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Archive for January 18th, 2011
Climate change could raise food prices but also boost Canadian production: Report
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 18th, 2011
Postmedia News: Climate change could cause food prices to rise by 20 per cent by the end of the decade, and even lead to some popular items disappearing from grocery store shelves, says a new report to be released on Wednesday.
The study, released by the U.S.-based Universal Ecological Fund, predicts that -- if nothing is done to arrest or adapt to climate change -- global shifts in agriculture and demand will result in an increase of up to 10 per cent in Canadian production of wheat, corn and soybean. But the...
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Judge Allows Mountaintop-Removal Lawsuit to Proceed
Posted by Greenwire: Gabriel Nelson on January 18th, 2011
Greenwire: Mining companies can proceed with their challenge to U.S. EPA's new policies on mountaintop-removal coal mining, a federal judge has ruled in a preliminary decision that says EPA may have exceeded its legal authority.
It appears EPA changed the permitting process for coal mines without following the usual procedural steps, says the ruling (pdf), which was issued Friday by Judge Reggie Walton of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
The National Mining Association (NMA) and other...
Dire Harvest: Climate Report Warns of Food Gap
Posted by LiveScience: Wynne Parry on January 18th, 2011
LiveScience: If emissions of greenhouse gases continue to increase unchecked, they could push the Earth's surface temperature up by at least 4.3 degrees Fahrenheit (2.4 degrees Celsius) by 2020, and have devastating ramifications for global food production in a more crowded world, according to a new report.
By the end of the next decade the global population is projected to increase by about 900 million. Meanwhile, the report projects a 14 percent gap between production and demand for wheat, meaning demand...
Experts predict climb in grizzly conflicts
Posted by Reuters: Laura Zuckerman on January 18th, 2011
Reuters: Conflicts between people and grizzlies in the Yellowstone National Park region are likely to rise this year as more bears try to recolonize areas now inhabited by people, wildlife managers said on Tuesday.
The news comes as federal and state agencies gather beginning on Wednesday in Montana to craft measures they hope will reduce the number of grizzlies they must kill in 2011 for threatening people and livestock.
Problems between Yellowstone area grizzlies and people reached unprecedented levels...
EPA Plans to Revisit a Touchy Topic — the Value of Saved Lives
Posted by Greenwire: Gabriel Nelson on January 18th, 2011
Greenwire: How much would you pay to avoid a slight chance of death? Government economists think they have a pretty good idea, but they are thinking about a rebranding campaign to mend ties with the public, which has often bristled at the idea that bureaucrats might be putting a price on human lives. During a meeting this week in Washington, D.C., officials from U.S. EPA will meet with their economics advisers to discuss a planned makeover (pdf) for the process. At issue is the "value of a statistical life,"...
Climate change to spur crop shortages by 2020: study
Posted by CTV: None Given on January 18th, 2011
CTV: The world may be 2.4 degrees warmer by the end of this decade, and that could have deadly consequences for global food production, according to a new study overseen by Nobel Prize-winning climate scientist Osvaldo Canziani.
"The Impacts of Climate Change on Food Production: A 2020 Perspective," was published Tuesday afternoon by an Argentina-based non-profit group called the Universal Ecological Fund released (UEF).
According to the report, by 2020 there will be a shortfall of 14 per cent for...
Climate change could boost crops in US, China
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 18th, 2011
Agence France-Presse: A global population explosion combined with the steady effects of climate change are forecast to create a worldwide food shortage in the next 10 years, but the news isn't all bad for some countries.
The United States, China, Ethiopia and parts of northern Europe are among the select few that are expected to be able to grow more crops as a result of changes in temperature and rainfall, said a study out Tuesday.
The forecast is based on UN figures about climate change released in 2007, and projects...
Soil Association given libel warning after objection to huge pig farm
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 18th, 2011
Guardian: When a charity objected to plans for a pig factory for up to 25,000 animals, they expected a fight. But now the battle looks likely to intensify after the leading London lawyers Carter Ruck threatened libel proceedings.
The organic farmers' group the Soil Association objected to an application from Midland Pig Producers (MPP) for an intensive pig farm in Foston, Derbyshire, last summer, raising concerns in general terms about disease, antibiotic resistance and animal welfare in large pig herds....
RELEASES: Utne Reader Names Ecological Internet’s Leader a Visionary (2)
Posted by Water Conservation Blog on January 18th, 2011
National Magazine Selects Glen Barry Among 25 People Who Are Changing the World
From Earth's Newsdesk and New Earth Rising, projects of Ecological Internet (EI)
Contact: Dr. Glen Barry, President, Ecological Internet glenbarry@ecologicalinternet.org
GREEN BAY, Wis. (Jan. 14, 2011) Utne Reader, the best of the alternative press, names Glen Barry, founder of Ecological Internet, a visionary who is making the world a better place. Barry is among 25 people the magazine has chosen for its November/December issue, on newsstands now.
An early political blogger, Barry has built a large network for ecological change. His global grassroots advocacy adds muscle to local environmental fights all over the world, and when mainstream green groups fall short, he speaks up. Barry resides in Green Bay.
Water crisis in Andes is challenge for US security establishment, Peru
Posted by Physorg: Wendy Leopold on January 18th, 2011
Physorg: The Medill School of Journalism graduate student team yesterday released its latest story in its series on the national security implications of climate change. Heather Somerville of Medill National Security Reporting Project reports from the Andes in Peru, where mountain glaciers are rapidly melting. Facing a dramatic shortage in the country's water supply, Peru has turned to Washington for help.
Meanwhile, U.S. officials worry Peru could quickly become a case study in how climate change could...