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Archive for July 20th, 2010
United States: Do-nothing approach to climate change heightens water-shortage risks
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 20th, 2010
Press-Enterprise: Residents in Riverside and San Bernardino counties are at "extremely high risk" of not having enough water to meet demands by mid-century if changes aren't made to combat climate change and curb water use, according to an analysis released Tuesday by an environmental action group. The Natural Resources Defense Council study identified more than 400 U.S. counties in the same situation, which would impact the $100 billion agriculture industry and the ability to generate power, said Dan ...
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Navy subs help scientists expand study of Arctic thaw
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 20th, 2010
New York Times: Scientists who study the Arctic's icy cap now have a new weapon at their disposal -- nuclear-powered Navy submarines. Civilian researchers have signed an agreement with the Navy to revive a dormant program that uses the vessels to collect information on parts of the Arctic's ice and ocean that normally lie beyond scientists' reach. Called SCICEX -- short for "Science Ice Exercise" -- the program began in 1993 when the USS Pargo carried five civilian scientists to the Arctic on ...
World’s top energy officials start search for clean-tech cash
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 20th, 2010
New York Times: Government ministers and corporate executives from more than 20 countries are gathering in Washington, D.C., this week to accelerate the deployment of clean-energy technologies to mitigate climate change. The big question heading into the Clean Energy Ministerial is whether the United States, Germany and other major economies -- which collectively invested almost $200 billion in "green" economic stimulus projects since late 2008 -- have the stomach for more spending in the face of ...
States sue federal government over Asian carp threat to Great Lakes
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 20th, 2010
Guardian: Five US states are suing the federal government and Chicago's water authority, seeking emergency action to block Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes. The move by Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Ohio follows three previous attempts at court action, all of which were rejected by the US supreme court. The suit, filed at the federal court in Chicago, seeks an order requiring the US army corps of engineers to use nets or other barriers to block carp on the ...
United States: Climate change threatens state’s water supplies, report says
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 20th, 2010
Ventura County Star: More than three-quarters of the counties in California face the possibility of water shortages by the middle of the century as a result of global warming, a new study suggests. The study, commissioned by the Natural Resources Defense Council, concluded that 48 of the state's 58 counties are at risk of water shortages by 2050, putting some $22 billion worth of crops in jeopardy and raising the possibility of long-term rationing and other restrictions. "Even without climate ...
Progress Vs hate propaganda
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 20th, 2010
Guyana Chronicle: They both should have the effect, hopefully, of checking the flow of emotional criticisms, malicious misinformation, and worse, by a combination of frustrated politicians and parties, as well as those propagandists of 'gutter journalism' obsessed with 'bad-mouthing' the government of this nation. First, there was the joint official announcement in New York by President Jagdeo and Norway's Prime Minister, Jens Stoltenberg, on the latest progress in the establishment of the Guyana REDD+ ...
Multi-tasking
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 20th, 2010
IUCN: Biodiversity could benefit from funding being directed towards efforts to reduce deforestation under the climate change agenda. With deforestation representing one of the largest sources of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, opportunities to reduce climate change by Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD), especially in developing countries, have risen to the top of the international climate policy agenda. To maximize its effectiveness, REDD ...
Deal signed in Shanghai for Amaila
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 20th, 2010
Stabroek News: A framework agreement for the Amaila Falls hydropower project was signed in Shanghai, China yesterday, with President Bharrat Jagdeo in attendance. The agreement formalizes the cooperation between the Guyana Power and Light Incorporated, Sithe Global Amaila Holdings Limited, the China Development Bank, and the China Railway First Group Company Limited. "It sets out the parties' intention to reach financial closure on the Amaila Falls project within 12 months or ideally sooner", ...
Farm payments agency still wasting taxpayers’ money
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 20th, 2010
Telegraph: Farmers receiving cheques worth £1 - at £1,700 processing cost Farm payment fiasco could cost the taxpayer £620 million says National Audit Office The problems were first highlighted five years ago but the latest Government report found that the RPA is still 'not well run'. Despite an overhaul in staff and a new computer system, it now costs an average of £1,034 to process each claim. In some cases the cost is more than the payment itself. The report, commissioned ...
Wildlife in war
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 20th, 2010
BBC: Research shows that the vast majority of armed conflicts occur in areas rich in biodiversity, says Eva Fearn. In this week's Green Room, she explains how conservationists often find themselves on more than the front line in the battle to save species. In Afghanistan's Wakhan region, a mountainous area bordered by Tajikistan and China, a herd of ibex deftly climbs a steep hillside. Across the valley, a man in Wakhi headdress views them through a spotting scope. His ...