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Archive for September, 2012
UK government, climate advisors at odds over gas role
Posted by Reuters: Susanna Twidale and Henning Gloystein on September 14th, 2012
Reuters: The UK government is on a collision course with its climate advisors over the role gas should play in cutting CO2 output in Europe (Chicago Options: ^REURUSD - news) 's second largest emitter, statements published Thursday show.
Britain is considering new policies aimed at decarbonising its electricity sector by 2030 that include the construction of a large number of new gas-powered plants.
"We have always said this (decarbonisation) will include gas fired plant, which is quick to build and...
Gas glut threatens climate battle-IEA
Posted by Reuters: Emma Farge on September 14th, 2012
Reuters: A new "golden age of gas" could derail global efforts to fight climate change as indebted governments mull a switch to the cheaper fuel, the International Energy Agency's chief economist said on Thursday.
Government subsidies designed to promote renewable energy currently amount to around $70 billion globally, he said.
But governments may be tempted to drop them as new shale gas and export facilities of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in east Africa and Australia pressure prices lower.
"Governments...
United Kingdom: Planning minister’s think-tank calls for millions of homes on Green Belt
Posted by Independent: Charlie Cooper on September 14th, 2012
Independent: The Government should build on Green Belt land to address Britain's housing shortage, according to a think-tank founded by the new Planning minister, Nick Boles. In a report that roundly condemns the planning system, Policy Exchange claims that releasing 2 per cent of land in England would allow the construction of eight million family homes. The Government recently indicated it would look at relaxing planning regulations to boost house-building. Mr Boles, who founded Policy Exchange in 2002, was...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on United Kingdom: Planning minister’s think-tank calls for millions of homes on Green BeltOyu Tolgoi Mine in Khanbogd Is Transforming Mongolia
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 14th, 2012
New York Times: In the dry expanses of southern Mongolia, a handful of large blue buildings are clustered together, ringed only by a thin metal fence. A single plane sits on an airstrip, while power lines stretch off into the distance. They, along with the scattered flocks of sheep and goats, are almost the only things dotting the vast landscape. “In the old days, all of the grasslands and valleys had herders and their animals,” said Baanchig Oodoi, 61, who was raised in a herding family and has lived all her life...
Australia feral camel cull over the hump
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 14th, 2012
Reuters: Some 100,000 feral camels have been culled from the Australian outback, a key step towards controlling the troublesome animals that have destroyed infrastructure, contaminated water holes and ruined sacred Australian Aboriginal sites.
Camels were first introduced to Australia during the 19th century and used as transport for exploration and to assist construction of rail and telegraph lines.
Tens of thousands were released in the 1930s when vehicle transport became more common and the wild...
Groundbreaking New UN Report on How to Feed the World’s Hungry
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 14th, 2012
AlterNet: There are a billion hungry people in the world and that number could rise as food insecurity increases along with population growth, economic fallout and environmental crises. But a roadmap to defeating hunger exists, if we can follow the course -- and that course involves ditching corporate-controlled, chemical-intensive farming.
"To feed 9 billion people in 2050, we urgently need to adopt the most efficient farming techniques available. And today's scientific evidence demonstrates that agroecological...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Groundbreaking New UN Report on How to Feed the World’s HungryAustralia: Changing climate means less rain: SEACI
Posted by Stock and Land: None Given on September 13th, 2012
Stock and Land: AUSTRALIA'S water resources can be better managed under a changing climate, thanks to research released today by the South Eastern Australian Climate Initiative (SEACI). The SEACI Phase 2 Synthesis Report, Climate and water availability in south-eastern Australia, to be launched at the initiative’s annual workshop in Canberra, addresses key science questions behind the causes of climate variability and change, and their impacts on water availability across the Murray–Darling Basin, Victoria and...
Study: Ice sheets can change quickly with climate shift
Posted by LiveScience: Becky Oskin on September 13th, 2012
LiveScience: Arctic glaciers grew rapidly in response to sudden climate change 8,200 years ago, a new study finds.
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Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Study: Ice sheets can change quickly with climate shiftDrought area expands in U.S., now most extensive this summer
Posted by Reuters: Carey Gillam on September 13th, 2012
Reuters: Hot and dry conditions continued to plague large parts of the U.S. Plains and southern states as the worst U.S. drought in over five decades expanded its grip on some key farming states.
At least "moderate" levels of drought have now enveloped more than 64 percent of the contiguous United States, up from 63.39 percent the week before, according to the Drought Monitor, a weekly compilation of data gathered by federal and academic scientists.
"This is the greatest extent of drought we've seen...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Drought area expands in U.S., now most extensive this summerStarving polar bears a sign of warming Arctic
Posted by NBC: Miguel Llanos on September 13th, 2012
NBC: Wildlife biologist Ian Bullock is a seasoned visitor to the Arctic, but even he was surprised by what he saw last month: a thin female polar bear, shadowed by her cub, trying to challenge a much bigger, stronger male for food.
It wasn't much of a challenge, but it showed just how desperate she was, Bullock told NBC News on returning from his 10th straight summer cruise to the Arctic.
That desperation, he feels, stems from the fact that the Arctic's summer sea ice -- which polar bears using...