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acquired September 14, 2015

acquired September 14, 2015download large Surface Soil Moisture image (188 KB, PNG, 1878x1199)

acquired September 14, 2015download large Root Zone Soil Moisture image (188 KB, PNG, 1878x1199)

acquired September 14, 2015download large Ground Water Storage image (210 KB, PNG, 1878x1199)

At the end of summer 2015, the western United States continues to face a deep, ongoing drought. Conditions were particularly severe in California, Oregon, and Washington, where below-average precipitation has had a large, lasting effect on water supplies.

The shortage is visible to satellites that detect the movement and depletion of water supplies at and below Earth’s surface. The maps above were produced with data from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment(GRACE) satellites, combined with other satellite and ground-based measurements. They show the relative amount of water stored near the surface and underground as of September 14, 2015.

The maps do not show an absolute measure of wetness, or water content. Instead they show how water content in mid-September 2015 compares to the average for the same time of year between 1948 and 2012. Dark red represents areas where dry conditions have reached levels that historically occur less than 2 percent of the time (once every 50 or more years).

The top map shows moisture content in the top 2 centimeters (0.8 inches) of surface soil. States near the coasts were significantly drier than normal, while the Southwest and Midwest regions were also affected but to a lesser extent.

However, it takes time for the effects of rainfall or drought to be felt deeper in the ground, which explains the differences between the three maps. The middle map depicts moisture in the “root zone,” or the top meter (39 inches) of soil; the third map shows the state of groundwater in shallow aquifers. While the eastern United States does not show as severe an anomaly at the surface, many aquifers have not recovered from previous deficiencies.

Western states, meanwhile, show far-below-normal conditions at all depths due to the long-term drought. California, for example, is in its fourth year of severe drought. Early in 2015, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power dammed the Los Angeles Aqueduct to conserve the limited snowmelt from the Eastern Sierra; for the first time since 1913, the aqueduct stopped carrying runoff from Owens Valley. By April, state officials announced there was no snow in the Sierra Nevada for the first time in 75 years of measurements. The announcement spurred researchers to launch a study of tree rings in the Central Valley. They found that mountain snow—which California relies on for water—has not been so low since the 1500s.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, areas in Washington and Oregon also saw severe or extreme drought conditions in mid-September. As of September 15, extreme drought spanned 67 percent of both states. Low winter snowpack played a role in the summer drought in these states as well.

Drought was ongoing at the same time that the region saw soaring temperatures. According to Weather Underground blogger Christopher Burt, summer 2015 was poised to become the warmest on record in Washington and Oregon.

• References and Related Reading

• Department of Ecology, State of Washington (2015, September) Drought impacts. Accessed September 17, 2015.
• Department of Ecology, State of Washington (2015, September) Washington Drought 2015. Accessed September 17, 2015.
• Los Angeles Times (2015, May 14) L.A. getting no Owens Valley runoff for first time since 1913. Accessed September 17, 2015.
• NASA Earth Observatory (2012, September 20) Signs of the U.S. Drought Are Underground.
• U.S. Drought Monitor (2015, September 15) U.S. Drought Monitor West. Accessed September 17, 2015.
• The Washington Post (2015, September 14) Scientists say California hasn’t been this dry in 500 years. Accessed September 17, 2015.
• Weather Underground (2015, September 7) Hottest Summer on Record for Much of the Pacific Northwest. Accessed September 17, 2015.

NASA Earth Observatory maps by Joshua Stevens, using data from Matt Rodell, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and the GRACE science team. Caption by Kathryn Hansen.

Instrument(s): 

GRACE

An article from Think Progress.

Pope Francis Looked Happier To Be With The Homeless Than With Members Of Congress

BY JACK JENKINS SEP 24, 2015 2:33PM

CREDIT: AP PHOTO/DAVID GOLDMAN, POOL

Pope Francis greets supporters during a visit to Catholic Charities in Washington, D.C.

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Shortly after finishing his historic address to Congress Thursday morning, Pope Francis declined to stay and talk with lawmakers, choosing to spend his time with a very different group of people: The homeless.

After receiving a standing ovation from Congress, Supreme Court Justices, and various other governmental officials, Francis left the U.S. Capitol to travel to nearby St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Washington, D.C. There he spoke before roughly 250 staff and volunteers before joining another 300 people — many of them homeless — for lunch with St. Maria’s Meals, a project of the local branch of Catholic Charities.

The Son of God came into this world as a homeless person.

“The Son of God came into this world as a homeless person,” Francis told the group, referencing the birth of Jesus Christ, who was born to Joseph and Mary in a stable according to the Biblical account. “[He] knew what it was to start life without a roof over his head. We can imagine what Joseph must have been thinking. How is it that the Son of God has no home? Why are we homeless, why don’t we have housing?”

“Joseph’s questions are timely even today; they accompany all those who throughout history have been, and are, homeless,” Francis said.

Francis was reportedly mobbed by gleeful supporters when he reached the site, but proceeded to work the crowd, wearing a grin noticeably broader than when he addressed Congress earlier that day. Chefs were said to prepare chicken and pasta for the event, creating dishes the local Catholic Charities CEO called “easy to serve, but very healthy, very nutritious.”

The food program began roughly three years ago, and reportedly serves dinner to anywhere from 250 to 500 poverty-stricken or homeless people each Wednesday. Catholic Charities helps run six homeless shelters throughout the city.

Washington, D.C. has been fighting a homelessness crisis for several years, only recently seeing a dip in the homeless population after launching several assistance efforts.

“We can find no social or moral justification, no justification whatsoever, for lack of housing,” Francis said. “There are many unjust situations, but we know that God is suffering with us, experiencing them at our side …[Jesus] tells us this clearly: ‘I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger and you welcomed me.’”

The gesture is part of Francis’ longstanding support for the homeless since becoming pope. In addition to speaking out on behalf of the poor in Evangelii Gaudium, his first exhortation as pontiff, he has also made headlines for personal attempts to help the impoverished: Francis celebrated his birthday in 2014 by giving sleeping bags to the homeless, is rumored to sneak out of the Vatican at night to minister to those sleeping on the streets, and announced last November plans to install showers in St. Peter’s Square to serve those with no place to bathe. He also promised in January that the Vatican will soon start offering free shaves and haircuts to those who otherwise can’t afford them.

Francis’ trip has not been a joyous occasion for all homeless people, however. New York City police dispersed about a dozen homeless people from the foot of a Harlem train station on Wednesday, attempting to clear the area ahead of the pontiff’s visit to the city later this week.

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Women saved from being raped!

 View this email online

Dear Joseph,

We have encouraging news to share about Meenakshi Kumari and her 15 year old sister who were ordered by a village council in India's Uttar Pradesh state to be raped and paraded naked as punishment. 

Yesterday, the Supreme Court of India recognized the risks to Meenakshi and her family and ordered the Delhi Police to provide the family with protection. 

Thank you for taking action to help make this happen! This case is so extraordinary because Meenakshi, a Dalit woman, courageously reported human rights violations that were taken seriously by authorities and resulted in a ruling to protect her and her family. 

But this isn’t over yet.

The family must receive justice and reparation, and if they are unable to return to their village they must receive support to rebuild their lives in another community. 

Meenaksi and her family still need justice. Please use your Social Media channels to ask your friends and family to take action today!  
 

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You were one of more than 500,000 Amnesty supporters worldwide who spoke out for Meenakshi and her sister. Your willingness to defend their rights can help us bring about change in attitudes and laws in India, and protect other women and girls at risk of gender discrimination. Thank you so much for taking action and sharing this important story.

Learn More: 

Gender-based discrimination and violence against women and girls is widespread in India. In response to increasing levels of violence, our colleagues at Amnesty International India launched a "Ready to Report" campaign to raise awareness and support victims of gender-based violence, like Meenakshi, to come forward and report crimes against them.

Learn more about Amnesty International India's incredible work to combat gender-based violence.

Thank you again for speaking out for women's human rights. 

In solidarity,








Jackie Hansen
Women's Rights Campaigner
Amnesty International Canada

P.S. Want to get involved with Amnesty International Canada's women's human rights work? You can start right here! 

You received this email because you requested to be informed about opportunities to take action to protect human rights. If you do not wish to receive emails from Amnesty, click here. View Amnesty's privacy policy.

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Gentle Readers:

 Politicians talk a pretty good talk when it comes to climate change and last year they made a pretty good fact sheet dealing with climate change. This year, 2015, they are meeting for a state dinner tonight and there should be interesting conversation around the dinner table considering Hilary Clinton's statement negating the XL oil pipe-line. I suggest China invest heavily in a vehicle that combines small amounts of Hydrogen with a fuel cell and Electric Batteries for clean long distance travel.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

November 11, 2014

FACT SHEET: U.S.-China Joint Announcement on Climate Change and Clean Energy Cooperation

President Obama Announces Ambitious 2025 Target to Cut U.S. Climate Pollution by 26-28 Percent from 2005 Levels

Building on strong progress during the first six years of the Administration, today President Obama announced a new target to cut net greenhouse gas emissions 26-28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025.  At the same time, President Xi Jinping of China announced targets to peak CO2 emissions around 2030, with the intention to try to peak early, and to increase the non-fossil fuel share of all energy to around 20 percent by 2030. 

Together, the U.S. and China account for over one third of global greenhouse gas emissions.  Today’s joint announcement, the culmination of months of bilateral dialogue, highlights the critical role the two countries must play in addressing climate change.  The actions they announced are part of the longer range effort to achieve the deep decarbonization of the global economy over time.  These actions will also inject momentum into the global climate negotiations on the road to reaching a successful new climate agreement next year in Paris.

The new U.S. goal will double the pace of carbon pollution reduction from 1.2 percent per year on average during the 2005-2020 period to 2.3-2.8 percent per year on average between 2020 and 2025.  This ambitious target is grounded in intensive analysis of cost-effective carbon pollution reductions achievable under existing law and will keep the United States on the right trajectory to achieve deep economy-wide reductions on the order of 80 percent by 2050.

The Administration’s steady efforts to reduce emissions will deliver ever-larger carbon pollution reductions, public health improvements and consumer savings over time and provide a firm foundation to meet the new U.S. target. 

The United States will submit its 2025 target to the Framework Convention on Climate Change as an “Intended Nationally Determined Contribution” no later than the first quarter of 2015.

The joint announcement marks the first time China has agreed to peak its CO2 emissions. The United States expects that China will succeed in peaking its emissions before 2030 based on its broad economic reform program, plans to address air pollution, and implementation of President Xi’s call for an energy revolution.

China’s target to expand total energy consumption coming from zero-emission sources to around 20 percent by 2030 is notable. It will require China to deploy an additional 800-1,000 gigawatts of nuclear, wind, solar and other zero emission generation capacity by 2030 – more than all the coal-fired power plants that exist in China today and close to total current electricity generation capacity in the United States.   

Building on Progress

In 2009, U.S. greenhouse gas emissions were projected to continue increasing indefinitely, but President Obama set an ambitious goal to cut emissions in the range of 17 percent below 2005 levels in 2020.  Throughout the first term, the Administration took strong actions to cut carbon pollution, including investing more than $80 billion in clean energy technologies under the recovery program, establishing historic fuel economy standards, doubling solar and wind electricity, and implementing ambitious energy efficiency measures. 

Early in his second term, President Obama launched an ambitious Climate Action Plan focused on cutting carbon pollution, preparing the nation for climate impacts, and leading internationally.  In addition to bolstering first-term efforts to ramp up renewable energy and efficiency, the Plan is cutting carbon pollution through new measures, including:

• Clean Power Plan: EPA proposed guidelines for existing power plants in June 2014 that would reduce power sector emissions 30% below 2005 levels by 2030 while delivering $55-93 billion in net benefits from improved public health and reduced carbon pollution.
• Standards for Heavy-Duty Engines and Vehicles: In February 2014, President Obama directed EPA and the Department of Transportation to issue the next phase of fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas standards for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles by March 2016. These will build on the first-ever standards for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles (model years 2014 through 2018), proposed and finalized by this Administration.
• Energy Efficiency Standards: The Department of Energy set a goal of reducing carbon pollution by 3 billion metric tons cumulatively by 2030 through energy conservation standards issued during this Administration. These measures will also cut consumers' annual electricity bills by billions of dollars. 
• Economy-wide Measures to reduce other Greenhouse Gases: The Environmental Protection Agency and other agencies are taking actions to cut methane emissions from landfills, coal mining, agriculture, and oil and gas systems through cost-effective voluntary actions and common-sense standards.  At the same time, the State Department is working to slash global emissions of potent industrial greenhouse gases called HFCs through an amendment to the Montreal Protocol; the Environmental Protection Agency is cutting domestic HFC emissions through its Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program; and, the private sector has stepped up with commitments to cut global HFC emissions equivalent to 700 million metric tons through 2025.

Expanding U.S. and China Climate & Clean Energy Cooperation

To further support the achievement of the ambitious climate goals announced today, the United States and China have pledged to strengthen cooperation on climate and clean energy. The two countries are expanding their ongoing and robust program of cooperation through policy dialogue and technical work on clean energy and low greenhouse gas emissions technologies. 

The United States and China agreed to:

• Expand Joint Clean Energy Research and Development: A renewed and expanded commitment to the U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center (CERC).  This will include:
  • Extending the CERC mandate for an additional five years from 2016-2020;
  • Renewing funding for the three existing tracks: building efficiency, clean vehicles, and advanced coal technologies with carbon capture, use and sequestration (CCUS); and
  • Launching a new track on the interaction of energy and water (the energy/water ‘nexus’).
• Advance Major Carbon Capture, Use and Storage Demonstrations: Expanding our work under the Climate Change Working Group (CCWG) and under the CERC, and partnering with the private sector, the United States and China will undertake a major carbon capture and storage project in China that supports a long term, detailed assessment of full-scale sequestration in a suitable, secure underground geologic reservoir.  The United States and China will make equal funding commitments to the project and will seek additional funding commitments from other countries and the private sector.  In addition, both sides will work to manage climate change by demonstrating a new frontier for CO2 use through a carbon capture, use, and sequestration (CCUS) project that will capture and store CO2 while producing fresh water, thus demonstrating power generation as a net producer of water instead of a water consumer.  This CCUS project with Enhanced Water Recovery will eventually inject about 1 million tons of CO2 and create approximately 1.4 million cubic meters of freshwater per year. 
• Enhance Cooperation on Hydroflurocarbons (HFCs): Building on the historic Sunnylands agreement between President Xi and President Obama regarding HFCs, the United States and China will enhance bilateral cooperation to begin phasing down the use of high global warming potential HFCs, including through technical cooperation on domestic measures to promote HFC alternatives and to transition government procurement toward climate-friendly refrigerants.
• Launch a Climate-Smart/Low-Carbon Cities Initiative: Urbanization is a major trend in the 21st century, and cities worldwide account for a significant percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.  In response, the United States and China are establishing a new initiative on Climate-Smart/Low-Carbon Cities under the U.S.-China Climate Change Working Group.  Under the initiative, the two countries will share city-level experiences with planning, policies, and use of technologies for sustainable, resilient, low-carbon growth.  This initiative will eventually include demonstrations of new technologies for smart infrastructure for urbanization.  As a first step, the United States and China will convene a Climate-Smart/Low-Carbon Cities “Summit” where leading cities from both countries will share best practices, set new goals, and celebrate city-level leadership.
• Promote Trade in Green Goods: The United States announced that Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker and Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz will lead a Smart Cities/Smart Growth Business Development Mission to China April 12-17, 2015, focused on green infrastructure, energy efficiency and environmental trade sectors.  The mission will highlight the benefits of sustainable urbanization, technologies to support China’s air pollution and climate goals, and green buildings opportunities.  In addition, USTDA will conduct three reverse trade missions to bring Chinese delegations to see environmental, smart grid, and CCUS technologies in the United States over the next year.  
• Demonstrate Clean Energy on the Ground: U.S. DOE, State, and USTDA will undertake a number of additional pilot programs, feasibility studies, and other collaborative efforts to promote China’s energy efficiency and renewable energy goals.  These will include expansion of our cooperation on “smart grids” that enable efficient and cost-effective integration of renewable energy technology, as well as the implementation through a U.S. and Chinese private sector commercial agreement of a first-of-its-kind 380 MW concentrating solar plant in China.