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Archive for February, 2014
Egypt’s Generals Face a Watery Battle
Posted by Inter Press Service: Shelly Kittleson on February 6th, 2014
Inter Press Service: Heavy reliance on water intensive crops, a major upstream dam project for the Nile basin, and rising groundwater levels pushing at pharaoh-era monuments will be pressing issues for the next Egyptian president -- whether military or civilian. As criticism continues over the military's heavy-handedness to quell protests, little attention is being given to the late January announcement by Egypt's minister of irrigation and water resources on the growing severity of the country's water shortage: share...
Beware: Investors should know about these ‘global risks’
Posted by CNBC: Jessica Morris on February 6th, 2014
CNBC: Over 10 percent of countries are increasingly vulnerable to "global risks" like terrorism, pandemics and climate change, according to a report published by Maplecroft on Thursday.
The risk consultancy firm studied 179 countries, and found that around 10 percent were more at risk from "global risks" than in 2012. The majority of these countries were in Sub-Saharan Africa or East Africa, including Mali, Guinea, Madagascar, Mozambique and Tanzania.
In its report on the subject, Maplecroft used...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Beware: Investors should know about these ‘global risks’State Department Closes Eyes To Truth In Keystone XL Pipeline Report
Posted by Forbes: Jeffrey Dorfman on February 6th, 2014
Forbes: The State Department just came out with its latest report on the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline. The report finds that the pipeline’s construction would create almost 2,000 jobs that last for two years and would support more than 40,000 jobs. The report further finds that the pipeline likely would not harm the environment when considered relative to what will happen if the pipeline is not built. Yet, even given these clear facts in favor of green lighting the pipeline, don’t expect an approval in...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on State Department Closes Eyes To Truth In Keystone XL Pipeline ReportAustralian farmers should not be treated like protected species
Posted by Guardian: Paula Matthewson on February 6th, 2014
Guardian: Watching rural Liberal backbencher Sharman Stone give the prime minister a free character assessment and troll colleagues over the SPC Ardmona decision, it’s hard to avoid the impression that jobs in agriculture are somehow more important than other jobs in Australia.
It’s not unusual for local members to think their constituents’ jobs are crucial to the economy: we certainly heard that when the government effectively hounded GM Holden’s manufacturing operations from our shores (and not coincidentally...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Australian farmers should not be treated like protected speciesU.S. House passes Republican-backed California water plan
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 6th, 2014
Reuters: The Republican-led House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bill that would roll back federal rules to provide more water for farmers and municipalities in California's Central Valley as the state copes with its worst drought in decades. Backers said the legislation would provide drought relief by permitting federal and state authorities to pump more water out the San Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta. Opponents, including California's Democratic lawmakers, have termed the bill a water grab...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on U.S. House passes Republican-backed California water planWhite House Announces Network Climate Hubs. So What Are They?
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 6th, 2014
National Geographic: This aerial view of drought-stricken Arkansas shows damaged corn and sparse soybean crops. The ground is so dry that tractors leave several hundred yards of dust in their wake.
Saying it wants to help farmers and ranchers better cope with the effects of climate change, the Obama Administration on Wednesday announced a new network of regional "climate hubs."
The idea is to dispatch a cadre of climate change specialists across the nation to gather the latest science on how climate shifts may...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on White House Announces Network Climate Hubs. So What Are They?Disappearance of wildflowers may have doomed Ice Age giants
Posted by Reuters: Will Dunham on February 5th, 2014
Reuters: Flower power may have meant the difference between life and death for some of the extinct giants of the Ice Age, including the mighty woolly mammoth and woolly rhinoceros.
Scientists who studied DNA preserved in Arctic permafrost sediments and in the remains of such ancient animals have concluded that these Ice Age beasts relied heavily on the protein-rich wildflowers that once blanketed the region.
But dramatic Ice Age climate change caused a huge decline in these plants, leaving the Arctic...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Disappearance of wildflowers may have doomed Ice Age giantsWest Virginia doctors advising some patients not drink tap water
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 5th, 2014
Associated Press: A county health official in West Virginia said doctors are advising some patients not to drink tap water weeks after it was deemed safe from a chemical contamination, though a federal health official on Wednesday said it could be used for any purpose.
The January 9 spill at Freedom Industries in Charleston spurred a water-use ban for 300,000 people. After officials cleared thousands of people to use water again, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials advised pregnant women to consider...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on West Virginia doctors advising some patients not drink tap waterMore Than 80,000 Tons Of Coal Ash Flow Into N.C. River
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 5th, 2014
National Public Radio: Over the weekend at an old power plant in Eden, N.C., a stormwater pipe that goes under a coal ash pond broke, sending about 82,000 tons of ash - the equivalent of 30 Olympic-sized swimming pools - into the Dan River.
The river stretches more than 200 miles from North Carolina, through Virginia and into the Atlantic Ocean. It's home to all sorts of wildlife, and a popular destination for fishermen and kayakers.
On Wednesday, Jennifer Edwards, with the Dan River Basin Association, was checking...
Britain battered by 90mph storms – and there’s worse to come
Posted by Telegraph: Miranda Prynne on February 5th, 2014
Telegraph: David Cameron took personal charge of the flooding crisis on Wednesday as the south coast was battered by 90mph storms and forecasters warned worse weather is on its way.
He chaired a meeting of the emergency committee Cobra to discuss a response to the flooding shortly after promising to do “whatever is required” and announcing an extra £100?million to help with the clear-up operation.
The Environment Agency’s embattled chairman Lord Smith, who has been heavily criticised for failing to visit...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Britain battered by 90mph storms – and there’s worse to come