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Archive for March 1st, 2011
Climate change could spark cholera return: water expert
Posted by CBC: Max Paris on March 1st, 2011
CBC: An increase in extreme rainstorms brought on by climate change could set the stage for a return of cholera to North America, according to a world-renowned water scientist.
Cholera used to occur in Montreal, Boston and New York, but the advent of water purification wiped it out by 1900. However, the erratic weather of the 21st century worries Rita Colwell, a professor on water-related public health issues at the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University.
"Perhaps if we have a breakdown...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Climate change could spark cholera return: water expertGlobal warming means more snowstorms: scientists
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 1st, 2011
Agence France-Presse: Climate change is not only making the planet warmer, it is also making snowstorms stronger and more frequent, US scientists said on Tuesday.
"Heavy snowstorms are not inconsistent with a warming planet," said scientist Jeff Masters, as part of a conference call with reporters and colleagues convened by the Union of Concern Scientists.
"In fact, as the Earth gets warmer and more moisture gets absorbed into the atmosphere, we are steadily loading the dice in favor of more extreme storms in all...
Extreme winter weather linked to climate change
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 1st, 2011
Reuters: This winter's heavy snowfalls and other extreme storms could well be related to increased moisture in the air due to global climate change, a panel of scientists said on Tuesday.
This extra moisture is likely to bring on extraordinary flooding with the onset of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, as deep snowpack melts and expected heavy rains add to seasonal run-off, the scientists said in a telephone briefing.
As the planet warms up, more water from the oceans is evaporated into the atmosphere,...
Results of controversial ‘fracking’ for shale gas in UK will be kept secret
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 1st, 2011
Guardian: The results of the first attempt to extract shale gas in the UK using a controversial technique known as hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking", will be kept secret for four years, MPs were told on Tuesday.
Cuadrilla Resources, a US private equity backed firm, told the energy and climate change committee that it will begin this month to pump 1,200 cubic metres of highly pressurised water mixed with chemicals and sand nearly 3,000 metres underground into an onshore shale gas reservoir near Blackpool....
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Results of controversial ‘fracking’ for shale gas in UK will be kept secretNew population of nearly extinct Madagascar chameleon discovered
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 1st, 2011
Mongabay: New population of nearly extinct Madagascar chameleon discovered
Scientists have discovered a new population of the Belalanda chameleon (Furcifer belalandaensis), boosting hope for one of Madagascar's rarest chameleons.
While the species was known only from a handful of trees in two Malagasy villages, researchers from the University of Kent's Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE) have discovered another population near a third village.
According to DICE professor, Richard...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on New population of nearly extinct Madagascar chameleon discoveredQueen’s University scientists behind safer drinking water in US
Posted by Science Centric: None Given on March 1st, 2011
Science Centric: Pioneering technology by scientists at Queen's University Belfast, which is transforming the lives of millions of people in Asia, is now being used to create safer drinking water in the United States.
The award-winning system - Subterranean Arsenic Removal - removes arsenic from groundwater without using chemicals. It was developed by a team of European and Indian engineers led by Dr Bhaskar Sen Gupta in Queen's University School of Planning, Architecture and Civil Engineering.
The technology,...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Queen’s University scientists behind safer drinking water in USEU pledges €90m in climate funds for Pacific island states
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 1st, 2011
Guardian: Pacific island states on the frontline of climate change are to receive EUR90m (£76m) in EU cash for climate-related projects in return for siding with the European bloc at international climate negotiations.
The European Union's development commissioner, Andris Piebalgs, will head to Vanuatu on Wednesday to unveil funding for projects such as disaster preparedness and moving hospitals to higher ground.
The cash may appear small in EU terms, but represents as much as 19.5% of the nominal GDP...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on EU pledges €90m in climate funds for Pacific island statesErin Brockovich Coming to Washington With Focus on Drinking Water
Posted by GreenWire: Jeremy P. Jacobs on March 1st, 2011
GreenWire: Erin Brockovich, the environmental activist whose crusade against a toxic chemical in California drinking water inspired a blockbuster 2000 movie, is heading to Capitol Hill this week to continue her fight.
Brockovich, who led the battle against hexavalent chromium -- a known carcinogen -- plans to meet with several members of Congress as well as regulatory agency officials, her spokeswoman said.
She plans to be on Capitol Hill starting tomorrow, with meetings running through the rest of the...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Erin Brockovich Coming to Washington With Focus on Drinking WaterBurundi joins Nile basin pact opposed by Egypt
Posted by Reuters: Patrick Nduwinmana on March 1st, 2011
Reuters: Burundi has signed up to an agreement to alter historic water-sharing arrangements for the River Nile, posing a diplomatic challenge for interim military rulers in Egypt, which rejects the pact.
Egypt, already threatened by climate change, is almost entirely dependent on the Nile for its water and has been nervously watching hydro-electric power dam projects take shape in upriver nations along the northeastern side of Africa.
Burundi is the sixth upriver country to sign the pact, joining Kenya,...
United Kingdom: Plant threat to National Parks
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 1st, 2011
BBC: Non-native garden plants pose a threat to the countryside including National Parks, a report reveals.
The study into invasive plants published by charity Plantlife highlights 92 species which are on the brink of becoming invasive in the UK.
These foreign plants are spreading through natural seed dispersal and fly-tipping of garden waste.
Many gardeners are unaware of the potential threat their decorative plants may pose, says the charity.
Invasive alien species costs the economy £2 billion...