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Archive for November 5th, 2012
Great expectations fill Greenland as China eyes riches
Posted by Reuters: Alistair Scrutton on November 5th, 2012
Reuters: By a remote fjord where icebergs float in silence and hunters stalk reindeer, plans are being drawn up for a huge iron ore mine that would lift Greenland's population by four percent at a stroke - by hiring Chinese workers.
The $2.3-billion project by the small, British company London Mining Plc would also bring diesel power plants, a road and a port near Greenland's capital Nuuk. It would supply China with much needed iron for the steel its economy.
With global warming thawing its Arctic sea...
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Fears over climate change impact on neglected tropical diseases
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 5th, 2012
IRIN: A high-profile donation from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation threw a spotlight on neglected tropical diseases (NTD) earlier this year, but many fear progress toward eliminating some of these diseases could be scuppered by climate change.
NTDs are a group of chronic, disabling conditions - ranging from bacterial and parasitic infections to snakebites - affecting more than a billion people worldwide. These diseases contribute to an ongoing cycle of poverty and stigma, with many infected people...
Activists Shut Down UK’s Gas Power Station for One Week
Posted by EcoWatch: Andy Rowell, Oil Change International on November 5th, 2012
EcoWatch: This morning the last two protestors occupying the chimney of a huge gas power station in the UK intend to end their protest having shut the new power station down for a week.
This morning the last two protesters from the No Dash for Gas group occupying the chimney of a huge gas power station in the UK intend to end their protest having shut the new power station down for a week.
They and other protesters who have already come down have been protesting against the UK government’s latest “Dash...
Laos approves Mekong ‘mega’ dam
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 5th, 2012
BBC: Laos has given the go-ahead to build a massive dam on the lower Mekong river, despite opposition from neighbouring countries and environmentalists.
A formal ceremony marking the start of full construction at Xayaburi would be held on Wednesday, the government said.
Countries downstream from the $3.5bn (£2.2bn) dam fear it will affect fish stocks and the livelihoods of millions.
The announcement came as leaders from Asia and Europe began a two-day meeting in the Laos capital, Vientiane. ...
How Cities Plan to Keep the Sea at Bay in an Age of Climate Change
Posted by International Herald Tribune: Christopher F. Schuetze on November 5th, 2012
International Herald Tribune: Hurricane Sandy was bad. Now imagine a near-future that is markedly worst, where storms are not only more vicious and more frequent, but ocean levels are higher too.
Reporting and analysis on how to move the world toward a sustainable model.
According to a team of experts in New York, coastal waters there are expected to rise some six inches per decade, rising at least two feet by the middle of the century, according to a report by my colleagues David W. Chen and Mireya Navarro.
Andrew C....
United Kingdom: Flood warnings in place after weekend of rain and snow
Posted by Guardian: Steven Morris on November 5th, 2012
Guardian: Large parts of England and Wales are on flood alert after heavy rain – plus snow and hail – swept across the UK over the weekend.
On Monday morning 16 flood warnings – meaning flooding is expected and immediate action needed – were in place: six in the south-west of England, five in the Anglian region and three in the Midlands.
In addition, the Environment Agency published more than 70 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible, almost half of them in the south-east of England.
Last week,...