Daily Downers: Disasters, unrest, economic collapse

Bad news is funnier read all in a row --

Happy enviro-headlines hitting my Bloglines today. Perhaps you can see why I'm getting a bit burned out on the doom-and-gloom messaging --

States of Emergency:
>> In California: "More evacuations and new fires" and "Windblown soot, gas and dust pose threats." "Dark gray plumes carry soot particles that can worsen preexisting medical conditions such as lung disease, emphysema, asthma and heart disease." Almost as scary: Bush to visit fire-ravaged areas.

>> In Georgia: Gov. Sonny Perdue declares a state of emergency because of the drought. Perdue "called on President Bush to recognize that the historic drought had created a disaster for 85 counties." (via grist)

Threats of unrest and economic collapse:
>> Steep decline in oil production brings risk of war and unrest, new study says. "The German-based Energy Watch Group will release its study in London today saying that global oil production peaked in 2006" and that "extreme shortages of fossil fuels will lead to wars and social breakdown." (via grist)

>> The Future Is Drying Up. Writes Jon Gertner for the N.Y. Times: "As one prominent Western water official described the possible future to me, if some of the Southwest’s largest reservoirs empty out, the region would experience an apocalypse, 'an Armageddon.'"

>> Delay Now, Pay Dearly Later. "The United States is facing hundreds of billions of dollars in weather-related damage in coming years if it does not act urgently on climate change, the first-ever comprehensive economic assessment of the problem has found." (via grist)

>> Inch by Inch, Great Lakes Shrink, and Cargo Carriers Face Losses. "Water levels in the Great Lakes are falling.... And for every inch of water that the lakes lose, the ships that ferry bulk materials across them must lighten their loads by 270 tons — or 540,000 pounds — or risk running aground." (via grist)

General scary stuff:
>> Carbon Dioxide in Atmosphere Increasing. "Carbon dioxide emissions were 35% higher in 2006 than in 1990, a much faster growth rate than anticipated."

>> Oceans Are Soaking Up Less CO2, Research Shows. "If the oceans soak up less CO2, it means CO2 levels in the atmosphere will rise much faster and the climate could warm more rapidly, the researchers said in a statement."

>> Rising seas threaten 21 mega-cities. "Of the 33 cities predicted to have at least 8 million people by 2015, at least 21 are highly vulnerable, says the Worldwatch Institute." (via grist)

Does all of that incite you into action, or depress you into catatonia?

Photo by Sam Kim via Flickr