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Archive for February 26th, 2010
Most of Italy’s oil spill to be retrieved by Friday: official
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 26th, 2010
Agence France-Presse: The huge oil slick which threatened environmental disaster on Italy's River Po is under control, the head of the civil protection service said on Friday. At least a million litres (260,000 gallons) of oil were deliberately released into the Lambro, a Po tributary, on Tuesday by saboteurs who broke into a disused refinery near Milan. The oil entered the Po, forming a slick several kilometres long which began moving down the river, threatening wildlife, fishing grounds and ...
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Malawi: Extra Money Allocated for Drought Relief
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 26th, 2010
Inter Press Service: Maize farmer Anita Yunus has lived near the Mulanje Mountain in southern Malawi for over 30 years. And she does not remember there ever being a drought in the area. While there have been four severe droughts in Malawi in the past 25 years, the Mulanje region was not affected by these. So this year's drought is the first Yunus has experienced and she is deeply worried. "I don't know what punishment this is," the 53-year-old tells IPS. "We have always enjoyed very good rains, ...
Britain’s green spaces under threat from water shortages and house prices
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 26th, 2010
Press Association: Parts of the UK could face water shortages, rapidly rising house prices and threats to wildlife and landscapes without major changes to how land is managed, a report warned today. The chief scientific adviser, professor John Beddington, said sticking with "business as usual" management of land was not an option in the face of pressures such as climate change and population increases over the next 50 years. The Foresight report on the future of land use said addressing these ...
Yemen threatens to chew itself to death over thirst for narcotic qat plant
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 26th, 2010
Guardian: There's something a bit different about the three Rafik brothers as they show off their fields of lanky green trees, grown from the rich and rare soils of Wadi Dahr. Unlike three-quarters of Yemeni men on the afternoon of a day off, there are no little green flecks around the teeth of Abdullah, Nabil and Ahmed: they are not chewing qat – they are growing it. The bitter and mildly narcotic leaf is key to Yemen's economy, and yet its enormous need for water is on course to make ...
India to take green revolution to eastern drylands
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 26th, 2010
SciDev.Net: India will plough US$86 million into extending its green revolution to the eastern drylands. Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee presented the country's 2010--11 budget in parliament today (26 February). Unlike the first phase of the country's green revolution -- which introduced high-yielding wheat varieties that need a lot of irrigation, fertiliser and pesticide -- India will now focus on drylands where there is little water available for irrigation. An additional US$43 ...
California farms to get more water from U.S., state
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 26th, 2010
Reuters: Drought-stricken farmers and cities across California were granted a measure of relief on Friday when federal and state officials said they expected to supply significantly more water this year than last. The announcements came as welcome news in the nation's No. 1 farm state, where dramatic cutbacks in water deliveries by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the state Water Resources Department had idled thousands of farm workers and 300,000 acres of cropland. Shortages have ...
From ocean to ozone: Earth’s nine life-support systems
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 26th, 2010
New Scientist: EARTH'S NINE LIVES UP TO now, the Earth has been very kind to us. Most of our achievements in the past 10,000 years - farming, culture, cities, industrialisation and the raising of our numbers from a million or so to almost 7 billion - happened during an unusually benign period when Earth's natural regulatory systems kept everything from the climate to the supply of fresh water inside narrow, comfortable boundaries. This balmy springtime for humanity is known as the Holocene. ...
Climate change report sets out an apocalyptic vision of Britain
Posted by Water Conserve: Water Conservation RSS Newsfeed on February 26th, 2010
Times (UK): Mass migration northwards to new towns in Scotland, Wales and northeast England may be needed to cope with climate change and water shortages in the South East, according to an apocalyptic vision set out by the Government Office for Science. Heathrow would be converted into a giant reservoir by 2035, there could be severe restrictions on flying and driving and farmers would be forced to sell their land to giant agricultural businesses. Greenhouse gas emissions would be controlled by ...
Network will bolster African fisheries research
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 26th, 2010
SciDev.Net: A new African network is aiming to increase the number of aquaculture and fisheries scientists on the continent and boost its dwindling fish stocks. The Fisheries University Network (FishNet), led by the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD), was launched at the Bunda College of Agriculture in Malawi this month (15 February). It will recruit and train scientists on fisheries at member universities, in line with both national and pan-African development ...
Canada: Bridge Glacier to be studied for global warming
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 26th, 2010
Vancouver Sun: An important Coast Mountain glacier north of Pemberton is being included in an ambitious project to permanently document the effects of global warming through the use of time-lapse photography. In April, world-renowned environmental photographer James Balog will install two cameras on Bridge Glacier that will photograph the ice field every 30 minutes in perpetuity. The glacier, from which Bridge River springs and which is part of the important Lillooet Icecap 109 kilo-metres ...