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The Global Rundown |
Researchers in Switzerland found links between warming global temperatures and the frequency of extreme rainfall events. The United States lowered the recommended level of fluoride in drinking water. Reduced hydropower could increase the risk of power brownouts in the western United States this summer, and unrealistic water transfer ideas abound in California. China is betting on public-private partnerships to reduce water pollution.
“The expense and the politics is so unrealistic it’s a distraction from the projects we actually can get done.”–Lester Snow, executive director of the California Water Foundation, on the numerous ideas being floated to solve California’s drought problems with water pipelines and shipments from Alaska, the Great Lakes, and other water-rich places. (The Los Angeles Times)
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By The Numbers |
0.7 milligrams per liter New fluoride level recommendation for public drinking water in the United States, down from levels as high as 1.2 milligrams per liter. Newsweek
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Science, Studies, And Reports |
As many as one in five extreme rain storms around the the world are the result of climate change, while rising temperatures are making extreme heatwaves four to five times more likely, according to a study by researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. The study was published in the journal Nature Climate Change. Guardian
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On The Radar |
Droughts in the western United States could create power shortages this summer in areas that rely on hydropower, according to U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz. Water risks are expected to increase for the energy sector under climate change scenarios. Reuters
China announced that it will be encouraging public-private partnership projects to tackle water pollution. The government plans to use financial incentives, investment subsidies, and fundraising allowances to facilitate the projects, the announcement said. Xinhua
