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Archive for March, 2015
Watch how much water goes into your food
Posted by Grist: None Given on March 6th, 2015
Grist: Are you one of those people who suffers through 10-second showers in the name of water and energy conservation? Grist and the planet thank you for the nice gesture — every drop counts. But it turns out really saving water has more to do with what’s on your plate than what’s coming out of your faucet. With prolonged and extreme droughts cropping up left and right, thanks to YOU KNOW WHO (pssssst anthropogenic climate change), small changes at your table can actually have major impacts on water savings...
Are There More Oil and Gas Wells in LA Than Movie Stars?
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on March 6th, 2015
EcoWatch: The story of the rise and fall of Edward Doheny, the first oil baron of Southern California, would seem the archetype of a LA noir tale: A man rises from rags to riches and presents a veneer of respectability to the outside world, but behind closed doors lurks corruption, even violence. Elaborate stagecraft—Hollywood’s specialty—hides the machinery and political machinations that fuel what boosters like to call “progress.” A kind of prosperity veils danger. Here’s how the story goes:
In 1892 Doheny,...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Are There More Oil and Gas Wells in LA Than Movie Stars?White House Mulled, Then Balked at Curbing Explosive Gas on Oil Trains
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 6th, 2015
Reuters: The Obama administration weighed national standards to control explosive gas in oil trains last year but rejected the move, deciding instead to leave new rules to North Dakota, where much of the fuel originates.
Current and former administration officials told Reuters they were unsure if they had the power to force the energy industry to drain volatile gas from crude oil originating in North Dakota's fields.
Instead, they opted to back North Dakota's effort to remove the cocktail of explosive...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on White House Mulled, Then Balked at Curbing Explosive Gas on Oil TrainsEl Niño Arrival Is Too Little, Too Late for Drought-Ridden California
Posted by Mashable: Andrew Freeman on March 6th, 2015
Mashable: Congratulations are in order for the tropical Pacific Ocean. An El Niño event that has been forecast for at least the past year finally arrived on Thursday, when the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued an "El Niño Advisory."
However, like a late-arriving guest to a charity auction, El Niño showed up after all the bidding was done, as it is now likely that California will experience a fourth straight year of drought. El Niño events, particularly strong ones, can favor...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on El Niño Arrival Is Too Little, Too Late for Drought-Ridden CaliforniaFloods could affect twice as many people worldwide within 15 years
Posted by ClimateWire: Evan Lehmann on March 6th, 2015
ClimateWire: River flooding could affect 54 million people worldwide in 2030 as more extreme rainfall and the rapid expansion of cities double exposure to inundation, according to a new analysis. Currently, 21 million people are affected annually by floods. The project by several research organizations in the Netherlands and the World Resources Institute developed the first public tool that shows the estimated flood risk in most countries and how it's expected to rise over the next 25 years. The project, called...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Floods could affect twice as many people worldwide within 15 yearsThe other bad carbon
Posted by Nepali Times: Kunda Dixit on March 6th, 2015
Nepali Times: For decades, governments around the world have tried to cut emissions of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere so global warming stays below a 2 degree rise by the end of the century. That target is not likely to be met. But there is another kind of carbon – tiny soot particles given off by vehicles, cook stoves and crop fires called ‘black carbon’ – that contribute significantly to global warming which may be easier to control. An international conference in Kathmandu last week organised by ICIMOD...
China erases ‘inconvenient truth’ film on pollution
Posted by Telegraph: Tom Phillips on March 6th, 2015
Telegraph: Chinese censors brought the curtains down on a viral documentary about the country’s pollution crisis on Friday after it was watched by more than 200 million people and sparked widespread criticism of the government.
Under the Dome, a film by celebrity journalist Chai Jing about the human cost of China’s smog-choked skies, was released on the internet last Saturday and proved an instant hit.
Environmentalists compared the documentary, which initially appeared to have Beijing’s backing, to Al...
UN calls for investment in disaster resilience as costs reach $300bn per year
Posted by Blue and Green: Charlotte Malone on March 6th, 2015
Blue and Green: The UN is calling on countries to increase investment in risk reduction strategies after it revealed in a report that the cost of disasters worldwide has reached an average of $250 billion (£164) to $300 billion (£197bn) every year.
The Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction has been published ahead of a conference on disaster reduction taking place in Sendai, Japan, between the 14 and 18 March.
The UN argues that climate change is already increasing the risk of disasters, from...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on UN calls for investment in disaster resilience as costs reach $300bn per yearIndia: Ecologically disastrous dams may get the go-ahead
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 6th, 2015
Guardian: In mid-February, the ministry of environment and forests virtually approved six hydropower dams. This is the latest in an 18-month-long debate on the ecological impact of dams in Uttarakhand.
In June 2013, floods severely damaged parts of the state. About 6,000 people died, and tens of thousands of pilgrims were stranded. The disaster destroyed six villages, buried dozens of others in silt, and wrecked highways.
Within days of the disaster, environmentalists and villagers alleged dams aggravated...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on India: Ecologically disastrous dams may get the go-aheadChinese city shuts factories as environmental law bites
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 6th, 2015
Reuters: An industrial city in eastern China has closed several factories, including many steel and nickel pig iron producers, in an apparent sign the government is stepping up enforcement of a new environmental law in the face of growing public discontent over pollution.
Premier Li Keqiang told the annual session of the National People's Congress, or parliament, on Thursday his government would do everything it could to fight pollution.
China's vast and energy-intensive steel sector is at the heart...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Chinese city shuts factories as environmental law bites