Climate Change Could Cost Europe $260 Billion
If no further action is taken and global temperature increases by 3.5°C, climate damages in the EU could amount to at least $260 billion (€190 billion), a net welfare loss of 1.8% of its current GDP. Several weather-related extremes could roughly double their average frequency. As a consequence, heat-related deaths could reach about 200 000, the cost of river flood damages could exceed $13.6 billion (€10 billion) and 8,000 km2 of forest could burn in southern Europe. The number of people affected by droughts could increase by a factor of seven and coastal damage…
Public Workshops, Offshore Renewable Energy
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced that the Department of the Interior will host 12 public workshops this month to discuss the newly-issued regulatory program for renewable energy development on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. “The offshore renewable energy framework we have created for the Outer Continental Shelf will create new opportunities for clean power off our coasts, while providing certainty to industry and investors," said Secretary Salazar. The Final Framework for Renewable Energy Development on the OCS was published in the Federal Register on April 29, 2009. The new program establishes a process for granting leases…