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Archive for August, 2013
Can UN scientists revive drive against climate change?
Posted by Agence France-Presse: Richard Ingham on August 25th, 2013
Agence France-Presse: A leaden cloak of responsibility lies on the shoulders of UN scientists as they put the final touches to the first volume of a massive report that will give the world the most detailed picture yet of climate change.
Due to be unveiled in Stockholm on September 27, the document will be scrutinized word by word by green groups, fossil-fuel lobbies and governments to see if it will yank climate change out of prolonged political limbo.
The report will kick off the fifth assessment by the Intergovernmental...
Rising oceans: An economy washed away?
Posted by Seacoast: Deborah McDermott on August 25th, 2013
Seacoast: Maine is considered an old hand by state standards at dealing with expected sea level rise, working actively on the issue since at least 2008. And among Maine towns, York is one of the elders, with work dating to 2010 resulting in a detailed sea level rise initiative going before voters this fall. The U.S. Navy is also becoming more proactive, as recent modeling shows significant portions of Seavey Island, home to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, affected by predicted sea level rise. With 3,500 miles...
Australia: Call to remove sea-level rise notices
Posted by Newcastle Herald: Damon Cronshaw on August 25th, 2013
Newcastle Herald: MORE than 250 residents have demanded the removal of Lake Macquarie City Council’s controversial sea level rise and flooding maps and notations, amid concern they threaten $4billion worth of private property.
The call comes from accusations that the council is showing disregard to the effects its flood policies are having on people’s lives and hip-pockets, but the council maintains it is acting prudently.
Cr Jason Pauling will table at a council meeting today a call from the residents for the...
Vancouver: Metro cities bracing for rising tides
Posted by Province: Glenda Luymes on August 25th, 2013
Province: Over the next century, Vancouver's greatest asset could become its worst enemy.
A new climate change report lists the city among the world's most at risk for losses from rising sea levels and flooding, ranking it 11th after cities such as New York, New Orleans and Mumbai.
"We're at the point where this can't be ignored," B.C. geoscientist John Clague told the Sunday Province. "The only good news is that there is time."
The report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development...
Geoengineering to address climate change
Posted by Sudbury Star: David Suzuki on August 25th, 2013
Sudbury Star: Altering environments to suit our needs is not new. From clearing land to building dams, we've done it throughout history. When technologies and populations were limited, our actions affected small areas -- though with some cascading effects on interconnected ecosystems. We've entered an era in which humans are a geological force. According to the website Welcome to the Anthropocene, "There are now so many of us, using so many resources, that we're disrupting the grand cycles of biology, chemistry...
Rising ocean acidity will exacerbate global warming
Posted by Nature: Eliot Barford on August 25th, 2013
Nature: The slow and inexorable increase in the oceans’ acidity as they soak up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere could itself have an effect on climate and amplify global warming, according to a new study. Acidification would lead certain marine organisms to emit less of the sulphur compounds that help to seed the formation of clouds and so keep the planet cool.
Atmospheric sulphur, most of which comes from the sea, is a check against global warming. Phytoplankton -- photosynthetic microbes that drift...
Estonia becomes self-sufficient on shale gas boom
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 25th, 2013
Telegraph: "We are the most energy independent country in the European Union, and we will not compromise our energy security. We have a large neighbour,' said Juhan Parts, the economy minister.
It is the same story wherever you go across Eastern Europe: the fuel debate comes down to Vladimir Putin's Russia, and Gazprom's stranglehold on gas supplies. Global warming inevitably plays second fiddle. "Estonia is not rich enough to experiment with immature technologies,' said Mr Parts.
"Even if we had to invest...
A look at findings of Pa. fracking health project
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 25th, 2013
Associated Press: An environmental project is providing some of the first specific numbers about people who may have been affected by the boom in natural gas drilling. Here’s what the Southwest Pennsylvania Environmental Health Project has found in Washington County south of Pittsburgh and how experts and the industry are reacting to it: — Air pollution seems to be more of a threat than water pollution. Only seven of 27 cases of people who believed they were hurt by nearby natural gas activities involved water pollution....
Fracking health project puts numbers to debate, suggests air pollution may be bigger concern
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 25th, 2013
Associated Press: A project examining the local health impacts from natural gas drilling is providing some of the first preliminary numbers about people who may be affected, and the results challenge the industry position that no one suffers but also suggest the problems may not be as widespread as some critics claim.
The Southwest Pennsylvania Environmental Health Project has been trying to help people who feel they've been sickened by natural gas drilling or processing for about 18 months in one county south...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Fracking health project puts numbers to debate, suggests air pollution may be bigger concernWhy Won’t Obama Visit North Dakota?
Posted by National Journal: None Given on August 25th, 2013
National Journal: North Dakota is like an overachieving child who attracts the attention of everyone--except Dad.
The oil boom taking over western North Dakota and transforming America's energy landscape has prompted visits from people around the world--Germany, Turkey, Japan, Dubai, and elsewhere--to see what they can learn and how they can benefit.
President Obama, however, has not visited the state since moving into the White House (although he did drop in twice during the 2008 presidential campaign).
Sen....