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Archive for October 4th, 2011
Research suggests Pacific Northwest forests might not be as healthy as they look
Posted by Oregonian: Eric Mortenson on October 4th, 2011
Oregonian: Pacific Northwest forests may look healthy, but their ability to sequester carbon, filter water and shelter wildlife may be declining, according to researchers at Oregon State University and the University of Washington.
In articles published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers said forests may be losing ecological, economic or cultural values beneath a "veneer" of health.
Traditional forest management practices such as timber production, clear-cutting and replanting...
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Some climatologists worry that Texas’ mega-drought could endure for years
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 4th, 2011
ClimateWire: Texas State Climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon made headlines last week when he predicted his state's devastating drought could last until 2020.
That's yet another heaping helping of bad news for Texas, where unusually dry conditions this year have caused $5.2 billion in damages to the state's agriculture sector.
But the prediction is also notable because scientists don't forecast drought years in advance. The federal government's latest drought outlook only extends through December.
So is...
New Zealand church calls for formal deals to help drought-hit Tuvalu
Posted by Radio New Zealand International: None Given on October 4th, 2011
Radio New Zealand International: An official with the Presbyterian Church in New Zealand says the drought crisis in Tuvalu shows the need for New Zealand to develop formal agreements with small islands nations affected by climate change. This week New Zealand sent aid to Tuvalu after it last week declared a state of emergency because of water stores running critically low. The church’s global mission coordinator, the Very Reverend Pamela Tankerlsey, says while the New Zealand Government is providing assistance, it should be offering...
Canada: Economy, environment, politics figure in Keystone fight
Posted by Houston Chronicle: Jennifer A. Dlouhy on October 4th, 2011
Houston Chronicle: WASHINGTON -- Shell, ConocoPhillips and other energy companies with deep Texas ties are betting billions on investments in Canadian oil sands prospects, with hopes of refining that crude and selling it to customers in the U.S. and overseas.
The firms see Canadian oil sands developments as the next North American oil boom and a major part of their onshore exploration and production portfolio.
But making those investments pay off -- and getting that Canadian crude to Gulf Coast refineries --...
South Pacific Faces Water Shortages, Fouled Reserves Linked To Climate Change
Posted by Associated Press: Nick Perry on October 4th, 2011
Associated Press: Crops are wilting, schools have shut their bathrooms and government officials are bathing in lagoons because of a severe shortage of fresh water in a swath of the South Pacific. The island groups of Tuvalu and Tokelau have declared emergencies, relying on bottled water and seeking more desalination machines. Parts of Samoa are starting to ration water. Supplies are precariously low after a severe lack of rain in a region where underground reserves have been fouled by saltwater from rising seas...
UN: By 2050, climate change could force 200 million to evacuate
Posted by GMA News: None Given on October 4th, 2011
GMA News: Climate change could force up to 200 million people worldwide to flee their homes by 2050, United Nations (UN) officials warned Tuesday, a week after thousands of families in Luzon evacuated due to successive typhoons.
In a statement posted to mark World Habitat Day, the UN then told the international community to address threats of climate change on the world’s urban areas, cautioning that the link between urbanization and climate change was “real and potentially deadly."
UN Secretary-General...
Bottled water only relief for some in Pacific
Posted by Associated Press: Nick Perry on October 4th, 2011
Associated Press: Crops are wilting, schools have shut their bathrooms and government officials are bathing in lagoons because of a severe shortage of fresh water in a swath of the South Pacific. Only on msnbc.com AP Wall Street rallies could be left’s Tea Party News21 As farmers markets thrive, so do concerns Apathetic Italians moved to anger by verdict Igor Siwanowicz via Nikon Small World Little bug leads to big prize Stealing elderly parents' IDs a common, hidden crime Courtesy of Diane Mapes Cancer kiss-off:...
South Pacific water woes increase
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 4th, 2011
BBC: A second South Pacific community is suffering a severe water shortage due to an ongoing drought crisis.
Tokelau declared a state of emergency late on Monday, following a similar move in neighbouring Tuvalu, where water is already being rationed.
A New Zealand-administered territory of three islands, Tokelau's 1,400 people have less than a week's drinking water left.
The lack of rainfall is blamed on the La Nina weather pattern.
Officials said Tokelau had run out of natural fresh water...
Analysis: Myanmar dam suspension tests vital China ties
Posted by Reuters: Ben Blanchard and Aung Hla Tun on October 4th, 2011
Reuters: The surprise decision by Myanmar's new civilian government to suspend a controversial, Chinese-backed dam is straining relations between the erstwhile allies, but neither is likely to risk lasting damage.
China is pressing for an "appropriate solution" to the shelving of the $3.6 billion Myitsone dam, a moved hailed by its opponents who had warned of the scheme's environmental damage and forced relocation of residents.
For Myanmar, under wide-reaching sanctions by Western countries for human...
2010 drought damaged Amazon as much as man-made deforestation
Posted by Environmental Research Web: None Given on October 4th, 2011
Environmental Research Web: The drought of 2010 caused about as much damage to the Amazon as man-made deforestation in that year, according to researchers in the US.
Chris Potter from NASA Ames Research Centre and his colleagues from the California State University and Planetary Skin Institute, modelled the CO2 uptake of the Amazon after last year's record-breaking drought. They based their simulations on satellite data which revealed widespread reductions in the greenness of Amazon forests caused by the drought.
They...