Archive for June, 2014
3.4-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Colorado Less Than 2 Miles From Fracking Site
Posted by EcoWatch: Brandon Baker on June 2nd, 2014
EcoWatch: A 3.4-magnitude earthquake struck northern Colorado Saturday night, and environmentalists weren’t surprised to learn that the epicenter was near a fracking site. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake struck about 9:35 p.m. It was felt in five towns, NBC 9 reported, with Greeley being the nearest. There were no reports of damage, but anti-fracking activists say there is not a lot of math to add up in this incident. The USGS site refers to eastern Colorado as nearly “aseismic”...
Permanent Protest Setup at Proposed Tar Sands Strip Mine in Utah
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on June 2nd, 2014
EcoWatch: Construction of what could become the first tar sands strip mine in the U.S. is expected to begin this summer in Book Cliffs, UT, with bitumen production and sales expected to commence next year.
Local community members have vowed to stop the Canadian-based U.S. Oil Sands controversial project, and on Friday established a permanent protest vigil inside the boundaries of the planned tar sands mine.
“These beautiful lands that U.S. Oil Sands plans to destroy have been enjoyed by Utahns for decades...
Government Proposes Plan to Clean Up Great Lakes
Posted by Nature World: None Given on June 2nd, 2014
Nature World: The Obama Administration is not only pledging to clean up our atmosphere, but the Great Lakes as well. On Friday, federal officials released their five-year plan for environmental protection of the Great Lakes that would put greater emphasis on climate change and using science to choose cleanup projects.
According to The Associated Press (AP), Congress has spent about $1.6 billion since 2009 for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. The initiative was meant to target what experts consider the...
Report: Two Years Were Australia’s Hottest on Record
Posted by Softpedia: None Given on June 2nd, 2014
Softpedia: Report says the past 24 months were Australia's hottest on record Towards the beginning of May, the United States Global Change Research Program released a report saying that climate change was already happening and affecting people living in this country.
This past June 1, a very similar report hit the public eye, except that this time the focus was on how said phenomenon was reshaping weather patterns and influencing average temperatures in Australia.
The report in question is the brainchild...
Paul McCartney Wants the UK to Implement a Moratorium on Fracking
Posted by Softpedia: None Given on June 2nd, 2014
Softpedia: Sir Paul McCartney joins the fight against shale gas exploration in the UK Sir Paul McCartney is no big fan of fracking, and he is anything but shy when it comes to letting other people know how he feels about this method of exploiting natural gas reserves.
In fact, Paul McCartney hates fracking so much that he has agreed to spearhead a new green-oriented campaign intended to convince high officials in the United Kingdom to reconsider their plans concerning shale gas exploration.
More precisely,...
Global warming may quintuple summer downpours in UK
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 2nd, 2014
New Scientist: By 2100 southern England will be drenched by five times as many sudden summer deluges as it is today, probably causing more flash floods, according to an advanced climate model. Other parts of the world are likely to experience similar increases in downpours, and global warming will be to blame. Sudden heavy downpours cause many floods, such as the flooding of Boscastle in Cornwall in 2004 (see picture, above right). The new finding comes just months after some of the worst recorded floods in the...
Tutu oilsand sermon built on emotion not on facts
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 1st, 2014
Vancouver Sun: South African Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu is, since the death of Nelson Mandela, perhaps the world’s best-known defender of human rights. He is also, unfortunately, a hypocrite, and a symbolist, for whom imagery and headlines matter more than facts and truth.
Saturday in Fort McMurray, Alta., Tutu, flown in for the occasion by the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, delivered precisely what was expected of him by his hosts: fire and brimstone, directed at the despicable Alberta oilpatch, which...
Climate Council says last two years Australia’s hottest
Posted by Renew Economy: None Given on June 1st, 2014
Renew Economy: A Climate Council report, released today, finds the last two years are shaping up to be the hottest in Australia’s recorded history, further evidence that climate change is already influencing the country’s weather. “The past two-year period has delivered the hottest average temperature we have ever recorded in Australia,” the Climate Council’s Professor Will Steffen said. The findings are contained in the Climate Council’s latest seasonal analysis report, Abnormal Autumn, released by Professor...
Climate change to boost summer flash floods, says study
Posted by BBC: Matt McGrath on June 1st, 2014
BBC: Global warming will lead to a significant increase in extreme summer downpours in the UK, a study suggests.
The Met Office and Newcastle University researchers say there could be five times the number of "extreme rainfall events" per hour, under extreme warming projections.
This would cause "really severe" flash flooding in many parts of the UK, according to the scientists.
However, they caution that this result is based on only one computer model.
Flash flooding in Britain has had devastating...
UK summer flash floods to become more frequent, study shows
Posted by Guardian: Fiona Harvey, on June 1st, 2014
Guardian: Flash flooding in summer is likely to become much more frequent across the UK as a result of climate change, with potentially devastating results in vulnerable areas, according to new research.
The study, published in the peer-review journal Nature Climate Change, is the first to draw a direct link between climate change and an increase in summer downpours.
The research, a result of a collaboration between the Met Office and Newcastle University, used climate change computer models and standard...