World cup cities say climate change is big part of planning

Anita Powell in Voice of America: The World Cup soccer tournament is getting more and more carbon-heavy, with FIFA estimating that the 2014 event in Brazil will dump 2.72 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere -- one million more tons than South Africa’s 2010 World Cup. Officials from both sides of the globe weigh in how they have incorporated climate change concerns into the World  Cup.

Brazil’s tourism board says it is expecting tourists to spend $10.4 billion during this year’s World Cup. That cash injection, however, will take its toll on the environment. The majority of the heat-trapping gas will come from air travel as spectators and teams fly around the world’s fifth-biggest country in order to get to the 12 different stadiums where the 64 World Cup matches will be played.  

At a meeting in Johannesburg this month, mayors from some of the world's megacities met to discuss the unique challenges -- especially climate change -- that urban areas face. The mayor of the World Cup host city of Curitiba told VOA that green planning was part of its preparations for the event.

Gustavo Fruet also said he’s looked to the last host city, Johannesburg, for lessons. “There were problems with funding, and a lack of clarity in city planning. There should be a legacy for the city and not just for an event. What we see as a positive [from Johannesburg] is that it gives visibility to the country, visibility to the city and it allowed an increase, above all, in tourism and prepared people to provide better service. So for me this is the best achievement, the great legacy -- to show quality, efficiency, and above all joy in receiving foreigners,” he said.

Johannesburg mayor Mpho Parks Tau said he believes mayors are paying attention to the issue of climate change and the World Cup. "That would help us elevate the work that we do as cities in relation to climate change. And we’ve been able to share with them our best practices in relation to energy, in relation to transportation, and other practices that we introduced in Johannesburg.”....

The Johannesburg skyline at dawn, shot by Dylan Harbour, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license 

Winter storm moves north as Macy's waits to make parade call

Brian K. Sullivan in Bloomberg: The winter storm along the U.S. East Coast that disrupted holiday travel plans and prompted speculation over whether the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will feature its trademark balloons was forecast to move into southeastern Canada overnight.

The system that brought wind-blown rain to cities including Boston and New York was located just east of northern Maine, according to a National Weather Service advisory at about 10 p.m. yesterday. Light snow that fell along the western side of the Appalachians has been gradually tapering off while heavy rain has moved away from most of the East Coast.

As of 1:20 a.m. New York time today, 14 flights were canceled around the U.S., compared with 307 yesterday, according to FlightAware, a Houston-based airline tracking company. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg

Winter storm warnings remained in effect for parts of the central and southern Appalachians, northern Pennsylvania, the Adirondacks in upstate New York and northern Vermont. A flood warning was in place for central Maine, according to the Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland.

“The decision on whether the giant balloons will join the lineup is made based on real-time, on-the-scene weather data, not via forecasts,” said Holly Thomas, a spokeswoman for the 87th Macy’s parade. “We are closely monitoring the weather as we do each year.”

Lingering gusts of wind in New York would bring difficult conditions for crews controlling balloons for today’s parade in Manhattan, said Rob Carolan, owner of Hometown Forecast Services Inc. in Nashua, New Hampshire....

From the 2008 Macy's parade, shot from the Empire State Building by Krokodyl, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, 2.5 Generic, 2.0 Generic and 1.0 Generic license

Wintry mess rolls East as big US travel day looms

Doug Stanglin and Doyle Rice in USA Today: A major, fast-moving winter storm stalking the East is bringing freezing temperatures, snow and sleet Tuesday from the Appalachians to New England and is on track to create delays at major East Coast airports at peak Thanksgiving travel time.

The system is expected to produce heavy rain along the East Coast from Atlanta through Boston, with sleet and freezing rain farther inland, from the Mid-Atlantic and along most of the Appalachians.

While moving quickly as it rolls out of the nation's midsection, the timing puts it smack on the East Coast as travelers head out for the holiday.

The stretch of wintry weather includes some of the country's busiest airports — New York, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Boston and Charlotte, N.C.

Only about 60 flights had been canceled nationwide as of 10 a.m. ET Tuesday, according to FlightStats. A few dozen delays were being reported at a handful of big airports – though nothing that would be considered extreme by winter-weather standards....

Denver International Airport after a 2006 snowfall, shot by ashleyniblock, Wikimedia Commons via Flickr, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license