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Archive for May, 2014
Cameroon new law to strengthen forest governance
Posted by Reuters: Elias Ntungwe Ngalame on May 24th, 2014
Reuters: Cameroon's government is due to introduce legal reforms by the end of the year to redress weaknesses in its two-decade-old forestry legislation. The new forest code will better protect rainforests and the rights of indigenous communities that rely on them, officials say.
They believe the 1994 forest laws are no longer fit to ensure the preservation of forests and respect for their inhabitants' rights, as exploitation of forest resources expands.
"Since 2010, the ministry of forestry and wildlife...
As mountain snow fails and glaciers melt, Pakistan faces water threats
Posted by Reuters: Saleem Shaikh and Sughra Tunio on May 24th, 2014
Reuters: Farmers in the valleys of northern Pakistan fear for the survival of their summer crops after a short winter of low snowfall altered the flow patterns of mountain streams, potentially robbing the farmers of water they rely on to irrigate their fields. Experts at the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) and senior weather observers posted at stations in Pakistan's Upper Indus Basin (UIB) say last winter's snowfall in most of the valleys of the Gilgit-Balistan province was as much as 70 percent...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on As mountain snow fails and glaciers melt, Pakistan faces water threatsDoes the solution to global warming lie in Australia?
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 24th, 2014
Daily Mail: Dryland ecosystems such as deserts play a more important role in the global carbon cycle than previously thought, research has revealed.
And one of the biggest contributors, responsible for a huge spike in the amount of CO2 absorbed in 2011, is located in Australia.
The findings suggest that the Australian Outback, when exposed to increased rainfall and in turn grows more vegetation, could become a giant 'carbon sink' and might even be a major driver for global carbon absorption.
Research...
When it rains, it pours: Climate change brings droughts and floods alike
Posted by Grist: None Given on May 24th, 2014
Grist: “This is really a call for America to find out, ‘What does climate change mean for where you live?’” says Paul Fleming, a convening lead author of the National Climate Assessment’s Water Resources chapter.
Fleming talks about how climate change will challenge the reliability of water supplies in the United States in multiple ways. Alterations in precipitation patterns and reduced snowpack are some of the climate-related changes that will affect the quality and quantity of water available to Americans....
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on When it rains, it pours: Climate change brings droughts and floods alikeFor New Jersey mayor, time to adapt to rising sea levels is now
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 23rd, 2014
National Public Radio: Last week, scientists warned that a massive chunk of the West Antarctica Ice Sheet will eventually drift into the sea and melt, raising sea levels at least 10 feet higher than previous predictions.
Even before the announcement, scientists at the nonprofit research organization Climate Central predicted that surging seas could put the homes of nearly 5 million Americans underwater by the end of this century.
Dawn Zimmer, mayor of Hoboken, N.J., is a member of President Obama's Task Force on...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on For New Jersey mayor, time to adapt to rising sea levels is nowGlacial melt pours iron into ocean, seeding algal blooms
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 23rd, 2014
Scientific American: A decade ago, a common hypothesis was that rivers and dust supplied the ocean with most of its iron. Since then, scientists have reported in several papers that icebergs and deep-sea hydrothermal vents also may be significant contributors.
Scientists report in a new study this week that glacial melt may be funneling significant amounts of reactive iron into the ocean, where it may counter some of the negative effects of climate change by boosting algal blooms that capture carbon. The paper, published...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Glacial melt pours iron into ocean, seeding algal bloomsVancouver Island’s glaciers will disappear in 25 years, scientist says
Posted by Province: Sandra McCulloch on May 23rd, 2014
Province: All Vancouver Island glaciers, including the iconic Comox glacier, will be gone within 25 years due to climate change, says University of Victoria geography professor Dan Smith.
“There are not many glaciers left,” Smith said Wednesday.
“In the 1970s, they did an inventory on Vancouver Island and they counted about 170 glaciers, and I’d say there are five of what you could call glaciers left.”
Comox glacier at a square kilometre is the largest, but compared with others in the Rockies, “is...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Vancouver Island’s glaciers will disappear in 25 years, scientist saysShould we try to fight rising sea levels – or abandon the coasts?
Posted by Vox: Brad Plumer on May 23rd, 2014
Vox: The world's sea levels are expected to rise 1 to 3 feet -- or more -- as the planet heats up in the coming century. The more greenhouse gases we emit, the bigger the rise, but we've already locked in at least some sea-level increase no matter what.
So what should the millions of people living in low-lying coastal areas do?
Broadly speaking, there are three ways to deal with sea-level rise. First, large coastal cities like New York or Boston or Tokyo will likely spend billions to erect dikes...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Should we try to fight rising sea levels – or abandon the coasts?No shale gas potential in Weald basin, concludes British Geological Survey
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 23rd, 2014
Guardian: Government hopes that Britain can emulate the US with a shale gas revolution have been undermined with a long-awaited report unexpectedly concluding there is no potential in the Weald region of southern England.
Michael Fallon, the energy minister, insisted he was neither "disappointed nor happy" at the findings from the British Geological Survey (BGS) and denied the government had "hyped" UK potential.
He preferred to focus on more positive BGS findings that there could be 4.4bn barrels of...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on No shale gas potential in Weald basin, concludes British Geological SurveyBlackpool faces risk of failing new EU water quality law
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 23rd, 2014
Guardian: Dozens of beaches around England could fail new stricter sewage standards for water quality, including Blackpool, Clacton, Morecambe and Margate. While 90% of the nation's beaches meet cleanliness standards, 46 suffer from sewer overflows, manure running off from farms and badly connected toilets in coastal homes and businesses. The result can be swimmers suffering gastroenteritis and eye or ear infections.
The official bathing season, when the water at 420 popular beaches is monitored, began...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Blackpool faces risk of failing new EU water quality law