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Archive for March 19th, 2013
Chevron pipeline leaks 4,200-6,300 gallons of diesel in Utah: media report
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 19th, 2013
Reuters: The Willard Bay State Park in Utah was closed after around 4,200 to 6,300 gallons (100-150 barrels) of diesel leaked from a Chevron Corp pipeline that runs just north of the park, the Salt Lake Tribune reported on its website on Tuesday. The pipeline carries diesel from Chevron's Salt Lake refinery to Boise, Idaho, according to the article. Chevron could not immediately be reached for comment. The Tribune report said the company had dispatched more than 100 cleanup workers, who laid down absorbent...
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From Heat Wave to Snowstorms, March Goes to Extremes
Posted by Climate Central: Andrew Freedman on March 19th, 2013
Climate Central: What a difference a year makes.
Last March, the U.S. was basking in a heat wave that drove temperatures into the 70s all the way to the Canadian border, as winter snows rapidly retreated and flowers bloomed. Unaware of the devastating drought to follow, the warmth prompted farmers all across the nation to plant their crops several weeks early, and a record corn harvest was predicted.
Forecast sea level pressure departures from average from the GFS computer model. This shows the large area of...
Water and Sanitation Seek Rightful Place in Post-2015 Agenda
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 19th, 2013
Inter Press Service: When the General Assembly unanimously adopted the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) back in 2000, water and sanitation were reduced to a subtext -- never a stand-alone goal compared with poverty and hunger alleviation.
Now, as the United Nations begins the process of formulating a new set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for its post-2015 agenda, there is a campaign to underscore the importance of water and sanitation, so that the world body will get it right the second time around. ...
Planet organic: achieving sustainable food security and environmental gains
Posted by Mongabay: Thomas Handley on March 19th, 2013
Mongabay: The global farmland area certified organic has expanded more than threefold to 37 million hectares since 1999, according to new research conducted by the Worldwatch Institute. The Institute argues that organic farming has the potential to contribute to sustainable food security by improving nutrition intake and sustaining rural livelihoods, while reducing vulnerability to climate change and enhancing biodiversity.
"Organic farming is now established in international standards, and 84 countries...
Honduras: Activists Protest Lack of Transparency in Extractive Industry
Posted by Inter Press Service: Thelma Mejía on March 19th, 2013
Inter Press Service: The Honduran government's announcement of its plans to join the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) has raised expectations as well as doubts, particularly due to the speed with which it aims to complete a process that has taken several years in other countries of the region.
The EITI is a coalition of governments, companies, civil society groups, investors and international organisations that promotes better governance in countries rich in natural resources, through the publication...
As odds grow long, critics move to stop Keystone XL
Posted by Associated Press: Thomas Beaumont on March 19th, 2013
Associated Press: With a sense of grim determination, a group of unlikely allies has begun gathering at kitchen tables, in churches and along fence rows here to plot what could be the final battle in the four-year conflict over the Keystone XL pipeline.
After months of quiet, a recent State Department report dismissing the ecological impact of the pipeline has cleared the way for a final decision on the plan for transporting oil extracted from the Alberta tar sands more than 1,700 miles to refineries on the Texas...
Link between tornadoes and global warming is complicated
Posted by Courier-Journal: James Bruggers on March 19th, 2013
Courier-Journal: We keep hearing scientists tell us that we can expect more potent storms as part of climate change brought on by global warming.
But what about tornadoes?
It`s complicated and uncertain.
After deadly tornadoes last March ripped through the eastern part of the United States, hitting Kentucky and Indiana especially hard, there was some speculation that global warming might have been at least partly to blame.
"As spring moves up a week or two, tornado season will start in February instead...
Melting of Greenland’s ‘fringe’ glaciers adds to sea level rise
Posted by Summit Voice: Bob Berwyn on March 19th, 2013
Summit Voice: Glaciers on the edge of Greenland are pouring at about 50 gigatons of water into the Atlantic every year. That’s about half the volume of Lake Geneva, one of Europe’s largest lake, and enough to account for about 10 percent of annual global sea level rise, according to a new study by Swiss and Danish scientists. The research, published in Geophysical Research Letters, will help scientists improve the predictions of the future contribution of Greenland’s ice to sea-level rise. The data could also...
The Red-Dead water conveyer can avoid a dead end
Posted by SciDevNet: Batir Wardam on March 19th, 2013
SciDevNet: The Red-Dead canal could take a small step forward in light of projected environmental impacts and other constraints, says Batir Wardam.
After a delay of more than six months, the World Bank has finally released the final drafts of the feasibility and environmental assessment studies for the controversial Red Sea-Dead Sea Water Conveyance project, designed to channel some 1.2 billion cubic metres of water 180 kilometres from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea. [1]
The plan is to pump sea water from...
Renewable Energy Standards Target of Multi-Pronged Attack
Posted by InsideClimate: Maria Gallucci on March 19th, 2013
InsideClimate: Despite little success so far and growing support nationally for clean energy, a multi-pronged campaign to undercut renewable power mandates in the states is showing no signs of letting up.
Over the past few years, a rising tide of legislation has sought to repeal or weaken renewable portfolio standards (RPS), which require a certain share of a state's electricity supply to come from sources like solar and wind. Lesser known are the few lawsuits filed to challenge the constitutionality of these...