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Archive for September 15th, 2012
Saving the Top 100 Threatened Species – a Question of Valuing Life
Posted by Inter Press Service: Amantha Perera on September 15th, 2012
Inter Press Service: The Red River Giant softshell turtle (Rafetus swinhoei) is the stuff of legend in Vietnam. The fabled turtle in Hanoi's Hoan Kiem Lake is popularly known by the name Kim Qui or Golden Turtle God, and it made its first historical appearance in 250 BC.
Today this species could indeed use some divine intervention. Experts at the World Conservation Congress here in South Korea`s southern resort island of Jeju warned that there are only four specimens of the famous turtle known to be alive. And only...
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Eni says oil spill contained in Nigeria’s Delta
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 15th, 2012
Reuters: Italian oil firm Eni said on Saturday an oil spill near its facilities in the Niger Delta had been contained, but local people said the pollution had spread and damaged their fishing.
Eni said the spill occurred last week about 10 km (six miles) from the Obama flowstation in Bayelsa state.
"We do not yet have information either on the causes or the amount of oil affected," an Eni spokesman told Reuters.
Oil spills are common in Nigeria, where enforcement of environmental regulations is lax...
Idyllic Oregon thrust into energy export debate
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 15th, 2012
Reuters: When federal officials arrived in this scenic but economically struggling port a few weeks ago for hearings on a proposed liquefied natural gas plant, some residents had a sense of déjà vu: it was only six years earlier, in the same auditorium, that they had already discussed the pros and cons of an LNG plant.
But there was one big difference this time around: the 2006 plan was designed to bring gas in, while the current project calls for shipping gas out.
This literal change in direction illustrates...
Arctic Warming is Altering Weather Patterns, Study Shows
Posted by Climate Central: Andrew Freedman on September 15th, 2012
Climate Central: By showing that Arctic climate change is no longer just a problem for the polar bear, a new study may finally dispel the view that what happens in the Arctic, stays in the Arctic.
The study, by Jennifer Francis of Rutgers University and Stephen Vavrus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, ties rapid Arctic climate change to high-impact, extreme weather events in the U.S. and Europe.
The study shows that by changing the temperature balance between the Arctic and mid-latitudes, rapid Arctic...
Natural gas isn’t only solution to curb climate change
Posted by PoughKeepsie Journal: None Given on September 15th, 2012
Poughkeepsie Journal: There is a lot to be gleaned by the fact that carbon-dioxide emissions – the ones contributing to climate change – have fallen dramatically in the United States of late.
It is, indeed, welcome news because the world is in for a long struggle to keep these emissions in check, and the United States still creates far more than its fair share of the pollution.
But there should be concern over how, exactly, the United States has seen this decline: It has come mostly through the trend of cheap and...