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Archive for October 3rd, 2012
In West, September Brought Record Heat and Dry Weather
Posted by Climate Central: Andrew Freedman on October 3rd, 2012
Climate Central: While September finally brought some relief from the unrelenting summer heat to the Central and Eastern parts of the U.S., the prevailing weather pattern helped set heat and dry weather records and gave rise to wildfires throughout the West. Death Valley, Calif., which is the country's hottest spot, set a record for the warmest September on record, with an average temperature of 96.3°F. That beat the old record of 95.7°F, which was set in 1915. Records for Death Valley date back to 1911.
At Needles,...
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No Compromise on NY Fracking Health Impact Assessment
Posted by EcoWatch: Sandra Steingraber, Ph.D. Kathleen Nolan, MD, MSL on October 3rd, 2012
EcoWatch: As Governor, Andrew Cuomo will continue to be an environmental champion by . . . making sure health and environmental risks are comprehensively studied before natural gas exploration in New York’s Marcellus Shale formation occurs.
--2010 gubernatorial campaign website, Nov. 1, 2010
Obviously if there was a public health concern that could not be addressed we would not proceed.
--DEC Commissioner Joseph Martens, New York Times, Sept. 20, 2012
Summary Statement
Four years of study and...
In Wake of Sea Ice Loss, Focus on New Models, Melt Ponds
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 3rd, 2012
Climate Central: Since Arctic sea ice extent plummeted to a record low in September, shattering the previous record set in 2007, much has been made of the fact that sea ice has declined at a much faster pace than what most scientists had anticipated. Until recently, most computer models failed to capture the precipitous decline in Arctic sea ice that has occurred since satellite observations began in 1979.
In order to make improved projections, scientists are fine-tuning their understanding of the many influences...
Stop Fracking Up Our Water—New Study Supports Water Contamination Due to Fracking
Posted by Earthworks: None Given on October 3rd, 2012
Earthworks: An independent analysis of new U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) water monitoring data verifies a 2011 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) investigation into whether hydraulic fracturing contaminated the Wind River aquifer near Pavillion, Wyoming--an important groundwater source that provides water to thousands of Wyoming residents and farmers.
The preliminary results of U.S. EPA’s study was one of the first to document hydrocarbons consistent with fracking fluid chemicals in drinking water...
Kenya steps up geothermal power
Posted by AlertNet: Geoffrey Kamadi on October 3rd, 2012
AlertNet: Kenya has inaugurated Africa's biggest geothermal power project in a bid to meet its growing need for electricity and lower its consumption of nonrenewable energy.
The 280 megawatt (MW) Olkaria Geothermal Project was commissioned by Kenya's president, Mwai Kibaki, in July. It is being built at a cost of 82.5 billion Kenyan shillings ($980 million) and is due for completion in June 2014.
Experts say that it should be an important source of "green' energy in a country that has seen its hydropower...
Poland aiming to enact new shale gas law in 2013
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 3rd, 2012
Reuters: Poland wants its new shale gas law to go into force next year, Piotr Wozniak, the deputy environment minister responsible for the draft law said on Wednesday, but added that it would be best if a shale gas tax waited until at least 2016.
Poland, which aims to be Europe's shale gas pioneer, has postponed publication of its legal framework for the development of the potentially lucrative energy resource several times in the past few months.
Discussions over a shale gas tax were causing the delays,...
Zimbabwe: Climate change threatens Zambezi dam projects
Posted by AlertNet: Madalitso Mwando on October 3rd, 2012
AlertNet: Ambitious multi-billion dollar dam projects along the Zambezi River, carried out by southern African countries seeking to boost hydropower generation, could turn out to be white elephants because of growing climate challenges, experts say.
Concerns that some African countries are responding inadequately to climate change forecasts are highlighted in a new report that warns that governments have failed to appreciate the effects of poor rainfall and of potentially devastating floods -- both linked...
Australia admits neglecting Great Barrier Reef
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 3rd, 2012
Telegraph: Tony Burke, the environment minister, said research released on Tuesday by scientists from the Australian Institute of Marine Science and the University of Wollongong should be setting off alarm bells across the country. "I reckon the report would have sent shock waves through a whole lot of households," he told ABC television late on Tuesday. "We've all heard about damage to the reef over the years, but that 50 per cent figure, I think, rang a warning bell loud and clear for many people." The...
Is Climate Change the Sleeper Issue of 2012?
Posted by Climate Desk: Chris Mooney on October 3rd, 2012
Climate Desk: It was quite the messaging turnaround. In his September 6 acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, President Obama--whose reticence about so much as mentioning global warming has flummoxed environmental activists--used the subject to launch an unexpected attack on his opponent. "Climate change is not a hoax," the president declared. "More droughts and floods and wildfires are not a joke. They are a threat to our children`s future." In the after-speech gabfest, Politico...