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Archive for July, 2013
China’s coal-fired economy dying of thirst as mines lack water
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 24th, 2013
Bloomberg: At first glance, Daliuta in northern China appears to have a river running through it. A closer look reveals the stretch of water in the center is a pond, dammed at both ends. Beyond the barriers, the Wulanmulun’s bed is dry.
Daliuta in Shaanxi province sits on top of the world’s biggest underground coal mine, which requires millions of liters of water a day for extracting, washing and processing the fuel. The town is the epicenter of a looming collision between China’s increasingly scarce supplies...
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Comments Off on China’s coal-fired economy dying of thirst as mines lack waterStudy says UK to see more flooding
Posted by Summit Voice: Bob Berwyn on July 24th, 2013
Summit Voice: Increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases are likely to drive more frequent and intense flooding in the UK, as global warming increases the threat of atmospheric rivers in mid-latitudes.
In their study, researchers, from the University of Reading and University of Iowa found that the number of atmospheric river events will probably double by late this century, compared to the number of events between 1980 ad 2005.
The study was published July 24 in IOP Publishing`s Environmental Research...
“Stable” Antarctic Permafrost Melting Faster than Expected, Researchers Say
Posted by Nature World News: None Given on July 24th, 2013
Nature World News: The stable ice on Antarctic- the coastal permafrost- is melting faster than expected, a new study reported. Researchers said that the melting rate of the coastal Antarctic permafrost is now similar to the melt rate of permafrost at Arctic.
The permafrost in Antarctic was considered to be in equilibrium, meaning that it did melt and refreeze, but its mass remained the same. The regions experienced a cooling trend in the past decade and now have stable temperatures.
However, researchers have...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on “Stable” Antarctic Permafrost Melting Faster than Expected, Researchers SayWorse floods ahead for UK as climate warms, say scientists
Posted by Guardian: Paul Brown on July 24th, 2013
Guardian: Heavy and prolonged rainfall will cause both more frequent and more severe flooding across the UK and the rest of north-west Europe as the atmosphere continues to warm, say British and American scientists
The study of these "atmospheric rivers", published in Environmental Research Letters, pins the blame for the increasing flood risk firmly on man-made climate change and says the same problem will afflict other parts of the planet.
The researchers describe how atmospheric rivers carry vast...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Worse floods ahead for UK as climate warms, say scientistsCanada: Alberta Is Not Enforcing Oil Sands Industry’s Environmental Infractions, Survey Finds
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 24th, 2013
Canadian Press: A survey of thousands of environmental problems in Alberta's oilsands attacks the province's claims to having strict control over the industry's environmental impact.
Fewer than one per cent of likely environmental infractions have drawn any enforcement, says the survey. It also says the province's records are incomplete and riddled with errors, so there is no way to really understand industry's impact on the region.
And the authors found the same problems recurring time and time again, suggesting...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Canada: Alberta Is Not Enforcing Oil Sands Industry’s Environmental Infractions, Survey FindsResolution Against Keystone XL Pipeline Fails in York County, Nebraska
Posted by Lincoln Journal Star: Art Hovey on July 24th, 2013
Lincoln Journal Star: The chairman of the York County commissioners cast the deciding vote on Tuesday against a resolution sought by opponents of the Keystone XL pipeline.
The 3-2 outcome was witnessed by an overflow audience made up mostly of supporters to a statement of opposition to crude oil pipelines. Many of the same people were on hand two weeks ago when Kurt Bulgrin was absent and the four other members of the board were deadlocked.
Despite the efforts of the Good Life Alliance since then to recast language...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Resolution Against Keystone XL Pipeline Fails in York County, NebraskaEastern Alberta Oil Spills Continue; Cause Is Still Unknown
Posted by Huffington Post: Hunter Stuart on July 24th, 2013
Huffington Post: Four recent oil spills at a major oil sands extraction site in Canada's Alberta province are still leaking oil into the ground, and officials aren't sure what caused them.
Bob Curran, a spokesman for the Alberta Energy Regulator, which is charged with regulating the oil industry in Alberta, told The Huffington that exact details surrounding the May and June spills that occurred at the Primrose extraction site operated by Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. are still unknown.
Further complicating...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Eastern Alberta Oil Spills Continue; Cause Is Still UnknownExxonMobil subsidiary, with arm twisted behind back, agrees to treat fracking wastewater
Posted by Grist: John Upton on July 23rd, 2013
Grist: XTO Energy, an ExxonMobil subsidiary, will reluctantly shell out $20 million to properly treat and dispose of fracking wastewater in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. It will also pay a $100,000 EPA fine as part of a settlement agreement [PDF] over water-pollution charges [PDF].
From PennLive:
The company is accused of violating the Clean Water Act by releasing over approximately 65 days between 6,300 and 57,373 gallons of fluids that contained barium, calcium, iron, manganese, potassium, sodium,...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on ExxonMobil subsidiary, with arm twisted behind back, agrees to treat fracking wastewaterThunder, hail and lightning: Heavy storms mark climax of longest heatwave for nearly 40 years
Posted by Independent: Heather Saul on July 23rd, 2013
Independent: A fortnight's rain fell overnight in parts of Britain, bringing a stormy end to the country's longest heatwave in seven years.
The thunder, lightning and hail that broke the sunny spells on Monday night will last intermittently throughout Tuesday and Wednesday, coupled with torrential rain and the risk of flash floods, weather experts warned.
Pershore in Worcestershire recorded the highest rainfall last night with more than an inch (25.8mm) falling - half the area's 50mm average total for the...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Thunder, hail and lightning: Heavy storms mark climax of longest heatwave for nearly 40 yearsNew Studies Examine Link Between Food Crops and Global Warming
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 23rd, 2013
RedOrbit: In light of growing concern over the potential impact of climate change on the global agricultural industry, researchers are searching for new ways to help ensure global access to some of the most important food crops.
In one such study, Toshichika Iizumi of the National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences in Tsukuba, Japan and an international team of colleagues report that they have discovered a way to use climate data to help predict some crop failures several months prior to harvest....
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on New Studies Examine Link Between Food Crops and Global Warming