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Archive for January 14th, 2013
Climate change fuels wildfires around the world
Posted by Deutsche Welle: None Given on January 14th, 2013
Deutsche Welle: Every year, large areas of the Earth's surface burn, and the number of fires is increasing. Is climate change fanning the flames? Or are the fires making climate change worse?
The climate is complex. It is so complex that it's difficult for researchers to give accurate climate forecasts because it is so heavily influenced by external factors – solar radiation, greenhouse gasses and oceans. Another factor, which has been largely ignored until now, is fire. Only recently have experts realized that...
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Seattle preparing for climate change
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 14th, 2013
Associated Press: Seattle officials predict that parts of the city will be under water as the shoreline creeps higher because of global climate change.
City agencies are calculating the local effects of climate change and how to respond and adapt to protect people and infrastructure, The Seattle Times reported.
Agencies were preparing for more intense heat, protecting the new downtown sea wall under construction and calculating the number of pump stations and outfalls that would be under water, as they anticipate...
What has Nature Ever Done for Us? The answer is a hell of a lot
Posted by BusinessGreen: Jessica Shankleman on January 14th, 2013
BusinessGreen: The word "nature" isn't usually written with a capital letter, but for the Prince of Wales' introduction to Tony Juniper's new book, "Nature" becomes a proper noun.
From the $3.7tr that could be saved through carbon capture by halving the deforestation rate, to the $81bn worth of damage caused by Hurricane Katrina, What has Nature Ever Done for Us? vividly reminds readers about the economic value of our natural resources, and what we stand to lose by ignoring and eradicating them.
Published...
Seeking Revenue, Greece Approves New Mines, But Environmentalists Balk
Posted by New York Times: Suzanne Daley on January 14th, 2013
New York Times: In the forest near here, bulldozers have already begun flattening hundreds of acres for an open pit gold mine and a processing plant, which Canada’s Eldorado Gold Corporation hopes to open within two years. Eldorado has reopened other mining operations around here, too, digging for gold, copper, zinc and lead from nearby hills. For some residents, all this activity, which promises perhaps 1,500 jobs by 2015, is a blessing that could pump some life into the dismal economy of the surrounding villages...
It’s happening – just like climate scientists said it would
Posted by Sydney Morning Herald: Ian Lowe on January 14th, 2013
Sydney Morning Herald: In South Australia for a summer break, I saw an advertised opportunity for a game of golf at the famous Royal Adelaide Golf Club. So I put my name down to play on Monday, January 7.
In hindsight, it was probably not a smart move; the temperature in the shade reached 41 degrees as I finished my round in the blazing Adelaide sun. Wary of the risks of dehydration, I had consumed four litres of water and sports drinks on the course. I was still able to empty two of the largest glasses the clubhouse...
Australian wildfires spare observatory, uncover bush drug lab
Posted by Reuters: James Grubel on January 14th, 2013
Reuters: Raging wildfires destroyed at least another 28 homes and licked at Australia's leading optical space observatory on Monday, officials said, but spared giant telescopes that have mapped far-away galaxies and discovered new planets.
Less fortunate were a father and son who police arrested after a fire was lit deliberately to destroy illegal drug laboratories they were alleged to be running in dense bushland. Police were closing in on the drug labs when the fire was lit.
More than 140 fires are...