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Archive for March 14th, 2011
Canada: The Gordon Campbell legacy for Super, Natural British Columbia
Posted by Vancouver Sun: George Hoberg on March 14th, 2011
Vancouver Sun: Today, after 10 years as premier of British Columbia, Gordon Campbell will hand power over to Christy Clark.
Natural resource policy has been one of the most dynamic areas of policy development during the Campbell era. I am offering an overview of the most significant policy changes during his tenure in the areas of energy, climate and forest policy. I am not offering our views on the merits of the changes, but rather a ranking of what I see as the 10 most consequential developments. I also provide...
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Nuclear power: Hell and high water
Posted by Financial Times: Clive Cookson on March 14th, 2011
Financial Times: It is certainly alarming and sure to have grave implications for the nuclear industry and energy sector as a whole – but far from being another Chernobyl, where a runaway nuclear reaction blew the top off a rudimentary containment system. The three operational reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi power station shut down automatically as planned when their motion sensors felt tremors from the magnitude 8.9 quake on Friday. But multiple cooling systems, required to remove heat from the core, failed....
Climate rise places Africa’s vital maize crop at risk
Posted by Metro: None Given on March 14th, 2011
Metro: A rise in temperature of just 1C could devastate yields of Africa's vital maize crop by as much as a fifth.
Even with adequate amounts of rain, two-thirds would suffer losses, new research indicates.
'The pronounced effect of heat on maize was surprising because we assumed maize to be among the more heat-tolerant crops,' said Dr Marianne Banziger, from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre based in El Batan, Mexico.
'Essentially, the longer a maize crop is exposed to temperatures...
Arab world faces more food crises
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 14th, 2011
United Press International: The wave of political upheaval engulfing the Arab world was unleashed in large part because of high food prices in countries that depend on imports to feed burgeoning populations. But as imports swell, new crises are on their way.
"For decades the agricultural policy of the Middle East and North Africa has been extremely simple: hydrocarbon exports pay for carbohydrate imports," observed commodities expert Javier Blas of the Financial Times.
"As social and political unrest sweeps the region,...
A new biofuel shakes Germany’s eco cred
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 14th, 2011
Time: A few years ago, Germany's Angela Merkel earned herself the nickname the "Climate Chancellor" after she put global warming at the top of her agenda. Now her government is facing a barrage of criticism over its latest green initiative: the introduction of a new biofuel-gasoline blend known as E10. In an odd twist for the proudly eco-conscious nation, groups from opposition parties to environmental activists are speaking out against the new fuel, while surveys suggest that 70% of Germans have rejected...
Pakistan: Climate Change Policy draft to be finalized soon: Javaid
Posted by Associated Press of Pakistan: None Given on March 14th, 2011
Associated Press of Pakistan: Pakistan would be listed among those few countries of the world who is moving forward to finalize the draft of Climate Change Policy which would be submitted in Cabinet for approval soon.This was expressed by Director General (Environment), Javaid Ali Khan in a meeting on Climate Change Policy Draft held today.
Various brain storming sessions were being held to make the proposed policy of Climate Change comprehensive, effective and result oriented, he said.
Maximum consultation is being done...
Timeline: Japan’s unfolding nuclear crisis
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 14th, 2011
Reuters: Japan is under global scrutiny over the handling of its nuclear crisis after a huge earthquake crippled three reactors at a nuclear power complex, raising fears of an uncontrolled radiation leak.
Below is a timeline of statements made by Japanese authorities and the complex's owner, Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO), after the quake struck on Friday, the strongest tremor ever recorded in Japan at a magnitude of 8.9.
FRIDAY, MARCH 11
(All local times, when reported by Reuters)
19:46 - The government...
Corn May Be More Vulnerable to Warming, Stanford Study Shows
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 14th, 2011
Bloomberg: Corn, the world’s second-most- widely grown grain, may be more vulnerable to global warming than previously thought, based on a study led by Stanford University that examined data from field trials.
The study found that a gain of 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) in temperatures would lower yields for 65 percent of Africa’s corn fields assuming optimal rainfall, Stanford said in an online statement. The same warming under drought conditions would cut corn yields for all of Africa, with...
Jordan: Reports on impact of climate change to be launched today
Posted by Jordan Times: Hana Namrouqa on March 14th, 2011
Jordan Times: Shrinking green cover and decreasing surface water flow due to climate change are threatening Jordan's unique biodiversity, according to reports to be launched today. Implemented by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN), the reports predict a regular increase in temperatures in Jordan by the end of the 21st century. The reports' authors expect a 3.5ºC rise in temperatures in winter and a 4.5ºC rise in temperatures in summer by the end of the century. The three reports, which...
United States: Symposium looks at effect of climate change on wildlife
Posted by Daily Utah Chronicle: Marie Lenihan-Clarke on March 14th, 2011
Daily Utah Chronicle: Recent events made this week's 16th annual Wallace Stegner symposium--which addressed wildlife protection and management--most relevant and informative, director Bob Keiter said in his column in Stegner's latest newsletter.
"A raging wildfire on the outskirts of Boulder, Colorado, consumed nearly 200 homes, reminding us that past forest management practices, along with a warming climate, have placed our Rocky Mountain forests and the communities located near them at increased risk," according...