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Archive for September, 2014
As Obama admin orders carbon cuts, it sells coal rights
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 14th, 2014
Boston Globe: The desolate stretch of Highway 133 crests a Rocky Mountain pass and settles into a valley where some of the world's most valuable coal is located -- and the landowner is the US taxpayer.
If there is a "war on coal' by President Obama, as his critics say, then this might be a place to wage it. Obama has, after all, approved regulations designed to cut global-warming carbon emissions by nearly one-third, and he is preparing to attend a Sept. 23 United Nations climate summit at which he will renew...
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Comments Off on As Obama admin orders carbon cuts, it sells coal rightsA week on from flood, 150,000 still stranded in Indian Kashmir
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 14th, 2014
Reuters: About 150,000 people were still stranded in their homes a week after Indian Kashmir's worst flood in over a century and fears grew on Sunday of an outbreak of diseases from vast fields of stagnant brown water.
Indian army and civilian boats trawled through the streets -now water channels - of the state capital Srinagar – picking up residents and delivering water, food and basic medicine to people who chose to remain camped out in the upper floors of their houses.
The state administration, which...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on A week on from flood, 150,000 still stranded in Indian KashmirDrought Bites as Amazon’s ‘Flying Rivers’ Dry Up
Posted by Truthdig: None Given on September 14th, 2014
Truthdig: The unprecedented drought now affecting São Paulo, South America’s giant metropolis, is believed to be caused by the absence of the “flying rivers”-the vapour clouds from the Amazon that normally bring rain to the centre and south of Brazil. Some Brazilian scientists say the absence of rain that has dried up rivers and reservoirs in central and southeast Brazil is not just a quirk of nature, but a change brought about by a combination of the continuing deforestation of the Amazon and global warming....
Climate change affects restaurant menus today
Posted by Sacramento Bee: Patrick Mulvaney on September 14th, 2014
Sacramento Bee: When I read about climate change, I learn about rising sea levels and shrinking polar ice caps -- problems for 100 years in the future. But when I talk to my friends and customers about climate change, the focus is on what is happening today. It seems little things are already adding up.
As a chef, I have always believed that the completed dish will only be as good as the ingredients used. The bounty of the 12-month growing season is the main reason we decided to open our restaurant here in Sacramento....
United Kingdom: Rural crisis warning as frackers target Yorkshire region
Posted by Halifix Courier: None Given on September 14th, 2014
Halifix Courier: Rural campaIgners have urged the Government to consider the impact of fracking on the half a billion pound a year local tourism economy.
Concern is growing that drilling for oil and gas in parts of Yorkshire, including potential bids in the North York Moors national park, could see major disruption to rural life.
Ministers are to be asked what protection can be offered to the rural villages and farms which form a vital part of the tourism economy amid fears some fracking sites will need a regular...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on United Kingdom: Rural crisis warning as frackers target Yorkshire regionCrews battle out-of-control wildfire as Southern California bakes
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 13th, 2014
Reuters: Hundreds of firefighters spent a second day on Saturday battling a wildfire burning out of control in a national forest southeast of Los Angeles, as the region baked under triple-digit temperatures that prompted authorities to issue a "heat alert."
The so-called Silverado Fire, which broke out in the Cleveland National Forest on Friday morning, had charred some 1,600 acres (647 hectares) by Saturday afternoon as it burned through brush and chaparral left bone dry by California's record drought....
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Crews battle out-of-control wildfire as Southern California bakesGov. Hassan signs 3 bills designed to protect NH against pipeline spills
Posted by Union Leader: None Given on September 13th, 2014
Union Leader: Gov. Maggie Hassan signed three bills Friday afternoon designed to help the state better regulate pipelines and to better prepare for any pipeline emergencies that might happen.
Amid the mountain splendor that is the New Hampshire Presidential Range, Hassan also signed a fourth bill establishing a Rural Affairs Commission, something she said she knows Sen. Jeff Woodburn, D-Dalton, "has wanted for a long time."
To help with pipeline safety, House Bill 325 gives the state Department of Environmental...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Gov. Hassan signs 3 bills designed to protect NH against pipeline spillsPakistan-India monsoon floods: Averting future disasters
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 13th, 2014
BBC: After yet another devastating flood, experts say that what Pakistan and India need to do is build more dams and reservoirs.
It makes these annual disasters all the more tragic that for most of the year both countries have little rain.
Yet after leaving more than 450 dead and a swathe of destruction on both sides of the border, much of the water dumped on the Kashmir and Punjab regions in the past 10 days will now be wasted.
Critics say both the Indian and Pakistani governments have repeatedly...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Pakistan-India monsoon floods: Averting future disastersThe Pros and Cons of Fracking
Posted by Nature World: None Given on September 13th, 2014
Nature World: Hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," has gained popularity over recent years, and given the controversy over this practice, new research decided to lay out some of its environmental pros as well as cons.
Fracking involves blasting huge amounts of water, sand and chemicals deep into underground rock formations to access valuable oil and natural gas. While this is a form of alternative energy, it also has harmful environmental implications, influencing local air pollution, earthquakes and, especially,...
Environmental Costs and Benefits of Fracking Assessed in New Study
Posted by Med India: Kathy Jones on September 12th, 2014
Med India: Research has shown that advances in hydraulic fracturing put trillions of dollars' worth of previously unreachable oil and natural gas within grasp. Environmental Costs and Benefits of Fracking Assessed in New Study
The environmental costs - and benefits - from "fracking," which requires blasting huge amounts of water, sand and chemicals deep into underground rock formations, are the subject of new research that synthesizes 165 academic studies and government databases. The survey covers not...
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