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Archive for May, 2010
Collaborate on water, Himalayan scientists urged
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 26th, 2010
SciDev.Net: Himalayan countries must set aside their differences and collaborate on science in order to avoid a common water crisis, says a report. Environmental pressures, including those from climate change, could have unprecedented effects on the livelihoods of millions of people in the Hindu-Kush Himalaya region, according to the study, published by the UK-based Humanitarian Futures Programme, the Aon Benfield UCL Hazard Research Centre, and China Dialogue. Yet scientific research is ...
Stripe rust threat to wheat worse than predicted
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 26th, 2010
SciDev.Net: An epidemic caused by a new strain of wheat fungus could cause billions of dollars in crop losses across North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia, according to researchers. The wheat stripe rust -- or yellow rust (Yr) -- epidemic is far worse than predicted, scientists from various Middle-Eastern institutions have found. "The situation is severe, some farmers will suffer 30--60 per cent yield loss. In the worst cases, yield loss is 100 per cent," said Maarten Van Ginkel, ...
Top tips for your own eco-warriors
Posted by Water Conserve: Water Conservation RSS Newsfeed on May 26th, 2010
Independent (UK): One of the most exciting things about being a parent is teaching your child new skills, values and talents. So why not invest quality time teaching them how to keep their planet clean, green and beautiful -- for all our futures? One of the most exciting things about being a parent is teaching your child new skills, values and talents. So why not invest quality time teaching them how to keep their planet clean, green and beautiful -- for all our futures? Recycling ...
Feds announce timber program for Tongass forest
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 26th, 2010
Associated Press: The U.S. Forest Service on Wednesday announced a program to open up economic opportunities and spare the remaining old-growth trees in the country's largest national forest. The forest service said the approach in Tongass National Forest will move timber harvesting into roaded areas of previously clear-cut sections and away from old-growth timber in roadless areas. The program is in line with a new direction the Obama administration set for the 17-million-acre rain forest in ...
Maasai pastoralists adopt new habits to cope with climate change
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 26th, 2010
Reuters: As they recover from the worst drought in many years, Maasai pastoralists in Kenya's south Rift Valley are adopting new habits to help them overcome future disasters. As the recent drought tested the coping ability of Maasai communities, the leaders of "group ranches" - large communal grazing areas, each with their own government-appointed chief - invited researchers to study the situation and help them develop strategies to prepare for future droughts. A survey was conducted ...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Maasai pastoralists adopt new habits to cope with climate changeAustralia: Even higher power charges on the way?
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 26th, 2010
WA Today: While the state government claims power prices are near the cost of producing electricity, it has failed to come clean on what an inevitable spike will cost consumers in the not-too-distant future, a leading environmental group claims. As WA residents digest a 16 per cent increase in power charges this year, along with a steep hike in 2009, the Conservation Council says that by not accounting for an "inevitable" emissions trading scheme, the government has ensured the price hikes ...
Govt plans to increase green cover to check climate change
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 26th, 2010
Times of India: As part of its efforts to check the climate change phenomenon, the government has come out with a mission document aiming to increase forest cover to serve as 'carbon sinks' removing greenhouse gases. The draft of Green India Mission document aims to double the country's afforestation and eco-restoration efforts in the next 10 years, with the primary objective of reducing GHG emissions. Under the "ambitious" mission document, being put up for public consultation, the government ...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Govt plans to increase green cover to check climate changeLittle African grebe becomes extinct
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 25th, 2010
AFP: A tawny water fowl that lived in a tiny corner of Madagascar is extinct, wiped out by an introduced species of predatory fish and by nylon fishing nets, conservationists reported on Wednesday. The Alaotra grebe, Tachybaptus rufolavatus, also called the rusty grebe, had been highly vulnerable as it was found only in Lake Alaotra, eastern Madagascar, said the Swiss-based International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which compiles the famous Red List of endangered ...
Lawmakers: New warning signs found in BP probe
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 25th, 2010
Associate Press: Two congressmen say that BP's internal investigation into the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has identified new warning signs of problems before the April 20 explosion that brought down the company's oil rig. Reps. Henry Waxman and Bart Stupak say in a committee memo that the warning signs include an unexpected loss of fluid from a pipe known as a "riser" five hours before the explosion. That suggests there could have been a leak in the blowout preventer. Engineers conducting ...
Wind Power Can Make Sense For Utilities
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 25th, 2010
REDORBIT: When the federal government approved the Cape Wind project in April, allowing 130 power-generating turbines to be placed in the waters off Cape Cod, it gave a significant boost to the prospects of wind energy. The comparatively high costs of wind power, however, remain a problem. But in a study, MIT researchers have concluded that some of the price problems associated with wind power can be remedied right now, given a couple of changes to the electricity grid. "Everyone knows advances ...