RSS Feed
Archive for August, 2012
Wheat scientists seek to slow crop fungus in Africa, Asia
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 31st, 2012
Reuters: Wheat experts are stepping up monitoring of a crop disease first found in Africa in 1999 to minimize the spread of a deadly fungus that is also a threat in Asia, experts said on Friday.
A "Rust-Tracker", using data supplied by farmers and scientists, could now monitor the fungus in 27 developing nations across 42 million hectares (103 million acres) of wheat - an area the size of Iraq or California.
"It's the most serious wheat disease," Ronnie Coffman, vice-chair of the Borlaug Global Rust...
Posted in 
U.S. Approves an Initial Step in Oil Drilling Near Alaska
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 31st, 2012
New York Times: The Interior Department granted Shell permission on Thursday to begin preparatory work on its first well in the Arctic Ocean, moving the company a critical step forward on its tortuous quest to drill for oil off the coast of Alaska. Ken Salazar, the interior secretary, said that Shell could conduct the initial steps in drilling in the Chukchi Sea, putting down as much as 1,400 feet of well casing to support the required blowout preventer, a device meant to shut down a runaway well. The move delighted...
Biodiversity faltering: 20% of invertebrates threatened with extinction
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 31st, 2012
Mongabay: Twenty percent of invertebrates are at risk of extinction, according to a new report that looks at the 12,621 invertebrates assessed by the IUCN Red List to date. Although invertebrates never garner the same conservation attention as big, charismatic animals such as tigers and elephants, they play an undeniable role in maintaining healthy ecosystems. In addition, since invertebrates make-up 80 percent of the world's species, the report raises new concerns about global biodiversity decline.
"We...
Report: Canaveral, other national seashores could disappear beneath the waves
Posted by Orlando Sentinel: Kevin Spear on August 31st, 2012
Orlando Sentinel: Headed for a Central Florida beach to enjoy an end-of-summer surf break over Labor Day weekend?
Be glad you can, but also worry about whether your children and grandchildren get to do the same in years to come, two environmental groups warned this week.
The Rocky Mountain Climate Organization and the Natural Resources Defense Council chose the three-day holiday weekend to release a report that spells out how certain stretches of Atlantic Ocean shoreline will turn intolerably hot for people...
East Coast National Parks at Risk From Sea Level’s Rise
Posted by New York Times: Joanna M. Foster on August 31st, 2012
New York Times: Labor Day is summer`s last hurrah, and families from across the country will be flocking to the beach this weekend to soak in some final rays.
Beachgoers on the East Coast making their way to Cape Cod or one of six other National Seashores, however, might want to pause and take an extra look around at the wind-tossed dunes and sloping sands. Not just because summer is coming to an end, but because these areas are some of the most susceptible to the effects of climate change and may look very different,...
Climate Change Likely To Increase Spread Of The Flu
Posted by ThinkProgress: Zack Beauchamp on August 30th, 2012
ThinkProgress: The U.S. is going through the worst outbreak of West Nile virus in history, a problem likely to be exacerbated by climate change. Today, new research from the University of Michigan suggests that climate change is also likely to spread the flu:
[C]limate change could upset the carefully choreographed interactions between ruddy turnstone shorebirds and the horseshoe crabs that provide the bulk of their food during the birds` annual stopover.
Climate change caused disruptions to the well-timed...
Obama approves preparation for oil drilling in Arctic, Shell en route
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 30th, 2012
Mongabay: In the same week that sea ice in the Arctic Ocean hit another record low due to climate change, the Obama Administration has given final approval to Royal Dutch Shell to prepare for exploratory drilling in the region. Vehemently opposed by environmentalists and indigenous groups, the drilling plans are a part of the Obama Administrations 'all of the above' energy policy. Whether or not Shell will actually drill a well this season, however, is still up in the air as its oil spill containment barge...
Isaac could be blessing and curse in drought areas
Posted by MSNBC: None Given on August 30th, 2012
MSNBC: Thousands of farmers in drought-hit states will be seeing rain from Isaac, but the question many are wondering is whether it will be a blessing, curse or both.
After deluging Louisiana and Mississippi, Isaac on Thursday reached into Arkansas, one of the driest farm states where too much rain could ruin some crops now being harvested.
Farmers ran combines overnight Wednesday, the farm extension service at the University of Arkansas reported -- after earlier tweeting this advice: "Harvest in...
Despite Drought, Some Corn Farmers Reap Bounty
Posted by National Public Radio: Elizabeth Baier on August 30th, 2012
National Public Radio: For every farmer who is hurting this year during the drought, others are benefiting. Many fields in the South, Northwest and Upper Midwest are producing bountiful corn crops. And because the drought has pushed prices to record highs, farmers who have corn to sell expect a terrific payday.
"The corn has actually really, really taken off all the way through season. It's grown fast. It's been accelerated. The corn looks really good now," says John Scott, whose family farm in Sargeant, Minn., is just...
World Bank issues hunger warning after droughts in US and Europe
Posted by Guardian: Larry Elliott on August 30th, 2012
Guardian: The World Bank issued a global hunger warning last night after severe droughts in the US and eastern Europe sent food prices to a record high.
Damage to crop harvests from exceptionally dry weather this year raised sharply the Bank's food price index taking it above its peak in early 2011.
The Washington-based bank blamed the drought in the US for the 25% price rise of maize and 17% price rise in soya beans last month, adding that a dry summer in Russia, the Ukraine and Kazakhstan lay behind...