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Archive for August, 2013
United Kingdom: Fracking: police reduce operation in Balcombe as protest slackens
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 22nd, 2013
Guardian: Police have begun to scale down their operation at an anti-fracking protest site in west Sussex after four weeks of demonstrations.
Many of the activists who descended on Balcombe to protest against an exploratory drilling site recently opened by energy company Cuadrilla have now left the area, Sussex Police said.
A spokesman said about 120 people are estimated to still be at the roadside camp on London Road at the entrance to the location, while most people had left the Reclaim the Power camp...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on United Kingdom: Fracking: police reduce operation in Balcombe as protest slackensCatastrophic Pipeline Ruptures Still Too Big a Risk for Enbridge, Report Warns
Posted by InsideClimate: David Hasemyer on August 22nd, 2013
InsideClimate: Pipeline regulators in Canada and the United States are being cautioned that claims by Enbridge Inc. that it improved its safety procedures and adopted sophisticated inspection practices are exaggerated and that pipeline ruptures as catastrophic as the company's 2010 accident in Marshall, Mich. [3] are still possible. The warning came in a report filed this month with the Canadian National Energy Board [4], which is considering Enbridge's request to reverse the flow of an oil pipeline in Eastern...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Catastrophic Pipeline Ruptures Still Too Big a Risk for Enbridge, Report WarnsAngry Birds Skip Polluted Delhi
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 22nd, 2013
Inter Press Service: Every winter the Okhla wetlands, a charmed haven in the heart of India's bustling capital city, play host to Greater Flamingoes, Greylag Geese, Tufted Pochards, Northern Shovelers and other exotic, feathered visitors winging in from colder climes as far away as Siberia.
These avian migrants join hundreds of local water birds to breed in the Okhla Bird Sanctuary and Wildlife Park -- a four square kilometres patch of wetland on the Jamuna river. The river is struggling to survive amidst costly real...
Latest Radioactive Leak at Fukushima: How Is It Different?
Posted by National Geographic: Patrick J. Kiger on August 22nd, 2013
National Geographic: n the latest crisis to strike the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan, operator Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) has discovered that 300 tons (nearly 72,000 gallons) of highly radioactive water has leaked from a holding tank into the ground over the past month. The development comes on top of TEPCO's admission last month that an estimated 300 tons of radioactive groundwater, which picks up small amounts of contamination when it flows through the damaged reactor buildings, has been leaking...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Latest Radioactive Leak at Fukushima: How Is It Different?UK oil & gas investment reaches record high
Posted by BusinessGreen: None Given on August 21st, 2013
BusinessGreen: The UK oil and gas industry has hailed "renewed commitment" from the government after reporting record levels of investment at a time when the coalition's energy policy is facing intense scrutiny.
Trade body Oil & Gas UK, which represents offshore operators, said investment levels this year are expected to reach £13.5bn. This represents a £6bn boost on 2012, which it attributed to new tax allowances granted by Chancellor George Osborne aiding new exploration.
"The recent sharpening of focus...
Japan: New Fukushima Radioactive Leak Worst Since Original Accident
Posted by Environment News Service: None Given on August 21st, 2013
Environment News Service: Japan`s Nuclear Regulation Authority now says a leak of radioactive water from a tank at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi plant Monday is a "serious incident" not just an "anomaly" as it was originally classified on an international scale.
On Monday morning, an employee of the plant`s owner/operator Tokyo Electric Power Company on patrol found water leaking from a drain valve of a tank dike on a hillside near reactor No 4 at the power station, which has been shut down and is being decommissioned....
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Japan: New Fukushima Radioactive Leak Worst Since Original AccidentMore than 50 large wildfires burn throughout western US
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 21st, 2013
Associated Press: An out-of-control forest fire threatening more than 2,000 structures near Yosemite national park was one of more than 50 active, large wildfires dotting the western US on Wednesday. The remote blaze in Stanislaus national forest west of Yosemite grew to more than 25 sq miles and was only 5% contained, causing evacuations and threatening homes, hotels and camp buildings. The fire was among the nation's top firefighting priorities, according to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho....
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on More than 50 large wildfires burn throughout western USUnited Kingdom: Fracking faces a little local difficulty
Posted by Telegraph: Isabel Hardman on August 21st, 2013
Telegraph: The Balcombe protest may be annoying but it has also been pretty effective. The brouhaha over Cuadrilla's attempts to explore local oil deposits has included celebrities, guitars, bongos, compost toilets and a vegan snack bar. It even involved the arrest of the Green MP, Caroline Lucas. It has shattered the tranquillity of the pretty Sussex village -- and raised concerns about fracking. But no matter how much noise these visiting activists make, they aren't the ones who could really wreck the Government's...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on United Kingdom: Fracking faces a little local difficultyWhat’s the Impact of China’s Rapid Urbanization?
Posted by World Resources Institute: None Given on August 21st, 2013
World Resources Institute: China’s Urban Billion is a blog series exploring China’s urbanization process. Over the coming months, Xiaomei Tan will guide readers through China’s opportunities and challenges as it transforms into an urbanized society. We will examine the urbanization process as it relates to governance, the private and public sectors, and the economy. This is the first post in this series. It originally appeared on TheCityFix.com.
The simultaneous, rapid urbanization of China and India is unprecedented–-in...
Early Exposure to BPA Linked to Anxiety and Hyperactivity in Boys
Posted by EcoWatch: Miriam Capon on August 21st, 2013
EcoWatch: We frequently see warnings about using products that contain Bisephenol A (BPA) and many plastic products are now being made with “BPA-Free” alternatives. BPA can be found in polycarbonate plastics, canned food liners and some thermal receipts. Bisphenol A is a man-made, carbon-based product which has hormone-like properties. In 2008 a study showed that 95 percent of Americans had BPA in their urine, which goes to show just how much people are still being exposed to it. Many studies have shown that...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Early Exposure to BPA Linked to Anxiety and Hyperactivity in Boys