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Archive for May, 2014
The Alarming Effects of Pesticides on Young Brains
Posted by EcoWatch: Nicole D'Alessandro on May 16th, 2014
EcoWatch: In Plastic: A Toxic Love Story, journalist Susan Freinkel concludes that we have reached a crisis point--and that we’re starting to realize our love affair with plastic isn’t such a healthy one.
In a conversation with the Green Divas, Freinkel highlights another ubiquitous toxin in our lives: pesticides. Discussing her recent article in The Nation, Freinkel weighs in on the amount of chemicals we are exposed to every day, from flame retardants to BPA, and focuses on the effects that organophosphate...
Colorado River Meets Gulf of California for First Time in 16 Years
Posted by Nature World: None Given on May 16th, 2014
Nature World: For the first time in 16 years, the Colorado River met the Gulf of California on Thursday, restoring water flow to a long barren area.
Water conservationists led the artificially induced "pulse flow" as part of a flood experiment to help the Colorado River reach the sea, News Tonight Africa (NAT) reported. The water traveled nearly 100 miles from a barren delta at the Morelos Dam just south of where California, Arizona and Mexico meet.
The project was made possible by a bi-national agreement...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Colorado River Meets Gulf of California for First Time in 16 YearsThe California Drought Is Far From Over, And The Entire State Is Suffering
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 16th, 2014
Huffington Post: For a few days last month, it rained in San Francisco. Residents across the city cheered a welcomed respite from a drought that has crippled California for more than two years -- but the celebration turned out to be premature.
On Thursday, for the first time this century, the U.S. Drought Monitor declared that all of California is in a “severe” drought, with many areas of the state in an even worse condition, from "extreme" to "exceptional," the poorest possible rating.
“This is a once-in-a-generation...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on The California Drought Is Far From Over, And The Entire State Is SufferingLethal Flooding in Balkans Brings EU to the Rescue
Posted by Environment News Service: None Given on May 16th, 2014
Environment News Service: European countries formerly divided by the Bosnian war are today united by catastrophic flooding and the European Union is rushing to their rescue.
The European Union Civil Protection Mechanism was activated late Thursday at the requests of Serbia and of Bosnia and Herzegovina due to severe flooding that has inundated large areas of both countries.
The flooded Drina River, which forms the border between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, May 15, 2014. (Photo by Jelena)
On Thursday, the government...
Miami Underwater Before Congress Acts on Climate Change
Posted by National Journal: Ronald Brownstein on May 16th, 2014
National Journal: Miami will likely be underwater before the Senate can muster enough votes to meaningfully confront climate change. And probably Tampa and Charleston, too--two other cities that last week's National Climate Assessment placed at maximum risk from rising sea levels.
Even as studies proliferate on the dangers of a changing climate, the issue's underlying politics virtually ensure that Congress will remain paralyzed over it indefinitely. That means the U.S. response for the foreseeable future is likely...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Miami Underwater Before Congress Acts on Climate ChangeWildfires Come Hard and Fast Southern California
Posted by ClimateWire: Anne C. Mulkern, Nathanael Massey on May 16th, 2014
ClimateWire: Parts of San Diego County resembled an inferno yesterday as nine fires roared along the edges of suburbs and through the countryside. In the afternoon, thick, black smoke spiraled into the air above San Marcos, 40 miles northeast of San Diego International Airport, while firefighters battled a spate of new flare-ups in the chaparral-covered hillsides below. The fires have forced tens of thousands to evacuate, including personnel from the shuttered San Onofre nuclear power plant and Marine Corps...
100 percent of California in highest stages of drought
Posted by Climate Central: Andrea Thompson on May 16th, 2014
Climate Central: It might not seem possible, but California's drought just got worse. According to Thursday's release of the U.S. Drought Monitor, 100 percent of the state is now in one of the three worst stages of drought.
As of May 15, California was completely in the three highest stages of drought, severe, extreme and exceptional.
The latest report, which indicated that rain had improved conditions in parts of Texas and the Plains states, revealed that California got no relief. In fact, a heat wave likely...
New $1.1B sea wall protects New Orleans against major storms but may cultivate complacency
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 16th, 2014
ClimateWire: Looming 26 feet over the bayou, the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal-Lake Borgne Surge Barrier stands as a concrete and steel sentinel against the rising and heaving ocean.
The 1.4-mile-long wall, also known as the IHNC barrier, protects vital commercial arteries and more than 350,000 people in New Orleans. An ambitious and expensive project built on soft soils and hard lessons, this Great Wall of Louisiana is a bulwark against once-in-a-century storms.
The problem: After Hurricane Katrina drowned...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on New $1.1B sea wall protects New Orleans against major storms but may cultivate complacencyAttacked for position on climate change, Marco Rubio explains himself
Posted by Miami Herald: Marc Caputo on May 16th, 2014
Miami Herald: Marco Rubio denies being a climate-change denier. But the Florida Senator isn't a believer, either.
Call him a skeptic. For now.
"I think all science deserves skepticism," Rubio said in an interview about what he does and doesn't believe about global warming and what to do about it.
And right now, Rubio doesn't want to take too much action.
In the wake of a new White House report on climate change that paints a bleak picture for his home county, his state, the nation and the planet, Rubio...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Attacked for position on climate change, Marco Rubio explains himselfWildfires are growing, and growing more costly
Posted by NBC: None Given on May 16th, 2014
NBC: The wildfires raging across California are the latest example of a grim reality: Wildfires are getting more dangerous, and they’re costing us more, too.
U.S. taxpayers are paying about $3 billion a year to fight wildfires — triple what it cost in the 1990s — and big fires can lead to billions of dollars in property losses.
The bad news: It’s going to get worse.
Researchers say a potent combination of climate change and homebuilding near wildfire-prone areas is already translating into bigger,...