Archive for August 24th, 2012

Time to put a stop to speculating on hunger

Independent: Comments from a senior director at the world's largest commodities trader that the rapidly worsening global food crisis will be "good for Glencore" only add to the sense that there are those in the finance sector still dismayingly out of touch with the world in which most people live. Chris Mahoney's remarks also make the case for the closer regulation of agricultural futures markets stronger than ever. The scale of the emergency now unfolding is deeply concerning. The severest droughts for decades...

Is Antarctica’s warming natural or man-made?

Guardian: Most people know that the Antarctic Peninsula is one of the most rapidly warming places on earth. But like everywhere else in Antarctica, the length of available temperature data is short - most records begin in 1957 (when stations were put in place during the International Geophysical Year); a few start in the late 1940s. This makes the recent rapid warming difficult to evaluate; in general, what's interesting is how the trend compares with the underlying variability. As anyone who's been there...

U.S. farmers hope Isaac will bring drought relief

Reuters: Tropical Storm Isaac, poised to hit Cuba on Saturday, will likely bring minimal relief from the worst U.S. drought in more than half a century, with rains expected in a limited area in the U.S. Southeast or possibly further west into Alabama and Mississippi, an agricultural meteorologist said on Friday. "Computer maps have been all over the place but it looks like the storm will make landfall in Florida Sunday. That would bring the most rain, probably an inch to four inches or more in the southeast,"...

Why We’re Putting Ourselves on the (Pipe)Line With the Tea Party

Yes!: On July 27, TransCanada Corporation announced that it had received the last permit required before breaking ground on the Gulf Coast Segment of the Keystone XL pipeline. Although this news elicited many emotions among landowners and local communities, surprise was not among them. The campaign to stop the pipeline is now entering its fifth year, and pipeline opponents everywhere are mobilizing. The Tar Sands Blockade is a peaceful direct action campaign designed to unite everyone and anyone committed...