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Archive for April 12th, 2011
North Dakota set for Red River crest; rural areas awash
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 12th, 2011
Reuters: The Red River was spreading out in a record swath across broad stretches of rural North Dakota and Minnesota on Tuesday and swelling toward a near-record crest in Grand Forks expected within three days.
The Red River and its tributaries have swamped expanses of land in the two states outside major cities, turning some spots into temporary islands that can be reached only by boat as the water flows north into Manitoba, Canada.
The river crested Saturday at Fargo, North Dakota, with minor damage....
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Europe faces drought and flood burden: climate scientist
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 12th, 2011
AFP: A leading climate scientist warned Tuesday that Europe should take action over increasing drought and floods, stressing that some climate change trends were clear despite variations in predictions.
"There are some robust areas like Siberia, we know what the climate will be, another robust area is the Mediterranean, because the models tell the same story," said Zbigniew Kundzewicz, review editor of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) chapter on freshwater resources.
"Climate...
Support freeze on planned dam projects
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 12th, 2011
SciDev.Net: A new management model is needed for dams in the lower Mekong Countries in the Lower Mekong River Basin (LMB) should support a freeze on planned dam projects and initiate a regional forum to discuss the environmental, livelihood, water and food security implications of such developments, say R. Edward Grumbine and Jianchu Xu.
A new integrated, transboundary approach to managing the river basin could serve as a model for future river projects, they say.
In September, Laos petitioned the Mekong...
Europe faces drought and flood burden: climate scientist
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 12th, 2011
AFP: A leading climate scientist warned Tuesday that Europe should take action over increasing drought and floods, stressing that some climate change trends were clear despite variations in predictions.
"There are some robust areas like Siberia, we know what the climate will be, another robust area is the Mediterranean, because the models tell the same story," said Zbigniew Kundzewicz, review editor of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) chapter on freshwater resources.
"Climate...
EU adopts tougher fishing rules
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 12th, 2011
BBC: EU adopts tougher fishing rules to protect stocks
The EU is stepping up efforts to trace the origin of fish landed The EU has agreed on common inspection rules to prevent overfishing and make it possible to trace fish "from net to plate", the European Commission says.
The rules include a new point system to punish crews who fish illegally. If they accumulate too many points they will lose their licence.
EU nations police their own fisheries, but they have agreed on common inspection and...
Sugar Cane Fertilises Its Own Soil
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 12th, 2011
Inter Press Service: The mechanisation of sugar cane harvesting, originally aimed at curbing the pollution caused by the burning of cane fields, has resulted in an added bonus: it has helped to improve soil quality, according to growers and technical experts in the southern state of São Paulo, where most of Brazil’s sugar and ethanol is produced.
Traditionally, sugar cane fields were set on fire before harvesting to burn off the dried leaves from the plants, making it quicker and easier for cane cutters to manually...
Europe faces drought and flood burden: climate scientist
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 12th, 2011
Physorg: A leading climate scientist warned Tuesday that Europe should take action over increasing drought and floods, stressing that some climate change trends were clear despite variations in predictions.
"There are some robust areas like Siberia, we know what the climate will be, another robust area is the Mediterranean, because the models tell the same story," said Zbigniew Kundzewicz, review editor of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) chapter on freshwater resources.
"Climate...
Europe faces ‘drought and flood burden’: scientist
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 12th, 2011
AFP: A leading climate scientist warned Tuesday that Europe should take action over increasing drought and floods, stressing that some climate change trends were clear despite variations in predictions.
"There are some robust areas like Siberia, we know what the climate will be, another robust area is the Mediterranean, because the models tell the same story," said Zbigniew Kundzewicz, review editor of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) chapter on freshwater resources.
"Climate...
Study: Some natural gas threatens climate more than coal
Posted by Wall Street Journal: Tennille Tracy on April 12th, 2011
Wall Street Journal: Extracting natural gas from shale formations using hydraulic fracturing generates more greenhouse-gas emissions than burning coal, according to a new study that drew immediate attacks from oil and gas interests already facing pressure from lawmakers and regulators worried about the environmental effects of shale-gas development.
The study, conducted by professors at Cornell University, found that natural gas obtained from shale formations using a process known as "hydraulic fracturing" releases...
New rights challenge to Belo Monte dam in Brazil
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 12th, 2011
Guardian: A native from the Caiapo tribe holds a poster of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff during a protest against the construction of Belo Monte hydroelectric dam in front of the National Congress, in Brasilia, in February. Photograph: Evaristo Sa/Getty
For the first time in the long drawn-out struggle between indigenous peoples living in the Xingú river basin and the Brazilian government, the underdogs have won the support of a sizeable ally. In a letter addressed to the state of Brazil, the Inter-American...