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Archive for August 30th, 2011
United States: Experts predict drought could be around for years to come
Posted by Gonzales Inquirere: Lynn Adams on August 30th, 2011
Gonzales Inquirere: The bad news is, Texas is in the strangehold of the second-most severe drought in state history and the worst ever for a single year.
The badder news: Get used to it. The drought may be around for the next year or two.
And, yes, global warming may be a contributing factor. Climate scientists predict much more of the same in coming decades because of long-term warming trends.
Texas is poised to surpass a 1956 dry spell and record its worst drought on record if high heat and low rainfall persist...
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Thailand: Bangkok facing ‘disaster scenarios’
Posted by Canberra Times: Bianca Hall on August 30th, 2011
Canberra Times: Climate change and rising sea waters could wipe out much of the world's rice stocks and leave millions homeless in Thailand, a leaked US cable reveals.
The diplomatic cable, sent to ASEAN members and US departments last year, was part of the cache of tens of thousands of diplomatic documents issued by WikiLeaks last week.
In it, the US embassy in Bangkok flags the alarming prediction that rising sea levels will threaten Bangkok's 12million residents with inundation by 2050. The UN International...
Canada highlight oilsands lobbying success
Posted by Vancouver Sun: Mike De Souza on August 30th, 2011
Vancouver Sun: The federal government described media reports about weakened Europe climate-change policies as a "leap forward" on work to protect Alberta's oilsands industry, internal documents obtained by Postmedia News have revealed.
The information was included in a document summarizing a March 2010 meeting between government officials, oil and gas industry executives, and Bruce Carson, a former top adviser to Prime Minister Stephen Harper. It highlighted media reports about the European Union backing away...
Rural poor at risk from climate change, says report
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 30th, 2011
IRIN: Building local resilience will prove key to better addressing the effects of climate change in Cambodia, this year's Cambodia Human Development Report (CHDR) states.
"Local action and local solutions are what is needed most," Tin Ponlok, deputy director-general of climate change for the Cambodian Ministry of Environment, told IRIN. "This is where we can make the most difference."
Released on 30 August, the report, Building Resilience: The Future for Rural Livelihoods in the Face of Climate...
Report: China to crank up 2015 renewable target
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 30th, 2011
Business Green: Chinese state media has today reported that the government will increase renewable energy targets for 2015 as it seeks to beef up efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
China is already one of the world's largest and fastest-growing renewable energy markets, having emerged as a leader in the development and installation of wind and solar energy.
The government had said it aims to accelerate the roll out of new renewable capacity as part of its next five-year plan and has signaled its intention...
U.S.: New Oil Pipeline Sparks Civil Disobedience
Posted by Inter Press Service: Kanya D'Almeida on August 30th, 2011
Inter Press Service: On the tenth day of a protest wave that has been gaining momentum since Aug. 20 and will continue until Sep. 3, nearly 300 people gathered in Lafayette Park directly across from the White House in Washington D.C., chanting, "When I say 'tar sands', you say 'no!' When I say 'action', you say 'go!'"
The protest - a sustained effort against the building of a new oil pipeline connecting the tar sands of Canada's southwestern province to several refineries around the Gulf of Mexico – is the most recent...
Vermont, New Jersey flooded as Irene spares NYC
Posted by Reuters: Christine Kearney and Scott Malone on August 30th, 2011
Reuters: New Jersey and Vermont struggled with their worst flooding in decades on Monday, a day after Hurricane Irene slammed an already soaked U.S. Northeast with torrential rain, dragging away homes and submerging neighborhoods underwater.
The massive storm churned up the U.S. East Coast over the weekend killing at least 38 people in 11 states, in addition to three who died in the Dominican Republic and one in Puerto Rico when the storm was still in the Caribbean, authorities said.
Spared from Irene's...