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Archive for September 30th, 2012
Research reports climate change could cripple southwestern forests
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 30th, 2012
PhysOrg: Combine the tree-ring growth record with historical information, climate records, and computer-model projections of future climate trends, and you get a grim picture for the future of trees in the southwestern United States. That's the word from a team of scientists from Los Alamos National Laboratory, the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Arizona, and other partner organizations.
If the Southwest is warmer and drier in the near future, widespread tree death is likely and would cause substantial...
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Reporting On Lead Poisoning In Nigeria
Posted by National Public Radio: Jason Beaubien on September 30th, 2012
National Public Radio: If you want to witness the health consequences of unsafe gold mining in northwestern Nigeria, the first thing you have to do is get to the mines
There's a crisis of severe lead poisoning near the mines that's killed hundreds of children and made thousands more sick.
The gold deposits are in a remote part of the country, near the border with Niger. Even in the best of times, it's a challenge to reach the mines.
Right now, the journey is made tougher by a gasoline crisis that's led to long...
The role of forests in combating climate change
Posted by RTCC: Tierney Smith on September 30th, 2012
RTCC: Forests cover 30% of the world’s land surface, and are home to around 90% of the world’s land-based animals, plants, insects and birds.
They are also one of the world’s largest carbon sinks, absorbing 2.4 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide each year and storing billions more.
Around 6 million hectares of virgin forest is lost or changed each year, and as much as a fifth of global emissions are estimated to come from deforestation. Halting this destruction is seen as vital for keeping global temperatures...
Ethiopia: NGO Calls for Dams to Take Climate Change Into Account
Posted by AllAfricacom: John Hughes on September 30th, 2012
AllAfricacom: The international non-governmental organisation International Rivers has called for the effects of climate change to be taken into account when planning for new dams in sub-Saharan Africa. In its report entitled "A Risky Climate for Southern African Hydro", International Rivers looks at the Zambezi Basin, which is home to the Kariba dam in Zimbabwe and the Cahora Bassa dam in Mozambique. International Rivers is strongly opposed to dams in general, but the report reinforces that opposition by warning...