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Archive for March 24th, 2010
UK must adapt better to face climate change-report
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 24th, 2010
Reuters: Britain needs to increase its efforts to adapt infrastructure and homes to cope with the effects of climate change, a UK parliamentary committee said on Thursday. "Even if all the world's power stations were switched off tomorrow, past emissions mean that some climate change will still take place and we will face more floods, droughts and heat waves," said Tim Yeo, chairman of the Environmental Audit Committee. "The government must be imaginative, and establish new and ...
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United Kingdom: Forests expert officially complains about ‘distorted’ Sunday Times article
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 24th, 2010
Guardian: A leading scientist has made an official complaint to the Press Complaints Commission over an "inaccurate, misleading and distorted" newspaper story about a supposed mistake made by the UN's panel on global warming. Simon Lewis, an expert on tropical forests at the University of Leeds, says the story, published by the Sunday Times in January, is wrong and should be corrected. He says the story is misleading because it gives the impression that the Intergovernmental Panel on ...
Oil sands environmental debate seen more divisive
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 24th, 2010
Reuters: Canada's oil sands producers have pledged to improve their environmental records and do a better job communicating their efforts to the public, but environmentalists say they see no commitment to real change. The diverging views point to continued tough sell around the world for producers of the massive energy resource in northern Alberta, the world's second biggest oil reserve, and for the Alberta and Canadian governments. Executives at the Reuters Canadian Oil Sands Summit in ...
Canada: Minister sees hidden agenda behind oil sands foes
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 24th, 2010
Reuters: Some international groups behind campaigns opposing Canadian oil sands development are actually trying to erect trade barriers under the guise of protecting the environment, Alberta Energy Minister Ron Liepert said on Tuesday. Liepert, who has begun a communications push to sell the benefits of oil sands development to residents outside Alberta in the United States, declined to name "certain groups" aiming to block companies from boosting output from the unconventional ...
Residents Fret Over Parched Mekong River
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 24th, 2010
Inter Press Service: Like many residents of this slow-paced Lao capital, graduate student Packno usually enjoys meeting up with her family and friends for dinner at any of the restaurants along the Mekong River. That's because once the sun begins to set, the riverside breeze also starts getting cooler. Or at least that's how it used to be. Nowadays, "it's still very hot in the evening at six or seven p.m. Since the Mekong has been running dry, the weather is getting hotter," says Packno, who preferred to ...
China should support solar thermal energy research
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 24th, 2010
SciDev.Net: China is rich in solar energy. More than two thirds of the country receives more than 2,200 hours of sunshine every year. Estimates put the amount of solar radiation landing on China as up to 10,000 times the energy capacity of the Three Gorges Dam. But despite the huge potential of solar power in China, the country has relied largely on fossil fuels to meet its energy needs and drive its economic success. Chinese people may be enjoying a higher standard of living, but not ...
With war and neglect, Afghans face water shortage
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 24th, 2010
Reuters: Afghanistan needs billions of dollars for dams and irrigation to feed and provide power for its growing population after decades of war, with future water supply a major security challenge, Afghan and foreign officials say. Most of Afghanistan's precious water is allowed to flow out to its neighbors, a situation which must be changed quickly if the country is to sustain itself, deputy Water and Energy Minister Shujauddin Ziayee told Reuters recently. "In 30 years, the size of ...
Giant Ethiopian dam to make 200,000 go hungry: NGO
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 24th, 2010
Reuters: More than 200,000 Ethiopians who rely on fishing and farming could become reliant on aid to survive if the government goes ahead with building Africa's biggest hydropower dam, an advocacy group said. Ethiopia is building the 1.4 billion euro dam as part of a campaign to beat power shortages and become a power exporter. The dam - Gibe III -- is expected to generate 1,800MW, almost doubling Ethiopia's current capacity of just under 2,000MW. Tribal rights group Survival ...
Restore Scotland’s peatland bogs says nature body
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 24th, 2010
BBC: Clifton Bain, director of the IUCN Peatland Programme, said restoration projects would help Scotland meet climate change targets. He said: "Damaged peatlands are a major source of emissions, both here in Scotland and world wide. "Proposed changes to international rules on carbon accounting will allow Scotland to get full credit for its peatland restoration work, including the massive conservation efforts in the Flow Country of Caithness and Sutherland, one of the worlds largest ...
Population growth should be curbed: conservationist Goodall
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 24th, 2010
Agence France-Presse: Humans should have fewer babies to help the global battle against climate change, according to the renowned British primatologist and conservationist Jane Goodall. Goodall, whose 1960s research on chimpanzees changed perceptions of relations between humans and animals, fears the controversial issue has slipped down the agenda in the debate about man's impact on the environment. "It's very frustrating as people don't want to address this topic," said the 75-year-old English ...