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Archive for January, 2016
British people as unconcerned about climate change as Americans and Saudis
Posted by Independent: Harry Lambert on January 29th, 2016
Independent: In a survey of 17 countries, the people of Britain has ranked 15th in its concern over climate change.
The UK, US and Saudi Arabia are the three countries least concerned among the group surveyed by YouGov. Only 10.8% of Britons ranked climate change as their most important issue.
Hong Kong is the most concerned, with 20 per cent of those surveyed choosing the issue ahead of eight others.
The Scandinavians countries are also among the more concerned.
They – and the Chinese, the French,...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on British people as unconcerned about climate change as Americans and SaudisAir pollution plays bigger role in global rainfall changes
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 29th, 2016
PhysOrg: Ozone is a naturally-forming gas in our atmosphere, but human activity has caused ozone to increase in the lower atmosphere (a component of air pollution, from causes such as vehicle exhausts and other industrial and agricultural activities) and decrease in the stratosphere (ozone depletion - due to historic emissions of CFC gases used in refrigeration and air conditioning).
It has long been understood that these ozone changes, as well as affecting human health, also contribute to climate change....
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Air pollution plays bigger role in global rainfall changesUAE banks on ‘rainmakers’ to secure future water supply
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 29th, 2016
Guardian: On a winter morning in one of the world’s driest and most water-stressed countries, meteorologist Sufian Khaled Farrah watched on the Doppler radar screen as a cold, wet front scudded across the Arabian Gulf - and quickly called air traffic controllers.
Over the next 15 hours, six twin-engine planes took off from an airfield in Al Ain, on the eastern edge of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and flew repeatedly into the clouds, firing off 162 flares loaded with tiny particles of potassium chloride...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on UAE banks on ‘rainmakers’ to secure future water supplyTyphoid hits Harare, as water crisis fuels fears of new epidemics
Posted by Reuters: Jeffrey Gogo on January 28th, 2016
Reuters: Health officials in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, have detected several cases of typhoid fever in the past week, adding to fears that a water crisis will fuel the spread of infectious diseases.
The city's health director, Prosper Chonzi, said six cases of typhoid had been confirmed, with more expected to emerge.
"The conditions on the ground - frequent water cuts and poor sanitation - are conducive to a typhoid outbreak," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Last year, more than 40 people...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Typhoid hits Harare, as water crisis fuels fears of new epidemicsAustralia: Marine turtles’ nesting troubles attributed to continuing drought
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 28th, 2016
Australian Broadcasting Corporation: A Cape York environmental organisation has discovered Queensland's continuing drought is causing problems for marine turtles attempting to nest on an island in the northern reaches of the Great Barrier Reef.
You would see turtles spending an hour, an hour and a half, trying to dig a chamber to lay their eggs in and just not making any progress because the sand was just too dry.
In nesting seasons gone by, up to 40 female hawksbill and green turtles per night could be seen building their nests...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Australia: Marine turtles’ nesting troubles attributed to continuing droughtDecades-long heatwaves may hit Europe as climate change bites
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 28th, 2016
New Scientist: Buckle up. Europe is in for a bumpy ride as climate change gathers pace. The continent could in future swing between climate extremes, including bursts of super-heatwaves that last for decades, according to an analysis of temperature data from the past 2000 years.
The study, which used tree ring data and other proxies for temperature, is the most detailed look at historical temperatures ever conducted for any continent.
"We now have a detailed picture of how summer temperatures have changed...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Decades-long heatwaves may hit Europe as climate change bitesEl Niño Rains In Calif Spur Growth Of Mushrooms Lethal To Pets
Posted by Nature World: Samantha Mathewson on January 28th, 2016
Nature World: El Niño is bringing more than just heavy rain: Toxic mushrooms are sprouting up in areas of California and they could be lethal for pets.
Dogs, for example, are particularly vulnerable because of the amount of time they spend playing outdoors or in forested areas. In fact, veterinarians in Marin County, just north of San Francisco, said they have had at least one dog a week come in for a mushroom-related illness.
"Dogs can get very sick. Sometimes it's just vomiting, but other times it can...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on El Niño Rains In Calif Spur Growth Of Mushrooms Lethal To PetsLots Of Cities Have The Same Lead Pipes That Poisoned Flint
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 28th, 2016
Huffington Post: Just how many lead pipes are there in Flint, Michigan, where the water has been undrinkable because of high lead levels? Nobody knows.
"A lot of work is being done to even understand where the lead services lines fully are, so I would say any numbers you're hearing at this point are still speculation," Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) said Wednesday.
It's a problem that's much bigger than Flint: there are millions of lead pipes all across America, putting children at risk of stunted growth, brain...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Lots Of Cities Have The Same Lead Pipes That Poisoned FlintBernie Sanders is the only presidential candidate to oppose fracking
Posted by New Republic: Rebecca Leber on January 28th, 2016
New Republic: There isn’t much daylight these days between the Democratic candidates on the environment. Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, and Martin O’Malley all agree that humans are responsible for climate change and that it’s one of the world’s most pressing problems. To that end, they support clean energy tax breaks, reject drilling in the Arctic, and oppose the (now-rejected) Keystone XL pipeline.
But there’s one environmental issue where Sanders truly stands apart: He wants to ban hydraulic fracturing...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Bernie Sanders is the only presidential candidate to oppose frackingU.S. Shale Gas Production Could Sharply Decline in 2016, World Bank Says
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on January 28th, 2016
EcoWatch: In the wake of tumbling oil prices, an onslaught on coal and a year of geopolitical tumult, the World Bank has released its 2016 report on the outlook for the world’s commodity markets.
Carbon Brief looks at the five key takeaways for climate change and energy.
1. There’s All-Round Bad News for Coal
The report makes grim reading for coal industry executives. Coal prices are expected to continue their tumble downwards in 2016. Having fallen by more than 60 percent since 2011, prices are expected...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on U.S. Shale Gas Production Could Sharply Decline in 2016, World Bank Says