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Archive for June 27th, 2012
Dirty water an issue at US beaches, report shows
Posted by MSNBC: Vignesh Ramachandran on June 27th, 2012
MSNBC: Water pollution from untreated sewage and storm water runoff continue to be an issue at U.S. beaches, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), a nonprofit environmental group. NRDC on Wednesday released "Testing the Waters: A Guide to Water Quality at Vacation Beaches," a report it has conducted for 22 consecutive years.
NRDC analyzed data collected in 2011 from more than 3,000 beaches nationwide, and found the third-highest level of beach closures and advisories in two decades...
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Philippines rice terraces off endangered list: UN
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 27th, 2012
Agence France-Presse: The Philippines' ancient rice terraces, carved into mountains like giant green stairs, have been removed from a UN list of endangered world heritage sites, the UN office in Manila said Wednesday.
The 2,000-year-old living cultural monuments were put on the World Heritage Committee's danger list in 2000 at the Philippine government's request to rally local and international aid, and for better management of their preservation.
"Both actions were successfully undertaken, leading to the conservation...
Towering Colorado wildfire devours homes, forces partial closure of Air Force Academy
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 27th, 2012
Associated Press: More than 32,000 people have been ordered to evacuate as a fast-moving wildfire spreads into the Colorado Springs city limits.
El Paso County sheriff's spokeswoman Jackie Kirby said Wednesday that at least six subdivisions are included in the evacuation orders, along with residents of the Air Force Academy. Kirby says a number of houses have burned, but no estimate is available.
The Air Force Academy evacuated some campus residents Tuesday night as heavy smoke billowed from a wildfire north...
Many bird species in Canada on decline: Report
Posted by Canadian Press: Sheryl Ubelacker on June 27th, 2012
Canadian Press: A huge proportion of Canada`s bird species are in serious decline, threatened by disappearing habitat and climate change, the first comprehensive report on the health of the country`s avian populations has found.
Overall, there`s been a 12 per cent drop in bird populations since 1970, says the 36-page report, entitled The State of Canada`s Birds 2012.
While some species have stayed at relatively stable levels over the last four decades -- and some have even taken flight to a point -- 44 per...
On oil sands, Ottawa’s not hearing what Alberta’s saying
Posted by Tyee: Geoff Dembicki on June 27th, 2012
Tyee: On Sept. 11, 2009, Stephen Harper's then-environment minister Jim Prentice called on his counterpart in Alberta, Rob Renner, and then-premier Ed Stelmach.
Prentice intended to pitch the province on the federal government's plan to control Canada's greenhouse gas emissions.
It wasn't going to be an easy sell. Ottawa planned to place clear limits on Canada's carbon emissions. Companies unable to meet those limits would need to buy credits from companies that exceeded their requirements. This...
Heat wave bakes the West and high plains, moves east
Posted by Climate Central: Andrew Freedman on June 27th, 2012
Climate Central: A prolonged and historic heat wave is baking the West and migrating eastward, with temperatures from Texas to Chicago expected to approach or exceed 100°F during the next few days. Already, several all-time high temperature records have been set.
On June 25 and 26, Denver tied its all-time record high temperature for any month of the year when the thermometer at Denver International Airport hit 105°F. That was an all-time high temperature record for June as well, and marked five straight days...
West India drought fuels migration to cities
Posted by AlertNet: Darryl D'Monte on June 27th, 2012
AlertNet: Worsening drought in western India is making it harder for men to find brides and pushing poor rural families to seek work in cities, as government policies to help them deal with crop failure and financial pressures fall short.
More than a dozen young men in a village in Khatav sub-district in Satara, in the west Indian state of Maharashtra, have been waiting in vain for brides for more than two years, since the dry spell began, the Daily New and Analysis (DNA) newspaper reported in May.
"No...
Climate change would lead to increased fire activity, study shows
Posted by Bay Citizen: Coulter Jones on June 27th, 2012
Bay Citizen: Climate change is likely to alter fire patterns around the world, including a potential increase in the number of fires for much of California in the next 30 years, according to a new study led by UC Berkeley researchers.
The study, published in Ecosphere, modeled projected climate changes and how those changes would affect fire activity. The Northern Hemisphere would see the largest increases in the frequency of wildfires, with some parts of the globe potentially seeing decreases, said Max A....
Visualizing A Nation Of Meat Eaters
Posted by National Public Radio: Eliza Barclay on June 27th, 2012
National Public Radio: As Allison Aubrey and Dan Charles reported today on Morning Edition, meat has more of an impact on the environment than any other food we eat. That's because livestock require so much more food, water, land, and energy than plants to raise and transport. (Listen to the audio above for their conversation with Morning Edition's Linda Wertheimer.)
Take a look here at what goes into just one quarter-pound of hamburger meat.
And that's not even including the animal's waste or the methane emissions...
Killing Capitalism in the Name of Self-Defense
Posted by Salty Eggs: Stephanie McMillan on June 27th, 2012
Salty Eggs: Global capitalism is killing the planet. It is turning the living world into dead commodities by exploiting the many for the profit of a few.
Ecocide is the most urgent and immediate problem we face. If we don’t solve it, nothing else will matter. Economic troubles (not to mention our personal issues) will seem trivial. The ability of the planet to sustain life of any kind is becoming increasingly threatened.
It may already be too late to avoid runaway global warming; and it’s certainly too...