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Archive for August 15th, 2010
Giant Greenland iceberg a climate ‘warning sign’
Posted by Water Conserve: Water Conservation RSS Newsfeed on August 15th, 2010
Independent (UK): A giant iceberg that snapped away from Greenland last week is a signal that global warming is causing the island's continent-sized ice cap to melt faster than expected, scientists say. The 250-square-kilometre (100-square-mile) chunk, four times the size of Manhattan, broke away from the Petermann ice shelf on Greenland's northwestern tip. The breakoff - the largest in the Arctic in half a century - points to Greenland's worrying potential to stoke sea levels in the coming ...
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The Smithsonian Remembers Life Before the Spill
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 15th, 2010
National Public Radio: It'll take years to fully know the effects of the BP oil spill on wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico. One thing we do know now is what that wildlife was like before the 206 million gallons of oil spewed into the water. For that knowledge, we have the Smithsonian Institution to thank. The Smithsonian Institution's Museum Support Center is an anonymous beige warehouse complex just outside Washington, D.C. It doesn't look like anything special until you get inside. These buildings ...
UN chief Ban says he’s never seen anything like Pakistan flood disaster; calls for more aid
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 15th, 2010
AP: U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Sunday he has never seen anything like the flood disaster in Pakistan after surveying the devastation and urged foreign donors to speed up assistance to the 20 million people affected. Ban's comments reflect the concern of the international community about the unfolding disaster in Pakistan, which is battling al-Qaida and Taliban militants, has a weak and unpopular government, and an anemic economy propped up by international ...
In the Russian wildfires, will Putin get burned?
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 15th, 2010
Washington Post: Russians fainting in the subway. People jumping into city pools and the Moscow River, and in many cases drowning. Ambulances racing around a city eerily free of its normal traffic congestion. Morgues running out of space and corpses piling up on the floor. Hundreds of homeless animals dying of thirst. Muscovites trying to escape but getting stuck at airports that are scrambling to handle some 64,000 flights canceled or badly delayed because of poor visibility. Staff at foreign embassies ...
Pakistan floods: Ban Ki-moon calls for ‘unprecedented response’
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 15th, 2010
Guardian: The spectacular remains of a 5,000-year-old city and the grandiose mausoleum where the former prime minister Benazir Bhutto is buried are in the path of the rampaging floods in Pakistan, officials have warned. The floods ate up fresh areas of Pakistan over the weekend, as the government said that 20 million people are now affected by the disaster. A case of cholera was confirmed, raising the spectre of an outbreak of the deadly disease, with thousands of those affected by the floods ...
United Kingdom: Prince of Wales to tour the country to promote ‘sustainable living’
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 15th, 2010
Telegraph: The five day tour in the Royal Train, run on biofuel, will take in projects around the country where ordinary people are making a difference by installing solar panels, planting trees and growing vegetables. It is part of the Prince's new project Start, a partnership between non-Governmental Organisations and business, to promote a more sustainable way of living. The tour will begin in Glasgow to launch Pedal for Scotland, a charity event that encourages thousands of people to ...
Moscow, through a cloud of smoke
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 15th, 2010
New York Times: BREATHE in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. I concentrate on breathing through the surgeon's mask, and that becomes an effort in itself. Not a simple effort, but difficult and all-important. After a while I am busy doing only that: breathe in, breathe out. I have just arrived in Moscow. I hear the voice of a TV announcer describing the combined effects of record heat and nearby wildfires: "The level of carbon monoxide in the air is four times higher than normal. Stay indoors, ...
BP yet to update emergency plan three months after Deepwater Horizon spill
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 15th, 2010
Guardian: BP has failed to update its oil spill emergency plan in the Gulf of Mexico more than three months after the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded in apparent violation of federal regulations, the Observer has learned. The company was lambasted by US politicians for having a response plan which, even before the explosion, appeared to have serious flaws. Errors included a proposal highlighting the need to protect sea walruses, even though none exist in the Gulf, and listing one wildlife expert ...
Eyewitness: Flood devastation in Pakistan
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 15th, 2010
Guardian
Pakistan floods: UN urges world to step up aid efforts
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 15th, 2010
Guardian: The UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, has urged the world to speed up aid efforts to Pakistan as the country braces itself for further flooding with the waters of the swollen Indus river reaching critical levels. Ban is in Pakistan to visit affected regions, meet government leaders and assess the scale of the disaster. The UN has appealed for an initial £295m to provide relief, but only 20% of that has so far been given. "I am here ... to share my sympathy and ...