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Archive for August 9th, 2011
Somali Women Bear Superhuman Burden
Posted by Inter Press Service: Inaki Borda on August 9th, 2011
Inter Press Service: While the exit of the Al-Qaeda-backed rebel group Al Shabaab has led to the first U.N. relief airlift in five years in the capital of famine-wracked Somalia, the situation for women and children remains precarious, humanitarian workers warn.
"We have heard very sad stories of women having to abandon their children along the way because they were too weak to carry them," Andreas Needham, a public information officer for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees in Somalia (UNHCR), told IPS.
The...
Monsanto plans farm trials for drought-tolerant corn
Posted by Reuters: Carey Gillam on August 9th, 2011
Reuters: Monsanto Co. will begin farm trials of its drought-tolerant corn seed next spring, marking the global seed giant's first roll-out of seeds genetically engineered for harsh environmental conditions.
The introduction comes as drought and searing heat this summer have withered crops across the U.S. South.
The new biotech corn seed still needs water to grow healthy plants, but is designed to use moisture more efficiently, said Monsanto global corn technology lead Dusty Post.
"We're not talking...
Cholera outbreaks ‘not caused’ by warmer seas
Posted by SciDev.Net: María Elena Hurtado on August 9th, 2011
SciDev.Net: The conclusion that cholera outbreaks are linked to global warming has been challenged by a study that has found that warmer sea temperatures that correlate with the outbreaks do not cause them.
Outbreaks follow the blooming of phytoplankton which is associated with warmer seas in the Bay of Bengal -- but these blooms are driven by river discharges rather than warmer seas, say authors of the study, published last week (3 August) in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
Previous...
Heat scorches South, thunderstorms in Midwest and East
Posted by Reuters: Karen Brooks on August 9th, 2011
Reuters: Severe thunderstorms are expected to drench much of the Midwest and eastern United States on Tuesday while the heat wave persists across the southern Plains and coastal Southeast, forecasters said.
A heat advisory remains in effect for much of Texas, including Dallas, which as of Monday afternoon had experienced 38 consecutive days of triple-digit heat.
With no relief to the extreme weather in sight, the city could soon break its 1980 record of 42 days in a row of 100-degree temperatures, AccuWeather.com...
United States: Sewage Routinely Taints Hudson, Study Shows
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 9th, 2011
New York Times: Sewage routinely contaminates the Hudson River throughout the year, rendering the waterway unsuitable for swimming and other recreational activities for at least one and a half days a week, a report based on four years of water testing shows.
The comprehensive study, released on Tuesday by the environmental group Riverkeeper, shows that the recent sewage spill as a result of a fire at a treatment plant in Manhattan reflects a widespread and regular problem along the 155-mile river. Despite much...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on United States: Sewage Routinely Taints Hudson, Study ShowsScientists study effects of rising carbon dioxide on rangelands
Posted by SPX: Don Comis on August 9th, 2011
SPX: Based on these findings, warmer temperatures would likely play a role in changing the relative success of various grass types. "Only the warm-season grasses had their growth boosted higher by CO2 and warmer temperatures," Morgan said. Rising carbon dioxide (CO2) levels can reverse the drying effects of predicted higher temperatures on semi-arid rangelands, according to a study published in the scientific journal Nature by a team of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and university scientists....
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Scientists study effects of rising carbon dioxide on rangelandsReport: Canadian emissions to rise on back of tar sands boom
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 9th, 2011
Business Green: Canada is unlikely to meet its commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 17 per cent by 2020, thanks to the continued expansion of its controversial tar and oil sands industry.
That is the conclusion of a peer-reviewed report from the government-backed Environment Canada agency released late last month, which warns that anticipated emission reductions from electricity generation and other areas of the economy will be more than offset by a huge increase in emissions from tar sands developments....
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Report: Canadian emissions to rise on back of tar sands boomNigeria: Oil-polluted Ogoniland could become environmental model
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 9th, 2011
Guardian: Ogoniland is one of the most oil-polluted places on earth but it could become a model for other countries wanting to clean up their environments or avoid making the same mistakes, the UN has said.
"This could be the world's biggest oil contamination clean-up," said Nick Nuttall, spokesman for the UN's environment programme (UNEP) director, Achim Steiner. "It is up to the government of Nigeria what happens now, but [from talks with President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja this week] there appears to...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Nigeria: Oil-polluted Ogoniland could become environmental modelIFC invests $15 mn in Indian biomass company to boost power supply
Posted by Commodity Online: None Given on August 9th, 2011
Commodity Online: IFC -- a member of the World Bank Group -- will provide $15 million in equity financing to Shalivahana Green Energy Limited -- an Indian biomass power company -- to help increase India's power supply. IFC's investment will support the company's expansion of about 200 megawatts of its existing biomass power projects in the Indian states of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, and Tamil Nadu.
Through its Post-2012 Carbon Facility, IFC will also commit to purchase up to 1.5 million Certified...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on IFC invests $15 mn in Indian biomass company to boost power supply