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Archive for January 14th, 2013
Seattle predicts climate change will cause flooding by 2050
Posted by KOMO News: Rose Egge on January 14th, 2013
KOMO News: City planners are reporting that parts of Seattle could be flooded by 2050 due to climate change. Seattle Public Utilities has released a map illustrating that rising seas levels could flood parts of West Seattle, Georgetown, South Park, Harbor Island, Interbay and Golden Gardens in 40 years. “Climate change is an immediate and critical challenge,” City Councilmember Mike O’Brien, chair of the Energy & Environment Committee said. “We are already seeing impacts in Seattle from extreme events, such...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Seattle predicts climate change will cause flooding by 2050Malaysian candidate pledges to drop controversial dam in Sarawak if elected
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 14th, 2013
Mongabay: Malaysia's current opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim, has pledged to cancel the controversial Baram Dam in Sarawak if upcoming general elections sweep him into the office of Prime Minister. Ibrahim made the announcement while visiting the state of Sarawak, located on the island of Borneo, over the weekend, according to the indigenous rights NGO, Bruno Manser Fund.
The Baram dam is one of several mega-dams that have led to large-scale protests and even construction occupations in the rainforests...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Malaysian candidate pledges to drop controversial dam in Sarawak if electedFracking Rules Fall Short of Protecting New Yorkers
Posted by EcoWatch: Riverkeeper on January 14th, 2013
EcoWatch: Based on an extensive, expert-supported evaluation, a coalition of environmental groups announced today that New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) proposed fracking rules fall short of protecting New York residents and should not be finalized before the environmental and public health reviews are complete.
In nearly 200 pages of formal joint comments submitted to the state, the coalition highlighted a number of shortcomings in the draft rules released by the state last...
Act now to mitigate impact of climate change, study warns
Posted by Discovery News: Larry O'Hanlon on January 14th, 2013
Discovery News: It may be too late to stop climate change, but some of its most dangerous effects can be delayed, according to the first study that looks at climate, policies and impacts over time. The study, by a team of primarily U.K. scientists, concludes that while climate change impacts that are avoidable with policy changes are small by 2030 and 2050, an ounce of policy prevention today eventually becomes a pound of cure by 2100.
In other words, strong emissions policies today can delay for decades the...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Act now to mitigate impact of climate change, study warnsTidal Energy Can Meet 20 Percent Of UK Electricity Needs, Report Says
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 14th, 2013
Yale Environment 360: UK officials are underestimating the vast energy potential of marine tides, a renewable and reliable energy source that could meet 20 percent of the nation’s electricity needs, according to a new report. Writing in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A, researchers explain that while the process of exploiting tidal energy remains expensive, it has the potential to be a more reliable energy source than wind or wave energy and to be more easily managed on electricity grids....
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Tidal Energy Can Meet 20 Percent Of UK Electricity Needs, Report SaysFlorida’s Python Problem: Snakes Reshape The Everglades
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 14th, 2013
National Public Radio: The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission launched its first ever "Python Challenge." More than 800 hunters have registered for the month-long competition aimed at harvesting Burmese pythons. University of Florida professor Frank Mazzotti talks about the threat they present to the ecosystem of the Everglades.
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Florida’s Python Problem: Snakes Reshape The EvergladesClimate change already pummeling U.S. according to government report
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 14th, 2013
Mongabay: Climate change is on the march across the U.S. according to a new draft report written by U.S. government scientists with input from 240 experts. It documents increasing and worsening extreme weather, rising sea levels, and ocean acidification among other impacts. Released Friday for public review, the report will be officially launched later this year or early in 2014.
"Americans are noticing changes all around them," reads a letter accompanying the report. "Summers are longer and hotter, and...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Climate change already pummeling U.S. according to government reportGlobal warming has increased monthly heat records by a factor of five
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 14th, 2013
ScienceDaily: Monthly temperature extremes have become much more frequent, as measurements from around the world indicate. On average, there are now five times as many record-breaking hot months worldwide than could be expected without long-term global warming, shows a study now published in Climatic Change. In parts of Europe, Africa and southern Asia the number of monthly records has increased even by a factor of ten. 80 percent of observed monthly records would not have occurred without human influence on climate,...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Global warming has increased monthly heat records by a factor of fiveNew Report Shows Inextricable Link Between Food, Water and Energy
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on January 14th, 2013
EcoWatch: Food, water and energy systems are inextricably linked, and as recent events like droughts, oil spills and increasing food prices make clear, the U.S. can no longer view these systems in isolation. A new paper from the GRACE Communications Foundation explains that when the food, water and energy nexus becomes unbalanced, there are clear consequences for public health, our economy and the environment. The paper, Food, Water and Energy: Know the Nexus, describes how and where these systems intersect,...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on New Report Shows Inextricable Link Between Food, Water and EnergyEl Salvador Prioritizes Geothermal Energy Development
Posted by Environmental News Network: Sean Ahearn on January 14th, 2013
Environmental News Network: During the last two decades, the global installed capacity for geothermal electricity has nearly doubled. Despite this recent expansion, geothermal energy is not getting the same level of attention as other renewable energy resources, and it remains heavily underutilized. If the world were able to tap just a small portion of the Earth's heat, we could provide everyone with clean and safe energy for centuries. Current estimates of our global potential for geothermal energy range from 35 gigawatts...