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Archive for November 21st, 2012
In “beautiful China”, local polluters still hold sway
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 21st, 2012
Reuters: In ramshackle semi-industrial Tianying in China's Anhui province, a state-owned lead smelter and foundry sits at the centre of town, behind high walls and secure gates that make it look more like a prison than the mainstay of the local economy.
Decades of pollution from it and similar plants -- Tianying once accounted for half of China's total lead output -- has made much of the town's land uninhabitable and its water undrinkable.
In 2007, the Blacksmith Institute, a New York-based non-profit...
Posted in 
Time is Short: Principles of War and Strategy
Posted by Deep Green Resistance: Alex Budd on November 21st, 2012
Deep Green Resistance: Why are we losing?
Why, after 40 years of struggle, education, petitions, letters to the editor, reusable coffee mugs, marches, protests, direct action and even sabotage, are we still losing? Why do mountains, old growth and glaciers keep disappearing? Why are children born with 200 toxic compounds in their bodies? Why do the levels of carbon in the atmosphere continue to rise as the species count plummets? And why is the trend accelerating?
Is it because civilization functions by destroying...
After Brief Decrease Last Year, Sea Levels Resume Their Steady Rise
Posted by Environmental News Network: David A Gabel on November 21st, 2012
Environmental News Network: It is no secret that for the last couple decades, as Earth's climate has been changing, sea levels have been steadily rising. But what is not so well known is that in 2011, sea levels throughout the world fell sharply. Of course, with a body of water as large as the world's oceans, a sharp fall only equates to one quarter of an inch (1 cm). It is nonetheless, a dramatic change in general trend which caught the eye of NASA and European researchers. Using advanced satellites, they were able to track...
Plans for big Canadian quarry withdrawn by Highland
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 21st, 2012
Reuters: A controversial plan to build a massive quarry north of Toronto that was backed by a major U.S. hedge fund has been dropped, according to a company statement on Wednesday.
The Highland Cos said it was withdrawing its application to develop a quarry in Melancthon Township, just north of Toronto.
Boston's Baupost Group, led by the value investor Seth Klarman, has an undisclosed stake in Highland and will continue to be an investor in the company, according to Highland spokeswoman Lindsay Broadhead....
Shale gas needs regulation, not a ban: European Parliament
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 21st, 2012
Reuters: EU politicians rejected a ban on shale gas, while calling for a robust regulatory regime to address environmental and other concerns, in a series of votes on Wednesday in the European Parliament.
A shale gas revolution has swept the United States, lowering gas prices and helping to displace more polluting coal.
Europe is looking on with interest, if not envy, as the United States moves towards energy independence and gets an economic boost from cheap fuel.
But the prospect of extensive shale...
Flood warnings abound as sodden UK prepares for fresh rain
Posted by Guardian: Steven Morris on November 21st, 2012
Guardian: Householders, business people and motorists have been warned to prepare for flooding, gale-force winds and terrible driving conditions as another band of wet weather sweeps across the UK.
Up to 60mm (2.35in) of rain is expected to pound down within a few hours on to ground that is already sodden or flooded, and into rivers swollen by the autumn showers.
The Met Office issued severe weather warnings for south-west England, the West Midlands, the whole of Wales and a good deal of Scotland, and...
Fracking Moratorium Vote Falls Short in Europe
Posted by EcoWatch: Food and Water Europe on November 21st, 2012
EcoWatch: Despite intense lobbying by the fossil fuel industry, today`s vote in European Parliament demonstrates that there is no consensus for allowing large-scale shale gas development in Europe. More than one third of MEPs--Members of Parliament--voted in support of a moratorium on fracking in the Parliament`s first vote on shale gas.
Although the moratorium amendment fell short of a majority, the final version of the Parliament`s reports on shale gas identified the climate, environmental and health...
Second U.S. Tar Sands Mine Approved in Utah
Posted by EcoWatch: Steve Horn, DeSmogBlog on November 21st, 2012
EcoWatch: A group of about 10 people hiked to Delicate Arch in Utah on July 17 as part of an international protest to stop tar sands developments across the globe. On Oct. 24, the Utah Water Quality Board approved the first tar sands mine on U.S. soil, handing a permit to U.S. Oil Sands.
MCW Enterprises Ltd., a Canada-based corporation, announced on Nov. 19 that it has received all necessary permits to streamline tar sands extraction at its Asphalt Ridge plant located in Vernal, Utah starting in December....
Gov. Cuomo: NY Fracking Decision Likely Delayed Into 2013
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on November 21st, 2012
EcoWatch: With the looming deadline of Nov. 29 for finalizing regulations for fracking in New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday that the much-delayed decision on this contentious issue will be pushed into 2013.
The health impact review of shale gas drilling by national experts is what will make it impossible to meet the deadline. The Department of Environmental Conservation has been working on an environmental impact study and last week appointed a panel of three nationally recognized public health experts...
Global warming: More flooding likely in UK
Posted by Summit County: None Given on November 21st, 2012
Summit County: Shifts in large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns driven by global warming could lead to an increased risk of damaging floods in parts of the UK, according to a modeling study by German researchers.
The research suggests a season shift in rainfall trends, with heavier precipitation in late autumn in the south-eastern regions of the country. In the the northwest, the heaviest rainfalls will be a little earlier -- in November, rather than December.
These shifts will coincide with times of...