Arctic posts second warmest year on record in 2018: U.S. NOAA
11 December 2018 - The Arctic had its second-hottest year on record in 2018, part of a warming trend that may be dramatically changing earth's weather patterns, according to a report released on Tuesday (11 December) by the U.S. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The study said the Arctic warming continues at about double the rate of the rest of the planet, and that the trend appears to be altering the shape and strength of the jet stream air current that influences weather in the Northern Hemisphere. (more)

East Antarctica glacial stronghold melting as seas warm
11 December 2018 - NASA has detected ice retreat probably linked to ocean changes in region once thought stable. A group of glaciers spanning an eighth of the East Antarctica coastline are being melted by the warming seas, scientists have discovered. This Antarctic region stores a vast amount of ice, which, if lost, would in the long-term raise global sea level by tens of metres and drown coastal settlements around the world. Freezing temperatures meant the East Antarctica region was until recently considered largely stable but the research indicates that the area is being affected by climate change. (more)

US: A Chicago neighborhood battles endless flow of illegal guns
10 December 2018 - Chicago police regularly recover more illegal firearms than officials in larger New York and Los Angeles. Last year, the citywide haul was 7,932 firearms. The 2018 tally exceeds 8,300, and police say it could surpass 10,000 by year's end. Police seize an illegal weapon about once every hour, most connected to gangs on the South and West sides. Authorities cite two reasons for the heavy gun traffic: Penalties for carrying these firearms aren't considered a deterrent and, according to police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi, suspects tell officers they 'would rather be caught by police with a gun ... than caught by a rival gang without one.' (more)

Global carbon emissions set to rise further this year: study
5 December 2018 - Global carbon dioxide emissions are set to rise nearly 3 percent this year due to continued fossil fuel use, scientists said on Wednesday (5 December), dashing hopes that an increase in 2017 was temporary after two years of slowdown. World emissions grew by 1.6 percent last year and will increase even more this year due to the sustained use of coal, oil, and natural gas, an annual report by the Global Carbon Project showed, a group of 76 scientists in 15 countries. (more)

More U.S. pregnant women using opioids and methamphetamines
4 December 2018 - A growing number of American pregnant women are using opioids and methamphetamines, and drug use is rising fastest among mothers in rural communities, a U.S. study suggests. By the end of the study period, the highest proportion of babies exposed to methamphetamines was in the rural West . . . [and] the highest proportion of babies exposed to opioids was in the rural Northeast . . . (more)

Night shifts plus unhealthy lifestyle may be recipe for diabetes
3 December 2018 - Women who work rotating night shifts and also have unhealthy lifestyle habits may be much more likely to develop diabetes than peers with only one of these risk factors, a large U.S. study suggests. (more)

Salaried workers beware: GM cuts are a warning for all
1 December 2018 - For generations, the career path for smart kids around Detroit was to get an engineering or business degree and get hired by an automaker or parts supplier. If you worked hard and didn't screw up, you had a job for life with enough money to raise a family, take vacations, and buy a weekend cottage in northern Michigan. Now that once-reliable route to prosperity appears to be vanishing, as evidenced by General Motors' announcement this week that it plans to shed 8,000 white-collar jobs on top of 6,000 blue-collar ones. (more)

Whale songs and war: The less talked-about climate impacts
1 December 2018 - Near Antarctica, whales are singing in deeper tones to cut through the noise of melting icebergs. In California, a big college football rivalry game was postponed until Saturday because of smoky air from wildfires. And Alaskan shellfish were struck by an outbreak of warm water bacteria. ... And climate change has altered global politics. Numerous studies have said it was a factor in record-setting drought in Syria -- one of several causes of the country's civil war that triggered a massive refugee crisis. ... Conflict over climate change impacts is not confined to Syria. (more)