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Archive for July 16th, 2010
Study says global warming will mean less water in rivers
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 16th, 2010
Denver Post: A National Academy of Sciences study released this morning quantifies potential impacts of climate change - linking water in rivers, crop yields and wildfire damage to specific temperature increases. For example, for every 1.8 degrees of warming, Colorado can expect 5-10 percent less water in the Arkansas and Rio Grande rivers, the study found. The study on likely future effects of climate change also anticipates 5-10 percent less total rain in Colorado and other southwestern ...
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Greenpeace slams ‘destruction’ of the Spanish coast
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 16th, 2010
Agence France Presse: Environmental protection group Greenpeace criticised Friday the rapid building over of the Spanish coast, publishing pictures of former fishing villages swallowed up by urban encroachment. Between 1987 and 2005, more than 50,000 hectares (123,550 acres) of natural coastline had been given over to urban or commercial use and this "destruction" was continuing at a pace of 7.7 hectares a day, it said in a new report. Spain's economic crisis had seen no let up in the construction, ...
Trail of hope for Uganda’s lost Pygmy tribe
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 16th, 2010
Guardian: We've barely entered the national park when our guide stops suddenly and holds up a hand to call for silence. His eyes gaze deep into the forest and he crouches. We do the same. Our hearts beat fast. Has he spotted something already? A golden monkey? A forest elephant? Without warning, he yells, claps his hands and chants an ancient prayer to Biheko, god of the forest, just as his ancestors have always done. Stephen is no ordinary guide, and this, the Batwa Cultural Trail, is no ...
Russia swelters in heatwave, many crops destroyed
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 16th, 2010
Reuters: Soaring temperatures across large swathes of Russia have destroyed nearly 10 million hectares of crops and prompted a state of emergency to be declared in 17 regions. On Friday the state-run Moscow region weather bureau said it expected the heatwave, which has gripped the country since late June and is estimated to have already cost the agricultural sector about $1 billion, to continue into next week. Saturday could see temperatures in Moscow hit 37 Celsius (98.6 Fahrenheit), ...
SunPower, Vestas lose more than Big Oil from Gulf spill
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 16th, 2010
Bloomberg: SunPower Corp. and Vestas Wind Systems A/S, the biggest solar-panel supplier in the U.S. and the world's largest wind turbine maker, are losing more than Big Oil from BP Plc's spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Their shares have fallen as much as 22 percent since the leak began April 20, compared with a 12 percent decline in the 52-member Bloomberg World Oil & Gas Index that includes BP. A bill in U.S. Congress to expand alternative energy in the biggest oil-consuming nation was ...
Africa looks to vast forests for carbon credit
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 16th, 2010
Reuters: They inhabit a polluted part of Ivory Coast's main city with few jobs and a swelling population, but residents of Abidjan's slums have a rare respite: a stretch of pristine rainforest. From their wooden shacks and unpainted concrete houses by motorways on the edge of Banco National Park, the millions who live in north Abidjan need no lesson on its worth. "This forest is a great thing," said textile worker Sebastien Coulibaly, 35, in front of the sky-scraping green mass of vines ...
Malaria-proof mosquito engineered
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 16th, 2010
BBC: Scientists in the US have succeeded in genetically engineering a malaria-resistant mosquito. The researchers, from the University of Arizona, introduced a gene that affected the insect's gut, meaning the malaria parasite could not develop. They report the advance, which also reduced the insects' lifespan, in the journal PLoS Pathogens. They say that the ultimate goal is to introduce malaria-resistant mosquitoes into the environment. Continue reading the main ...
Feds look to the Northwest for ideas on climate change
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 16th, 2010
Register-Guard: The recent East Coast heat wave stressed power grids and triggered a scramble to open cooling centers for people without air conditioning. Coping with these and other hazards is likely to become the norm as global warming increases. The Obama administration rightly has begun to prepare for these stresses. Last month, I learned what the administration and many Northwest government agencies are doing to prepare for the consequences of a warming planet. The White House Council on ...
Oil stoppage going well, BP says
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 16th, 2010
BBC: President Obama gave a cautious welcome but added: "It is important we don't get ahead of ourselves." Pressure within the well is steadily rising, a good sign, said Kent Wells, BP's vice president. The oil has been stopped for the first time since 20 April, as part of a 48-hour test. Spilled oil has damaged hundreds of miles of Gulf coastline since April, with serious economic damage to the region. BP has already paid out more than $200m (£130m) in claims to ...
Finches under threat from poaching gangs
Posted by Water Conserve: Water Conservation RSS Newsfeed on July 16th, 2010
Independent (UK): Due to their sweet song and bright plumage, the goldfinch has become the prey of bird baiters At 12cm long and weighing 14 grams, the goldfinch is a prime target for sparrowhawks and other predators in the avian world. But their sweet song and bright plumage has also made the tiny songbird prey to bird baiters who are entering urban woodlands with pots of glue to catch the birds, which they can then sell for up to £100 a time. The practice is becoming prevalent in east London, ...