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Archive for May 21st, 2015
Spending To Fight Wildfires At The Expense Of Preventing Them
Posted by National Public Radio: Rowan Moore Gerety on May 21st, 2015
National Public Radio: The weed-whacker is a frequent companion to the sounds of chirping birds and rustling pines at Ross Frank's ranch in Chumstick, Wash. With forested land on all sides, he's clearing dense brush beneath a stand of by his house. "So we're turning that around manually and mimicking what fire would have done naturally," he says. Eighty percent of the county where Frank's ranch is located is owned by the government. Frank says the government needs to do the same thing he's doing now — clearing out the...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Spending To Fight Wildfires At The Expense Of Preventing Them$50 Million Federal Dollars Ease Historic Drought
Posted by Environment News Service: None Given on May 21st, 2015
Environment News Service: The Obama Administration will invest nearly $50 million to improve water efficiency and conservation in California and 11 other western states squeezed by years of crippling drought, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced today.
Funded projects will replace thirsty grass with drought-tolerant plants, upgrade irrigation controls, line canals to prevent seepage, capture stormwater runoff, increase groundwater recharge and improve salmon habitat.
"In a time of exceptional drought, it...
Burst Pipeline Spills Crude Oil on California Coast
Posted by Environment News Service: None Given on May 21st, 2015
Environment News Service: Thousands of gallons of black smelly crude oil that spilled from a broken pipeline Tuesday in the California coastal county of Santa Barbara has fouled popular beaches and spread across nine miles of ocean.
Reported by a passerby early Tuesday afternoon, the spill occurred near Refugio State Park west of the city of Santa Barbara. Officials have closed the popular park and have also closed El Capitan State Beach over the upcoming Memorial Day weekend.
Officials said up to 105,000 gallons could...
Why Africa particularly vulnerable climate change
Posted by Conversation: Robert Scholes on May 21st, 2015
Conversation: When it comes to climate change Africa is in the eye of the storm. This is partly because of human factors - but the continent’s climate also makes it extremely vulnerable.
Africa is faced with a number of interlinked challenges. These include land degradation, poverty and climate change. These are referred to as “wicked problems” since they are complex and caused by a number of factors, many of which have global dimensions.
In the case of climate change, Africa is vulnerable because it is...