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Archive for September 22nd, 2011
United Kingdom: Nature Studies by Michael McCarthy: Betrayed by an act of despotism
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 22nd, 2011
Independent: Why should a government set up and pay for an independent organisation that is likely to criticise it? In terms of realpolitik, of course, there is no reason whatsoever, which is why in tyrannies such bodies do not exist.
Yet we have prided ourselves in Britain on being more than a tyranny, and so the arm's-length quango which can tell the truth to power has been a valued feature of our society, considering that governments of whatever complexion do not always know best and can act out of base...
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Urban areas get ‘smart’ at Paris event
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 22nd, 2011
Independent: Cities throughout Europe are expected to follow Amsterdam's example and invest heavily in 'smart technologies' to improve the quality of the urban environment, according to a recent reports on ThomasNet and Environmental Technology. On Friday, September 23, the latest ideas and technologies in the field of Smart Cities will be discussed at an international conference and cultural festival Smart City hosted by the University of Paris. The Smart City event features installations, urban walks, conferences...
United States: Exxon says Mobile Bay leak caused by salt water line
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 22nd, 2011
Reuters: A salt water pipeline leak offshore Alabama has forced ExxonMobil to halt gas production in the Mobile Bay area of the Gulf of Mexico, the company said on Thursday.
A sheen was detected on the water on Tuesday night, one mile south of Dauphin Island where ExxonMobil runs a number of subsea natural gas pipelines, prompting the company to shut in 280 million cubic feet per day of natural gas production.
"ExxonMobil can confirm that a subsea pipeline that transports salt water produced from its...
Tribal leader to the UN: Indigenous peoples of the Amazon are in danger
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 22nd, 2011
Mongabay: Editor's note: the following statement was presented by Almir Surui Narayamoga of the Surui tribe to the U.N. General Assembly in New York on September 21, 2011. Translation by Rhett Butler.
Amazonian indigenous peoples and their traditional territories are living under constant threat.
Illegal deforestation - carried out by loggers, ranchers, miners and intruders on indigenous territories - destroys the forest trees, kills birds by destroying their nests, kills animals that live off the fruits...
United Kingdom: Fracking must be halted until we know more
Posted by Guardian: Caroline Lucas on September 22nd, 2011
Guardian: Cuadrilla Resources, the energy firm leading the controversial drilling for shale gas in the UK, has made its initial estimate of the size of gas reserves near Blackpool.
The company, whose investors include Lord Browne – a former BP chief and now the non-executive director tasked with recruiting business leaders into government departments – breathlessly announced that about 200tr cubic feet of shale gas is ripe for exploration via hydraulic fracturing, or 'fracking', in this part of Lancashire....
South Asia could see African hunger scenario – Red cross
Posted by AlertNet: Nita Bhalla on September 22nd, 2011
AlertNet: Scenes of starving children in the Horn of Africa could well be played out in parts of South Asia unless governments invest more in agriculture and give poor farmers access to finances, the Red Cross movement warned on Thursday.
Rocketing food prices, climate change-related disasters as well as land grabs are set to not only push the number of the world's hungry past one billion, but also drive some to the brink of starvation, especially in vulnerable regions like South Asia, experts say.
"One...
Climate change might lead to water shortage in the Alps
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 22nd, 2011
Xinhua: Climate change and rising temperature in the long term can lead to water shortages in the Alps region, international experts warned Thursday at the Water-Scarce Final Conference in the Austrian eastern city Graz.
The Alpine region originally is rich in water resources due to a large number of glaciers, spring and abundant rainfall either in summer or winter. But global warming may change this situation which has been shown in the past years that the water reserve has reduced gradually due to climate...
Drought worsens power crisis in Tanzania
Posted by AlertNet: Kizito Makoye on September 22nd, 2011
AlertNet: A persistent drought affecting much of Tanzania has depleted water levels in the Great Ruaha River, plunging much of this hydropower-reliant country into power cuts that are hurting businesses, tourism and government revenue.
The drought, attributed to the effects of climate change, has substantially crippled the operations of major hydropower facilities along the river. Clearing of trees and vegetation by villagers in the river delta is contributing to further water loss.
According to the...
Poll finds evangelicals stand apart on evolution, climate change
Posted by Washington Post: Lauren Markoe on September 22nd, 2011
Washington Post: White evangelicals and Tea Party members are less likely to believe in evolution and climate change than most Americans, a finding that could pose a particular problem for Republican presidential hopefuls.
A new poll released Thursday (Sept. 22) also showed that a majority of Americans (57 percent) believes in evolution, and an even larger majority (69 percent) believes in climate change -- though many still disagree that the phenomenon is based on human activity.
But most Americans do not...
TransCanada on U.S. ad offensive as pipeline decision awaited
Posted by Edmonton Journal: Sheldon Alberts on September 22nd, 2011
Edmonton Journal: The lawmakers and lobbyists who clicked on the Washington-obsessed website Politico.com this week saw something more than the typical daily headlines about President Obama's travails and congressional dysfunction -- there was a burst of green advertising that dominated the screen and nearly overwhelmed the news stories.
The eye-grabbing ad spot was from TransCanada Corp., the Calgary-based pipeline company which has taken a public relations pummeling here in recent months over its planned Keystone...