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Archive for January, 2015
Obama Moves To Cement His Environmental Legacy
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 28th, 2015
National Public Radio: He took steps to protect land in Alaska from oil and gas drilling, and to allow offshore drilling along the coasts of Virginia, the Carolinas and Georgia — part of a climate change strategy.
Blizzard Spares New York, Buries Boston, Into Canada
Posted by Environment News Service: None Given on January 28th, 2015
Environment News Service: The powerful storm that brought heavy snowfall and blizzard conditions to the Northeast on Monday persisted Tuesday as heavy snow and blizzard conditions paralyzed travel from eastern Long Island to Maine. Snow and strong winds began tapering off from south to north Tuesday night into Wednesday morning as the blizzard system slowly moves northeast into eastern Canada.
While the National Weather Service has posted blizzard warnings for eastern New Hampshire and Maine overnight, and periods of heavy...
Protests Against Fracking in the Sahara Desert Are Spreading in Algeria
Posted by Vice: Pierre Longeray on January 28th, 2015
Vice: Anti-fracking protests have escalated in the small Algerian town of In Salah since the start of January, and have now spread to neighboring towns in the region. The demonstrations have continued despite the government's announcement that plans to tap shale gas reserves have been temporarily shelved amid growing public concern over the environmental impact. Residents of In Salah, a town of 36,000 that is located 750 miles south of the capital Algiers, have been protesting relentlessly since January...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Protests Against Fracking in the Sahara Desert Are Spreading in AlgeriaRadical Evolution Isn’t as Random as You’d Think
Posted by Nature World: None Given on January 28th, 2015
Nature World: Evolutionary biologists have always wondered that if we were to hit that "restart" button, would things still turn out as they have? A new study says that's more than likely, as many species seem to have stumbled upon the same few saving-grace traits on their own accord.
That's at least according to a study recently published in the journal Nature Genetics, which details how an international team of experts set out to investigate the evolutionary history of three groups of aquatic mammals - the...
Blizzard slams Boston area, spares New York despite predictions
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 28th, 2015
Reuters: A powerful blizzard struck Boston and surrounding New England on Tuesday, leaving some 4.5 million people grappling with as much as three feet of snow and coastal flooding but sparing New York City residents who had braced for a significant blast. Snow was forecast to keep falling into early Wednesday in eastern New England, possibly setting a record snowfall in Boston. At Logan International Airport, 23.3 inches (59.2 cm) of snow was on the ground early evening, swept higher in parts by strong...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Blizzard slams Boston area, spares New York despite predictionsDecline of Early Mesoamericans Due Climate Change
Posted by Nature World: None Given on January 27th, 2015
Nature World: The drastic decline of a group of early Mesoamericans from the region around Canton was due, at least in part, to climate change, according to a new study.
Cantona was one of the largest cities in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, located near present-day Mexico City, with a population of 90,000 inhabitants. And by 1150 AD, this population was completely wiped out, and researchers are just beginning to understand why.
Described in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers...
Are extreme blizzards the new normal?
Posted by Climate Central: Andrea Thompson on January 27th, 2015
Climate Central: An intense nor’easter is blasting parts of New England with up to three feet of snow, along with strong winds and storm surge in coastal areas. It might seem strange to talk about a major winter storm in the context of a warming world, but as the climate changes, extreme snowfalls may become a bigger proportion of all snowstorms.
Simply put, the warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, which can mean more snow as long as temperatures remain cold enough; average snow amounts are actually expected...
Why Fracking Is a Breast Cancer Issue
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on January 27th, 2015
EcoWatch: Most people consider fracking a climate change issue. They are able to make the connection between a potent greenhouse gas like methane and its impact on warming the planet. But methane emission leaks at well sites are only one of the many concerns of the fracking boom. The toxic process also uses more than 700 chemicals, many linked to breast cancer. Fracking threatens the necessities of life, and just as this process drives climate change, it also increases our risk for breast cancer.
So what...
What Is a CSA and Why You Should Join One
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on January 27th, 2015
EcoWatch: A CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture, is a way to support farmers in your area by buying into a share of food for the growing season. Similar models existed in Europe, Japan and elsewhere before its arrival in the U.S. in the 1980s. Inspired by Rudolf Steiner, the philosopher and social reformer who is credited with developing Waldorf education and biodynamic agriculture, a German and a Swiss biodynamic farmer brought the concept to the U.S. and simultaneously but independently established...
Report Shows How Fracking Industry Failure to Follow Regulations Impacts Human Health
Posted by EcoWatch: Stefanie Spear on January 27th, 2015
EcoWatch: A new report out today from Environment America Research & Policy Center shows that all types of fracking companies, from small to large, are prone to violating rules intended to protect human health and the environment. The report, Fracking Failures: Oil and Gas Industry Environmental Violations in Pennsylvania and What They Mean for the U.S., analyses Pennsylvania’s oil and gas industry over a four-year period and found that the top offenders of regulations—averaging more than one environmental...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Report Shows How Fracking Industry Failure to Follow Regulations Impacts Human Health