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Archive for February, 2016
Study: All US Forests From Coast To Coast Now Threatened Climate Change, Drought
Posted by Inquistr: Shelley Hazen on February 23rd, 2016
Inquistr: In as little as 20 years, forests in the U.S. may look very different than they do today. A new study is warning that climate change and drought will likely threaten all of the country’s trees. The effects on the American West have already proven disastrous, but a new study that compiles hundreds of smaller studies on the health of U.S. forests and rangelands has suggested that the problem will spread east, the Christian Science Monitor reported. Science is currently scrambling to understand the...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Study: All US Forests From Coast To Coast Now Threatened Climate Change, DroughtDamaged Peru pipeline leaks 3,000 barrels oil into Amazon region
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 23rd, 2016
Reuters: Ruptures in Peru’s main oil pipeline have spilled 3,000 barrels of crude into the Amazon region, polluting two rivers that native villages rely on for water.
National environmental regulator OEFA said the oil from the broken pipeline has poured into the Chiriaco and Morona rivers in northwestern Peru.
Edwin Montenegro, a local indigenous leader, said at least eight native Achuar communities rely on the rivers for water.
Petroperu, the state-owned operator of the pipeline, said two breaks...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Damaged Peru pipeline leaks 3,000 barrels oil into Amazon regionPeru pipeline leaks in Amazon; Two rivers polluted, agency says
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 23rd, 2016
Reuters: Ruptures in Peru's main oil pipeline have spilled 3,000 barrels of crude in an Amazonian region, operator Petroperu said Monday, and the oil has polluted two rivers native villages rely on for water, according to government officials.
Two breaks in the pipeline have halted transportation of 5,000 to 6,000 barrels of oil per day, state-owned Petroperu said.
The oil has poured into the Chiriaco and Morona rivers in northwestern Peru, said national environmental regulator OEFA. At least eight...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Peru pipeline leaks in Amazon; Two rivers polluted, agency saysDrought and climate change threaten almost all U.S. forests
Posted by Solo: None Given on February 23rd, 2016
Solo: Forests nationwide are feeling the heat from increasing drought and climate change, according to a new study by scientists from 14 research institutions.
Drought-induced forest diebacks, bark beetle infestations and wildfires are already occurring on large scales across the West, and many models predict droughts are likely to become more severe, frequent and prolonged across much of the United States.
The study notes that the impact of drought and climate change are profound in the West US,...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Drought and climate change threaten almost all U.S. forests‘Limited role’ for gas in UK future
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 23rd, 2016
BBC: The use of natural gas for electricity generation in the UK may have to decline significantly over the next 30 years, according to a new study.
Without carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology, gas-fired electricity would have to fall to 10% of the mix to meet emissions targets for 2050.
The new study also warns that current government policies will deter investment in gas.
The report has been published by the UK Energy Research Centre.
Blue bridge
Last November the government signalled...
Antarctic ice sheet is more vulnerable to carbon dioxide than expected
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 23rd, 2016
ScienceDaily: Results from a new climate reconstruction of how Antarctica's ice sheets responded during the last period when atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) reached levels like those expected to occur in about 30 years, plus sediment core findings reported in a companion paper, suggest that the ice sheets are more vulnerable to rising atmospheric CO2 than previously thought.
Details appear in two papers in the current Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Researchers led by Edward Gasson and...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Antarctic ice sheet is more vulnerable to carbon dioxide than expectedHow farmers are trying a new kind of flooding to save Calif agriculture
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 22nd, 2016
Christian Science Monitor: El Niño’s winter rains couldn’t have come soon enough for George Goshgarian and his family’s orchards.
It's not that his crops are failing. Far from it. Instead, he's looking to the future. The storms are providing an opportunity for Mr. Goshgarian and a handful of other growers in California's San Joaquin Valley to test a new approach to stanching the loss of their most precious resource: groundwater.
Groundwater is the reservoir of last resort in a drought, after rivers and surface reservoirs...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on How farmers are trying a new kind of flooding to save Calif agricultureIndia bee populations collapsing under environmental strain
Posted by Climate Home: Pramila Krishnan on February 22nd, 2016
Climate Home: A lethal combination of climate change and human interference is helping to wipe out colonies of the giant honeybees on which many plants and trees in India depend for their survival.
The precise cause of colony collapse disorder (CCD) is not known, but researchers say that the loss of the bees will become disastrous for the whole ecosystem if it is not tackled.
The giant rock bee (Apis dorsata) is in sharp decline in one of its strongholds in the Nilgiris mountain range in southern India....
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on India bee populations collapsing under environmental strainSoutheast Asian crops suffer as rains fail
Posted by Climate Home: None Given on February 22nd, 2016
Climate Home: The boat moves sluggishly up the Ayeyarwaddy, the river formerly known as the Irrawaddy. Every so often it comes to a halt as the ferryman dips a bamboo pole in the shallow waters, checking for sandbanks. Even though it is the dry season, water levels in the Ayeyarwaddy – Myanmar’s main river, and one of Southeast Asia’s principal waterways – are unusually low. The ferry is carrying passengers and goods from the ancient temple site of Baganto the city of Mandalay. “The journey is taking longer...
Replacement of Flint’s Lead Water Pipes Underway
Posted by Environment News Service: None Given on February 22nd, 2016
Environment News Service: Work on replacing high-risk lead service lines in Flint is under way as state and city leaders focus on removing pipes in priority areas while analyzing the city's water pipe network to maximize efficiency, said Michigan Governor Rick Snyder.
The state last week came to an agreement with Rowe Professional Services, a Flint-based engineering firm, to update recent analysis of water pipes in the city and boost efforts to protect the health and safety of city residents.
"We're immediately targeting...