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Archive for June, 2012
New Amazon highway ‘would put Peru’s last lost tribes at risk’
Posted by Observer: Gethin Chamberlain on June 30th, 2012
Observer: A fierce row has broken out over a controversial plan to drive a road through pristine Amazon rainforest, imperilling the future of some of the world's last uncontacted tribes.
The 125-mile (200km) road would pass through the Alto Purús national park in Peru, connecting a remote area to the outside world but opening up the most biologically and culturally important area of the upper Amazon to logging, mining and drug trafficking. Opponents of the plan fear it will threaten the existence of uncontacted...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on New Amazon highway ‘would put Peru’s last lost tribes at risk’New report: Climate change shares blame in Utah fires
Posted by Salt Lake Tribune: Judy Fahys on June 30th, 2012
Salt Lake Tribune: You could blame some of Utah’s wildfires on bad judgment -- starting a hot engine on dry grass or target shooting on parched hillsides.
You could point to bad luck, namely lightning and wind.
Related Stories Herriman fire: Evacuation ends, small miracles seen Published June 30, 2012 At a glance
But there is another culprit in all the blazes: climate change.
That’s the assessment in a white paper last week from climate scientists.
"Climate change is clearly playing a role," said Kevin...
Western wildfires are getting worse. Why?
Posted by Washington Post: Brad Plumer on June 30th, 2012
Washington Post: It`s been an ugly week in Colorado Springs, as firefighters struggled to contain a massive fire that has torched more than 350 homes, forced more than 32,000 residents to flee and killed at least two people. The inferno is one of more than half a dozen large fires currently raging out West.
Smoke from the Waldo Canyon Fire rises near the USAF Academy's Cadet Chapel as cadets head for a briefing on evacuation procedures in this U.S. Air Force handout photo dated June 27, 2012. (HANDOUT/Reuters)...
Aquifer’s decline spells big changes in Texas panhandle farming, study finds
Posted by Texas Climate News: Michael Haederle on June 30th, 2012
Texas Climate News: If you pull up a satellite picture of Plainview on Google Maps, the first thing you’re likely to notice is that the Texas Panhandle city of 22,000 is surrounded by hundreds of perfect green circles – telltale evidence of farmers irrigating their crops with high-efficiency center-pivot sprinklers.
Someday soon – within a few decades at most – many of those sprinklers will likely be gone, rendered useless by rapidly dropping water levels in the Ogallala Aquifer, according to a new study from the...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Aquifer’s decline spells big changes in Texas panhandle farming, study findsColorado wildfire: Have we learned any lessons?
Posted by Christian Science Monitor: Mike Eckel on June 30th, 2012
Christian Science Monitor: By all accounts, the fires were devastating. More than 130 homes torched, 38,000 people evacuated, 138,000 acres to the west of Denver and Colorado Springs incinerated, in some places fires burning so hot that nothing but topsoil remained.
This was 10 years ago, when the ravages of what came to be known as the Hayman Fire prompted numerous studies and led to federal law designed to reduce the chances of such apocalyptic fires recurring again.
“The Hayman Fire has taken on national significance...
Heat wave spawns deadly severe thunderstorms
Posted by Climate Change: Andrew Freedman on June 30th, 2012
Climate Change: An intense heat wave broke records in more than a dozen states on Friday, and spawned one of the most damaging severe thunderstorm events seen in years. At least 3 million Americans, mainly in areas from Indiana Southeast to Virginia, were facing the prospect of another day of triple-digit heat heat without the benefit of air conditioning on Saturday, after the storms knocked out power. The severe weather also killed at least 12 people, including two young boys who were killed by a falling tree as...
Washington DC region swelters after storm cuts power
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 30th, 2012
BBC: Some three million people have been left without power after violent storms hit the region around the US capital, Washington DC.
The storms swept from the Midwest states to the region around Washington, packing winds of up to 80mph (130 km/h).
The power outages left many sweltering without air conditioning amid a record-breaking heatwave.
At least 12 deaths have been linked to the storm, officials say.
The storm is locally referred to as a "derecho" - a violent, straight-lined windstorm...
ACs out from ‘derecho’ storm, Washington preps for swelter
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 30th, 2012
Christian Science Monitor: Authorities in Washington, D.C., urged residents on Saturday to look out for each other, and especially the elderly, after a deadly thunderstorm system knocked out power – and therefore air conditioning – to 1.2 million capital region homes already broiling in a historic June heat wave.
Debby weakens, but remains flood threat for Florida (+video) Tropical storm Beryl gives South hurricane prep test Hurricane season looks to be near-normal this year
The East Coast continued to sear on Saturday,...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on ACs out from ‘derecho’ storm, Washington preps for swelterPakistan: Climate change, corporate farming threat to small farmers
Posted by Express Tribune: None Given on June 30th, 2012
Express Tribune: Speakers at a seminar on Friday highlighted the impact of climate change on agriculture and measures for its revival, said a press release issued by Damaan, a non-government development organisation that had organised the seminar. They described climate change as a great threat to Pakistan and asked farmers to practice traditional knowledge and improve food security.
The event was held in collaboration with the Sustainable Agriculture Action Group (SAAG), ActionAid, and Sungi Development Foundation...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Pakistan: Climate change, corporate farming threat to small farmersCanada: Toronto council votes for plastic bag ban
Posted by Guardian: Valentina Jovanovski on June 29th, 2012
Guardian: Canada's largest city will eliminate its mandatory plastic bag fee on Sunday, just six months before joining the growing movement to ban the single-use bags entirely.
Toronto's city council voted earlier this month to repeal the five cent (3p) levy for plastic carrier bags, which was implemented in 2009 to reduce plastic waste, while simultaneously agreeing to ban them from January 2013.
The city will join other North American cities including Los Angeles, Seattle and San Francisco, that have...