28.02.2012 The Conversation
A chaotic beast, probably: wacky weather and climate forecasting
In the past 12 months we’ve seen – as Today Tonight likes to describe it when they interview myself and my colleagues at the Australian Bureau of Meteorology – truly wild and wacky weather. But no-one tells you this wackiness is a combination of weather and climate. And that, despite all the calls for a precise weather forecast for everyone’s town/farm/dam many months in advance, it will never be possible.
|
26.02.2012 The Guardian
Drought will push up price of food, farmers warn
Farmers in drought-stricken areas of the country are facing crucial decisions in the next few days and weeks over what to grow this year – and their plans could mean rising food prices for hard-pressed consumers this summer. Most of the south-east of England was officially declared to be in drought last week, and large swaths of the Midlands and south of England were confirmed as "at risk", with hosepipe bans and other restrictions likely to be introduced soon.
|
21.02.2012 BBC News
Drought fears for Berkshire farmers and boat owners
"We need grass to grow to feed the cattle that we've got," said Mike Bowden, who farms in Brimpton, Berkshire. "If we don't get moisture our crops will just die and we won't get any seeds to harvest." Mr Bowden is among the many farmers - along with anglers, boaters and other business owners - who could be badly affected if the drought in south-east England continues.
|
07.02.2012 LiveScience
A mild winter’s surprising downsides
If it feels like your giant puffy coat hasn't gotten its usual workout this winter, you're not alone. The season has been unusually tame, with many places around the United States experiencing unseasonably warm temperatures and a marked lack of snow.
|
02.02.2012 Inc.com
This warm winter is killing businesses
Carstar is the largest group of auto-body repair facilities in North America, with over 400 stores in U.S. and Canada. Like any auto body shop, Carstar fixes dents and dings, which are often the result of slippery roads and inclement weather. So when good weather strikes, Carstar sees its sales suffer. "We never wish bad weather on anyone," says the company's CEO, David Byers. "But it is very clearly correlated to our sales cycles."
|
02.02.2012 MSNBC News
Mixed results for retailers in January
VIDEO - January is an important cleanup month for retailers, according to Adrianne Shapira, Goldman Sachs’ senior retail analyst, who appeared on CNBC Thursday to take a look at how retailers fared this month. She identified the retailers that lagged and the pent up demand for cold-weather goods..
|
01.02.2012 Reuters
Warm winter creates winners and losers in U.S. economy
Halfway through what might turn out to be the second mildest U.S. winter on record, major parts of the nation's economy are feeling the impact, for better or worse.
|
31.01.2012 UN News Centre
UN launches information system to boost disaster prevention, food security measures
The United Nations launched today an information system to improve and expand the exchange of weather, climate and water data, which can be used for disaster risk reduction, water management, food security and health purposes. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Information System will facilitate access to meteorological observations and products, making it easy to share them with a wide variety of stakeholders
|
18.01.2012 The Bellingham Herald
Warm temperatures, lack of snowfall have had wide-ranging impacts in North-Dakota
Ask just about anyone who follows winter, from biologists and snowmobile riders to ski resorts and organizers of ice fishing tournaments, and they'll tell you the winter of 2011-2012 is one for the record books. Snow is basically nonexistent across the Upper Midwest, and Grand Forks and Fargo both set temperature records Jan. 5 - 46 in Grand Forks and 54 in Fargo. As recently as last week, temperatures in Grand Forks soared into the 40s.
|
16.01.2012 NZZ- Neue Zürcher Zeitung
Starker Franken drückt auf die Schokoladen-Verkäufe
Der starke Franken und die Hitze im Ausland haben beim Schokoladenhersteller Lindt & Sprüngli 2011 zu leicht weniger Umsatz geführt als im Vorjahr: Für das vergangene Geschäftsjahr meldet das Unternehmen Verkäufe von 2,49 Milliarden Franken. 2010 lag der Umsatz bei knapp 2,58 Milliarden.
|
13.01.2012 The Huffington Post
Mild Winter Yields Strange Economic Patterns
Out of a relatively balmy winter have sprung some economic surprises. People have more cash in their pockets because they aren't turning up the thermostat. Airlines don't have to de-ice planes or battle blizzards. And shoppers are finding great deals on coats and boots. But there are also disappointments.
|
09.01.2012 The Time
The year that winter forgot: is it climate change?
2012 is shaping up to be the year that winter forgot in the U.S. December and the first week of January have seen atypically mild temperatures throughout much of the country — especially in the usually harsh states of the far north and parts of the plains.
|
05.01.2012 Environmental Finance
Munich Re confirms highest ever catastrophe losses in 2011
Last year was the costliest ever in terms of natural catastrophe-related economic and insured losses, according to reinsurer Munich Re, in line with preliminary estimates from its rival Swiss Re in December.
|
01.01.2012 The Weather Channel
2011: Photos Reveal an Extreme Year of Weather
2011 was a year of weather and geological extremes. A blizzard hits during rush hour in a major Midwest city, tornadoes destroy sections of metropolitan areas, snowstorm strikes in October, an East Coast hurricane floods New England, July heat reaches new levels, moderate earthquake rumbles in Virginia, a devastating tsunami...the list goes on.
|