Archive for September 14th, 2011

Climate change will increase droughts and hurricanes in Central America, says expert

Blue Channel 24: Central America is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change and, if nothing is done soon, will suffer serious droughts and more intense hurricanes, said this Monday in San Salvador, Julie Lennox, an expert on climate change focal point of the Subregional Headquarters of ECLAC, in Mexico. "We have been accumulating more and more evidence of the high vulnerability of Central America because of its socioeconomic development, as its high exposure to climate variations in extreme events,"...

Famine in Africa: Can Reforestation Improve Food Security?

Mongabay: Deforestation worsens famine in Africa, but drylands restoration could help. Millions of people across the Horn of Africa are suffering under a crippling regional drought and tens of thousands have died during the accompanying famine. Refuge camps in Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia are swelling with the hungry. The best hope in the short-term is food aid and logistical support, but in the longer term, dryland reforestation efforts may help improve food security, argues a new report from the Consultative...

Enfants terribles of the environment hit middle age

Agence France-Presse: We sort our rubbish.We recycle our rainwater. We worry about depleted oceans, ravaged rainforests, threatened species. If we fly abroad, buy a car, crank up the heating or air-conditioning - or even purchase bottled water - we may think about how we add to the greenhouse effect. These reflexes are now anchored among consumers in many parts of the world. Yet 40 years ago, when environmentalism was limited to a tribe of academics and quirky visionaries, such actions would have triggered bewilderment,...

Perry sidelines critic of Texas nuclear waste site

Reuters: Texas Governor Rick Perry has sidelined a state commissioner opposed to expanding the scope of a nuclear-waste landfill while appointing a new board to oversee a project owned by one of his biggest political donors. Perry, who tops the list of candidates seeking the Republican nomination to run for U.S. president, has said his appointments are based on experience. A spokeswoman said the new makeup of the commission reflected its "evolving needs." Billionaire Harold Simmons and his company Waste...