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Archive for August 19th, 2010
United Kingdom: Climate protest camp targets RBS
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 19th, 2010
BBC: Climate change protesters have set up camp close to the Royal Bank of Scotland headquarters in Edinburgh. The Camp for Climate Action is angry about the banking group's role in financing oil industry developments which they believe could be dangerous for the environment. Dozens of protesters are in an open area close to the building, which is to the west of Edinburgh. RBS said its offer to meet with the protest leaders had been declined. Police made two arrests at ...
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Afghanistan and African nations at greatest risk from world food shortages
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 19th, 2010
Guardian: Soaring commodity prices and natural disasters in Russia and Pakistan have combined to put African nations and conflict-ridden countries such as Afghanistan most at risk from food shortages, according to a report released today. Sharp price rises for wheat and other grains will hit the world's neediest countries hardest, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa, as they grapple with their own poor harvests and failing transport networks, according to a food security index by risk management ...
Massive oil plume discovered in the Gulf
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 19th, 2010
Mongabay: Researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) have detected a plume of hydrocarbons that is at least 22 miles long and more than 3,000 feet below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico, a result of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, reports a study published in Science. The 1.2-mile-wide, 650-foot-high plume of trapped hydrocarbons provides a clue on where all the oil has gone as oil slicks on the surface disappear. "These results indicate that efforts to book keep ...
Pakistan floods are a ‘slow-motion tsunami’ – Ban Ki-moon
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 19th, 2010
Guardian: The United Nations general secretary, Ban Ki-moon, has appealed for swifter aid to provide immediate relief in food, shelter and clean water for the millions affected by the worst monsoon rains on record. "Make no mistake, this is a global disaster," Ban told a hurriedly convened session of the UN general assembly. "Pakistan is facing a slow-motion tsunami. Its destructive powers will accumulate and grow with time," he warned. Weather forecasts have said there could be four ...
Scientists say Gulf oil to linger, Obama’s estimates rosy
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 19th, 2010
McClatchy Newspapers: Scientists heaped more criticism Thursday on the Obama administration's claim that most of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill is gone, saying that it was too early to determine the remaining oil's impact on the waters or marine life. Most of the 4.1 million barrels of spilled oil remains in the environment even if it's not visible, posing unknown consequences for sea life and the thousands of Gulf residents whose livelihoods depend on fishing, scientists said. They accused the Obama ...
Satellites show mangrove forest loss even worse than estimated
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 19th, 2010
Mongabay: New satellite data shows that human actions are wiping out mangrove forests even faster than previous bleak estimates. Conducted by the US Geological Survey and NASA, the researchers found that mangroves comprise 12.3 percent less area than previously estimated. In total, satellites reveal that mangrove forests cover approximately 53,290 square miles (137,760 square kilometers). "Our assessment shows, for the first time, the exact extent and distribution of mangrove forests of the ...
Brazil: Water Abounds in Amazon, But Sanitation Is Scarce
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 19th, 2010
IPS: It might seem a bit strange to adopt, in the Amazon rainforest, a solution developed for drought-stricken northeastern Brazil. But rainwater collected on rooftops and stored in tanks is helping to improve the health, hygiene and overall living conditions of rural communities in the jungle. Since 2006, the Sanitation Improvement and Rainwater Use and Storage Programme (PROCHUVA) run by the government of the state of Amazonas in northwest Brazil has benefited 10,000 families in 77 ...
U.N. Steps Up Pressure to Raise Funds for Pakistan
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 19th, 2010
Inter Press Service: The U.N. General Assembly met Thursday to express the world community's solidarity with the people of Pakistan and to urge member states to step up their aid commitment to the flood stricken country. Envoys called for "filling the gap" in the initial appeal of 460 million dollars launched last week. So far, only half of that has been pledged. "Pakistan is facing a slow-motion tsunami," said Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon, who visited Pakistan last weekend. "This is a disaster, ...