RSS Feed
Archive for July, 2013
China’s Shenhua drains groundwater for coal project-Greenpeace
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 23rd, 2013
Reuters: A project operated by China's largest coal miner, Shenhua Group, has reduced groundwater levels in a region of Inner Mongolia and discharged high levels of toxic wastewater, environmental campaign group Greenpeace said on Tuesday.
The report, the first by Greenpeace to single out and publicly challenge one of China's powerful state-owned companies, comes as the country's new leadership steps up its focus on pollution amid growing protests over environmental degradation.
China recently canceled...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on China’s Shenhua drains groundwater for coal project-GreenpeaceThunder, hail and lightning: Heavy storms interrupt peak of longest heatwave in nearly four decades
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 23rd, 2013
Independent: It was a stormy end to Britain's three week heat-wave as thunderstorms and lightening marked the end of the hottest temperatures in seven years, weather experts have said.
Thunder, lightning and hail broke the sunny spells on Monday night and will last intermittently throughout Tuesday and Wednesday, coupled with torrential rain and the risk of flash floods.
The sunnier climate provided the nation with weeks of scorching temperatures, peaking yesterday at 33.5C in London - the hottest day since...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Thunder, hail and lightning: Heavy storms interrupt peak of longest heatwave in nearly four decadesCanada: 1.5 Million Gallons of Crude Oil Spilled in Quebec Town
Posted by Montreal Gazette: None Given on July 23rd, 2013
Montreal Gazette: It might take weeks before the extent of the damage from the July 6 train derailment in Lac-Mégantic is known, but 16 days after a train carrying crude oil crashed into the heart of Lac-Mégantic, the provincial government has revealed just how much oil appears to have been spilled.
There were 7.2 million litres of light crude oil aboard the ill-fated Montreal Main & Atlantic Railway train, but Quebec’s Department of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks says about 5.7 million litres were...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Canada: 1.5 Million Gallons of Crude Oil Spilled in Quebec Town12 Arrested at Enbridge Oil Pipeline Protest in Michigan
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 23rd, 2013
Associated Press: Authorities in Michigan say they’ve arrested eight people who are part of a protest that’s attempting to block Enbridge Inc. from building a replacement oil pipeline across the state into southwestern Ontario. The Ingham County sheriff’s department said four other people who had attached themselves to equipment will also be arrested for trespassing. The Lansing State Journal reports the arrests came during a protest about 90 kilometres west of Detroit by the Michigan Coalition Against Tar Sands...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on 12 Arrested at Enbridge Oil Pipeline Protest in MichiganAfricans vulnerable to climate change due dependency on rain-fed agriculture
Posted by Nyasa Times: None Given on July 23rd, 2013
Nyasa Times: Malawi Minister of Environment and Climate Change Management Halima Daudi has attributed East and Southern Africans vulnerability to climate change to heavy dependence on rain-fed subsistence agriculture for livelihoods and on wood energy for cooking and heating.
The Minister made the remarks at the Southern Voices on Climate Change, East and Southern Africa Regional workshop being held at Sunbird Nkopola Lodge in Mangochi on Tuesday when she officially opened the workshop which ends Thursday....
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Africans vulnerable to climate change due dependency on rain-fed agricultureGreenpeace reveals Chinese state coal company’s ruthless water grab
Posted by Greenpeace: None Given on July 23rd, 2013
Greenpeace: A state-owned Chinese coal company is overexploiting groundwater and illegally dumping toxic industrial wastewater, highlighting the need to curb the country's burgeoning coal industry, Greenpeace East Asia has revealed. In the report 'Thirsty Coal 2' [1], Greenpeace East Asia reveals that the Shenhua Group, the world's biggest coal producer by volume, is exploiting water resources in Inner Mongolia at a shocking scale. Shenhua's operations have sparked social unrest and caused severe ecological...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Greenpeace reveals Chinese state coal company’s ruthless water grabFederal Fracturing Rule Carries Hefty Price, Industry Groups Say
Posted by Fuel Fix: Simone Sebastian on July 23rd, 2013
Fuel Fix: The Obama administration`s proposed rules on hydraulic fracturing would cost an average $96,913 per well, according to a study commissioned by two oil industry groups. The Western Energy Alliance and the Independent Petroleum Association of America say the new federal standards for drilling new oil and natural gas wells on public lands would cost a total of $345 million a year, if applied to all 3,566 projects that could be affected by the rules. Conducted by John Dunham and Associates, the study...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Federal Fracturing Rule Carries Hefty Price, Industry Groups SayIs Ohio State Fracking-Well Plan Drilling for Research Data, or Cash?
Posted by The Columbus Dispatch: Spencer Hunt on July 23rd, 2013
The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State University researchers want to install and study a working oil and gas well on university land in Noble County. The plan would open the school’s Eastern Agricultural Research Station to shale drilling and would provide an opportunity to closely examine how fracking alters the environment and assess pollution risks to the air and groundwater, supporters say. “It really comes out of the frustration that researchers have had in getting access to (drill) sites and being able to do constructive...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Is Ohio State Fracking-Well Plan Drilling for Research Data, or Cash?U.S. companies need to plan for extreme weather: Column
Posted by USA Today: Tom King and Jeff Sterba on July 23rd, 2013
USA Today: Extreme weather events are on the rise. With 800-plus extreme events worldwide in 2012 resulting in more than $130 billion in damages, adjusting to a "new normal" of a more adverse and costly climate is a challenge for every community and business. A single event, widespread flooding in Thailand in 2011, disrupted the supply chain for the electronic and automotive industries, swelling overhead for Dell, Cisco, Ford, Honda and other global companies. While no single event can be directly attributed...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on U.S. companies need to plan for extreme weather: ColumnPakistan’s new big threat isn’t terrorism — it’s water
Posted by Grist: None Given on July 22nd, 2013
Grist: In a report released last week by the Asian Development Bank [PDF], Pakistan was pinpointed as "one of the most water-stressed countries in the world, not far from being classified, 'water-scarce.`" As water demand exceeds supply in the South Asian country, more and more water is being withdrawn from the nation`s reservoirs, leaving them in a critically precarious position. According to the ADB, Pakistan`s storage capacity, the amount of water it has on reserve in case of an emergency, is limited...