RSS Feed
Archive for April 15th, 2010
Army Corps of Engineers Said to Err on Flooding Risk
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 15th, 2010
New York Times: An attempt by the Army Corps of Engineers to correct old data on water flows in the Mississippi may have led to underestimates of the current risk of flooding along the river, scientists argue in a new study. The study argues that a change in the way water flows were measured, dating from the 1930s, mistakenly led the corps to make downward adjustments in data from the 1800s and early 1900s. That in turn is leading to underestimates of the risk of flooding today on the Mississippi ...
Posted in 
Modified plant clears up deadly water toxin
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 15th, 2010
SciDev.Net: Plants may be a useful tool in clearing water of harmful toxins produced by blue-green algae, new research indicates. Some blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) -- which grow in warm, nutrient-rich waters -- produce toxins that can severely damage the liver or nervous system. The effects of the toxins range from a mild illness to rapid death. They can remain in water supplies after the algae have been killed. A team at St George's Medical School, part of the UK-based University of ...
Why water is the next carbon
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 15th, 2010
Edie: Water has been quietly climbing its way up the agenda for some time now, but is it set to eclipse carbon as the most talked-about environmental issue? While the carbon emissions contributing to the changing climate are undoubtedly a serious concern, as extreme weather events increase in frequency and severity it is likely to be water - too little and too much of it - that is a more immediate concern. edie caught up with David Symons, director of consultancy WSP Environment & ...
The peak oil crisis: China’s latest drought
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 15th, 2010
Energy Bulletin: We all need to pause for a minute and consider the possible implications of the droughts that are engulfing China. One of these is in the north -- Inner Mongolia, and the second more serious one covers most of southwestern China. If the weather patterns revert to normal and the May monsoons come on schedule in the next month or so, then all should be well and we, along with 60 million or so Chinese farmers, can stop worrying. But these are not normal times and even the disappearance ...
US geothermal sector heats up as new projects come online
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 15th, 2010
Business Green: The US geothermal power industry enjoyed strong growth in 2009, according to new figures from the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) that will alleviate fears that the nascent sector would stall as a result of the recession. The report showed that during 2009 geothermal developers completed seven new projects, adding around 176MW of geothermal energy capacity in five different states - a significant increase on the 61MW added during 2008. Meanwhile, the number of confirmed ...
South Africa looks to sea to meet growing water demand
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 15th, 2010
Reuters: South Africa will increasingly use desalinated seawater to meet growing demand for drinking water in coastal towns facing the worst drought in 150 years, the country's water minister said Thursday. South Africa is a water-scarce country with an average rainfall of 450 millimeters -- compared to a world average of 860 mm -- and conditions are expected to worsen as a result of global climate warming. "South Africa has a boundary consisting of approximately 3,000 kilometers of sea ...
Ten emerging potato pest and disease threats
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 15th, 2010
Farmers Weekly Interactive: International trade and climate change are just two reasons why new potato pest and disease threats could emerge. Philip Case with the help of Gerry Saddler from Scottish government agency SASA pinpoints 10 potential threats. Last year's Dickeya solani outbreaks were a distinct reminder of just how easily new pest or disease threats can emerge, and how serious they could potentially be for the UK's potato industry. It also brought sharply into focus whether all potential ...
Beyond green growth: why we need a world without economic growth
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 15th, 2010
Guardian: Last March, Tim Jackson put forward the idea of prosperity without growth in a report published by the United Kingdom's Sustainable Development Commission and followed up with a book of the same name released last November. The book is a best seller (ranked 1,729 on Amazon) and in it he argues convincingly that we can still prosper without adhering to the encoded mantra of expansion and growth that permeates modern market economies. More recently, in January 2010, Andrew Simms and ...
Brazil suspends Amazon dam project targeted by Avatar director
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 15th, 2010
Mongabay: A Brazilian judge on Wednesday suspended the preliminary license for the Belo Monte hydroelectric dam, a controversial project in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, citing "danger of irreparable harm," reports the Amazon Watch, an NGO that has been campaigning on the issue. The move comes just days after a high-profile visit by James Cameron, director of the box office hit Avatar, and Sigourney Weaver, one of the stars of Avatar, to indigenous communities potentially affected by the ...
Another Water Crisis Unfurling: Tar Sands Development Coming to Utah?
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 15th, 2010
AlterNet: Much of the more than 2 million barrels of oil Canada sends south every day comes from the tar sands of the Athabasca region in Alberta. The ongoing tar sands boom in the area has been called an environmental crime of enormous proportions, and there are hints that some of the dirty processes required might be heading south as well, to the Uintah Basin in Utah. Several companies have been operating small-scale projects in tar sands areas mines in Utah. Now, Earth Energy Resources has ...