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Archive for September 24th, 2012
Judge dismisses New York’s anti-drilling lawsuit
Posted by Reuters: Jessica Dye on September 24th, 2012
Reuters: A federal judge in Brooklyn dismissed a lawsuit on Monday brought by New York state and environmental groups challenging proposed natural gas drilling in the Delaware River basin.
U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis threw out the action on procedural grounds, saying there was no basis for the lawsuit since the regulations it sought to halt had not yet been finalized.
"The court concludes that this dispute is not currently fit for judicial review," Garaufis wrote. "The harms that plaintiffs...
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As Arctic Ice Melts, So Does The Snow, And Quickly
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 24th, 2012
National Public Radio: Arctic sea ice is in sharp decline this year: Last week, scientists announced that it hit the lowest point ever measured, shattering the previous record.
But it turns out that's not the most dramatic change in the Arctic. A study by Canadian researchers finds that springtime snow is melting away even faster than Arctic ice. That also has profound implications for the Earth's climate.
Springtime snowmelt matters a lot: It determines when spring runoff comes out of the mountain to fill our rivers....
Canada: Ancient Forests of Nunavut May Return within a Century
Posted by Environmental News Network: David A Gabel on September 24th, 2012
Environmental News Network: The far northern province of Canada known as Nunavut (pronounced none-of-it) is currently a largely barren land. The tundra extends as far as the eye can see, and is covered with ice and snow the further north one goes. The immense territory stretches from Hudson Bay in the south, comprising most of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. It has a relatively small population of about 32,000, mostly Inuit, spread thinly across an area the size of Western Europe. The province of Nunavut is undergoing significant...
Human activity detrimental to coral reefs, says study
Posted by SciDev.Net: Mercy Adhiambo on September 24th, 2012
SciDev.Net: Human activities like agriculture and urbanisation can lead to the destruction of coral reefs and make their recovery and management difficult, according to research undertaken along the Kenyan coast. These activities increase the rate at which microbes -- microscopic plants and animals such as bacteria, fungi, and algae, as well as some animals like sponges and worms -- erode the reefs. Overfishing and drainage from land -- such as the one that occurs in Kenya's marine parks -- were significant...
Low Waters and High Anxiety
Posted by New York Times: Chris Bentley on September 24th, 2012
New York Times: This summer’s drought has continued to draw down water levels in Lakes Superior and Michigan-Huron (hydrologically speaking, Michigan and Huron are the same body of water). New forecasts suggest that water levels in the two lakes may soon hit an all-time low, aggravating an economic quandary: with such low levels, cargo ships have to forgo millions of dollars of freight.
Last month 25 senators signed a letter calling on the federal Office of Management and Budget to devote more money to dredging...
The ripple global effects of climate change
Posted by Oregon Live: Suzanne Ehlers and Andrea Durbin on September 24th, 2012
Oregon Live: Twelve-year-old Olivia Chernaik and 16-year-old Kelsey Juliana are suing Oregon. The reason? They say the state is violating the public trust by failing to take adequate steps to prevent climate change.
"I don't want to live in a wasteland caused by climate change," Olivia told reporters last month after filing an appeal in the case.
Halfway across the world in Nepal's terai region, Sarada Chaudhury already sees her environment changing. Trees stand awkwardly far apart in the dusty ground....
House approves GOP bill to revoke environmental standards
Posted by BusinessGreen: None Given on September 24th, 2012
BusinessGreen: Green groups have decried a bill approved by the House of Representatives on Friday to remove swathes of regulation on the coal industry as putting "all Americans at risk from dangerous air pollution".
In its last piece of business before breaking ahead of the November Presidential election, the GOP-sponsored Stop the War on Coal Act was approved in a 233-175 vote, even attracting support from 19 Democrats.
The package of five bills would overturn regulations Republicans say are harming the...
Climate change creates new opportunities, risks in Russia’s north
Posted by CBC: Daniel Schwartz on September 24th, 2012
CBC: As climate change alters the Arctic landscape, shrinking the ice cover on sea and land, it opens up more of the region to resource exploitation.
On Sept. 16, the ice cover in the Arctic Ocean reached the record for the smallest area since satellite tracking began.
For decades, Russia has been the pioneer in Arctic development, and it continues to forge ahead.
Scientists say sea ice in the Arctic shrank to an all-time low on Sept. 16, at least since satellite records began in 1979. This image...
Norway helps Vietnam cope with climate change
Posted by Voice of Vietnam: None Given on September 24th, 2012
Voice of Vietnam: The Vietnam Red Cross in coordination with its Norway partner organized a seminar in Hanoi from September 24-26 to share experience in disaster risk reduction (DRR).
Present at the seminar were representatives from the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Education and Training, the Norway Embassy, Red Cross organsiations from Vietnam, China, and Norway, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and other international organizations involved in...
Climate change: a sinking feeling
Posted by Hindu: T. Nandakumar on September 24th, 2012
Hindu: With the rising sea level emerging as a major cause for concern, the Department of Environment and Climate Change is commissioning a study to assess the impact of the phenomenon on the Kerala coast.
The department has earmarked Rs.67 lakh for the project. An amount of Rs.33 lakh is to be released this year, P. Sreekantan Nair, Director, Environment and Climate Change, told The Hindu . He said the project was expected to provide critical inputs for the State to identify the vulnerable areas and...