Service Employees International Union Local 99, which represents the least-heralded and lowest-paid public school workers — the bus drivers, the cafeteria workers, the custodians, the gardeners, the teachers aides — called a strike for three days this week, at a moment when every minute of classroom time is precious.

But you know what? I don’t blame the union one bit.

The average annual salary for the school workers Local 99 represents is around $25,000, well below the level considered “very low income” by the federal government. In other words, we pay these folks poverty wages.

Source: Opinion: LAUSD strike is hell on families, but workers had no choice – Los Angeles Times

• The Netherlands, a low-lying European county with more than a quarter of its land below sea level, has been going to great lengths to protect itself from the impacts of climate change, including sea level rise and extreme weather events like heavy rain.
• But even for the Netherlands, a country with the wealth and experience to address these issues, the future remains uncertain, mainly because a range of possible scenarios could play out after 2050.
• According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a low-emissions scenario for the greenhouse gases that amplify global warming could elevate sea levels about half a meter (1.6 feet) above present levels by 2100; a higher-emissions scenario could lead to a 2-m (6.6-ft) rise by 2100 and a 5-m (16.4-ft) rise by 2150.
• Experts say that most other countries need to take the threat of sea level rise more seriously than they are, and that engineering challenges, a lack of awareness and education, sociocultural concerns, and financial constraints are hampering their preparation. 

Source: Sea level rise looms, even for the best-prepared country on Earth