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Archive for January 24th, 2013
From John Kerry, Cautious Words on Keystone XL
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 24th, 2013
New York Times: Appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator John Kerry, President Obama`s nominee for secretary of state, was quizzed on Thursday about the decision he faces this spring on approval of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.
Mr. Kerry replied that he would ensure that "appropriate decisions" are made on the controversial 1,700-mile pipeline, which would carry oil from Canada`s tar sands to refineries on the Gulf Coast. He did not tip his hand on his position, but added that he...
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Billionaires secretly fund attacks on climate science
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 24th, 2013
Independent: A secretive funding organisation in the United States that guarantees anonymity for its billionaire donors has emerged as a major operator in the climate "counter movement" to undermine the science of global warming, The Independent has learnt.
The Donors Trust, along with its sister group Donors Capital Fund, based in Alexandria, Virginia, is funnelling millions of dollars into the effort to cast doubt on climate change without revealing the identities of its wealthy backers or that they have...
Southwest Faces Looming Threats From Climate Change
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 24th, 2013
Climate Central: The American Southwest, which is already the hottest and driest region of the nation, is likely to become even hotter and drier in the next few decades thanks in part to the ongoing effects of human-generated greenhouse gases. That's the verdict of the draft National Climate Assessment report, the product of a federal advisory committee charged with assessing how climate change has already affected the U.S., and what the future holds.
Projected changes in average temperature (°F) from observed...
Greenland’s Ice Sheet More Stable Than Once Believed
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 24th, 2013
Climate Central: The enormous sheets of ice that lie atop Greenland may not be as prone to catastrophic melting as many scientists thought, even if the planet continues to warm and temperatures remain high for hundreds of years. But while that may sound like good news, new evidence also suggests that parts of the even vaster ice sheets that lie atop Antarctica could be more unstable than once believed.
That's the conclusion of scientists who have been drilling deep into the Greenland ice sheet since 2007, in a...
Hailstones Chock-Full Of Bacteria And Chemicals That May Affect Weather Patterns
Posted by redOrbit: Lee Rannals on January 24th, 2013
RedOrbit: According to a study published in the online journal PLOS ONE, there is a rich diversity of microbial life and chemicals in the ephemeral habitat of a storm cloud.
A Danish research team at Aarhus University analyzed hailstones recovered after a storm in May 2009 and found that they carried several species of bacteria typically found on plants as well as nearly 3,000 different compounds commonly found in soil.
The hailstones had very few soil-associated bacteria or chemicals typically found...
A Milestone Looms for Farm-Raised Fish
Posted by New York Times: CRAIG LEISHER on January 24th, 2013
New York Times: Sometime this year, we will quietly pass a milestone in human history: the majority of the fish we eat will be farm-raised rather than wild-caught.
In the last 20 years, the production of fish through aquaculture has grown exponentially, while marine fish catches have leveled off. Unless it’s an extraordinary year for marine fishing, in 2013 the lines will cross, and the majority of the fish we eat will come from aquaculture rather than oceans.
Fishing is the only part of global food production...
Fighting Unregulated Fracking in California
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on January 24th, 2013
EcoWatch: The Center for Biological Diversity went to court today to compel California regulators to enforce an existing state law that should protect people and the environment from hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, a rapidly spreading new method of oil and gas extraction. The lawsuit filed this morning in Alameda County Superior Court says the California Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources has allowed fracking to expand without legally required oversight.
California law applies safeguards and...
John Kerry Says He’ll Control Keystone XL Review as Secretary of State
Posted by InsideClimate News: None Given on January 24th, 2013
InsideClimate News: Sen. John Kerry made it clear Thursday that he will play a pivotal role in deciding the fate of the Keystone XL pipeline if he is confirmed as secretary of state. “I’ll make the appropriate judgments about it,” he said, referring to the State Department’s ongoing review of the 1,200-mile tar sands oil pipeline. “There are specific standards that have to be met with respect to that review, and I’m going to review those standards and make sure they’re complete.” Kerry made his remarks to the Senate...
Groups Initiate Federal Court Battle to Stop Illegal Coal Pollution
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on January 24th, 2013
EcoWatch: Last March 22 on world water day, Waterkeepers all over the world took action to fight for swimmable, fishable and drinkable waters. Each Waterkeeper chose the issues they felt were the greatest concern to the health of their local community and waterway. The French Broad Riverkeeper and the Western North Carolina Alliance decided to spend world water day gathering hundreds of community members together to call for an end to air and water pollution from the Progress Energy coal fired power plant...
How Obama Could Nix the Keystone Pipeline (And Why He Won’t)
Posted by Atlantic Wire: David Wagner on January 24th, 2013
Atlantic Wire: President Obama will be confronted with the first big policy decision of his second term where environmentalists and business interests are at odds: the Keystone XL oil pipeline. Despite promising to act on climate change in his inaugural speech, all signs point to the controversial project going forward.
On Wednesday, a majority of Senators (44 Republicans and nine Democrats) sent a letter to President Obama urging him to move forward on Keystone XL, a massive pipeline that would carry oil from...