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Archive for December 17th, 2010
Low lying Brisbane suburbs will flood if sea levels rise: Experts
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on December 17th, 2010
Sydney Morning Herald: Predicted flooding in Brisbane's eastern suburbs if the sea level rises by 1.1 metres. | VIEW IN FULL Photo: Co-operative Research Centre for Spatial Information.
One in 100-year floods could instead become annual events among new predictions for how rising sea levels will affect Brisbane over the rest of this century.
Maps released this week show low-lying Brisbane suburbs, including Hemmant, Northgate, Strathpine, Bald Hills and Tingalpa, are most likely to be affected by sea level rises...
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Canada: Alberta’s fight to ‘clean’ its oil sands
Posted by ClimateWire: Christa Marshall on December 17th, 2010
ClimateWire: On a chilly December night in Alberta, in the heart of the country's oil boom, cab driver Milan Malusic complains about the gasoline-like odors from oil sands facilities that seep through his car windows on a daily basis. The 46-year-old says he hates the drives past the massive pit mines and accompanying smokestacks processing the gooey form of petroleum known as bitumen. Canada holds the second-largest oil reserves in the world after Saudi Arabia, and the majority of that is buried underneath...
Administration unveils solar energy plans
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on December 17th, 2010
Washington Post: The Obama administration issued proposed guidelines Thursday for solar development on public lands in the West, a move that could speed renewable-energy projects that have been mired in environmental controversy. The detailed analysis, known as Draft Solar Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, identifies 24 "solar energy zones" in six states that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said would be most suited "for environmentally sound, utility-scale solar energy production." "We think it provides...
Scientists see hotter, drier 21st century, with more immigrants
Posted by Ventura County Star: Christopher Stolz on December 17th, 2010
Ventura County Star: Record-breaking summer heat waves and parched lands will become increasingly common in the next 30 years in the United States, according to studies released this week at the world’s largest physical sciences conference, the American Geophysical Union.
The American Southwest will be especially hard hit.
“We see a clear emergence of much more intense, hot conditions within the next three decades,” said Noah Diffenbach, a Stanford professor and lead author of a study on extreme heat waves. “These...
Canada: Oil Sands report gives mixed reviews
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on December 17th, 2010
United Press International: There is no credible evidence to support allegations that Canada's oil sands are the most "environmentally destructive project on Earth," says a report from the Royal Society of Canada.
Yet the 438-page report, released Wednesday, identifies "serious deficiencies" in the environmental impact assessment process and points out that water monitoring of oil sands projects is set at a lower standard than for forestry.
Still, the report urged all levels of government to research independently the...
Climate change could halve snow depths – report
Posted by Radio New Zealand: None Given on December 17th, 2010
Radio New Zealand: A climate change report has concluded that snowfall levels could halve over the next 80 years.
The report, by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) says snow depths could reduce to as much as 80% of the normal base by 2040 and drop as low as 50% by 2090.
Ski field operators say that means they will likely have to rely heavily on costly snow machine technology to keep their fields open.
Mt Ruapehu and Coronet Peak operators say they use some of the best snow making...
From illegal logging hotspot to ecotourism destination
Posted by BusinessWorld: Sarwell Q. Meniano on December 17th, 2010
BusinessWorld: In Samar, what used to be a nautical highway for illegal loggers has been developed into an ecotourism destination -- with extreme boat rides as main attraction. A one-hour boat ride along the river tagged as The Ulot River Torpedo Extreme Boat Riding will certainly thrill the tourists. Ulot River is known now not only for being the province`s longest but also for being instrumental in providing residents a source of livelihood other than illegal logging. The Ulot River Torpedo Extreme Boat Riding,...