23.12.2011 Tages Anzeiger
Das Jahr der Wetterrekorde
Zwei ausgedehnte Trockenperioden, wenig Schmelzwasser und viele dürstende Flüsse: 2011 erlebte die Schweiz aussergewöhnliche Wetterlagen mit Spitzenwerten in allen Regionen.
Link to full Article |
21.12.2011 AgriMoney
Cost to Colombia of heavy rains hits $5.8bn
The cost to Colombia of "the largest rainy period ever recorded" has reached $5.8bn - and counting - with dairy, besides coffee, proving particularly badly affected by rains which have killed more than 140 people since September alone.
Link to full Article |
29.11.2011 Insurance Journal
Thai Flood May Hit Asia Harder Than Japan Disaster
REUTERS- The impact from Thailand floods on Asia’s production networks may last longer and be deeper than that from Japan’s March earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis, a senior Asian Development Bank official said on Tuesday.
Link to full Article |
25.11.2011 San Francisco Chronicle
Drought puts damper on tree farmers’ christmas
Dry, brown grass crunches underfoot as David Barfield walks through his 45-acre Christmas tree farm pointing at evergreens covered with brittle, rust-colored needles. "Dead tree, dead tree, dead tree," he says, shaking his head at dry timber he hoped would be chopped down by parents with excited children.
Link to full Article |
23.11.2011 Euronews
VIDEO: No snow show for Austrian ski slopes
Austria is a green and pleasant land, but it is not supposed to be at this time of year. The country’s ski resorts are struggling against mild temperatures which are keeping the coveted snow at bay.
Link to Video |
23.11.2011 BBC News
Farmers count cost of drought in parts of England
Parts of England are still in the grip of a drought, which has cost some farmers thousands of pounds and led to restrictions on water use. Jonathan Brant, 52, has ploughed the fields of the Lincolnshire farm where he grew up, for more than 30 years. But this year, an exceptionally dry spring hit his barley and wheat crops and he lost between £15,000 and £20,000 - his biggest loss yet.
Link to full Article |
20.11.2011 Huffington Post
VIDEO: Polar Bears Invade Canadian Town As The Result Of Climate Change
The potential effect of climate change on polar bears has long been documented, but now it's starting to be seen. The town of Churchill, Manitoba in Canada has recently found itself overrun with the bears, according to Good Morning America. The problem has become so severe that the town has even created a "bear jail" for bears that wander into the town.
Link to Video |
17.11.2011 The Guardian
Exceptionally dry weather could lead to drought in 2012, say water companies
Half of all UK households face the threat of drought restrictions in the new year if rainfall does not return to normal this winter. Following some of the driest weather on record over the last year, water suppliers urged customers to start making savings to help cope with low levels in reservoirs, rivers and underground aquifers.
Link to full Article |
17.11.2011 Financial Times
Thai floods: impact worse than feared
With the flood waters still washing through Thailand, assessments of their impact on the economy are steadily becoming more gloomy. On Thursday, Barclays Capital raised its estimates of the cost to 3-4 per cent of GDP from 2-3 per cent.
Link to full Article |
07.11.2011 Reuters
Health cost of 6 U.S. climate disasters: $14 billion
Deaths and health problems from floods, drought and other U.S. disasters related to climate change cost an estimated $14 billion over the last decade, researchers said on Monday. "When extreme weather hits, we hear about the property damage and insurance costs," said Kim Knowlton, a senior scientist at Natural Resources Defense Council and a co-author of the study. "The healthcare costs never end up on the tab."
Link to full Article |
01.11.2011 Associated Press
Future holds more extreme weather
For a world already weary of weather catastrophes, the latest warning from top climate scientists paints a grim future: More floods, more heat waves, more droughts and greater costs to deal with them. A draft summary of an international scientific report obtained by The Associated Press says the extremes caused by global warming could eventually grow so severe that some locations become "increasingly marginal as places to live."
Link to full Article |
31.10.2011 The Independent
Unseasonal weather takes toll on high street stores
While the recent Indian summer is beginning to seem like a distant memory, the retailers are just starting to count the cost. The surprisingly high temperatures caught the high street unaware, with shoppers not too keen on stocking up their winter wardrobe with scarves and woolly jumpers.
Link to full Article |
22.10.2011 The Economist
The heat is on
A new analysis of the temperature record leaves little room for the doubters. The world is warming. For those who question whether global warming is really happening, it is necessary to believe that the instrumental temperature record is wrong. That is a bit easier than you might think.
Link to full Article |
14.10.2011 CNN Money
Get your peanut butter – before prices soar
Brace yourselves, peanut butter lovers -- prices are set to spike following one of the worst peanut harvest seasons growers have seen in years.
Link to full Article |
13.10.2011 The Guardian
Climate Change could drive spread of major coffee pest
Study mapping the spread of the berry borer, a major coffee pest, suggests climate change will make its impact more severe and widespread.
Link to full Article |
12.10.2011 The Washington Post
NASA preparing for Earth-observing satellite launch
On October 27, NASA will launch the next generation weather and climate satellite… The data it beams back to Earth will help improve understanding of both global change and weather prediction.
Link to full Article |
10.10.2011 Treehugger
World’s highest webcam monitors climate change on Everest
Recently, Italian researchers studying global warming in the Himalayas installed a heavy-duty, solar-powered camera at 18 thousand feet as a way of monitoring how climate change is impacting the region.
Link to full Article |
10.10.2011 BBC News
Warm weather ‘knocks High Street sales’
September's unseasonably warm weather was bad news for the UK's retailers, as people were more interested in enjoying the sunshine than going shopping, a report has said. Like-for-like sales were down 4% last month compared with a year earlier, according to accountancy group BDO.
Link to full Article |
06.10.2011 The New York Times
Insurance against the future
Ten separate billion-dollar weather disasters have hit the United States this year. And in one corner of the ring, with an ice pack on its brow, is the reeling insurance industry. It may be time for it to re-evaluate the threats and refresh its risk-management strategy.
Link to full Article |
30.09.2011 Associated Press
Climate change threatens W. Africa cocoa industry
Climate scientists say that the booming cocoa industry in Ivory Coast and Ghana will be threatened by climate change.
Link to full Article |
19.09.2011 Carbon Disclosure Project
Majority of US companies taking climate change action, despite absence of mandatory rules
The 2011 S&P 500 report from the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) has found that while national and global policy remains uncertain, most large US companies recognize the opportunity to gain strategic advantage from acting to address climate change. For the first time since its inception, CDP has found that a majority of the S&P 500 disclosing companies now integrate climate change into core business strategy.
Link to full Article |
18.09.2011 Business Daily
Climate change hits coffee industry
Global warming has increased the spread of pests in key farming regions with coffee exports facing the strain from the berry disease. Scientists at the Nairobi based International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) predict increased incidences of coffee berry borer in coffee zones over the next 40 years due to changing climatic patterns.
Link to full Article |
08.09.2011 NOAA Climate Prediction Center
La niña is back
La Niña, which contributed to extreme weather around the globe during the first half of 2011, has re-emerged in the tropical Pacific Ocean and is forecast to gradually strengthen and continue into winter. Today, forecasters with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center upgraded last month’s La Niña Watch to a La Niña Advisory.
Link to full Article |
29.08.2011 Business Insider
How A Hedge Fund Reacts To A Hurricane: Trade Weather Derivatives!
While others were stockpiling water, flashlights, and board games in preparation for Hurricane Irene, the hedge fund Tudor Investment was crunching numbers. Paul Tudor Jones' investment firm employs a weather derivatives analyst.
Link to full Article |
27.08.2011 Winnipeg Free Press
Betting on the weather grows in popularity
A salon in Atlanta has used them to avoid taking a financial haircut in years when the weather is extra nice and fewer people want to be stuck indoors getting their hair done. Closer to home, a local pool and spa retailer used one this summer to make a splash with the media and its customers.
Link to full Article |
23.08.2011 LA Times
Nation's weather extremes may be the new normal
A record-setting winter in much of the country has been followed by more records: tornadoes, flooding, drought and heat. Climate change is largely to blame, scientists say.
Link to full Article |
15.08.2011 BBC News
How British weather affects retail figures
VIDEO - British retail figures are due out on Thursday, so this week BBC Breakfast takes a look at the secrets of selling, the challenges retailers face, and the techniques they use to encourage us to part with our cash.
Link to full video |
15.08.2011 The Wall Street Journal
NYC sets record for rainfall at JFK airport
NEW YORK — Record rainfall around New York City that flooded roads on Sunday could cause delays for commuters Monday morning. John F. Kennedy International Airport reported 7.72 inches Sunday night — the most ever recorded there in a single day.
Link to full Article |
14.08.2011 The Guardian
Weatherwatch: weather derivatives
The business of weather derivatives is growing fast. Unlike weather insurance that deals in extremes like floods, weather derivatives pay out on departures from average conditions.
Link to full Article |
11.08.2011 ETH-Klimablog
So funktioniert eine Wetterversicherung
Wenn uns ein regnerischer Tag die Gartenparty verdirbt, dann können wir wenig tun, am allerwenigsten das Wetter beeinflussen. Viele Unternehmen sind gleichwohl auf gute Wetterbedingungen angewiesen: die Getränkeindustrie, die Baubranche, der Tourismus, und die Landwirtschaft.
Link to full Article |
10.08.2011 Insurance Journal
Private Weather Forecasters in High Demand
With commodity markets across the globe in the thrall of extreme weather, private-sector meteorologists are increasingly providing custom-tailored weather intelligence to the financial world. This time of year their services are in high demand.
Link to full Article |
07.08.2011 Tagesanzeiger
Street-Parade zittert vor schlechtem Wetter
In den letzten Jahren hat Regen die Konsumfreude des Party-Volks an der Street Parade gedämpft. Die Organisatoren haben Defizite eingefahren und nun erstmals eine Wetterversicherung abgeschlossen.
Link to full Article |
20.07.2011 Blick
Der Schnee ist da – stellt die Skilifte an
BERN - Das Tessin wurde in den vergangenen Stunden ordentlich nass gemacht. Über 2000 Metern fiel Schnee – und das mitten im Juli.
Link to full Article |
16.07.2011 NY Times
Drought, a creeping disaster
FLOODS, tornadoes, earthquakes, tsunamis and other geological phenomena have left a trail of destruction during the first half of 2011. But this could be just the start to a remarkable year of bad weather. Next up: drought.
Link to full Article |
08.07.2011 Financial Times
Brazilian sugar output set to slide
Sugar output in Brazil, the world’s biggest exporter, is set to fall for the first time in five years, the country’s industry association has told the Financial Times, raising the possibility of a sharp rise in prices that would stoke fears over food security.
Link to full Article |
07.07.2011 A.M. Best
Swiss Re's Brown on Noncatastrophe Weather-Related Risks
INTERVIEW - Stuart Brown, regional head of origination of weather business for Swiss Re, discusses insuring against noncatastrophe weather-related risks.
Listen to full interview |
05.07.2011 BBC News
UK faces more harsh winters in solar activity dip
Britain is set to face an increase in harsh winters, with up to one-in-seven gripping the UK with prolonged sub-zero temperatures, a study has suggested.
Link to full Article |
28.06.2011 CBS News
VIDEO - Historic drought causes $3 billion loss in Texas
CRAWFORD, Texas - It looks like harvest time in Texas, but for fourth-generation farmer Bert Gohlke it's actually a financial disaster. "It hurts, it hurts bad, it hurts real bad," Gohlke tells CBS News correspondent Don Teague.
Link to full Article and Video |
27.06.2011 The Guardian
Climate change hots up in 2010, the year of extreme weather
Last year was the joint-warmest on record and also the wettest over land, with sea ice levels dropping and drought on the rise. "I expect that by 20-30 years from now, extreme weather years like we witnessed in 2010 will become the new normal" says Jeff Masters.
Link to full Article |
21.06.2011 Langenthaler Tagblatt
VIDEO - Wenn es viel regnet, gibt es das Geld zurück
In zwei Monaten findet in Huttwil das erste Open Sky Festival statt. Vom 7. bis 10. Juli gibt es auf der Längmatte neben dem Sportzentrum ein von Schweizer Rock- und Popmusik dominiertes Programm. Neu gibt es ein Wettergarantie-Ticket.
Link to full Article and Video |
21.06.2011 World Resources Institute
Six Things Companies Need to Know About Climate Change Adaptation
In a survey of global businesses, 86 percent described responding to climate risks or investing in adaptation as a business opportunity. So finds a new report jointly released yesterday by the UN Global Compact, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), Oxfam and the World Resources Institute. Already, businesses worldwide are beginning to see the risks and economic impacts of more frequent and intense storms, water scarcity, declining agricultural productivity and poor health.
Link to full Article |
08.06.2011 USA Today
'Wild and weird' weather leaves its mark
Monster tornadoes, historic floods, massive wildfires and widespread drought: Springtime has delivered a wallop of weather-related destruction and misery across much of the nation this year. And it may all be related. Never mind the debate over global warming, its possible causes and effects. We've got "global weirding."
Link to full Article |
01.06.2011 CNBC The Kudlow Report
VIDEO – Catastrophe Economics
Insight on the financial cost of the recent catastrophe's on the US economy.
Link to full Article and Video |
31.05.2011 Market Watch - Wall Street Journal
More misery in cards as hurricane season kicks off
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — Americans have endured more than enough dangerous weather over the past several months: huge snowstorms, massive Mississippi River flooding, the worst drought since the Dust Bowl, and a devastating tornado season that’s still on record pace.
Link to full Article |
30.05.2011 The Times
Millions face food poverty as northern Europe is hit by worst drought in 35 years
BERNARD Maquis's cattle would normally be grazing in the lush green pastures of the Limousin region in central France at this time of year. Instead, they are eating hay intended for the winter after months of drought that has turned the fields yellow.
Link to full Article |
26.05.2011 Financial Times
Bad weather poses threat to wheat supplies
Expectations for a sharp rebound in global wheat supplies were lowered on Thursday after an intergovernmental trading group said bad weather threatened key breadbaskets.
Link to full Article |
24.05.2011 CNBC – The Kudlow Report
VIDEO – Catastrophe economics
Insight on the financial cost of the recent catastrophe's on the US economy, with David Friedberg, Weatherbill; Michael Hicks, Ball State University; Jim Iuorio, TJM Institutional Services; and John Kilduff, Again Capital.
Link to Video |
19.05.2011 BBC News
Northern Europe's farmers fear drought as bad as 1976
Farmers in northern Europe are finding themselves caught between a hard place and a rock-hard place as an unusually dry spring turns to summer.
Link to full Article |
05.05.2011 The Guardian
Food prices driven up by global warming, study shows
Scientists warn that farming practices must be adapted to a warmer world and rises in global population. Global warming has already harmed the world's food production and has driven up food prices by as much as 20% over recent decades, new research has revealed.
Link to full Article |
02.05.2011 American Meteorogical Society
Study: U.S. Economic Sensitivity to Weather Variability
Weather directly and indirectly affects production and consumption decision making in every economic sector of the United States at all temporal and spatial scales. Interannual aggregate dollar variation in U.S. economic activity attributable to weather variability could be 3.4% or $485 billion of 2008 gross domestic product.
Link to full Research Paper |
28.04.2011 Reuters
"Massive crop losses" feared from South drought
The worst drought in more than 40 years intensified across Texas over the last week, with high winds and heat causing "massive crop losses," with little relief in sight, according to weather experts Thursday.
Link to full Article |
27.04.2011 Tages Anzeiger
Wenn die Wasserkraft den Bach ab geht
Alle sprechen derzeit vom sauberen Wasserstrom. Doch was, wenn wegen Trockenheit den Wasserkraftwerken der Rohstoff ausgeht? Dabei sind die Stauseen nicht einmal das grösste Problem.
Link to full Article |
21.04.2011 Bloomberg
Corn, Soybeans Rally as Wet Midwest Weather May Delay Planting, Cut Yields
Corn and soybeans rose on speculation that wet, cold weather across the U.S. Midwest will limit planting and reduce yields.
Link to full Article |
19.04.2011 Der Bund
Schweizer Flüsse und Seen mit rekordtiefen Wassermengen
Der Wasserstand im Walensee und im Bodensee ist kritisch. Fachleute warnen vor einer schlimmeren Situation als im Hitzesommer 2003.
Link to full Article |
11.04.2011 BBC News
Dry spell affects water levels at some reservoirs
VIDEO - The dry weather has caused a fall in water levels at some of Britain's reservoirs.
Link to Video |
09.04.2011 NZZ Online
Hitzerekord am Samstag nochmals überboten
Ein Wetterrekord jagt derzeit den anderen: Nachdem der Freitag als frühester Hitzetag im Jahr überhaupt in die Wetterstatistik eingegangen war, stieg die Temperatur am Samstag erneut: In Locarno-Monti TI war es 31,8 Grad warm.
Link to full Article |
07.04.2011 BBC News
River Severn water supplements reservoir supply
Water from the River Severn is being used to supplement supplies from reservoirs following a winter where rainfall was below average.
Link to full Article |
06.04.2011 BBC News
Australia posts trade deficit as disasters hit exports
Australia has posted a shock trade deficit for the first time in 11 months as twin natural disasters dented the country's exports.
Link to full Article |
09.03.2011 New York Times
Heat Damages Colombia Coffee, Raising Prices
In the last few years, coffee yields have plummeted in Colombia and in many of Latin America’s other premier coffee regions as a result of rising temperatures and more intense and unpredictable rains.
Link to full Article |
27.02.2011 BBC News
Frosts wreck Lincolnshire cauliflower harvest
Farmers in Lincolnshire have claimed losses to the cauliflower crop caused by severe winter weather may reach £7m.
Link to full Article |
22.02.2011 Tages Anzeiger
Schweizer Skigebiete fürchten ausländische Konkurrenz
Skiregionen sehen sich gezwungen, auch während der wärmeren Jahreshälfte nach Umsatzmöglichkeiten zu suchen. Schneemangel ist bei weitem nicht die einzige Problematik, welche die Bergbahnen beschäftigt.
Link to full Article |
15.02.2011 Die Bundesregierung Online
Mehr Wetterextreme, mehr Risiken
Der Klimawandel schreitet weiter voran, auch in Deutschland. Schon ab 2040 müssen wir mit einer starken Zunahme extremer Niederschläge rechnen. Zu diesem Ergebnis kommt ein gemeinsames Forschungsprojekt von vier Bundesbehörden.
Link to full Article |
10.02.2011 msnbc.com
Extreme weather pushes food prices higher
Among the economic havoc brought by this winter’s extreme weather, none has been more severe than the impact on the global food supply chain.
Link to full Article |