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Archive for October 21st, 2011
Herders receive first drought insurance payouts in Kenya
Posted by AlertNet: Katy Migiro on October 21st, 2011
AlertNet: As part of an innovative new scheme, 650 herders in northern Kenya received their first drought insurance payouts for the loss of thousands of cows, camels, goats and sheep on Friday.
Up to a third of livestock in Marsabit District are estimated to have died during the current drought, which has affected over 13 million people across the Horn of Africa.
"It's terrible that we are seeing this level of loss, but gratifying that the policies are doing what they are supposed to do, which is to...
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New Berkeley Study Does Not Sway Global-Warming Skeptics
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 21st, 2011
New York Times: A new study designed to address critiques of climate science by skeptics has confirmed that "global warming is real' and that the world's average land temperature has risen by about 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit since the mid-1950s.
The findings, released on Thursday by a group of scientists and statisticians at the University of California known as the Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature project, were welcomed by climate scientists and advocates of climate policy action, who had hoped that skeptics would...
EPA to regulate disposal of fracking wastewater
Posted by Associated Press: Michael Rubinkam on October 21st, 2011
Associated Press: Federal environmental regulators signaled Thursday they want to increase oversight of the natural gas extraction industry, announcing they will develop national standards for the disposal of polluted wastewaters generated by a drilling technique known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.
Energy companies have dramatically expanded the use of fracking in recent years, injecting millions of gallons of water, sand and chemical additives to unlock gas in deep shale formations in Pennsylvania, Texas...