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Archive for March, 2011
Obama Plan to Cap Funding for Endangered Species Act Petitions Angers Litigants
Posted by Greenwire: Lawrence Hurley on March 24th, 2011
Greenwire: A Fish and Wildlife Service proposal that would give the agency more leeway to delay considering new endangered species petitions is getting a chilly reception from environmentalists and others involved in litigation on the issue.
Under the plan discussed in a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing last week, the service has asked Congress to cap funding for the processing of new Endangered Species Act petitions (E&E Daily, March 17).
Such a move would have legal significance because the...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Obama Plan to Cap Funding for Endangered Species Act Petitions Angers LitigantsContinuing Turmoil in the Middle East Reflects Global Anxiety Over Wheat Production
Posted by ClimateWire: Tiffany Stecker on March 24th, 2011
ClimateWire: Underlying the wave of unrest across North Africa and the Middle East is the fact that some of the cries for democracy are coming from mouths in need of food. Media outlets around the world were quick to make the link between food and the protests in Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria, pointing to one specific grain: wheat. Egypt is the largest importer of wheat in the world, with Algeria not far behind. Together, they import more of the grain than all of South America. Even Pharaoh Ramses III's tomb was...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Continuing Turmoil in the Middle East Reflects Global Anxiety Over Wheat ProductionUnited States: Obama administration announces massive coal mining expansion
Posted by Grist: Glenn Hurowitz on March 24th, 2011
Grist: Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced on Tuesday an enormous expansion in coal mining that threatens to increase U.S. climate pollution by an amount equivalent to more than half of what the United States currently emits in a year. A statement from Wild Earth Guardians, Sierra Club, and Defenders of Wildlife put the announcement in perspective:
When burned, the coal threatens to release more than 3.9 billion tons of heat-trapping carbon dioxide, equal to the annual emissions from 300 coal-fired...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on United States: Obama administration announces massive coal mining expansionCan geothermal help Japan in crisis?
Posted by Reuters: Leonora Walet and Tessa Dunlop on March 24th, 2011
Reuters: Japan is sitting on enough untapped geothermal power to replace all its planned nuclear stations over the next decade.
But, battling to control its crippled Fukushima nuclear complex, and planning to build 13 more nuclear power stations, Japan has no plans to harness its estimated 23.5 gigawatts (GW) in geothermal potential -- other than to develop hot springs.
Geothermal energy, which in Asia struggles under limited government and funding support, is likely to attract interest as investors...
Palm oil giants target Africa in ‘land grab’ following Indonesia deforestation ban
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 24th, 2011
Ecologist: Palm oil giants target Africa in 'land grab' following Indonesia deforestation ban Palm oil giant Sime Darby is considering setting up 300,000 hectares of plantation in Cameroon
France pushes its faith in nuclear around the world Medical profession 'oblivious' to role of chemicals in diabetes and obesity The sleepy Irish village that challenged Shell over controversial pipeline Lessons for Japan from the Chernobyl catastrophe EU 'ignoring safety risks' in financing of nuclear expansion in Ukraine...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Palm oil giants target Africa in ‘land grab’ following Indonesia deforestation banQ&A: Studying Kenyan Farmers’ Efforts to Adapt
Posted by Inter Press Service: Zukiswa Zimela Interviews Judi Wakhungu, Executive Director, African Centre For on March 24th, 2011
Inter Press Service: Climate change has become an important part of the development agenda. In Africa, farmers and consumers alike are feeling its effects on productivity and food security.
Professor Judi Wakhungu is the lead researcher on the Community Based Adaptation to Climate Change project, which is gathering data and case studies of adaptation to provide policy makers with technical and scientific evidence to guide them.
Q: How will the results from the research project help farmers?
A: We are working...
Japan Moves to Calm Fears About Its Tap Water
Posted by New York Times: David Jolly and Denise Grady on March 24th, 2011
New York Times: The Japanese authorities are considering a plan to import bottled water from overseas, a government official said Thursday morning, a day after spreading contamination from a crippled nuclear plant led to a panicked rush to buy water in Tokyo. Yukio Edano, the chief cabinet secretary, indicated at a news conference that importing water was among the options under discussion. This followed the disclosure on Wednesday by the Japanese authorities that radioactive iodine had been detected in Tokyo’s...
Canada: Study: Climate change models have it right
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 24th, 2011
United Press International: Canada is getting warmer as temperatures are rising, especially in the north, just as predicted by climate change models, researchers say.
A study by Statistics Canada of annual and seasonal temperature data for 11 climatic regions and the country as a whole from 1948 to 2009 found the average annual temperature for the country increased by 2 1/2 degrees Fahrenheit in the period, the Toronto Sun reported Wednesday.
The biggest warming trends are occurring in the north, the study said, including...
Tokyo Says Radiation in Water Puts Infants at Risk
Posted by New York Times: David Jolly and Denise Grady on March 23rd, 2011
New York Times: Radioactive iodine detected in Tokyo's water supply prompted Japanese authorities on Wednesday to warn that infants in Tokyo and surrounding areas should not drink tap water, adding to the growing anxiety about public safety posed by Japan's unfolding nuclear crisis.
Ei Yoshida, head of water purification for the Tokyo water department, said at a televised news conference that iodine 131 had been detected in water samples at a level of 210 becquerels per liter, about a quart. The recommended limit...
Gulf probe: Blowout preventer was flawed
Posted by Associated Press: Harry R. Weber and Michael Kunzelman on March 23rd, 2011
Associated Press: The blowout preventer that should have stopped the BP oil spill cold failed because of faulty design and a bent piece of pipe, a testing firm hired by the government said Wednesday in a report that appears to shift some blame for the disaster away from the oil giant and toward those who built and maintained the 300-ton safety device.
At least one outside expert said the findings cast serious doubt on the reliability of all the other blowout preventers used by the drilling industry.
The report...