RSS Feed
Archive for September, 2013
Indigenous Rights Controversies Around Belo Monte Dam Tie Up Brazil’s Courts
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on September 13th, 2013
EcoWatch: Recent lawsuits by Brazil`s Federal Public Prosecutors (MPF) concerning the Belo Monte dam are demanding accountability from the dam-building Norte Energia consortium, Brazil`s National Development Bank (BNDES) and the state environmental agency IBAMA for noncompliance with mandated mitigation measures concerning the Juruna and Xikrin Kayapó, two indigenous groups affected by the mega-project.
The lawsuits demonstrate that conditions placed upon the dam`s environmental licensing have not been...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Indigenous Rights Controversies Around Belo Monte Dam Tie Up Brazil’s CourtsUnderlying Ocean Water Melting Ice Shelf, Accelerating Glacier Movement
Posted by Nature World News: None Given on September 13th, 2013
Nature World News: Rising ocean temperatures, not atmospheric temperatures, are melting the Antarctic floating ice shelf Pine Island Glacier and possibly other ice shelves, an international team of researchers found.
The scientists examined the remote glacier, which represents a major outlet of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, in hopes shedding new light behind its rapid thinning in recent years.
By placing a variety of instruments deep below the ice's surface and using radar to map the underside of the ice shelf...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Underlying Ocean Water Melting Ice Shelf, Accelerating Glacier MovementWarmer Ocean Water Is Key Factor in Melting Ice Shelves, Study Says
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 13th, 2013
Yale Environment 360: Recent research into one of West Antarctica's most rapidly melting glaciers and ice shelves has shown that rising ocean temperatures and a series of channels lacing the underside of the shelf are the key factors in the rapid thinning of the shelf and the swift advance of the glacier behind it. Reporting in NASA Edge of Pine Island ice sheet Science, U.S. scientists said that instruments deployed on and under the Pine Island Glacier and ice shelf over the past two years have shown that warmer ocean...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Warmer Ocean Water Is Key Factor in Melting Ice Shelves, Study SaysJudge halts shipment on Idaho road of giant tar sands equipment
Posted by Reuters: Laura Zuckerman on September 13th, 2013
Reuters: A U.S. judge has temporarily blocked a shipment of massive oil field equipment from traversing a scenic Idaho roadway that cuts through the homeland of the Nez Perce Tribe and runs alongside two federally protected rivers.
U.S. District Court Judge B. Lynn Winmill halted next week's planned shipment on U.S. Highway 12 of an oversized water treatment system destined for Canadian tar sands in a decision handed down late Thursday.
He also ordered the U.S. Forest Service to ban the so-called megaload...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Judge halts shipment on Idaho road of giant tar sands equipmentJudge rules against ‘megaloads’ of tar sands equipment in Idaho
Posted by LA Times: Rick Rojas on September 13th, 2013
LA Times: A federal judge has ruled that the massive hauls of equipment bound for the Canadian oil tar sands cannot use a narrow highway that runs through forested areas and Nez Perce tribal lands in Idaho.
Judge Lynn Winmill granted an injunction Thursday that halts the so-called megaloads -- the most recent reportedly weighing 644,000 pounds and stretching more than 200 feet -- until U.S. Forest Service officials finish a review of U.S. Highway 12 and consult with the Nez Perce, whose reservation is part...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Judge rules against ‘megaloads’ of tar sands equipment in IdahoDeadly 1,000-year floods strike Colorado
Posted by Grist: None Given on September 13th, 2013
Grist: Biblical hell has broken out in Colorado, where more than six inches of rain fell in 24 hours, contributing to flash floods that killed at least three people.
(Before you complain about our use of "biblical," note that it`s the word federal forecasters chose to describe the flooding in an official update on the National Weather Service website.)
"It`s insane right now, I`ve lived in Colorado my whole life, and this is nothing that I`ve ever, ever seen before," Andra Coberly, spokesperson for...
States need FEMA’s help to prepare for climate change
Posted by Hill: Peter Lehner on September 13th, 2013
Hill: Last year U.S. taxpayers paid nearly $100 billion for damages caused by climate-related extreme weather events like wildfires, storms, flooding, and droughts. As our climate continues to rapidly warm, the science indicates that many natural disasters will become more frequent, more severe, and more costly.
Preparing for natural disasters can no longer be just an exercise in learning from the past. We must also take into account new information on how climate change will affect the frequency and...
United Kingdom: High Court to rule on Balcombe fracking protest
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 13th, 2013
Independent: The seven-week protest against potential fracking in the West Sussex village of Balcombe could end abruptly next week after the High Court agreed to rule on whether the protestors should be forcibly evicted or allowed to stay.
About 80 people are camped out along the grass verges on the side of the London Road, where the fracking company Cuadrilla has been drilling in search of oil.
On Monday, the protestors were served with an eviction order demanding that they vacate the area by 9am on Tuesday....
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on United Kingdom: High Court to rule on Balcombe fracking protestColorado officials order further evacuations as flash floods worsen
Posted by Guardian: Adam Gabbatt on September 13th, 2013
Guardian: Thousands more people were ordered to evacuate their homes in Boulder on Friday as rain continued to cause severe flooding in the city and elsewhere in Colorado.
Several creeks close to Boulder rose to dangerous levels late Thursday, after rain forced many residents from their homes the night before. At least three people have been killed in Colorado, and thousands more have been forced to seek refuge in shelters.
Rescuers are struggling to reach people in the towns of Lyons, Jamestown and...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Colorado officials order further evacuations as flash floods worsenColorado Floods Leave Three Dead, Thousands Displaced
Posted by Nature World News: Tamarra Kemsley on September 13th, 2013
Nature World News: President Barack Obama approved federal disaster aid late Thursday for Colorado towns affected by a series of flash floods.
Triggered by days of heavy rain across Colorado's Front Range mountains, the flooding has left at least three dead and thousands displaced, Boulder officials report.
According to Fox News, roughly 4,000 people living around the mouth of Boulder Canyon were notified to head to higher ground late Thursday.
Meanwhile, Boulder County spokesman James Burrus said 8,000 telephone...