RSS Feed
Archive for March, 2014
Climate change could mean more malaria in Africa, study says
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 7th, 2014
Reuters: Future global warming could lead to a significant increase in malaria cases in densely populated regions of Africa and South America unless disease monitoring and control efforts are increased, researchers said on Thursday.
In a study of the mosquito-borne disease that infects around 220 million people a year, researchers from Britain and the United States found what they describe as the first hard evidence that malaria creeps to higher elevations during warmer years and back down to lower altitudes...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Climate change could mean more malaria in Africa, study says‘Full Disclosure’ of Frack Chemicals Urged by Energy Department Advisors
Posted by Bloomberg: Alan Kovski on March 7th, 2014
Bloomberg: An Energy Department advisory board recommended “full disclosure of all known constituents” in fluids used for hydraulic fracturing, according to a draft report released March 6.
The “Task Force Report on FracFocus 2.0” from the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board (SEAB) said state and federal regulators should adopt standards for companies making trade secret claims for fracking fluid ingredients and establish a compliance process and challenge mechanism.
The draft report praised the FracFocus...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on ‘Full Disclosure’ of Frack Chemicals Urged by Energy Department AdvisorsSeeking Energy Independence, Europe Faces Heated Fracking Debate
Posted by National Public Radio: Christopher Werth on March 7th, 2014
National Public Radio: While watching the turmoil in Ukraine unfold, you may feel as though it has little to do with the United States, but the conflict is stirring a contentious debate in Europe over a topic familiar to many Americans: fracking.
Much of the continent depends on Russian natural gas that flows through pipelines in Ukraine. European countries are asking themselves whether to follow the U.S. example and drill for shale gas.
In Lancashire in northern England, local anti-fracking groups had been campaigning...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Seeking Energy Independence, Europe Faces Heated Fracking DebateEnbridge Line 9 Pipeline Reversal Approved by Canadian Energy Board
Posted by CBC: None Given on March 7th, 2014
CBC: The National Energy Board has approved energy giant Enbridge's plan to reverse the flow and increase the capacity of a pipeline that has been running between southern Ontario and Montreal for years.
The green light for the Calgary-based company is subject to certain conditions and requirements.
A statement from the National Energy Board says "the board’s conditions require Enbridge to undertake activities regarding pipeline integrity, emergency response, and continued consultation."
Enbridge...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Enbridge Line 9 Pipeline Reversal Approved by Canadian Energy BoardUnited Kingdom: Peatlands put in peril as demand for grouse shooting takes off
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 7th, 2014
Independent: Grouse shooting is ruining the countryside of Northern England and Scotland, as swathes of wildlife-rich upland peatlands are burned to provide the optimum conditions for commercial red grouse, the RSPB has warned.
As much as 77,000 hectares, or 770 square kilometres, of upland peatland has been badly damaged by burning so far, with a marked acceleration in the rate in the past 15 years that looks set to continue as grouse shooting becomes increasingly popular, the RSPB said.
The Pennines,...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on United Kingdom: Peatlands put in peril as demand for grouse shooting takes offUnited Kingdom: The recent winter storms caused the greatest loss of trees in a generation, says The National Trust
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 7th, 2014
Independent: The fallout from the extreme winter weather continued yesterday as the National Trust disclosed that the barrage of storms killed the greatest number of trees in a generation as Environment Secretary Owen Paterson announced a further £10.5 million injection into flood protection.
Thousands of oak, ash and beech trees, many of them in ancient woodland, were uprooted, blown over, or snapped during the winter, with Killerton Estate in Devon hit the hardest with the loss of more than 500 trees.
Wales...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on United Kingdom: The recent winter storms caused the greatest loss of trees in a generation, says The National TrustWarmer Temperatures Push Malaria to Higher Elevations
Posted by Nature World: None Given on March 6th, 2014
Nature World: Researchers are reporting the first hard evidence that malaria, a mosquito-borne disease that infects more than 300 million people each year, creeps to higher elevations during warmer years and falls back down to lower altitudes when temperatures cool.
"Traditionally, we think of malaria as a disease with limited prevalence in highland regions, but we are now seeing a shift due to climate change. Our latest research suggests that with progressive global warming, malaria will creep up the mountains...
Duke ordered stop groundwater pollution at North Carolina coal plants
Posted by Reuters: Ian Simpson on March 6th, 2014
Reuters: A North Carolina judge ruled on Thursday that Duke Energy Corp must immediately stop the sources of groundwater pollution at its 14 coal-fired power plants in the state.
The issue of pollution from coal ash gained momentum in North Carolina last month, when a spill from a retired Duke power plant dumped at least 30,000 tons of ash in the Dan River.
In the ruling, Wake County Superior Court Judge Paul Ridgeway reversed a decision by the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission. He...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Duke ordered stop groundwater pollution at North Carolina coal plantsA Narrowing Global Food Supply Will Make Us All Fat, Sick And Less Safe, Study Says
Posted by Huffington Post: Hunter Stuart on March 6th, 2014
Huffington Post: The world's reliance on narrow range of foods will lead to an increase in diseases like diabetes and a food supply that is more vulnerable to environmental changes like global warming, a new study warns. Human diets around the globe have become more and more similar throughout the past five decades, to the point that people currently get 90 percent of their calories, protein and fat from the same 50 crops, according to a study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences....
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on A Narrowing Global Food Supply Will Make Us All Fat, Sick And Less Safe, Study SaysLaw Aims To Keep Chicago From Becoming Petcoke Dumping Ground
Posted by National Public Radio: Cheryl Corley on March 6th, 2014
National Public Radio: Midwest refineries are processing crude oil from Canada's tar sands. Chicago officials voted to ban any new companies from storing petroleum coke in the city, and said existing companies can't expand.
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Law Aims To Keep Chicago From Becoming Petcoke Dumping Ground