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Archive for February, 2013
Report: Climate change could devastate agriculture
Posted by USA Today: Christopher Doering on February 5th, 2013
USA Today: Climate change could have a drastic and harmful effect on U.S. agriculture, forcing farmers and ranchers to alter where they grow crops and costing them millions of dollars in additional costs to tackle weeds, pests and diseases that threaten their operations, a sweeping government report said Tuesday.
An analysis released by the Agriculture Department said that although U.S. crops and livestock have been able to adapt to changes in their surroundings for close to 150 years, the accelerating pace...
Life Found Deep Under Antarctic Ice For First Time?
Posted by National Geographic: Marc Kaufman on February 5th, 2013
National Geographic: For the first time, scientists believe they have collected life-forms from deep under the Antarctic ice.
Last week, a team found and collected microbes in a lake hidden under more than a half-mile of ice. elated: "Race Is On to Find Life Under Antarctic Ice.")
Among other things, the discovery may shed light on what lies under the icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn.
The newfound life-forms have little connection to life on the earth's surface and many apparently survive by "eating rocks," team...
How can we prepare for climate change without screwing poor people?
Posted by Grist: David Roberts on February 5th, 2013
Grist: Two stories flagged by our Gristmill bloggers yesterday got me thinking. There`s this one, about San Francisco`s "managed retreat" from rising sea levels, and this one, about New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) planning to allow some coastal communities to "return to nature."
Both mean the same thing: Shit is getting real. Coastal cities are facing decisions about how to plan for higher seas and more frequent floods, about which lands to abandon and which to "up armor" with levies and seawalls. These...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on How can we prepare for climate change without screwing poor people?Boston mayor calls on city to prepare for climate change
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 5th, 2013
Reuters: In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, which brought historic flooding to the greater New York area, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino said on Tuesday his coastal city will step up efforts to prepare for the effects of rising sea levels
Boston was spared the catastrophic damage that Sandy brought to New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, which ultimately caused an estimated $25 billion in insured losses up and down the East Coast of the United States.
But that was a quirk of the tide - Boston Harbor was...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Boston mayor calls on city to prepare for climate changeUnited States: Southern Tier Residents: Don’t Frack Our Health!
Posted by EcoWatch: Save The Southern Tier on February 5th, 2013
EcoWatch: Southern Tier residents held a rally and press conference today raising grave concerns about the health impacts of fracking. Recent scientific studies cause major alarm about health impacts from the air pollution, water contamination and community impacts of fracking. Speakers included Kathy Nolan, MD, residents from across the Southern Tier and Pennsylvania residents familiar with the impacts of fracking.
Residents also pointed to the Feb. 4 Siena College poll, which showed that the gas industry’s...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on United States: Southern Tier Residents: Don’t Frack Our Health!Canada not ready for major offshore spill: watchdog
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 5th, 2013
Reuters: Canada's offshore petroleum boards are not equipped to cope with a major spill, the country's environmental watchdog warned on Tuesday in a report that also said the booming energy sector needed more oversight.
Environment Commissioner Scott Vaughan said in a report that unless Canada improved its record on environmental regulation, resource customers might be deterred.
His conclusions are sensitive for the ruling pro-business Conservatives, who expect some C$650 billion ($650 billion) of new...
Planting Trees Helps Fight Climate Change, but mainly locally
Posted by Environmental News Network: Science Daily on February 5th, 2013
Environmental News Network: Afforestation, planting trees in an area where there have previously been no trees, can reduce the effect of climate change by cooling temperate regions, finds a study in BioMed Central's open access journal Carbon Balance and Management. Afforestation would lead to cooler and wetter summers by the end of this century.
Without check climate change is projected to lead to summer droughts and winter floods across Europe. Using REMO, the regional climate model of the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology,...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Planting Trees Helps Fight Climate Change, but mainly locallyWorking Elephants Experience Soaring Death Rates In Face Of Climate Change
Posted by redOrbit: April Flowers on February 5th, 2013
RedOrbit: Climate change models are predicting higher temperatures and months without rainfall, which could negatively impact populations of already endangered Asian elephants.
Led by scientists from the University of Sheffield, the research team, matched monthly climate records with birth and death data to track how climate variation affects the survival rate of elephants.
The results of this study were recently published in the journal Ecology. The team, which included members from the Berlin College...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Working Elephants Experience Soaring Death Rates In Face Of Climate ChangeStudy Slams Nuclear Waste Practices at Hanford
Posted by New York Times: Dylan Walsh on February 5th, 2013
New York Times: Department of Energy Construction (and design) continue at the Hanford nuclear reservation in southeastern Washington State, where radioactive liquid waste from weapons processing is to be turned into a stable glass form suitable for disposal.
Management and disposal of radioactive waste at the Hanford nuclear reservation in Washington State, marred by problems for more than two decades, is the focus of a harsh new assessment by the Government Accountability Office.
"By just about any definition,"...
Fishing campaigners urge MPs to vote for discards reform
Posted by Guardian: Fiona Harvey, on February 5th, 2013
Guardian: Fishing campaigners from across Europe gathered in Strasbourg on Tuesday in a last-ditch attempt to persuade MEPs to ban the wasteful practice of throwing away edible fish at sea. A crucial vote in the European parliament on Wednesday morning will determine the future of "discards", by which fishermen throw fish back – dead – if they catch more than their quota, or catch species for which they have no quota. The practice, a consequence of the current common fisheries policy, results in the waste...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Fishing campaigners urge MPs to vote for discards reform