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Archive for January, 2015
World leaders in Davos to focus on risks to humanity
Posted by New Scientist: Mico Tatalovic on January 20th, 2015
New Scientist: Emerging threats to humanity will be on the agenda when the world's political and business leaders meet in Davos, Switzerland, this week.
The 45th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum aims to find solutions for global risks - including environmental challenges and those posed by new technologies.
"The risks of the last 10 years were all about economy. Those in the next 10 will be about societal and environmental issues," said Axel P. Lehmann of Zurich Insurance, at the launch last week...
Fracking jobs claims ‘overstated’, argue environmental group
Posted by Blue and Green: Charlotte Malone on January 20th, 2015
Blue and Green: A new report from environmental group Friends of the Earth argues that the fracking industry’s claims about job creation are “overstated” and calls for investment to support renewables instead. The report, which is supported by PCS Union and North West trade councils, places doubt on claims around the amount of long-term jobs the UK fracking industry could create. Energy firm Cuadrilla has previously said fracking could create 1,700 jobs in Lancashire within the first year. However, Friends of the...
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Comments Off on Fracking jobs claims ‘overstated’, argue environmental groupCalif Forests: Where Have All the Big Trees Gone?
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 19th, 2015
National Geographic: California has lost half its big trees since the 1930s, according to a study to be published Tuesday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences-and climate change seems to be a major factor.
The number of trees larger than two feet in diameter has declined by 50 percent on more than 46,000 square miles of California forests, the new study finds. No area was immune, from the foggy northern coast to the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the San Gabriels above Los Angeles. In the Sierra high...
Finding Farmland: Global Maps Help Fight Hunger
Posted by Nature World: Brian Stallard on January 19th, 2015
Nature World: With the world growing increasingly warmer, experts have estimated that we are actually due to gain a great deal of farmland, even if the crop yield that that land could see may actually decrease. However, finding this land so that it can quickly be put to use remains a challenge. Now, two new global maps may provide some help in the search for fresh farmland.
The maps were released today in the journal Global Change Biology, and offer two types of data that experts argue is essential for the...
Underwater Drones Map Algae Beneath Antarctic Ice
Posted by Live Science: Kelly Dickerson on January 19th, 2015
Live Science: Although the surface of Antarctica is almost completely white, a field of green and brown algae clings to the underside of the sea ice around the frozen continent.
Previously, this underwater forest of algae was accessible only to marine creatures or specially trained divers. But now, researchers are using pioneering drones to scout out and map the miles of algae mats.
The Antarctic algae begin growing in early spring and rely on the small amount of sunlight that penetrates the ice to survive....
Oil spills in Yellowstone River after pipeline leak
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 19th, 2015
Reuters: Bridger Pipeline LLC said on Monday it has shut the 42,000 barrel per day Poplar pipeline system after a weekend breach that sent as much as 1,200 barrels of crude oil into the Yellowstone River near Glendive, Montana.
The company said crews are now cleaning up the site after the leak on Saturday morning. Bridger estimates between 300 and 1,200 barrels spilled but could not say how much of the light crude flowed into the river.
The pipeline system runs from the Canadian border to Baker, Montana,...
Remarkable Images of California’s Epic Drought Show Impact on Farmers
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on January 19th, 2015
EcoWatch: With California experiencing the worst drought in 1,200 years, recent NASA satellite images documenting the stunning groundwater loss in California and the announcement last week that 2014 was the hottest year on record attributable to drivers of climate change, it’s vitally important that the seriousness of this issue stays top of mind for people, companies and policymakers.
One award-winning photojournalist, artist and filmmaker in the Western San Joaquin Valley, Randi Lynn Beach, is doing her...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Remarkable Images of California’s Epic Drought Show Impact on FarmersScientists say warm 2014 proves ‘undeniable fact’ of climate change
Posted by Oregonian: Kelly House on January 19th, 2015
Oregonian: Scientists says last year`s hottest-ever temperatures underscore the reality that global climate change is an "undeniable fact."
The Washington Post interviewed several scientists about the news that 2014 was earth`s hottest year on record. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced last week that seven out of 12 months last year reached record highs. "The moral of the story is that global warming is never globally uniform, with varying areas experiencing profoundly different...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Scientists say warm 2014 proves ‘undeniable fact’ of climate changeWhat the UK could learn from New York’s fracking ban
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 19th, 2015
Guardian: Just before Christmas, New York became the first US state with major shale gas reserves to ban fracking for health reasons. The industry was shocked, campaigners cheered and governments like Britain, desperate to exploit their own reserves, looked the other way. It had never happened before.
The six-year New York campaign to ban fracking had been backed by hundreds of artists, actors, musicians and celebrities, such as Lady Gaga, Yoko Ono, Mark Ruffalo and the late Pete Seeger. There had also...
Food diversity under siege from global warming, U.N. says
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 19th, 2015
Reuters: Climate change threatens the genetic diversity of the world's food supply, and saving crops and animals at risk will be crucial for preserving yields and adapting to wild weather patterns, a U.N. policy paper said on Monday.
Certain wild crops - varieties not often cultivated by today's farmers - could prove more resilient to a warming planet than some popular crop breeds, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said.
But these wild strains are among those most threatened by climate...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Food diversity under siege from global warming, U.N. says