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Archive for December 10th, 2012
United Kingdom: Shale gas is not a game changer
Posted by Telegraph: Shale Gas Is Not A Game Changer In The Uk, A Government Adviser Has Said, As A N on December 10th, 2012
Telegraph: There is estimated to be trillions of barrels of gas in porous rocks underneath the UK.
The controversial fuel source is forced out of the ground by "fracking', which sees liquids pumped into rocks to push out the gas.
George Osborne, the Chancellor, has said shale gas could make a "substantial contribution' to UK gas supplies from the 2020s.
The Government is set to give the green light to fracking within days.
Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London says the UK should "get fracking'.
However...
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Climate pressures eroding basic rights in Bangladesh – study
Posted by AlertNet: Laurie Goering on December 10th, 2012
AlertNet: Increasingly extreme weather is worsening food insecurity, displacement and other problems for rural families in Bangladesh, effectively robbing them of basic human rights, argues a report released on Monday.
"Climate change has become one of the major challenges to the enjoyment of the basic rights to life, food, health, water, housing and self-determination,' the Environmental Justice Foundation, which produced the report, said in a statement.
As extreme weather becomes more frequent, recovery...
Pending Bills Fail to Protect Communities from Toxic Coal Ash
Posted by Earthjustice: None Given on December 10th, 2012
Earthjustice: This coal ash slurry near the Kingston Fossil Plant in Harriman. Federal studies have long shown coal ash to contain significant quantities of heavy metals like arsenic, lead and selenium, which can be a threat to water supplies and human health.
The Congressional Research Service issued an analysis of two pending pieces of coal ash legislation--H.R. 2273 and S.3512--finding that the bills lack a clear purpose and would not ensure state adoption and implementation of standards “necessary to protect...
Brazil: Recovery of Atlantic Forest depends on land-use histories
Posted by Mongabay: Thomas Handley on December 10th, 2012
Mongabay: The intensity of land-use influences the speed of regeneration in tropical rainforests, says new research. Tropical rainforests are a priority for biodiversity conservation; they are hotspots of endemism but also some of the most threatened global habitats. The Atlantic Forest stands out among tropical rainforests, hosting an estimated 8,000 species of endemic plants and more than 650 endemic vertebrates. However, only around 11 percent of these forests now remain. The quality of what remains is...
Rhino anti-poaching deal signed
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on December 10th, 2012
BBC: South Africa has signed a deal with Vietnam to help curb the rising number of illegally slaughtered rhinos, officials announced on Monday.
The price of rhino horn - used in traditional medicine in Asian countries - has soared.
Rhino poaching is already banned under international conventions but figures show the number of rhinos killed in 2012 was nearly double the 2010 figure.
South Africa is home to about 85% of Africa's estimated 25,000 rhinos.
Conservation groups have welcomed the...
REDD+ should pave way for more research into genetic studies of tropical species
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on December 10th, 2012
Mongabay: Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+), the UN program to conserve tropical forests by paying developing nations to keep them standing, should go hand-in-hand with increased genetic studies of imperiled tropical biodiversity, according to a new opinion article in mongabay.com's open access journal Tropical Conversation Science. Most importantly, REDD+ could benefit from the study of phylogeography, a new field that looks at a species' genetic variations across a region, argues...
Brazilian Firms Bring Water and Power to Angolans
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on December 10th, 2012
Inter Press Service: The Kwanza river in the heart of Angola will be a symbol of Brazilian partnership in African development when power stations along the country`s main source of water are fully operational.
Nine hydroelectric plants and water treatment stations will endeavour to supply the most urgent needs of the metropolitan area of Luanda, and to extend the electricity supply at least to the centre-north of Angola. The process will take more than a decade.
Supplying clean water to 90 percent of the residents...
Measuring nutrient pollution in pristine waters: Puerto Rico’s Vieques Island
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on December 10th, 2012
Mongabay: Life in the ocean require nutrient, but too much of a good thing can be hugely detrimental. Nutrient pollution from agricultural and industrial runoff causes serious ecological harm in the world's marine waters, at times producing massive "dead zones" where much of the dissolved oxygen has been stripped making it difficult for most marine animals to live there. A new study by scientists with the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) attempts to establish a baseline of nutrient...
NO COAL EXPORTS: Tell the Corps of Engineers to Analyze all Impacts of the Gateway Pacific Coal Terminal
Posted by Waterkeeper Alliance: None Given on December 10th, 2012
Waterkeeper Alliance: Join the movement to protect the environment and our communities from the devastating impacts of coal mining, transport and export. Sign this petition to tell the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE), State of Washington and Whatcom County to conduct a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that analyzes all the "cumulative impacts" of export terminals on communities where the coal will be mined, transported, shipped and burned.
Signing this petition sends an email directly to the State of Washington...
French airport protesters seek safety in the trees
Posted by Guardian: Angelique Chrisafis on December 10th, 2012
Guardian: "This is a special place; it's a shame it is at war," sighed Marie and Alain as they sat at the wooden table of their historic stone farmhouse gazing out at the autumn colours of the forest of Rohanne.
Yet they were proud their idyllic view was now punctuated by scores of tents, yurts, rainbow camper vans and makeshift wooden cabins as
a growing front of local dairy farmers, residents and international eco-warriors unite against plans to build an ambitious second airport for the western French...