Archive for August 31st, 2012

Wheat scientists seek to slow crop fungus in Africa, Asia

Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 31st, 2012
Reuters: Wheat experts are stepping up monitoring of a crop disease first found in Africa in 1999 to minimize the spread of a deadly fungus that is also a threat in Asia, experts said on Friday. A "Rust-Tracker", using data supplied by farmers and scientists, could now monitor the fungus in 27 developing nations across 42 million hectares (103 million acres) of wheat - an area the size of Iraq or California. "It's the most serious wheat disease," Ronnie Coffman, vice-chair of the Borlaug Global Rust...
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U.S. Approves an Initial Step in Oil Drilling Near Alaska

Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 31st, 2012
New York Times: The Interior Department granted Shell permission on Thursday to begin preparatory work on its first well in the Arctic Ocean, moving the company a critical step forward on its tortuous quest to drill for oil off the coast of Alaska. Ken Salazar, the interior secretary, said that Shell could conduct the initial steps in drilling in the Chukchi Sea, putting down as much as 1,400 feet of well casing to support the required blowout preventer, a device meant to shut down a runaway well. The move delighted...
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Biodiversity faltering: 20% of invertebrates threatened with extinction

Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 31st, 2012
Mongabay: Twenty percent of invertebrates are at risk of extinction, according to a new report that looks at the 12,621 invertebrates assessed by the IUCN Red List to date. Although invertebrates never garner the same conservation attention as big, charismatic animals such as tigers and elephants, they play an undeniable role in maintaining healthy ecosystems. In addition, since invertebrates make-up 80 percent of the world's species, the report raises new concerns about global biodiversity decline. "We...
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Report: Canaveral, other national seashores could disappear beneath the waves

Posted by Orlando Sentinel: Kevin Spear on August 31st, 2012
Orlando Sentinel: Headed for a Central Florida beach to enjoy an end-of-summer surf break over Labor Day weekend? Be glad you can, but also worry about whether your children and grandchildren get to do the same in years to come, two environmental groups warned this week. The Rocky Mountain Climate Organization and the Natural Resources Defense Council chose the three-day holiday weekend to release a report that spells out how certain stretches of Atlantic Ocean shoreline will turn intolerably hot for people...
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East Coast National Parks at Risk From Sea Level’s Rise

Posted by New York Times: Joanna M. Foster on August 31st, 2012
New York Times: Labor Day is summer`s last hurrah, and families from across the country will be flocking to the beach this weekend to soak in some final rays. Beachgoers on the East Coast making their way to Cape Cod or one of six other National Seashores, however, might want to pause and take an extra look around at the wind-tossed dunes and sloping sands. Not just because summer is coming to an end, but because these areas are some of the most susceptible to the effects of climate change and may look very different,...
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