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Archive for September, 2012
In swing states climate change considered critical election issue
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 9th, 2012
Christian Science Monitor: Climate change, a signature issue for President Obama, has thus far been absent on the campaign trail. Here's why you can expect it to soon dominate the debate.
In Tampa, Mitt Romney threw down the gauntlet to Barack Obama, for whom global warming – and the consequent sea level rise – has been a signature issue since he promised in 2008 to do something about it as president.
"President Obama promised to begin to slow the rise of the oceans and heal the planet," Mr. Romney told GOP delegates...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on In swing states climate change considered critical election issueEcologist accuses govt of burying report on Western ghats
Posted by Daily News and Analsyis: Yogesh Pawar on September 9th, 2012
Daily News and Analsyis: Senior ecologist Madhav Gadgil who led a panel to map the eco-sensitivity of the western ghats has charged the state and central governments of attempting to bury his findings. Gadgil who was at the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) in the city for a talk on eco-conservation pointed out how the Central Information Commissioner (CIC) had himself pulled up the government for suppressing the report. Gadgil recalled that the CIC had said, "Unless the government does not logically explain its decision...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Ecologist accuses govt of burying report on Western ghatsPatagonian Glaciers Are Rapidly Melting, Report Finds
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 8th, 2012
Climate Central: Ice fields in southern South America are rapidly losing volume and in most cases thinning at even the highest elevations, contributing to sea-level rise at "substantially higher" rates than observed from the 1970s through the 1990s, according to a study published Wednesday.
The rapid melting, based on satellite observations, suggests the ice field's contribution to global sea-level rise has increased by half since the end of the 20th century, jumping from 0.04 millimeters per year to about .07...
Mining our ecosystems: Overconsumption, climate change and biodiversity
Posted by Business Mirror: Philipp Gassner on September 8th, 2012
Business Mirror: Farting dinosaurs are probably not among the first thoughts that come to mind when thinking about today’s urgent global matters. Notwithstanding, looking back a few million years to the Mesozoic--the dinosaur era--precisely this could have been considered a high-ranking environmental problem.
A recent study shows that the long-necked sauropods--one of the dominant dinosaur groups--had gut bacteria to help them digest their food, akin to other herbivores. These bacteria also produce methane, which...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Mining our ecosystems: Overconsumption, climate change and biodiversityGetting Into the Business of Environment
Posted by Inter Press Service: Amantha Perera on September 8th, 2012
Inter Press Service: Regulations that stand in the way of conservation programmes lower their likely success, experts warned at the World Conservation Congress of the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Jeju, South Korea.
They say there is mounting evidence to show that with participation of communities, businesses and other groups, conservation efforts have shown better results.
"Generally we find that protection efforts are more effective if they involve participation by different stakeholders,"...
Pact Is Signed to Protect Great Lakes
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 8th, 2012
New York Times: The United States and Canada signed an accord in Washington on Friday to protect the Great Lakes, the world’s largest freshwater system. The agreement, which updates promises between the two nations first made in 1972, sets goals for each country to address invasive species like the Asian carp; curb phosphorus runoff, which can contribute to algae blooms; and cut pollution from industry and vessels. Each nation will now need to develop policies to implement their common objectives, according to the...
Thousands of fish wash up on Lake Erie beaches
Posted by MSNBC: None Given on September 7th, 2012
MSNBC: Tens of thousands of dead fish that washed up on Lake Erie beaches in Ontario, Canada -- and had locals wondering if something or someone had poisoned the water -- were likely killed by a lack of oxygen caused when lake sediment was stirred up, the province reported Friday.
Water samples "do not show evidence of a manure spill or anything unusual in terms of contaminants," Ministry of Environment spokeswoman Kate Jordan told NBC News.
Jordan said it wasn't known if the die-off was unprecedented,...
United Kingdom: David Cameron’s chill wind of change blows apart the green agenda
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 7th, 2012
Telegraph: Eric Pickles makes an unlikely eco-warrior. So it speaks volumes about this week's Cabinet reshuffle that his survival is the only thing that pleased environmentalists. Both they and climate sceptics agree that it has radically changed policy, finally strangling those huskies and ditching the green agenda which David Cameron embraced to help make his party (nearly) electable.
To be honest, I have yet to be entirely convinced. But even the perception of such a massive U-turn is likely to cause...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on United Kingdom: David Cameron’s chill wind of change blows apart the green agendaMangrove deforestation 3x worse for climate than rainforest loss
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 7th, 2012
Mongabay: Degradation and destruction of the world's seagrasses, tidal marshes, and mangroves may generate up to a billion tons in carbon dioxide emissions annually, reports a new study published in the journal PLOS ONE.
The research looked at the world's 49 million hectares of coastal ecosystems and attempted to estimate emissions from conversion. Due to high levels of uncertainty about the extent of these ecosystems and the rate of conversion as well as the variance in carbon stocks, the study came up...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Mangrove deforestation 3x worse for climate than rainforest lossDeforestation affects rainfall, another reason to protect the rainforests
Posted by Environmental News Network: Allison Winter on September 7th, 2012
Environmental News Network: From regulating climate systems to offering food and medicines, to being home to many plants, animals, and indigenous people, rainforests are not only a local ecosystem but their benefits extend globally.
Adding to its effects is new research that shows rainforests have a huge impact on rainfall. A team from the University of Leeds and the NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology found that air passing over tropical forests produces at least twice as much rain as air passing over little vegetation...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Deforestation affects rainfall, another reason to protect the rainforests