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Archive for January 19th, 2012
Dueling NY studies over natural gas climate impact
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 19th, 2012
Associated press: Two groups of scientists at Cornell University are dueling over whether natural gas from shale is better or worse than coal when it comes to global climate change.
It's a significant question because proponents of shale gas development using the controversial practice of high-volume hydraulic fracturing argue that natural gas is a cleaner-burning "bridge fuel" from the age of coal to an era of wind, solar and other sustainable energy sources.
Last spring, Cornell scientist Robert Howarth said...
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Canada critical to Obama’s rejection of oil sand pipeline
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 19th, 2012
Guardian: US president Barack Obama has rejected TransCanada's bid to build a pipeline from Alberta's tar sands to refineries in Texas. Republicans and the Canadian government say the pipeline would have meant the creation of thousands of jobs in both countries. Environmentalists hail the decision as brave
Tanzanian farmers look to science – and tradition – to resist drought
Posted by AlertNet: Felix Mwakyembe on January 19th, 2012
AlertNet: Recent years have not been kind to Veremund Mfuse and his maize crops.
As Tanzania struggles with increasingly extreme weather, the farmer, from Mbarali in Tanzania's Mbeya region, has seen his maize production decline, a problem he says is affecting farmers across the region.
"Our major challenge here is drought. We face a critical shortage of water, rains are not reliable (and) we harvest very little,' Mfuse said.
In response to the problem, which experts in the region say is linked to...
Green policies are costing Britons the earth
Posted by Telegraph: Ruth Porter on January 19th, 2012
Telegraph: Rather predictably, Ed Miliband blamed the cuts for making life tough for those on low and middle incomes this week. And he has heaped scorn on what he calls "rip-off Britain". Both he and Cameron, however, are missing a trick when it comes to making life easier for lower earners. It is in part the green agenda that is driving up living costs and making life harder for vast swathes of Britain.
People on low incomes spend 15 per cent of their total expenditure on food and non-alcoholic drinks,...
Keystone denial a threat to Gateway line: Enbridge
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 19th, 2012
Reuters: The head of pipeline company Enbridge Inc (ENB.TO) said on Wednesday that the Obama administration's rejection of the Keystone XL line may be a threat to other new pipeline projects, including its planned C$5.5. billion ($5.45 billion) Northern Gateway line.
Chief Executive Pat Daniel conceded that Enbridge, whose lines carry the bulk of Canada's crude exports to the United States, may see some short term benefit from the U.S. decision on Wednesday to deny TransCanada Corp's (TRP.TO) Keystone...
Amazon basin becoming carbon emitter
Posted by TG Daily: None Given on January 19th, 2012
TG Daily: Deforestation and climate change are having a profound effect on the Amazon basin, shifting it from a carbon sink to a carbon emitter.
The Large-Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in the Amazon (LBA) evaluates the connections between climate change, agricultural expansion, logging, and fire risk.
And, concludes the team, there are clear signs of transition to a disturbance-dominated regime in the southern and eastern portions of the Amazon basin.
"Deforestation has moved the net basin-wide...
State Dept. to Put Pipeline on Hold, Officials Say
Posted by New York Times: John M. Broder and Dan Frosch on January 19th, 2012
New York Times: The State Department was expected to announce later Wednesday that it cannot recommend going forward with the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline within the 60-day deadline set by Congress, putting the politically charged project on hold indefinitely, administration officials said. The administration has until Feb. 21 to decide the fate of the 1,700-mile pipeline to carry heavy crude oil from formations in Alberta, Canada, to refineries on the Gulf Coast. Officials are expected to announce that they...
Natural Gas From Shale Could Worsen Climate Change
Posted by Essential Public Radio: None Given on January 19th, 2012
Essential Public Radio: Instead of being an answer to climate change, shale gas might actually be a major generator of greenhouse emissions. (Penn State University) Nancy Adams from PSU touches residue leftover from drilling at a Marcellus Shale drilling site.
Instead of being an answer to climate change, shale gas might actually be a major generator of greenhouse emissions.
According to a new study done by three Cornell University researchers, the problem with shale gas is the amount of methane it releases into the...
Keystone Pipeline Becomes Hot-Button Election Issue
Posted by National Public Radio: Jeff Brady on January 19th, 2012
National Public Radio: President Obama rejected an application to build the 1,700-mile Keystone XL pipeline from Canada to the U.S. Gulf Coast on Wednesday. He blamed congressional Republicans, who had set a 60-day deadline for his administration to complete its review of the project.
Just minutes after Obama issued a statement denying the permit, Republican members of Congress lined up before TV cameras.
"I'm deeply, deeply disappointed that our president decided to put his politics above the nation," said Rep....
Marcellus boom threatens climate change action, study says
Posted by Charleston Gazette: Ken Ward Jr. on January 19th, 2012
Charleston Gazette: The boom in drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale and other similar formations will likely suppress the development of alternative energies that are urgently needed to combat global warming, according to a new study by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute for Technology.
Researchers highlighted some positive aspects of the boom in drilling for "shale-gas" reserves, such as help in lowering gas prices and stimulating the economy.
But they warned that a switch from coal to natural...