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Archive for October 5th, 2012
The Browning of America
Posted by Environmental News Network: Andy Soos on October 5th, 2012
Environmental News Network: Nearly two thirds of the contiguous United States was experiencing some level of drought by the end of August 2012, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. 39 percent of the nation suffered from severe to extreme drought. Though the numbers changed a bit in mid-September, the drought parched much of the interior United States and left both domestic and wild animals scrounging for food. There were also plenty of spectacular wild fires. The browning and withering of vegetation in the United States and...
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Starfish Blamed For Great Barrier Reef Coral Loss
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 5th, 2012
National Public Radio: IRA FLATOW, HOST:
This is SCIENCE FRIDAY, I'm Ira Flatow. Australia's Great Barrier Reef is in trouble. In the last 27 years, the world's largest coral reef system has lost 50 percent of its coral cover, and if this trend continues, the amount of coral could halve again by 2022.
According to researchers at the Australian Institute of Marine Science, 10 percent of the loss was from coral bleaching, which is primarily caused by warming ocean temperatures; 48 percent from storm damage; and 42...
Will U.S. Taxpayers Foot the Bill for BP Oil Spill Cleanup?
Posted by EcoWatch: Farron Cousins on October 5th, 2012
EcoWatch: A proposed settlement deal between the federal government and BP over their involvement in the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion and subsequent oil leak could shift the burden of cleanup costs away from the oil giant and onto U.S. taxpayers.
The current settlement option is just one of several being negotiated between the federal government and BP. But this settlement option would route fine and settlement money through the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA), rather than fining the...
Melting Permafrost Will Boost Temps, But Not Quickly
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 5th, 2012
Climate Central: Climate scientists have long known that human-generated greenhouse emissions are only part of the story with global warming. A rising planetary temperature sets in motion all sorts of secondary effects that can boost the temperature even higher -- effects like melting Arctic sea ice, rising levels of heat-trapping water vapor in the atmosphere, and more. When researches try to figure out how high the thermometer will go over the next century or two, it's important to figure in these so-called feedbacks...
Decision looms on future for British polar research
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 5th, 2012
BBC: Press reports say the world famous British Antarctic Survey is doomed. A petition to save Britain's polar heritage does the rounds. Captain Scott must be turning in his icy grave.
If any of this is right? Beneath the smoke, how much fire can be found?
As with any plan for cuts in public spending, there is a swirl of confusion, resentment and rivalry amid a genuine fear about jobs.
Throw in a proposed merger of one proud institution with another - in this case, the British Antarctic Survey...
Africa’s mineral wealth hardly denting poverty levels, says World Bank
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 5th, 2012
Guardian: Strong economic growth in the past decade among African countries rich in oil and minerals has failed to make a significant dent on their poverty levels, according to a World Bank report.
Africa's Pulse, a twice-yearly analysis of Africa's economic prospects, noted that the decline in poverty rates in resource-rich countries has generally lagged behind that of countries without riches in the ground. Some countries, such as Angola, Congo-Brazzaville and Gabon, have witnessed an increase in the...
Waterbirds still killed by lead poisoning
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 5th, 2012
Press Association: A large number of Britain's waterbirds are still being killed by lead poisoning despite the introduction of legislation to prevent the problem, according to a new study.
The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) found that 10% of dead waterbirds collected between 1971 and 2010 died as a result of the highly-toxic metal. Eight per cent were fatally poisoned between 2000 and 2010, with lead gunshot being the most likely source of poisoning.
The trust argued that laws restricting the use of lead in...
Daryl Hannah arrested in Keystone XL protest
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 5th, 2012
Associated Press: The actor Daryl Hannah was arrested in northeast Texas on Thursday, along with a landowner as the pair protested against an oil pipeline designed to bring crude from Canada to the Gulf Coast.
"They've arrested Daryl Hannah and a rural Texas great-grandmother," said Paul Bassis, Hannah's attorney.
Hannah and Eleanor Fairchild were standing in front of heavy equipment in an attempt to halt construction of the Keystone XL pipeline on Fairchild's farm in Winnsboro, a town about 100 miles east of...
Small Farmers in West Africa Need Support – Despite Good Rains
Posted by Inter Press Service: Brahima Ouédraogo on October 5th, 2012
Inter Press Service: Despite an abundance of rain, promising good harvests for the current growing season, small-scale farmers and non-governmental organisations are calling for support to smallholders to be maintained with a view to eradicating food insecurity in Africa's Sahel region.
The Permanent Interstate Committee for drought control in the Sahel forecasts that between 57 and 64 million tonnes of grain will be harvested in West Africa in 2012-2013, representing an increase of between five and 17 percent over...
Most farmers see climate change but can’t see humans causing it
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 5th, 2012
ClimateWire: When farmers in McCracken County, Ky., need help identifying a crop-eating pest or fencing in a herd of miniature horses, they call Doug Wilson.
Wilson, 68, the county's agricultural extension agent, has spent the last two decades offering advice with the personal touch of an old-fashioned country doctor. He's gone to court seven times, for example, to sit with McCracken County growers facing bankruptcy.
But these days, it's Wilson who is seeking advice, as he tries to help his county's agriculture...