RSS Feed
Archive for May, 2015
Photos from the front: the California oil spill in pictures
Posted by Mongabay: Rebecca Kessler on May 21st, 2015
Mongabay: On Tuesday, an underground oil pipeline burst near Goleta, California, spilling crude oil into the Pacific, soiling beaches, killing marine animals, and coating birds in oil. Whales and sea lions were spotted in the spill area, where two slicks totaled 9-miles long as of Wednesday evening. The spill took place not far from the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, site of an incredibly diverse marine ecosystem that is home to 18 cetacean and 3 seal species.
The ruptured pipe was discovered...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Photos from the front: the California oil spill in picturesWhat take to limit climate change 1.5°C by 2100?
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 21st, 2015
ScienceDaily: Limiting temperature rise by 2100 to less than 1.5°C is feasible, at least from a purely technological standpoint, according to the study published in the journal Nature Climate Change by researchers at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), and others. The new study examines scenarios for the energy, economy, and environment that are consistent with limiting climate change to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, and...
California investigates nine-mile oil slick
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 21st, 2015
BBC: Clean-up crews are working around the clock as investigators look into how tens of thousands of gallons of oil spewed into the sea off Santa Barbara.
More than 6,000 gallons (22,700 litres) of oil have been mopped from the beach - a fraction of the 20,000 gallons officials say spilled into the sea after a pipe burst on Tuesday.
Federal officials are to excavate the pipe to find clues to how it ruptured.
The company responsible for the pipeline has publicly apologised.
California Governor...
El Niño could bring drought and famine in west Africa, scientists warn
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 21st, 2015
Guardian: A global weather phenomenon could cause a famine in the Sahel this year by combining with already dry conditions to create a “double whammy” for the region, scientists and aid groups have warned.
Professor Adam Scaife, a long term forecaster at the UK Met Office Hadley Centre, said models now agreed an El Niño event was likely and the first impacts may be felt as early as June.
El Niño is caused by a reversal of trade winds in the Pacific that allow warm water to spread east, across the ocean....
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on El Niño could bring drought and famine in west Africa, scientists warnJudge Says No to Fracking
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on May 21st, 2015
EcoWatch: A judge in North Carolina has blocked the start of fracking in that state over a challenge to the membership of the commission charged with issuing the permits.
"Finally some good news in our long battle to keep fracking out of NC!" exulted North Carolina environmental nonprofit Haw River Assembly, one of the parties to the lawsuit, on its Facebook page.
The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) was granted the preliminary injunction it sought in Wake County Superior Court to delay the state`s...
Ottawa’s new climate plan step backward
Posted by Toronto Star: None Given on May 21st, 2015
Toronto Star: In the PR trade, it’s known as “dump and run.” If you have bad news, or at least something you hope won’t get too much attention, put it out when people are looking in another direction. The Friday before a long weekend will do nicely. So it was that the Harper government chose last Friday, hours before the Victoria Day weekend, to release Canada’s new target to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions in advance of a crucial international climate summit set for December. And no wonder. The plan to...
El Niño could ‘disrupt food markets’
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 21st, 2015
BBC: Global food markets could be disrupted by the El Nino event predicted for later this year.
A strong El Nino is likely to increase prices of staple foods such as rice, coffee, sugar and cocoa, say scientists.
Forecasters agree that the El Nino effect, which can drive droughts and flooding, is under way in the tropical Pacific.
But they say it is too early to say how severe it will be.
Reduced rainfall could be felt in India and West Africa as early as June, say scientists.
"Most El...
What extreme weather costs US consumers
Posted by Scripps: None Given on May 21st, 2015
Scripps: The environmental damage caused by climate change isn't always immediate, but scientists say it's costing the U.S. a lot of money and problems right now.
New research reveals a sharp increase in global carbon-dioxide levels, passing 400 parts per million.
Dr. Pieter Tans is the lead scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He says greenhouse gas emissions reached a new benchmark.
"CO2 hasn't been this high in 800,000 years. This is very well known. And very likely,...
President Obama: Climate Change Is ‘Immediate Risk to Our National Security’
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on May 21st, 2015
EcoWatch: When President Obama delivered the keynote address at the Coast Guard Academy graduation ceremonies Wednesday, the theme was one he`s been hitting with increasing frequency as he nears the end of his time in office: climate change. He has emphasized its impact on the economy, public health and national security. He focused on the latter at the Coast Guard ceremony, with an increased sense of urgency.
As Republicans in Congress fight against Obama`s climate measures such as the Clean Power Plan...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on President Obama: Climate Change Is ‘Immediate Risk to Our National Security’Efforts Underway to Scrub Spilled Oil from California Coast
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 21st, 2015
Associated Press: Slicks of oil that spilled into California coastal waters from an onshore pipeline spanned a total of 9 miles Wednesday, and a company official said the line was operating at full capacity when it broke, suggesting much more oil escaped than initially estimated.
The oil that spilled Tuesday off southern Santa Barbara County formed two slicks, said Coast Guard Capt. Jennifer Williams, one of two federal response coordinators.
Before a morning flyover, the oil was estimated to span 4 miles of...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Efforts Underway to Scrub Spilled Oil from California Coast