TOP STORY

Mexico City Runs Dry

"About five million people, or a quarter of the population of Mexico City's urban sprawl, woke up Thursday with dry taps."  Depleting reservoir supplies have lead the Mexican government to order five water stoppages leading up to summer's (hopefully) rainy season.  Said Felipe Arreguin, under director of the National Water Commission, "We had to have the stoppages now to make sure that some supply can continue until the rain in June."  Experts hold up wasteful consumption, climate change, and deforestation as factors contributing to the shortage.  [Time]

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Overfishing to Wipe Out Bluefin Tuna

Analysis from the conservation group WWF has found that overfishing "will wipe out the breeding population of Atlantic bluefin tuna...in three years unless catches are dramatically reduced."  A two-month open fishing season begins Wednesday for the species, "favorite for sushi lovers." WWF's data found that "bluefin tuna that spawn -- those aged four years and older -- will have disappeared by 2012 at current rates." [Reuters]

Consumption Dwarfs Population as Main Environmental Threat

While many environmentalists whisper the great taboo that population growth is the biggest threat to our planet, Fred Pearce has other ideas.  "It’s over-consumption, not population growth, that is the fundamental problem: By almost any measure, a small portion of the world’s people –- those in the affluent, developed world -– use up most of the Earth’s resources and produce most of its greenhouse gas emissions."  Pearce goes on to point out that "The world’s richest half-billion people — that’s about 7 percent of the global population — are responsible for 50 percent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions. Meanwhile the poorest 50 percent are responsible for just 7 percent of emissions."  [Yale Environment 360]

Experts Agree: Planet Will Warm More Than 2 Degrees C

A new poll finds that "Almost nine out of 10 climate scientists do not believe political efforts to restrict global warming to 2C will succeed."  The 2C number is focused on by politicians and advocacy campaigns, but is thought unrealistic by 86% of experts in the field.  More likely: "84 of the 182 specialists (46%)...said it would reach 3-4C by the end of the century; 47 (26%) suggested a rise of 2-3C, while a handful said 6C or more. While 24 experts predicted a catastrophic rise of 4-5C, just 18 thought it would stay at 2C or under."  [Guardian]

FROM THE BLOGS

Youth to Engage Members of Congress, Local Officials in 103 Town Halls Nationwide to Build Clean Energy Future [ItsGettingHotInHere]

Rep Markey Hints at CO2 Auction Plans [SolveClimate]