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Archive for July, 2014
Fracking in Nova Scotia should be put on hold to allow for more study: expert
Posted by Canadian Press: Michael MacDonald on July 26th, 2014
Canadian Press: Hydraulic fracturing should not proceed in Nova Scotia until a broader public discussion is held and more research is completed, says the head of an expert panel reviewing the industry's potential in the province.
David Wheeler, president of Cape Breton University, said Friday the province needs more time to get up to speed with the rapidly expanding unconventional oil and gas industry.
"We need more research in a couple of particular areas before anyone could take a view on whether this is...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Fracking in Nova Scotia should be put on hold to allow for more study: expertHundreds of juvenile salmon die due to low flows, warm weather
Posted by Times_Standard: Will Houston on July 26th, 2014
Times_Standard: After a recent population assessment of chinook salmon and steelhead found 54 adult and hundreds of juvenile fish dead in the Salmon River, researchers and tribes are concerned what the future will hold for the anadromous fish should the effects of drought persist.
"We're all on alert," California Department of Fish and Wildlife environmental scientist Sara Borok said. "We don't to want lose this year's spring run. There's not a whole lot we can do other than have more rain dances."
The 54...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Hundreds of juvenile salmon die due to low flows, warm weatherTexas border fracking standoff: NY court ruling may affect outcome
Posted by Fronteras: None Given on July 26th, 2014
Fronteras: The Big Bend of Texas, so named for the way the region hugs a massive bend in the Rio Grande, is renown for its desert landscapes, open spaces and tranquility. But parts of it lie within the oil-rich Permian Basin, the nation’s highest producing oil field thanks to fracking technology.
Now, Mexico is drilling at least 29 exploratory wells across the border from the Big Bend and saying it wants to jumpstart fracking operations there.
Of course, fracking requires water. And in the Big Bend, some...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Texas border fracking standoff: NY court ruling may affect outcomeCalifornia’s water crisis
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 26th, 2014
Living on Earth: To cope with California's drought, farmers are carefully selecting which crops they plant and overpumping from deep underground aquifers. But as the President of the Pacific Institute, Peter Gleick, tells host Steve Curwood, a viable long-term solution to the growing water crisis requires rethinking priorities and conserving much more water. Transcript CURWOOD: So come December, there may be relief for California's record-breaking drought, but for now, it's about as bad as anyone can remember....
Australia bets on coal as climate policy crumbles
Posted by Sydney Morning Herald: Peter Hannam on July 26th, 2014
Sydney Morning Herald: Victoria, Australia. Drought, fierce winds and 47 degree C temperatures led to the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires, which killed over 170 people and millions of animals and plants. The intensity and frequency of bushfire conditions is rising in south-eastern Australia. Michael Hall, Victoria, Australia, 2009. Photo: Michael Hall/The Climate Institute
When the Senate voted on July 17 to axe the carbon tax, Australia became the first country to reverse course on pricing greenhouse gas emissions. ...
Extreme weather: Canadians better get used to it
Posted by Globe and Mail: Jeffrey Simpson on July 26th, 2014
Globe and Mail: Floods (again) in southern Manitoba. Ferocious forest fires (again) in the Northwest Territories. Memories still fresh from last year’s terrible floods in Calgary. Summer in Canada. Canada’s climate is changing, and with that change goes more extreme weather conditions. We are not immune from global warming caused by man-made greenhouse gas emissions; we just have to adapt differently from other places. Weather is, of course, day-to-day, month-to-month stuff. Climate change is certainly not responsible...
If All The Ice Melts, What Happens To Hockey?
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 26th, 2014
National Public Radio: A report from the National Hockey League says climate change could threaten the sport's future. NPR's Scott Simon talks to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman about the league's sustainability plan.
Fresh Focus on Siberian Permafrost as Second Hole is Reported
Posted by New York Times: Andrew C. Revkin on July 25th, 2014
New York Times: I had a Skype chat Wednesday about Siberian permafrost in the context of climate change with Marina Leibman, a top Russian permafrost expert who had just returned from examining the unusual crater spotted on the Yamal Peninsula in Siberia late last week. We talked just before fresh reports circulated about reindeer herders finding another such hole in the region. I hope you’ll watch our chat, which I regret I have not yet had time to transcribe (if you are in the mood, I’d be grateful for help;...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Fresh Focus on Siberian Permafrost as Second Hole is ReportedClimate change may reduce corn, wheat crop yields
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 25th, 2014
Bloomberg: Rising temperatures caused by climate change increase the odds that corn and wheat yields will slow even as global demand for the crops for food and fuel increases in the next 10 to 20 years, according to a study published in Environmental Research Letters. There is as much as a 10 percent chance the rate of corn yields will slow and a 5 percent probability for wheat because of human-caused climate change, said David Lobell, the associate director of the Center on Food Security and the Environment...
42 reasons for banning fracking
Posted by Daily Camera: John C. Lamb on July 25th, 2014
Daily Camera: I have spent a year collecting newspaper and Internet articles about fracking and its negative consequences. I made sure that the articles reported legitimate studies (not funded by the oil and gas industry) or statements from recognized experts on fracking, health, and environmental protection. All that I report is referenced. Here are the results. Fracking reduces real estate values; causes earthquakes; damages roads through heavy trucks/equipment traffic; contributes to over half of ground level...