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Archive for November 9th, 2012
High uranium levels found near Finnish mine leak
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 9th, 2012
Reuters: Radioactive uranium more than 50 times higher than the normal level has been found in a stream in Finland's rural east after a leak of waste water from a nearby mine belonging to Talvivaara, nuclear safety officials said on Friday.
But Finnish authorities said they did not see a risk to public health after taking samples on Tuesday and Wednesday close to the nickel and zinc mine some 30 km (20 miles) outside the town of Sotkamo. The ore from the mine also contains uranium.
Talvivaara shut down...
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Higher-than-normal uranium found near Finland’s Talvivaara mine
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 9th, 2012
Reuters: Finland's nuclear safety authority said it detected higher-than-normal uranium levels in waters near Talvivaara's Sotkamo mine, which has been leaking waste water. The level of uranium was 50-80 times higher than previously-measured levels, although it did not pose a threat to public health, the authority said in a statement on Friday. The mine has been offline since Sunday, when the leak was first detected.
Glacial ghosts set sea-level trap for East Coast
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 9th, 2012
Greenwire: The United States has a debt, etched in stone, to pay back to the sea.
Across the world, the oceans are rising. Because of human-caused warming, global sea level has increased at 3 millimeters a year for the past two decades. Sucking in 90 percent of the excess heat trapped by greenhouse gases, the ocean is the world's thermometer, running hot. It's the largest sign, and impact, of climate change.
But as the surge sloshed into New York Harbor last week by Superstorm Sandy made clear, sea-level...
Canada: Toronto ill-equipped for impending storms, experts warn
Posted by Toronto Star: None Given on November 9th, 2012
Toronto Star: Buses, roads and sewers may not be trending topics on Twitter, but the people who run Canadian cities and businesses say infrastructure is a sleeper subject worthy of more civic engagement.
The pipes and pavement of the 1950s, '60s and '70s are rapidly wearing out. Investing in infrastructure renewal is a way of shoring up an uncertain economy with good jobs and gains in productivity. It's also a way of protecting Toronto from the damage of climate change, city and business experts told a news...
Maya civilization’s collapse linked to climate change: study
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 9th, 2012
Reuters: For a clue to the possible impact of climate change on modern society, a study suggests a look back at the end of classic Maya civilization, which disintegrated into famine, war and collapse as a long-term wet weather pattern shifted to drought.
An international team of researchers compiled a detailed climate record that tracks 2,000 years of wet and dry weather in present-day Belize, where Maya cities developed from the year 300 to 1000. Using data locked in stalagmites - mineral deposits left...
BP to pay Alaska $255 million for 2006 pipeline spills, shutdown
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 9th, 2012
Reuters: Alaska will collect $255 million related to BP Plc's pipeline leaks and a resulting shutdown in 2006 in the Prudhoe Bay oilfield, the state's Department of Law said on Thursday.
BP said in a statement that its share of the award was $66 million. Its major partners in the Prudhoe Bay field include Exxon Mobil Corp and ConocoPhillips.
The payment, which is final and not subject to appeal, includes a $245 million award from a panel of three arbitrators and $10 million to settle civil assessments...