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Archive for June 14th, 2011
Are Australia’s Koalas, Battling Climate Change and Chlamydia, On the Path to
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 14th, 2011
Time: Although they appear in just about every Australian postcard, koala bears are actually quite hard to spot in the wild, where their numbers are gradually declining. Scientists are now sounding the alarm -- and urging Australia's senate to declare the iconic, sleepy-eyed marsupials an endangered species.
Scientists estimate Australia's koala bear population at somewhere between 50,000 and 100,000. "We cannot be totally sure because we don't receive enough public subsidies to thoroughly study the...
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Fish farming is answer to increasing global meat demands, says report
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 14th, 2011
Guardian: Carp in a fish farm at Zabieniec, Poland.
The world needs to farm more fish and algae to meet the world's growing demand for animal products, according to a report released on Tuesday by international NGO Conservation International.
The worldwide assessment concluded the environmental impact of aquaculture is lower than raising cattle, pigs or poultry so it should be expanded to alleviate the growing global food crisis.
"Aquaculture is most likely to meet the growing demand for animal products...
China’s Drought Threatens Farm Income, Drinking Water, Wildlife and Hydropower
Posted by Climate Wire: Coco Liu on June 14th, 2011
Climate Wire: It is an annual tradition for Chinese to race dragon boats at the end of each spring, but this year, the tradition has run aground. Many streams and lakes along the Yangtze River have almost dried up.
The world's third-largest river -- stretching from the Himalayas thousands of miles to the east meeting the sea -- has been experiencing its worst drought in decades. The drought is withering farmers' wallets, threatening a Chinese species even rarer than the panda and raising questions about a clean...
Melbourne’s heat will be a killer, climate change report says
Posted by Herald Sun: None Given on June 14th, 2011
Herald Sun: MELBOURNE'S water supply could be reduced by 35 per cent and the number of extreme hot days could triple, according to the latest Government report on the danger of climate change.
Victorians also are being warned that global warming could slash the ski season by up to 96 per cent, under an extreme scenario of rising carbon emissions with increased warming and decreased rainfall.
The number of heat-related deaths could reach 1318 a year; beef, dairy, sheep and wheat production would decline...
Wind power and water power collide in the Northwest
Posted by LA Times: Kim Murphy on June 14th, 2011
LA Times: Wind power and water power collide in the Northwest
Wind farms are furious at the Bonneville Power Administration for making them cut electricity generation because high flows on the Columbia River have led to extra hydropower.
Reporting from Rufus, Ore.–; The wide, green gorge where the majestic Columbia River begins its final push to the sea generates so many stiff breezes that windsurfers from around the world make their way to Hood River, not far from here, to ply their colorful sails atop...
Weather changes may predict cholera outbreaks
Posted by U.S. News and World Report: Joel N. Shurkin on June 14th, 2011
U.S. News and World Report: Scientists working with data from the cholera-plagued Tanzanian archipelago of Zanzibar have found that even a slight variation in temperature or rainfall could herald an epidemic.
That's both good news and bad news.
The good news is that by monitoring the weather and changes in the climate, epidemiologists may be able to predict the arrival of a disease epidemic up to four months in advance, early enough to make maximum use of vaccines.
The bad news is that with global warming, it is likely...
European natural gas pipelines plagued by uncertainties
Posted by New York Times: James Kanter on June 14th, 2011
New York Times: Could the plan to build the world’s most expensive natural gas pipeline turn out to be an elaborate bluff?
South Stream, backed by Gazprom, the monopoly exporter of Russia’s natural gas, would run underneath the Black Sea and deliver large amounts of fuel to the European Union, sometime in the second half of this decade.
Despite years of promotion, the cost and even the exact route for South Stream are still unclear. Nevertheless, the plan already has served a valuable purpose for Russia by...
Canada spurns Kyoto in favour of tar sands
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 14th, 2011
Inter Press Service: Canada was roundly criticised by other nations at a major U.N. climate meeting last week after being caught underreporting carbon emissions from its tar sands oil production facilities, one of the country's biggest and fastest growing sources of global warming gases.
But even the "full emissions" data that Canada finally released represents only about half of the actual emissions, according to a new report.
"Small oil sands companies are not required to report their emissions. And oil-refining...
Australia’s beloved koalas under threat
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 14th, 2011
Guardian: Scientists are uncertain about the numbers of koalas.
There is no shortage of postcards featuring lovable koalas in Australia, but it is much more unusual to catch sight of the marsupials in the wild. The situation could deteriorate further, say scientists. The number of koalas – a symbol of Australia – is falling. A senate committee is due to report on whether they should be treated as an endangered species.
Studies suggest there are 50,000 to 100,000 koalas left. "In fact, it is hard to say...
Rewards for households that produce less waste but little hope for return to weekly collections
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 14th, 2011
Telegraph: The waste review, that sets out strategy for waste collection in England over the next ten years, will scrap fines for petty infringements like putting plastic in the wrong recycling box. Instead households will be offered rewards like M&S vouchers for recycling more rubbish measured by a microchip in the bin. For the first time, households are also being offered rewards for putting out less rubbish in a reversal of the 'bin taxes' suggested by the last Government, that would have fined people...