TWB Claims Climate Change Disrupting World Economy; USDA Investing in Water Conservation

The World Bank over the weekend claimed that climate change could push more than 100 million people into extreme poverty by 2030 by disrupting agriculture and fueling the spread of diseases. Released just weeks ahead of a U.N. climate summit in Paris, the report stated the world's poor are woefully unprepared to deal with climate shocks such as rising seas or severe droughts. The report emphasized helping poor countries is one the critical topics to be covered in talks on a global climate accord that's supposed to be adopted next month in Paris.

USDA will invest $8 million in the Ogallala Aquifer Initiative in Fiscal Year 2016 to help farmers and ranchers conserve billions of gallons of water annually while strengthening agricultural operations. The eight-state aquifer has suffered in recent years from increased periods of drought and declining water resources. It’s the largest aquifer in the U.S. and includes nearly all of Nebraska and large sections of Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming and is the primary water source for the High Plains region.