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Archive for January, 2013
United Kingdom: Cumbria sticks it to the nuclear dump lobby – despite all the carrots on offer
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 31st, 2013
Guardian: Cumbria county council's decision to "dump the dump" by voting against a nuclear waste repository close to the Lake District has drilled a nasty great hole in the middle of the government's wider nuclear strategy.
Ministers had made clear that part of the agreement with the public over a new generation of atomic power stations would involve finding a safe and permanent home for the high-level waste created by the old ones.
Cumbria's decision is a body blow for government because though it may...
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Deadly Georgia Tornado First in a Record 220 Days
Posted by Climate Central: Andrew Freedman on January 31st, 2013
Climate Central: The longest streak of days on record without a tornado-related fatality in the U.S. came to a violent end on Wednesday morning, when a large and powerful tornado struck Adairsville, Ga., killing at least one person in a mobile home park. That tornado, which may rank as an EF-4 -- the second most powerful on the Enhanced Fujita Scale -- overturned cars on I-75 and damaged numerous buildings in downtown Adairsville, which is about 60 miles northwest of Atlanta. Other twisters touched down in Arkansas,...
Costa Rican scientists trial aquatic agriculture to boost food security
Posted by SciDevNet: None Given on January 31st, 2013
SciDevNet: Costa Rican researchers are pioneering 'aquatic agriculture' -- the method of growing crops on freshwater lakes and reservoirs -- to boost food security in the developing world.
The technique involves creating floating rafts on which vegetables, grains and flowers can be grown. Terrestrial crops such as grains and vegetables have their roots directly in the water or can be potted, with water being drawn up into their soil from the lake by capillary wicks, Ricardo Radulovich, a professor at the...
Chesapeake Bay shows signs of recovery, but pollution persists
Posted by Reuters: Ian Simpson on January 31st, 2013
Reuters: The Chesapeake Bay, North America's biggest estuary, is still ailing but making some progress as it struggles to recover from over-fishing and pollution, a partnership overseeing its revival said on Thursday.
The number of juvenile crabs is the highest in two decades, rockfish are stable and last year's "dead zone," the part of the bay without enough oxygen to support life, seems to be the smallest since 1985, the Chesapeake Bay Program said in its 2011-12 "Bay Barometer."
On the down side,...
Power outages in U.S. Northeast after blustery rainstorm
Posted by Reuters: Zach Howard on January 31st, 2013
Reuters: Rain and high winds lashed U.S. Northeast and mid-Atlantic states early on Thursday, knocking out power to more than 330,000 homes and businesses as they braced for a coming snowstorm.
Gusty winds of up to 77 miles per hour battered parts of New England and a high-wind advisory remains in effect until 6 p.m. for northern Connecticut, most of Massachusetts, and southern New Hampshire, the National Weather Service said.
Thunderstorms rolled across the Northeast early on Thursday morning, toppling...
EU curbs pesticide to save bees
Posted by BBC: Matt McGrath on January 31st, 2013
BBC: The European Commission has proposed that member states restrict the use of certain classes of pesticide that are believed to be harmful to bees.
Sprays that use neonicotinoid chemicals should only be used on crops that are not attractive to the insects they said.
The sale of seeds treated with these chemicals should also be prohibited.
Bayer, one of the companies who make the pesticides, says they are convinced they can be used without harm to bees.
Earlier this month, the European Food...
Three Senators Say No to John Kerry and Yes to Keystone XL
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on January 31st, 2013
EcoWatch: The U.S. Senate overwhelmingly approved the nomination of Sen. John Kerry as the new Secretary of State, by a vote of 94-3. The three "no" votes were cast by infamous climate denier James Inhofe (R-OK), and two anti-environment Texas Republicans, John Cornyn and Ted Cruz.
All three Republican Senators, Cornyn, Cruz and Inhofe signed the letter to President Obama last week calling for the approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, which would lead to the expansion of the Alberta tar sands, one of the...
Spring Leaves Expected to Sprout Sooner in North American Forests
Posted by Environmental News Network: Allison Winter on January 31st, 2013
Environmental News Network: This year the spring equinox falls on March 20th, marking the first day of spring. But regardless of the date, it feels like spring when the temperature warms and we start to see new green leaves and flowers bloom after a dormant winter. According to new research, trees in the continental U.S. could send out new spring leaves up to 17 days earlier than expected in the coming century as global temperatures start to rise. Researchers at Princeton University suggest that these climate-driven changes...
Will Climate Change Hawk Kerry Kill Keystone XL?
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 31st, 2013
Energy Collective: The Senate confirmed John Kerry as a Secretary of State by a vote of 94 to 3. I believe this is a turning point in the fight to stop the Keystone XL pipeline.
Once again, I do not think that a man who had dedicated his Senate career to fighting catastrophic climate change would start his term as Secretary approving the expansion of one of the dirtiest sources of fossil fuels in the world.
Keystone is a gateway to a huge pool of carbon-intensive fuel most of which must be left in the ground...
Lack of toilets, clean water costs world $260 bln a year – Liberian president
Posted by AlertNet: Julie Mollins on January 31st, 2013
AlertNet: Poor access to sanitation and clean water costs the global economy $260 billion each year, according to Liberia's president who is leading work to craft proposals for a new set of global anti-poverty goals.
They are intended replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which were agreed in 2000 and expire in 2015.
"$260 billion in economic losses annually is directly linked to inadequate water supply and sanitation around the world,' Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf told a meeting...