TOP STORY

Climate Change Seen As Threat To U.S. Security

"The changing global climate will pose profound strategic challenges to the united states in coming decades, raising the prospect of military intervention to deal with the effects of violent storms, drought, mass migration and pandemics, military and intelligence analysts say. Such climate-induced crises could topple governments, feed terrorist movements or destabilize entire regions, say the analysts, experts at the pentagon and intelligence agencies who for the first time are taking a serious look at the national security implications of climate change." [New York Times]

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First U.S. "Power Tower" Lights Up California

"In southern California's Antelope Valley, 24,000 silver-bright mirrors have been positioned to reflect light on two 50-meter-tall towers. And at 11:08 A.M. local time Wednesday, this concentrated light heated steam in those towers to turn a turbine—the first 'power towers' in the U.S. to convert the sun's heat into electricity for commercial use. Dubbed Sierra SunTower, the power plant can produce five megawatts, enough to power roughly 4,000 local homes at full capacity—and provide the modular blueprint for larger plants in California and New Mexico, according to eSolar, the Pasadena start-up behind the power plant." [Scientific American]

Glaciers a Canary in the Coal Mine of Global Warming

U.S. scientists monitoring shrinking glaciers in Washington and Alaska reported this week that a major meltdown is under way. A 50-year government study found that the world's glaciers are melting at a rapid and alarming rate. The ongoing study is the latest in a series of reports that found glaciers worldwide are melting faster than anyone had predicted they would just a few years ago." [CNN]

Amid Drought, Sacramento Water Use Climbed

"As the state entered a severe drought, many of the city of Sacramento's biggest water users increased their watering dramatically...A Bee investigation of water use in Sacramento, based on an examination of three years of metering records, reveals city government itself as the top water scofflaw. Even when Sacramento issued its first-ever 'spare the water' alert this summer, forbidding outdoor watering by residents from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., the city's own park and cemetery workers apparently missed the memo." [Sacramento Bee]

The Science Of Salmonella

"[Salmonella] appeared on the planet millions of years before humans, and scientists are certain it will outlast us too. It's practically guaranteed that salmonella will keep finding its way into the food supply despite the best efforts of producers and regulators. Since breaking off from its close cousin E. coli more than 100 million years ago, salmonella has evolved into more than 2,500 strains. Some, such as Typhi, sicken humans but have no effect on other animals. Others sicken animals but not humans, with certain strains unique to a single species." [Los Angeles Times]