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Archive for November 23rd, 2012
Ethiopia: Nile dam project a hydropower hope, but regional sore point
Posted by AlertNet: E.G. Woldegebriel on November 23rd, 2012
AlertNet: Ethiopia has begun construction of a 6,000 megawatt (MW) hydroelectric dam on the Blue Nile river, a move that has been greeted enthusiastically by many Ethiopians but that is causing concern in the downstream nations of Sudan and Egypt.
The project, which is scheduled to take six and a half years to complete, is being managed by the state-owned power utility company, Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCo). The dam is being built about 900 km (560 miles) north-east of the capital, Addis...
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Forests worldwide near tipping-point from drought
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 23rd, 2012
Mongabay: Forests worldwide are at "equally high risk" to die-off from drought conditions, warns a new study published this week in the journal Nature.
The study, conducted by an international team of scientists, assessed the specific physiological effects of drought on 226 tree species at 81 sites in different biomes around the world. It found that 70 percent of the species sampled are particularly vulnerable to reduction in water availability. With drought conditions increasing around the globe due to...
Britain braced for more wet and windy weather after flooding
Posted by Guardian: Steven Morris on November 23rd, 2012
Guardian: A motorist has died after becoming trapped in his car in floodwater and police were searching for a second man feared drowned as Britain braced itself for more wet and windy weather this weekend.
Downing Street said 300 properties were mopping up after the deluge and by Friday night the Environment Agency had issued more than 200 flood warnings and alerts.
Another 40mm of rain is expected to fall this weekend and gale-force winds were predicted to batter the south of Britain as an area of low...
Temperatures are Up
Posted by Environmental News Network: Andy Soos on November 23rd, 2012
Environmental News Network: Feel warmer? Maybe not everywhere but global temperatures were the fifth highest on record for October. Meanwhile arctic sea ice doubles from last month, yet remains second lowest on record for October. The globally-averaged temperature for October 2012 was the fifth warmest October since record keeping began in 1880. October 2012 also marks the 36th consecutive October and 332nd consecutive month with a global temperature above the 20th century average. Higher-than-average monthly temperatures...
United Kingdom: The £200bn gamble on our energy future
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 23rd, 2012
Guardian: There is a simple way to think about the complex energy policy decisions made today: it is a £200bn bet on the UK's energy future. What's more, the money on the table belongs to you. Win or lose, every electricity and gas customer will pick up the tab for this wager for decades to come.
In such a high-rolling game, you would have hoped for cool heads. Instead, "unholy war" was waged behind the Westminster scenes, a senior participant told me. Worse, the boiling row within the coalition was driven...
Climate change evident across Europe, confirming urgent need for adaptation
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 23rd, 2012
ScienceDaily: Climate change is affecting all regions in Europe, causing a wide range of impacts on society and the environment. Further impacts are expected in the future, potentially causing high damage costs, according to the latest assessment published by the European Environment Agency this week.
The report, 'Climate change, impacts and vulnerability in Europe 2012' finds that higher average temperatures have been observed across Europe as well as decreasing precipitation in southern regions and increasing...
Sweden: Drained wetlands give off same amount of greenhouse gases as industry
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 23rd, 2012
ScienceDaily: Drained wetlands in Sweden account for the same amount of greenhouse gas emissions as Swedish industry. This is shown by a summary of research from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.
Forests and agricultural fields on drained previous wetlands make up between five and ten percent of Sweden's surface area. When these wetlands are drained, they become a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions.
"We note that drained wetlands which have...
Another Path to Biofuels
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 23rd, 2012
New York Times: Last week I wrote about two companies that are racing to be first in commercial-scale production of motor fuel from nonfood sources. A large group of other companies is pursuing various other strategies, one or two steps behind. One of those companies is planning to use algae.
SEE AlgaeAfter its water is removed, this algae is destined to excrete biofuels.
The company, SEE Algae Technology of Austria, is building a 2.5-acre factory on a sugar plantation near Recife, Brazil, that will use genetically...
Scientists suggest raising coastline something to consider in era of global warming
Posted by Associated Press: Bruce Smith on November 23rd, 2012
Associated Press: People along the coast have a few options in an era of global warming expected to bring more frequent, intense storms and the kind of devastation recently seen with Superstorm Sandy: They can move back from the shore, elevate buildings or build levees to keep the floods at bay.
But a pair of scientists at Georgia Tech and Clemson suggest another alternative, although it sounds a bit like science fiction. Their research shows it is possible to raise the coastline itself.
Leonid Germanovich of...
The Worldwide Vulnerability of Forests
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 23rd, 2012
New York Times: One of the great scientific tasks of the day is to understand how and why trees die. It may seem like a question that would have been answered many decades ago, but it was not -- at least not at a detailed physiological level. Now, amid growing signs worldwide that forests are at risk as the climate changes, scientists are trying to catch up to events.
Lately, more and more evidence is pointing toward a mechanism known as hydraulic failure as the culprit in many large-scale forest die-backs. This...