This summer is 'what global warming looks like' Is it just freakish weather or something more? Climate scientists suggest that if you want a glimpse of some of the worst of global warming, take a look at U.S. weather in recent weeks. [News Source]

'This is what global warming looks like' Is it just freakish weather or something more? Climate scientists suggest that if you want a glimpse of some of the worst of global warming, take a look at U.S. weather in recent weeks. [News Source]

Midwest’s heat dashes hopes for a bumper crop of corn. Across a wide stretch of Midwestern farms, sweltering temperatures and a dearth of rain are threatening what was expected to be the nation’s largest corn crop in generations. Parts of five corn-growing states, including Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio, are experiencing severe or extreme drought conditions. [News Source]

Fraud case shows holes in exchange of fuel credits. U.S. Congress created the fuel credit program in 2007 to help wean the nation off foreign oil and bolster the fledging biofuel industry. But companies discovered that they could sell credits without making any fuel. [News Source]

Midwest’s heat dashes hopes for a bumper crop of corn. Across a wide stretch of Midwestern farms, sweltering temperatures and a dearth of rain are threatening what was expected to be the nation’s largest corn crop in generations. Parts of five corn-growing states, including Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio, are experiencing severe or extreme drought conditions. [News Source]

Fraud case shows holes in exchange of fuel credits. U.S. Congress created the fuel credit program in 2007 to help wean the nation off foreign oil and bolster the fledging biofuel industry. But companies discovered that they could sell credits without making any fuel. [News Source]

Burying carbon has earth-shaking consequences. A new analysis notes that in order to be effective, carbon sequestration projects need to keep CO2 out of the atmosphere for thousands of years — and that CCS-induced earthquakes too small to endanger life or property could nevertheless create leaks that would make the whole thing a waste of time. [News Source]

Drought caused big drop in Texas portion of Ogallala. The historic Texas drought caused the Ogallala Aquifer to experience its largest decline in 25 years across a large swath of the Texas Panhandle, new numbers from a water district show. [News Source]

Climate changing for Toronto’s urban forest. It’s tough being a tree in Toronto. Many trees in the downtown core are in too-small concrete planters, have to fend off insects and drink whatever little water falls nearby. The latest heat wave and dry spell have been making life even more difficult for the city’s urban forestry. [News Source]

Palm-oil boom raises conservation concerns. Palm oil was once touted as a social and environmental panacea. In recent years, however, a growing body of research suggests that palm-oil farming can cause damaging deforestation and reduce biodiversity, and that the oil's use as a biofuel offers only marginal benefits for mitigating climate change. [News Source]

Climate change buoying wildfires across country. It's turning into an annual conversation. There are record-high temperatures. There seem to be more extreme events than we used to be accustomed to: intense storms, droughts, wildfires. Are these the symptoms of climate change or is it just a very hot summer? [News Source]