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Archive for September 16th, 2011
Hungary ‘to prevent toxic sludge firm bankruptcy’
Posted by BBC: Nick Thorpe on September 16th, 2011
BBC: The Hungarian government says it is working to prevent the bankruptcy of a company that was heavily fined over a major industrial accident last year.
The firm, MAL Zrt, was fined more than $650m (£412m) this week for damages caused by the red sludge disaster last October.
The alumina producer has announced it will appeal against the fine.
Ten people died and two villages and a town were heavily polluted when toxic waste material leaked from a reservoir.
MAL Zrt is under attack from all...
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Is Obama dragging his feet on environmental issues to get reelected?
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 16th, 2011
Christian Science Monitor: To many environmentalists, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) announcement this week that it would miss a deadline for setting greenhouse gas regulations for power plants and refineries is one more sign that the Obama administration is dragging its feet on a range of environmental issues.
Whether or not that’s true, the economy – particularly record joblessness – seems to be trumping the environment these days.
Earlier this month, the White House asked the EPA to rewrite an air-quality...
Obama Warns Iceland on Whaling Activity
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 16th, 2011
New York Times: In a move hailed by conservation activists, President Barack Obama initiated potential diplomatic sanctions against Iceland this week for its commercial whaling activity. The sanctions include six measures ranging from possibly limiting cabinet-level visits to Iceland to limiting cooperation with Iceland in the Arctic region.
While such sanctions might seem mild to some, for environmentalists it was akin to throwing down the gauntlet, diplomatically speaking. “This is a real shot across the bow,”...
Va. Court Rules That Insurance Doesn’t Cover Global Warming Claims
Posted by Greenwire: Lawrence Hurley on September 16th, 2011
Greenwire: A state appeals court ruled today in the first case of its type that an insurance company does not have to foot the bill for a company facing damages over climate change.
The Virginia Supreme Court ruled in the closely watched case that Steadfast Insurance does not have a duty to defend AES Corp., a utility which is a defendant in a major climate case, Kivalina v. Exxon Mobil Corp., et al., which is currently before the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Litigation over...
Q-and-A: The Quest of the Earth Scientist
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 16th, 2011
New York Times: Ralph J. Cicerone, president of the National Academy of Sciences, was back in his old haunt this week, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the University of California, Irvine`s Department of Earth System Science, which he founded. He later served as the university`s chancellor. Dr. Cicerone spoke with The New York Times about scientific research on the campus, the national attitude toward science today and the scientific questions he would most like to see answered. Following are excepts, edited...
Africa must face up to climate change if it is to develop its agriculture
Posted by Afrique en Ligue: None Given on September 16th, 2011
Afrique en Ligue: The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and African leaders are working in concert to accelerate the issue of the adoption of 'smart agriculture'. This is to enable them to face up to the impact of climate change and the heightening of the shortage of natural resources.
This was made known at a two-day conference on the theme, 'Smart Aagriculture; Africa, a call for action' organized by the South African government in Johannesburg.
'Africa needs to increase its agricultural productivity...
Hands off our land: the lies and the laws of the land
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 16th, 2011
Telegraph: Just when you think it can't possibly get any worse, it does. Day after day for the past two and a half weeks, this newspaper has been publishing devastating revelations about the Government's so-called planning reforms -- disclosing, for example, that they were largely drawn up by developers; that, despite ministers' assurances, they do threaten the green belt; and that they have already been quietly put into effect even though they are still draft proposals out for formal consultation.
But,...
Recent winters cold? Actually, warm days ruled
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 16th, 2011
Discovery News: Just in time for winter, new analysis shows that even though headlines in the last two winters might make you think we had intensely cold seasons, the truth is just the opposite.
Only on msnbc.com AP Palestinians face US counteroffensive on UN vote History or histrionics in U.N.’s Palestine vote? Pennsylvania ponders Electoral College revamp Jobless man follows in steps of Dust Bowl migrants Pakistan flood victims take ‘double hit’ US taxpayers could be on hook for EU bailout AP Bad hair day?...
Cloud Confusion Swirls at Center of Climate Debate
Posted by LiveScience: Stephanie Pappas on September 16th, 2011
LiveScience: This summer, a widely derided study claiming to overturn the scientific consensus on clouds and climate change kicked off a mini-whirlwind in the climate science community. This wasn't because the findings were revolutionary, but rather because of the public ruckus that arose around the study's publication. By the time the dust settled weeks later, the editor of the journal that carried the original study resigned, saying the paper should not have been published.
The paper, which had been published...
Amazon pollution victims to ask judge to award $8bn Chevron money
Posted by Guardian: Dominic Rushe on September 16th, 2011
Guardian: Victims of what they say is one the world's worst environmental disasters will on Friday ask a New York court to free up billions of dollars in compensation awarded to them in a record ruling earlier this year – and oust the judge who blocked their claim.
The $8bn fine was imposed by an Ecuadorian court in February on oil giant Chevron, on behalf of 30,000 residents of the Amazon basin whose health and environment were allegedly damaged by chemical-laden waste water dumped by Texaco's operations...