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Archive for August 25th, 2014
Bills to regulate California groundwater use opposed by farmers
Posted by Reuters: Joaquin Palomino on August 25th, 2014
Reuters: A package of bills aimed at regulating drought-parched California's stressed groundwater supplies has come under fire from agricultural interests, injecting doubt into the measures' fates in the waning days of the state's legislative session this week.
The bills, which would allow the state to take over management of underground aquifers and water accessed via wells, tighten oversight of water at a time when groundwater levels are shrinking in the third year of a catastrophic drought.
“If we...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Bills to regulate California groundwater use opposed by farmers‘Most Endangered’ River in the Nation
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on August 25th, 2014
EcoWatch: The organization American Rivers has distinguished the San Joaquin River of California with the dubious title of "most endangered" river in the nation. Since 2009 the stream has been celebrated as a path-breaking example of restoration--status that could now be threatened.
This artery of California`s Central Valley and important supplier of water to southern California begins in high Sierra wonderlands south of Yosemite National Park and in the breathtaking Evolution Valley of Kings Canyon National...
Earthquake, Drought and Wildfires Ravage California
Posted by EcoWatch: Anastasia Pantsios on August 25th, 2014
EcoWatch: We probably can`t blame the earthquake that hit California`s Napa Valley this weekend on climate change. But it`s one more thing that the beleaguered residents of the so-called "Golden State" have to deal with. And while we can`t do much to address the fact that the state sits on geographical fault lines, other issues have a human element.
The magnitude 6.0 earthquake, which occurred early Sunday morning, is the largest to hit the state since 1989′s Loma Prieta quake. It injured several...
Mideast Water Wars: In Iraq, A Battle for Control of Water
Posted by Yale Environment 360: Fred Pearce on August 25th, 2014
Yale Environment 360: There is a water war going on in the Middle East this summer. Behind the headline stories of brutal slaughter as Sunni militants carve out a religious state covering Iraq and Syria, there lies a battle for the water supplies that sustain these desert nations.
Blood is being spilled to capture the giant dams that control the region’s two great rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates. These structures hold back vast volumes of water. With their engineers fleeing as the Islamic State (ISIS) advances, the...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Mideast Water Wars: In Iraq, A Battle for Control of WaterLack of int’l climate code lets Turkey off hook on emissions
Posted by Daily News: None Given on August 25th, 2014
Daily news: The absence of an international regime on climate change has enabled Turkey to enjoy a free ride on a development policy that is careless about emissions, according to an activist. ‘The collapse of the EU process is also the reason why Turkey gives less emphasis to climate change,’ says Ümit Sahin.
The major effect of climate change in Turkey is water stress and drought, says Ümit Sahin adding that all three phases of drought; meteorological, agricultural and hydrological, are seen in Turkey....
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Lack of int’l climate code lets Turkey off hook on emissionsGov Scott must acknowledge climate change threat
Posted by News-Press: Editorial on August 25th, 2014
News-Press: Gov. Rick Scott sat down with the scientists. We commend the governor for meeting with some of Florida's brightest minds on the threat of human-induced climate change and sea level rise. But we're disappointed to hear that the scientists left the meeting, well, disappointed.
As reported by the Miami Herald's Mary Ellen Klas, David Hastings, professor of marine science and chemistry at Eckerd College, said after the meeting, "There was no acknowledgment of the issue nor was there any reflection...
Unpacking unpaused global warming climate models got it right
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 25th, 2014
Guardian: Although the global climate has continued to build up heat at an incredibly rapid rate, there has been a keen focus among climate contrarians and in the media on the slowdown of the warming at the Earth’s surface. The slowdown is in fact a double cherry pick – it focuses only on the 2% of global warming that heats the atmosphere (over 90% heats the oceans), and it only considers the past 10–15 years. Nevertheless, because there was so much attention paid to the surface warming slowdown, the latest...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Unpacking unpaused global warming climate models got it rightSprinting Salmons Less Likely Survive Migration
Posted by Nature World: None Given on August 25th, 2014
Nature World: Sockeye salmon that are forced to use fast-moving waters to reach spawning grounds are at risk, a new study suggests.
Salmon often try to burst swim in rapid, turbulent waters. Burst swimming is comparable to sprinting in humans. These fish try to move upstream in fast-flowing waters, a behaviour that utilizes more oxygen than usual swimming methods.
Researchers at the University of British Columbia and colleagues conducted the study. The team tagged salmon with accelerometer transmitters....
Keystone XL Pipeline: EnbridgeTo Pump More Canadian Oil To US
Posted by Business Times: Maria Gallucci on August 25th, 2014
Business Times: Enbridge Inc. (NYSE:ENB) is steadily advancing plans to build a pipeline network akin to the Keystone XL. The Calgary company is progressing on at least two projects that will help it move more Canadian tar sands oil to the U.S. Gulf Coast, recently revealed documents and a federal ruling last week indicate.
In one project, Enbridge is proposing to switch crude oil from one pipeline to another before it crosses into the United States -- a move that enables the company to circumvent a lengthy federal...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Keystone XL Pipeline: EnbridgeTo Pump More Canadian Oil To USClimate change is real and happening in India
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 25th, 2014
Times of India: Ahead of the UN climate summit which is to be organized in New York on September 23 to give a political push to future negotiations, Indian scientists on Friday emphasized the need to take urgent steps to address the issue of climate change that has potential to adversely affect the country.
Taking stock of climate change and its implications for India, scientists from JNU, IIT Delhi, IARI and UCAS Bangalore highlighted country-specific points in the recent IPCC reports covering agriculture production,...