Archive for November 4th, 2012

Micro-hydro and decentralized green energy goals set in Borneo

Mongabay: The first ever meeting of the Southeast Asia Renewable Energy People’s Assembly (SEAREPA) ended with agreement on 12 future projects, including developing community micro-hydro power and pushing for new policies on decentralized renewable energy in the region. Held in Malaysian state of Sabah on the island, the meeting brought together 130 people from some 80 different groups. "At this first SEAREPA, we drew diverse groups. We now have to ask ourselves where we wish to invest that positive energy,"...

In perfect storm, would D.C. have fared any better than New York?

Washington Post: A surge of water 15 feet above normal races up the Potomac River. Ten inches of rain, swelling a watershed that spans four states, steams down the iconic river. They converge at Washington. Parts of Georgetown and Alexandria disappear under 12 feet of water. The torrent pours onto the Mall, swamping the Smithsonian, threatening the National Archives and carrying raw sewage into the re The water gushes into the Metro stations at L'Enfant Plaza and Metro Center, shutting down the subway system....

What Does Hurricane Sandy Show us about Shoreline Change?

Environmental News Network: Contrarians argue that Hurricane Sandy isn't proof of climate change. But local scientists say the recent storm offers more damning evidence that Rhode Island's weather and landscape are undergoing a long-term transformation — one with a steep cost in dollars and human health. Perhaps the most significant and indisputable fact is that the Atlantic Ocean is warmer, so much so that a late-October storm didn't lose steam over what should have been a colder sea. Instead, Sandy gained speed and strength...

United Kingdom: Forests, phone masts, roads – how our leaders scorn the countryside

Guardian: When the Conservative MP Oliver Letwin toured his West Dorset constituency last June, he was moved to describe the landscape for his website. "As I make my way on this gloriously sunny morning, dictating this article, I am reminded of the enormous responsibility placed upon us to be good stewards of this treasure and to hand it on undefiled to succeeding generations." Dictating, mind you, not writing. Nothing wrong in that: after all, he's a busy politician. But when you're writing, you have more...