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Archive for April, 2015
Mauna Kea is a global spiritual icon
Posted by Hawaii Tribune Herald: Dan Ahuna on April 19th, 2015
Hawaii Tribune Herald: As we bear witness to the largest awakening that has occurred amongst our people since the 1970s, I am filled with pride and hope that we will see an awakening of all those who live in and love Hawaii to recognize that Hawaiians are not second-class citizens in their own home, and that what is good for Hawaiians is good for all of Hawaii. The fearlessness of the young warriors camped out on top of Mauna a Wakea have sparked an awakening in new generations of Hawaiians to rise up and stand for what...
Only a third average rainfall with April almost over
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 19th, 2015
Telegraph: Britain has experienced only a third of the average rainfall for April despite being more than half-way through the month, raising fears of a potential drought.
Last week's heatwave saw the Met Office slash its rain forecast, as the country basked in unseasonably hot weather with highs of over 25C.
And temperatures will continue to soar well above average this week -- to as high as 19C by Tuesday around London, Southampton and southern coastal areas.
The dry spell follows months of below-average...
Can Saltwater Quench Our Growing Thirst?
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 19th, 2015
Climate Central: It seems simple enough: Take the salt out of water so it's drinkable.
But it's far more complex than it appears at first glance. It's also increasingly crucial in a world where freshwater resources are progressively strained by population growth, development, droughts, climate change and more. That's why researchers and companies from the U.S. to Australia are fine-tuning a centuries-old concept that might be the future of quenching the world's thirst.
"When it comes to increasing water supplies,...
How California distributes scarce water
Posted by Environmental News Network: Dan Charles on April 19th, 2015
Environmental News Network: The state of California is asking a basic question right now that people often fight over: What's a fair way to divide up something that's scarce and valuable? That "something," in this case, is water. There's a lot at stake, including your very own nuts, fruit and vegetables, because most of the water that's up for grabs in California goes to farmers. This year, some farmers will get water, and others will not, simply based on when their land was first irrigated. Consider, for instance, the case...
Obama says ‘no greater threat planet than climate change’
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 18th, 2015
Agence France-Presse: US President Barack Obama said Saturday that climate change poses the world's biggest single threat.
"Today, there's no greater threat to our planet than climate change," Obama said in his weekly address, which had an environmental theme to mark Earth Day on April 22.
"Climate change can no longer be denied, or ignored," he added, noting that 2014 was the hottest year on record.
The United States is the second largest greenhouse gas emitter after China, and Obama has pledged to reduce US...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Obama says ‘no greater threat planet than climate change’China struggle for water security
Posted by Agence France-Presse: Giles Hewitt on April 18th, 2015
Agence France-Presse: Way back in 1999, before he became China's prime minister, Wen Jiabao warned that water scarcity posed one of the greatest threats to the "survival of the nation". Sixteen years later, that threat looms ever larger, casting a forbidding shadow over China's energy and food security and demanding urgent solutions with significant regional, and even global, consequences. The mounting pressure on China's scarce, unequally distributed and often highly polluted water supply was highlighted in a report...
Canada revises upward CO2 emission data since 1990
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 17th, 2015
Agence France-Presse: Canada revised its greenhouse gas emission data from 1990 to 2013 in a report Friday, showing it had higher carbon dioxide discharges each year, and a doubling of emissions from its oil sands.
All previous years were revised upward by around 12 to 24 megatons, which left total emissions up by 18 percent since 1990, according to the national report made under new reporting guidelines of a UN climate change agreement.
Canadian emissions rose to 726 megatons in 2013, up from 715 megatons in 2012,...
4 Ways Show Your Support for Mauna Kea
Posted by Indian Country: None Given on April 17th, 2015
Indian Country: The construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT), which would be a huge structure on Hawaii’s Mauna Kea, has sparked strong feelings among Native Hawaiians, who believe the mountain to be sacred.
Many have been protesting the project since March 30. “We are not going to stop until this issue is brought to a halt,” said Jon Osorio, professor in the Hawai‘inuiakea School of Hawaiian Knowledge at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, at a press conference following a university walk-out, which...
Gold rush: How World Bank is financing environmental destruction
Posted by Huffington Post: Ben Hallman and Roxana Olivera on April 17th, 2015
Huffington Post: It started as just another farm chore for Elvira Flores, a teenage shepherd in the northern Andean highlands.
On Sept. 8, 2013, Flores drove her flock across a dirt road that crosses her family`s rocky green fields and down to a stream.
After the sheep drank their fill, something went wrong.
ICIJ and The Huffington Post estimate that 3.4 million people have been physically or economically displaced by World Bank-backed projects since 2004. For email updates on our investigation, sign up...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Gold rush: How World Bank is financing environmental destructionRoadmap needed to ensure future water security, say World Water Forum delegates
Posted by Blue and Green: Charlotte Malone on April 17th, 2015
Blue and Green: Ensuring the world has a secure supply of water in the future is one of the many challenges associated with climate change and sustainability. Delegates of the World Water Forum, hosted by the World Water Council, have urged countries to deliver a roadmap on the issue.
The seventh World Water Forum brought together over 300,000 visitors from 168 countries. Among the delegates were nine heads of State, 80 government ministers and 100 official national governments delegations.
The Forum is held...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Roadmap needed to ensure future water security, say World Water Forum delegates