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Archive for May, 2015
Texas flooding puts Cruz, GOP in bind climate change
Posted by CNN: Alexandra Jaffe on May 27th, 2015
CNN: The heavy flooding that's overwhelmed Texas and killed more than 30 people has put Sen. Ted Cruz in a bind on climate change.
The Republican presidential contender has held two press conferences over the past two days to address the flooding and the government's response. At each one, he was asked about the impact of climate change on natural disasters like the Texas flooding, and at each one, he dodged the question.
"In a time of tragedy, I think it's wrong to try to politicize a natural disaster...
Norway’s $900 billion sovereign fund told to reduce coal assets
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 27th, 2015
Reuters: Norway's $900 billion sovereign wealth fund, the world's largest, should cut its exposure to the global coal industry and sell stakes in firms that focus on the sector, a key parliamentary committee said on Wednesday.
The finance committee agreed in a bipartisan motion that the fund, which owns about 1.3 percent of all listed companies globally, should sell stakes in firms that generate more than 30 percent of their output or revenues from coal-related activities.
Already under pressure from...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Norway’s $900 billion sovereign fund told to reduce coal assetsEl Niño, climate change likely signposted in deadly Southwest storms
Posted by Al Jazeera: Renee Lewis on May 27th, 2015
Al Jazeera: The storms that slammed into Texas and Oklahoma over Memorial Day weekend may signal the beginning of an El Niño year, but their unusual ferocity could be due to climate change, scientists said Wednesday. Torrential rains and tornadoes killed at least 17 people in the Southwest, with the death toll expected to rise as authorities in Texas continue to search for about a dozen missing people. In Houston, the nation’s fourth-largest city, record flooding damaged an estimated 4,000 structures, including...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on El Niño, climate change likely signposted in deadly Southwest stormsEPA’s new rules on river pollution outrage the usual suspects
Posted by Grist: Nathanael Johnson on May 27th, 2015
Grist: The Environmental Protection Agency Wednesday released a long-awaited and long-debated rule for interpreting the Clean Water Act. The EPA has regulated rivers since the Clean Water Act was passed in 1972, but Supreme Court decisions in 2001 and 2006 reduced the scope of government authority to protect water against pollution. Since that time, it has been unclear what the government is allowed to regulate. A New York Times article in 2010 suggested that this rollback was allowing pollution that previously...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on EPA’s new rules on river pollution outrage the usual suspectsOklahoma Hangs On As Heavy Rain Continues To Soak Region
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 27th, 2015
National Public Radio: ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:
This week's storms and floods in Texas and Oklahoma have left at least 19 people dead, and there are still people missing. In Oklahoma, May is already the wettest month on record, and the rains aren't done yet. More water will only mean more flooding in the state where the soil is already saturated and rivers are overflowing. Jacob McCleland sent this report from member station KGOU.
JACOB MCCLELAND, BYLINE: Justin Nimmo walks up the muddy front steps of his rent-to-own...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Oklahoma Hangs On As Heavy Rain Continues To Soak RegionCalifornia oil spill cited by foes of new offshore drilling plan
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 27th, 2015
Reuters: Environmentalists urged California regulators on Wednesday to reject a proposed expansion of the only offshore drilling operation still permitted in state waters along the Santa Barbara coastline, seizing on public outrage over last week's nearby oil spill.
Privately owned Venoco Inc is seeking permission to drill on 3,400 acres (1,400 hectares) of the sea floor within a state-designated coastal sanctuary adjacent to the company's current offshore lease site. It said the plan would increase petroleum...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on California oil spill cited by foes of new offshore drilling planCanada wildfires rage on, intensify near oil sands sites
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 27th, 2015
Reuters: A wildfire raging in northeastern Alberta near two major oil sands projects nearly doubled in size to 17,000 hectares (42,000 acres) on Wednesday, although firefighters made some progress tackling blazes elsewhere in the oil-rich Western Canadian province.
The fires have forced energy companies operating in Alberta, the largest source of U.S. oil imports, to shut in 233,000 barrels per day of production, or roughly 10 percent of total oil sands output.
Scott Long of the Alberta Emergency Management...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Canada wildfires rage on, intensify near oil sands sitesClimate Change Could Melt Everest Region’s Glaciers
Posted by Climate Central: Brian Kahn on May 27th, 2015
Climate Central: The Dudh Koshi basin spans 1 million acres and includes some of world's tallest peaks including Mount Everest. Glaciers tumble down from the highest reaches to the valleys below, shaping the landscape and culture of the region.
But climate change has the region primed for a major meltdown. A new study published in The Cryosphere shows that by 2100, the jagged tongues of ice that define the region could shrink by 70 percent or greater as the region warms.
More than a bucket list item for mountaineers,...
Factory Farms Are a #LoadOfCrap, Says New Report
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on May 27th, 2015
EcoWatch: Factory farming has been expanding in the U.S. over the last two decades, and the size of those farms has increased dramatically--dominating the market, squeezing out smaller producers and setting the agenda for farming practices--to the detriment of food consumers.
That`s the conclusion of a new study, Factory Farm Nation: 2015 Edition, released by Food & Water Watch.
"Over the last two decades, small- and medium-scale farms raising livestock have given way to factory farms that confine thousands...
David Ige, Hawaii governor: Telescope can continue, changes needed
Posted by Associated Press: Jennifer Sinco Kelleher on May 27th, 2015
Associated Press: A project to build a giant telescope near the summit of Mauna Kea has the right to move forward, but Hawaii has failed the mountain in many ways, Gov. David Ige said Tuesday. Amid protests and arrests of opponents blocking construction workers from accessing the site, construction has been halted since last month on the $1.4 billion Thirty Meter Telescope. Ige said it’s up to the nonprofit telescope company to determine when construction will resume. “And we will support and enforce their right...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on David Ige, Hawaii governor: Telescope can continue, changes needed