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Archive for January 18th, 2011
New water policy by 2011, will include climate change impact
Posted by Sify: None Given on January 18th, 2011
Sify: Nine years after the last document, work is on to put in shape a new water policy that will by the end of the year not just lay down a framework for the allocation of water but also take into account the impact of climate change and the remedial steps that need to be taken, an official said.
The National Water Policy, which lays down the framework for the government's plan of action and covers various aspects like allocation of water, groundwater conservation, rainwater harvesting and interlinking...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on New water policy by 2011, will include climate change impactLast refuge of rare fish threatened by Yangtze dam plans
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 18th, 2011
Guardian: The last refuge for many of China's rarest and most economically important wild fish has mere days to secure public support before it is trimmed, dammed and ruinously diminished, conservationists warned today.
The alarm was raised after the authorities in Chongqing quietly moved to redraw the boundaries of a crucial freshwater reserve on the Yangtze, which was supposed to have been the bottom line for nature conservation in one of the world's most important centres of biodiversity.
The Upper...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Last refuge of rare fish threatened by Yangtze dam plansThe joys of online activism
Posted by Guardian: Jonathan Glennie on January 18th, 2011
Guardian: There are many worrying trends in this modern era of globalisation, most notably the ease with which companies can operate and banks move money around, apparently outside any democratic parameters set by nations or an international community struggling to catch up with a rapidly liberalising context. But I have never been part of the "anti-globalisation" movement because there are so many positive aspects to globalisation. The most important are those related to the incredible improvements in communication...
What happens when the West is ‘stuck’ in drought?
Posted by Climate Central: Brendon Bosworth and Tom Yulsman on January 18th, 2011
Climate Central: In part one of this series, we examined what's happening now in the Colorado River Basin, including the impact of a protracted, multi-year drought on the region. Today, we take a look at what the future might bring.
Climate change research offers little reason to believe that the gloriously snowy start to the year in the mountains of the Colorado Basin are a harbinger of wetter times to come.
To begin with, some research suggests that changes to the climate, thanks in part to rising concentrations...
Impact of receding snow and ice surprises scientists
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 18th, 2011
Christian Science Monitor: A long-term retreat in snow and ice cover in the Northern Hemisphere is weakening the ability of these seasonal cloaks of white to reflect sunlight back into space and cool global climate, according to a study published this week.
Indeed, over the past 30 years, the cooling effect from this so-called cryosphere – essentially areas covered by snow and ice at least part of the year – appears to have weakened at more than twice the pace projected by global climate models, the research team conducting...
Australia weather bureau says La Nina may be at its peak
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 18th, 2011
Reuters: Australia's weather bureau said on Tuesday the La Nina wet weather pattern, which has caused destructive flooding in Australia and Southeast Asia and hit major agricultural and mining commodity markets, may be at its peak.
The Bureau of Meteorology said the La Nina event would persist into the southern hemisphere autumn, another two months.
The bureau said the 30-day Southern Oscillation Index (SOI), which measures the strength of La Nina, recorded a +27 in December, its highest level on record...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Australia weather bureau says La Nina may be at its peakAustralia government weighs levy for flood damage: report
Posted by Reuters: Rob Taylor on January 18th, 2011
Reuters: Australia's government is reportedly considering a taxpayer levy to help pay for massive flood rebuilding, while preserving the budget's path back to surplus in 2012-13, as one major bank warned on Tuesday the damage bill could reach A$20 billion.
A levy could take the form of an addition to the 1.5 percent Medicare levy backing public health and hospitals, and which raises A$10 billion ($9.9 billion) a year, the Australian newspaper said, without naming sources.
Flooding blamed on rains triggered...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Australia government weighs levy for flood damage: report