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Archive for March 17th, 2010
Nobel Laureate Maathai warns on forests destruction
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 17th, 2010
Daily Monitor: Wangari Maathai has warned. Prof. Maathai emphasised the role of conserving forests while speaking on Tuesday at the 15th International African Water and Sanitation Congress taking place in Kampala. "One of the most effective strategies to ensure that there is water is to protect natural forest eco-systems, water shed and wetlands. Protecting forests is ensuring that there will be water," she said. Prof. Maathai faulted the governments for not costing the environmental ...
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Blame on Chinese Dams Rise as Mekong River Dries Up
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 17th, 2010
Inter Press Service: As the water level in the Mekong River dips to a record 50-year low, a familiar pattern of fault-finding has risen to the surface. China, the regional giant through which parts of South-east Asia's largest waterway flows through, is again at the receiving end of verbal salvoes from its neighbours. Environmentalists and sections of the regional media are blaming the Chinese dams being built or operating on the upper reaches of the Mekong for contributing to the dramatic drop in water ...
China drought leaves millions short of water
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 17th, 2010
Agence France-Presse: A man checks an almost dried-out reservoir in Kunming, southwest China. Millions of people face drinking water shortages in the region because of a once-a-century drought that has dried up rivers and threatens vast farmlands, state media reported Wednesday. Millions of people face drinking water shortages in southwestern China because of a once-a-century drought that has dried up rivers and threatens vast farmlands, state media reported Wednesday. The drought has gripped huge ...
Arctic animals doing better, but not close to pole
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 17th, 2010
Associated Press: The overall number of animals in the Arctic has increased over the past 40 years ago, according to a new international study. But critters who live closest to the North Pole are disappearing. The report by the United Nations and other groups released Wednesday at a conference in Miami concludes that birds, mammals and fish have increased by about 16 percent since 1970. That's mostly because of decades-old hunting restrictions. The number of geese have about doubled. Marine mammals, ...
South Korea green growth to hurt environment: report
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 17th, 2010
Reuters: A massive river restoration project at the center of South Korean President Lee Myung-bak's green growth strategy will harm globally threatened bird species and destroy critical habitat, a conservation group's report said. Lee's government intends to spend 22.2 trillion won ($19.68 billion) to dredge, dam and beautify four major rivers with golf courses and bike trails in a plan that is supposed to increase the supply and quality of fresh water and prevent flooding. "(It) will ...
More regulation needed for Canada oil sands: report
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 17th, 2010
Reuters: Steam-driven projects to extract crude from Canada's oil sands, often held up as more environmentally friendly than mining, have major drawbacks of their own that require more stringent regulation to fix, an environmental think tank said on Wednesday. The Alberta-based Pembina Institute compared nine projects that employ "in situ" extraction methods -- where steam is pumped into the earth to liquefy the extra-heavy crude so it can be pumped to the surface -- and found all need to make ...
China investigating child lead poisoning cases
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 17th, 2010
Associated Press: Chinese officials said Wednesday they are investigating heightened lead levels among hundreds of children in Hunan province thought to be linked to local smelters -- one of many cases underscoring the toll pollution is taking on the health of rural Chinese. Health checks last month showed excessive levels of lead in the blood samples of 254 out of 397 children under age 14 living in three villages closest to the factories in Hunan's Jiahe county, a county government spokesman ...
United States: Underwater cable an alternative to electrical towers
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 17th, 2010
New York Times: Generating 20 percent of America's electricity with wind, as recent studies proposed, would require building up to 22,000 miles of new high-voltage transmission lines. But the huge towers and unsightly tree-cutting that these projects require have provoked intense public opposition. A blog about energy, the environment and the bottom line. Go to Blog Enlarge This Image <h6 class="credit">Eric Harger/Pattern Energy A worker guiding cable from a barge during the Trans Bay ...
Kenya: Farming feels like ‘gambling,’ but insurance helps cut risks
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 17th, 2010
Reuters: After two years of drought, the rains now falling in Kenya are not bringing the expected relief for Kenya's farmers. Why? Erratic weather means no one knows when to put in a crop anymore. "We are confused. It rains in the dry season. Has the rainy season of April and May shifted to now, or is this extra? It's hard to decide when to plant," remarks Rose Wanjiru while she inspects the maize in her field near Nanyuki, at the foot of Mount Kenya. Overhead, dark rain clouds - once a rarity ...