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Archive for August 17th, 2012
United Kingdom: Full report published on Cumbria nuclear waste burial and local involvement
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 17th, 2012
Guardian: The complicated and contentious issue of burying nuclear waste in Cumbria is heading for a milestone on 11 October when the three local councils which have expressed an interest meet to debate further involvement.
A useful waymarker has now been published in full, based on the views of some 2,300 people and organisations whose submissions, while often very different and sometimes in direct conflict, have led to changes and hesitations, albeit not altering the general approach of cautiously making...
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US drought could spur civil unrest around the world
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 17th, 2012
New Scientist: As prices rise, tempers fray. The US drought has pushed up global food prices and is likely to continue to do so. Some say riots and unrest may follow.
According to the Climate Prediction Center, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, El Niño conditions are likely to develop over the Pacific in August or September, which should affect global weather before the end of the year. This may drive food prices up further if it causes floods or further drought.
US farms are already...
Belo Monte dam construction halted by Brazilian court
Posted by BusinessGreen: Guardian on August 17th, 2012
BusinessGreen: Opponents of the world's biggest new hydroelectric project - the Belo Monte dam in Brazil - notched up a rare victory this week, when a federal appeals court ordered construction to be suspended until indigenous groups are properly consulted about the project.
The judgment on Tuesday may prove only a temporary reprieve but it is seen as a scathing verdict on the government's efforts to rush forward with the Xingu River project in the Amazon, which - despite controversy - is one of the pillars...
Ethanol Quota Debated by Corn Farmers and Meat Industry
Posted by New York Times: John H. Cushman Jr. on August 17th, 2012
New York Times: Three big intertwined but rival agribusinesses — corn farmers, meat and poultry producers, and biofuel refineries — are in a political fight to protect their interests as a drought ravages corn producers and industrial consumers alike. At issue is whether to suspend a five-year-old federal mandate requiring more ethanol in gasoline each year, a policy that has diverted almost half of the domestic corn supply from animal feedlots to ethanol refineries, driven up corn prices and plantings and created...
Drought May Be Leveling Off or Easing, Report Says
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 17th, 2012
New York Times: The worst drought in the United States in decades may be leveling off or even be easing slightly in some places, federal weather forecasters said Thursday in a report of little comfort to farmers and ranchers who already have begun tallying this year’s losses. While the latest forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center calls for the drought to linger in the nation’s breadbasket and parts of some mountain states at least through November, it said...
Wildfires menace towns in Idaho, California
Posted by Reuters: Laura Zuckerman on August 17th, 2012
Reuters: A wildfire roaring through mountainous terrain in Idaho's Boise National Forest headed toward a resort town on Thursday, as voluntary evacuations began and firefighters scrambled to make a last stand against the advancing flames.
The Idaho blaze, sparked by a utility vehicle that caught fire, has charred nearly 70,000 acres of sagebrush and woodlands east of Boise over the past six days, burning a rental cabin and six non-residential structures, authorities said.
The fire is one of dozens burning...