Archive for June 4th, 2010

Wildfires Increasing Despite Efforts to Slow Deforestation

Inter Press Service: An agreement reached at an international conference last week pledged over four billion dollars to the U.N.'s effort to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that come from deforestation and forest degradation. But a study published Friday questions what impact that effort, called REDD, can have. The study, in Friday's issue of the journal Science, finds the carbon emissions eliminated through reducing the deforestation of some Amazonian forests may be partially cancelled out by the ...

NYPA reviews N.Y. Great Lakes wind power proposals

Reuters: The New York Power Authority on Friday said it has started reviewing five proposals for wind power projects in state waters on Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. NYPA, the state-owned power company, did not name the developers of the proposals or discuss potential costs or sizes, in its release. Industry sources estimated offshore wind power would cost about $4,000 per kilowatt, versus $2,000 for onshore wind, $4,000 for nuclear, $2,200 for coal, $1,000 for combined-cycle natural gas ...

How to help the Gulf Coast hurt by the oil spill

Yahoo Green: It's been over a month since the BP oil drilling platform exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. In the past few weeks, we've seen devastating photos of wildlife affected by this disaster. The oil poses a serious threat to fishermen's livelihoods, marine habitats, beaches, wildlife, and human health. Although BP has publicly stated the company will pay for all damages from the oil spill, many organizations still rely on donations and volunteers to protect wildlife from this type of ...

Calm no more, Obama lashes out at BP on Gulf visit

Associated Press: Dogged for being too calm in crisis, President Barack Obama unleashed frustration for all to see Friday, warning BP it had better do right by the people whose lives it has wrecked. The president's third trek to the Gulf of Mexico was about the workers with no government titles, the shrimpers and the shopkeepers, the fishermen whose lives have been upended and are running out of people to blame. Yet Obama's trip was also about him. He says it serves little substantive ...

BP establishes escrow fund for La. sand berms

Associated Press: BP is establishing a $360 million escrow account to fund a project to build six sand berms that Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal hopes will protect the state's wetlands from the growing Gulf of Mexico slick. The company said late Thursday it approved the accounts. The announcement came hours after Jindal urged the British oil giant to start doling out the payments immediately. The governor appeared at a Grand Isle government center with a demand for BP: "Sign your own contract and ...

United Kingdom: Get down off your Dark Mountain: you’re making matters worse

Ecologist: <figure> <figcaption>The Pontcysyllte aqueduct in Llangollen, where the Dark Mountain festival was held. Photograph: Don McPhee/Guardian</figcaption> </figure> 'The End of the Universe is very popular', said Zaphod... 'People like to dress up for it...gives it a sense of occasion.' In Douglas Adams' The Restaurant at the End of the Universe diners enjoyed watching the obliteration of life, the universe and everything, whilst enjoying a nice steak. When I first discovered The ...

United States: To Avoid Oil, Mississippi Opens Shrimp Season Early

National Public Radio: With the drifting oil from the spill in the Gulf of Mexico closing in, Mississippi opened its shrimping season 10 days early to get as big a catch as possible. Fishermen headed out at first light Thursday and stayed out to maximize their catch before the waters are closed.