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Archive for November, 2014
Expect More Giant Snowstorms as Climate Warms
Posted by LiveScience: Marlene Cimons on November 26th, 2014
LiveScience: The storms that buried the Buffalo, New York, area in more than 7 feet (2.1 meters) of snow this week shattered records and shocked residents -- even in a region accustomed to dealing with heavy snow. The storms are certain to provide new fodder for climate-change skeptics who seem to embrace every monster blizzard as evidence that global warming doesn't exist.
And yet, the science behind these catastrophic storms suggests that they do not occur despite global warming, but in fact because of it....
Meet the world’s most wanted environmental criminals
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 26th, 2014
Mongabay: In keeping with recent efforts to ramp up action against environmental crime, INTERPOL has highlighted nine fugitives for breaking laws related to illegal logging, poaching and the wildlife trade, illegal fishing, and waste dumping, among other crimes.
There is Nicolaas Antonius Cornelis Maria Duindam, who is wanted for smuggling wildlife from Brazil; Feisal Mohamed Ali, the alleged leader of an elephant poaching gang; and Sergey Darminov who is wanted for making hundreds of millions of dollars...
Watch Award-Winning Film ‘Facing the Flood’
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on November 26th, 2014
EcoWatch: “Climate change is the deadliest combat humanity has ever faced…,” begins the film Facing the Flood, which won second prize in the 14 -17 age group in the Action4Climate video competition. Facing the Flood, by filmmaker Constantin Huet, is an investigative account of the changing conditions in Greenland and the Maldives, where global warming seems to be threatening these areas more than anywhere else in the world. “Recorded temperatures have begun to fluctuate, and native inhabitants find their...
Anti-Fracking Warriors Steingraber and Boland Released From Jail
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on November 26th, 2014
EcoWatch: Steingraber and Boland are among the first wave arrests as part of a sustained, ongoing, non-violent civil disobedience campaign against the storage of fracked gas along the shores of Seneca Lake, a source of drinking water for 100,000 people. There have been 73 arrests so far. Calling themselves “We Are Seneca Lake,” those risking arrest—and their supporters—wear blue during blockades. Donations to the jail fund are greatly appreciated and make a perfect holiday gift.]
Sandra Steingraber:
Hi,...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Anti-Fracking Warriors Steingraber and Boland Released From JailAfrican states should double agriculture research spending, report says
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 26th, 2014
Reuters: Sub-Saharan Africa needs to double its investment in agricultural research to meet the challenges of high population growth, climate change and deteriorating soils, a new report said on Wednesday.
More women researchers must be trained, and the large number of countries that spend less on research than recommended should note the clear link between new research spending and increased food production, the report said.
"It is critical that African countries invest more in agricultural research...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on African states should double agriculture research spending, report saysJudge: Illinois Fracking Rules Can Be Published
Posted by Chicago Tribune: Julie Wernau on November 26th, 2014
Chicago Tribune: A southern Illinois circuit judge Friday struck down a move that would have prevented the start of fracking in Illinois.
Madison County Judge Barbara Crowder said she won't stop rules governing the practice from taking effect because the southern Illinois residents who requested the preliminary injunction failed to establish that they would suffer "irreparable harm."
"Conclusory allegations that some of the plaintiffs have land near some areas where someone may file an application for a permit...
Supreme Court to Hear Challenge to Rules on Mercury From Power Plants
Posted by New York Times: Adam Liptak and Coral Davenport on November 26th, 2014
New York Times: The Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to hear a major challenge to the limits set by the Obama administration on emissions of mercury and other toxic pollutants from coal-fired power plants. It is the latest effort by industry groups to roll back regulations that would reduce emissions like mercury, soot, sulfur, smog and carbon dioxide. The case also threatens to undermine one of the administration’s most significant victories and chip away at President Obama’s legacy. John Walke, a lawyer with the...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Supreme Court to Hear Challenge to Rules on Mercury From Power PlantsPremier Li says China to speed up water conservation projects: Xinhua
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 26th, 2014
Reuters: Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said China would accelerate water conservation projects to tackle its water shortage and bolster wider economic growth, the official Xinhua news agency said on Wednesday.
China is set to launch 172 key water conservation projects in coming years, with those already under way worth around 600 billion yuan ($98 billion).
Li made the comments during a visit to the Ministry of Water Resources on Monday, noting that water conservation was as important as investment in...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Premier Li says China to speed up water conservation projects: XinhuaChina’s Lake Ebinur Is Shrinking Dramatically, NASA Image Shows
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 25th, 2014
Yale Environment 360: As this NASA satellite image shows, Lake Ebinur, located in northwestern China near the border of Kazakhstan, has shrunk by 50 percent since 1955 as a result of development, agriculture, and natural fluctuations in precipitation. The lake’s saline water is light blue, and the dried lake bed appears white due to salts and other minerals that have been left behind as the water evaporates. Lake Ebinur sits at the bottom of a drainage basin with no outlet, and is surrounded by mountains, farms, and settlements....
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on China’s Lake Ebinur Is Shrinking Dramatically, NASA Image ShowsTea Party-Controlled Legislature Pushes ‘Industry-Driven’ Great Lakes Water Withdrawal Bill
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on November 25th, 2014
EcoWatch: The Ohio legislature, dominated by a Tea Party-controlled Republican supermajority, often seems to be creating more problems than it solves. And it could be creating a problem with international ramifications. In its lame duck session, the chamber passed HB 490 last week, a water quality bill which alters standards for withdrawing water from Lake Erie and its tributaries, and sent it to the state Senate, where it’s expected to pass.
The omnibus bill contains some good things, such as new restrictions...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Tea Party-Controlled Legislature Pushes ‘Industry-Driven’ Great Lakes Water Withdrawal Bill