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Archive for April, 2015
Protest march Mauna Kea telescope reaches State Capitol
Posted by KHON: None Given on April 22nd, 2015
KHON: Protesters took to the streets of Honolulu Tuesday to publicly voice their opposition to the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope.
Construction of the telescope, slated to be built on Mauna Kea, has already been postponed several times as protests gained momentum throughout the state and the world.
A large crowd marched from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs` Na Lama Kukui building to the law firm representing the telescope`s developer in downtown Honolulu to the State Capitol.
The group...
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Comments Off on Protest march Mauna Kea telescope reaches State CapitolConstruction Of Giant Telescope In Hawaii Draws Natives’ Ire
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 22nd, 2015
National Public Radio: This is not simply a story of religion versus science. Activists consider the construction of a giant telescope on the island of Hawaii to be a desecration of their sacred land.
On an overcast morning, barefoot men and women dance hula 9,200 feet above sea level, to a song honoring Mauna Kea, the mountain under their feet. Their hips sway to the beat of a drum as they call out in chant to Poliahu, one of the many Hawaiian gods said to reside in the mountain. Hundreds of protesters who have camped...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Construction Of Giant Telescope In Hawaii Draws Natives’ IreThe Legal Challenge to the Thirty Meter Telescope
Posted by Civil Beat: Ian Lind on April 22nd, 2015
Civil Beat: I admit it. I grew up reading “vintage” science fiction, including Ray Bradbury’s lyric stories that captured the wonder of the night sky and the curiosity inspired by the enormity of the universe and the meaning of our tiny place in it, along with the works of writers like Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov, who both wrote fiction grounded in a background of hard science.
So I’ve been excited, from a distance, at the expansion of astronomy-related research and education here in Hawaii. As a result,...
Almost half Vanuatu people lack clean water month after cyclone: UNICEF
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 22nd, 2015
Reuters: More than 100,000 people in Vanuatu have no clean drinking water, a month after a monster cyclone struck the tiny Pacific nation, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Wednesday.
Two thirds of the archipelago's water and sanitation infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed and most wells are contaminated, UNICEF said in a statement.
"There is water but quality is not that good because of the contamination," Ketsamay Rajphangthong, chief of UNICEF Vanuatu field office, told...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Almost half Vanuatu people lack clean water month after cyclone: UNICEF‘PLANETARY’ Documentary Gives Astronaut’s-Eye View Fragile Earth
Posted by Yahoo: Elizabeth Howell on April 22nd, 2015
Yahoo: Fifteen years ago, a teenage Guy Reid was so passionate about the environment that he was handing out books about it to his friends. The trouble was, nobody wanted to read about the troubles facing the planet.
Reid's answer was to produce documentaries about the environment and space, with a helping hand from former NASA astronauts Ron Garan and Mae Jemison.
Reid's latest release, called "PLANETARY," launches on Earth Day (Wednesday, April 22). The film urges viewers to reduce the fast pace...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on ‘PLANETARY’ Documentary Gives Astronaut’s-Eye View Fragile EarthAmerica’s about to hit a water crisis
Posted by Business Insider: Ellie Kincaid on April 22nd, 2015
Business Insider: Americans tend to take it for granted that when we open a tap, water will come out.
Western states have been dealing with water problems for a while, but they won't be alone for long.
As drought, flooding, and climate change restrict America's water supply, demands from population growth and energy production look set to increase, according to a report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
These two changes squeeze our natural water reserves from both directions. The stress is...
Despite more risks, humanity less vulnerable to floods, study finds
Posted by Christian Science: Pete Spotts on April 22nd, 2015
Christian Science: Humanity's vulnerability to floods has eased, despite increases in population and in the value of assets located in flood-prone areas, according to a new study.
The analysis notes a persistent vulnerability gap between rich and poor countries. But the gap has closed considerably, largely because developing countries have taken steps to reducing fatalities and economic losses from floods.
One striking example: In 1999 and again in 2013, similarly powerful tropical cyclones struck in the same...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Despite more risks, humanity less vulnerable to floods, study findsUS disaster aid must be overhauled to deal with climate threats, insurers warn
Posted by ClimateWire: Evan Lehmann on April 22nd, 2015
ClimateWire: A coalition of insurance companies and environmental organizations is calling for a "complete overhaul" of the nation's disaster policies, which it says encourage dangerous development and wasteful spending after catastrophes strike.
The SmarterSafer coalition urges policymakers in a 21-page report released today to increase pre-disaster spending on mitigation efforts, like raising homes and restoring oyster beds, to tackle climbing losses from floods and other perils exacerbated by climate change....
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on US disaster aid must be overhauled to deal with climate threats, insurers warnDry, warm conditions keep California national forests parched
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 22nd, 2015
LA Times: Warmer temperatures are rapidly drying out the state, he said. California had its second-warmest March since record-keeping began in 1880, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The first three months of this year were the warmest on record in 136 years for the globe, according to NOAA.
The mortality of the national forest is further complicated by the invasion of bark beetles, he said. The tiny brown insects chew away at the pines, making them brittle and transforming...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Dry, warm conditions keep California national forests parchedCalif drought: Brown admin stick with strict conservation targets, despite court ruling
Posted by Mercury News: Paul Rogers and Howard Mintz on April 22nd, 2015
Mercury News: Gov. Jerry Brown is sticking to his statewide mandatory water conservation targets, his administration said Tuesday, even as a new appeals court ruling limits the ability of cities and water districts to hit people with punishing rates to encourage them to save water.
"The court's decision is bad," said Michael Lauffer, chief counsel at the State Water Resources Control Board in Sacramento of the Monday ruling by an Orange County appellate court. "It's going to frustrate some local agencies' abilities...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Calif drought: Brown admin stick with strict conservation targets, despite court ruling