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Archive for July 28th, 2010
Gulf oil slick breaks up rapidly and begins to slip below waves
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 28th, 2010
Guardian: Images from the Gulf of Mexico suggest a once vast expanse of oil is breaking up so rapidly it may soon be invisible to satellite photography. But scientists warned today that underwater plumes of oil could linger for a year or even decades. One hundred days after the explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon, the US moved into a new phase in its response to the country's worst environmental disaster today. John Amos, president of SkyTruth, an environmental satellite organisation, ...
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Scientists say global warming is continuing
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 28th, 2010
Associated Press: Scientists from around the world are providing even more evidence of global warming, one day after President Barack Obama renewed his call for climate legislation. "A comprehensive review of key climate indicators confirms the world is warming and the past decade was the warmest on record," the annual State of the Climate report declares. Compiled by more than 300 scientists from 48 countries, the report said its analysis of 10 indicators that are "clearly and directly related ...
Report Says Minnesota Beaches Among Cleanest, Florida’s Among Dirtiest
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 28th, 2010
National Public Radio: Vacation season has arrived in Washington. We can tell because the daily commuter traffic's a breeze and we can get reservations at our favorite restaurants on Saturday nights before 11 p.m. But if you want to go to the beach and haven't made plans yet, you might want to check out the Natural Resources Defense Council's 20th annual beach report first. Or you might find your vacation paradise ruined by dirty water. According to the report, Minnesota, New Hampshire and California ...
Sizzling Moscow shrouded in polluting smog
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 28th, 2010
Associated Press: A cloud of harmful smog has enveloped Moscow, raising airborne pollutants to four times the norm, officials said Wednesday, and prompting doctors to urge residents to stay indoors as the city swelters in a record heat wave. Officials have said the smog, which has plunged the Kremlin and other famous landmarks into a dull haze for days, is the capital's worst since 2002. The cloud has drifted in from dozens of peat bog and forest fires in rural land south and east of the city, ...
100 days of oil: Gulf life will never be the same
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 28th, 2010
Associated Pres: A hundred days ago, shop owner Cherie Pete was getting ready for a busy summer serving ice cream and po-boys to hungry fishermen. Local official Billy Nungesser was planning his wedding. Environmental activist Enid Sisskin was preparing a speech about the dangers of offshore drilling. Then the oil rig Deepwater Horizon exploded off the coast of Louisiana, and in an instant, life along the Gulf Coast changed for good. Pete spends her days worrying that the fishing industry may ...
Russia: Pollution threat to deepest lake
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 28th, 2010
BBC: The world's deepest and oldest lake, Lake Baikal, is at risk of being removed from the UNESCO World Heritage list. A Russian pulp and paper mill has been polluting the water for decades. Now, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee is meeting in Brazil to discuss the effect of the plant's waste waters. There are fears the lake may end up on the endangered list or get struck off it altogether. Katia Moskvitch reports.
Sparks fly over study suggesting wildfires cut CO2
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 28th, 2010
Conservation Magazine: Call it a hot topic. A study suggesting that intentional forest blazes could significantly cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from wildfires in the Western United States has prompted a piquant scholarly quarrel. The exchange highlights the challenge forest managers may face in balancing plans to use fire to restore forest ecosystems with efforts to curb carbon emissions. Forests have emerged as a key player in climate change because trees can suck huge amounts of CO2 out of the ...
Argentina, Uruguay strike deal over paper mill
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 28th, 2010
Agence France-Presse: Argentina and Uruguay have agreed to a joint environmental monitoring program along the shared Uruguay River, ending a seven-year pollution controversy over a Finnish paper mill on the Uruguayan side. "A chapter in hour history ends and a new era of cooperation begins," Argentine Foreign Minister Hector Timerman said at the signing ceremony in the presidential palace. The agreement, which calls for setting up a joint-scientific committee in 30 days to begin the monitoring work, ...
Company ramps up effort to clean Mich. river spill
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 28th, 2010
Associated Press: Michigan's governor on Wednesday sharply criticized attempts to contain a large oil spill making its way down the Kalamazoo River after the company responsible for the spill said it had redoubled its efforts to clean up the mess. Gov. Jennifer Granholm called on the federal government for more help, saying resources being marshaled by the federal Environmental Protection Agency and Enbridge Inc. are "wholly inadequate." Enbridge has been working to clean up the spill since it said its ...