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Archive for March 22nd, 2013
Global Study of Monsoons Finds Ocean Variations Have Driven Recent Shifts
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 22nd, 2013
New York Times: The seasonal rains called monsoons matter enormously to human affairs, from the Indian subcontinent to the American Southwest. Getting a better understanding of the forces that will shape these features of the climate system in coming decades is a big research priority, but also a very tough challenge given the many factors in play. A group of people hold onto a rope to help them cross a street as a monsoon hits Bombay, India.Associated Press A group of people hold onto a rope to help them cross...
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Dozens Arrested as Keystone XL Protests Erupt Across the U.S
Posted by EcoWatch: Tar Sands Blockade on March 22nd, 2013
EcoWatch: One month after the largest climate rally in U.S. history urging President Obama to deny the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline’s northern segment, protesters in dozens of cities throughout the U.S. are confronting Keystone XL`s corporate backers directly.
Thirty-seven have been arrested over the last 10 days for disrupting business as usual at TransCanada and their investors’ offices, with more actions planned over the next couple of days.
The March 16-23 Week of Action to Stop Tar Sands...
Navigating the “Vast Sea of Unknowns” of Water Risk
Posted by World Resources Institute: None Given on March 22nd, 2013
World Resources Institute: We know less about one of world's most pressing challenges today than we did 10 years ago. It's no secret that water - or the lack thereof - will be one of the defining issues of the 21st century. And yet, the United Nations World Water Report, in 2009, stated that when it comes to water, "less is known with each passing decade."
The World Economic Forum recently named the water supply crises as one of the top risks facing the planet - edging out issues like terrorism and systemic financial failure....
World Water Day: 10 Facts You Probably Don’t Know About Water … But Should
Posted by EcoWatch: Ma Tianjie, Greenpeace East Asia on March 22nd, 2013
EcoWatch: We live on a wet planet, and without that water we would not be able to survive. But in places like China where I live, industries such as textile facilities are pumping a nasty cocktail of toxic chemicals into our water.
At Greenpeace, we’re campaigning to detox our water: exposing brands that are sourcing from polluting facilities and highlighting the disastrous effects of hazardous chemicals in our waterways. So for this World Water Day we thought we would share with you ten facts about water...
Will the U.S. Senate Stand Up for Our Future and Derail the Keystone XL?
Posted by EcoWatch: Robert Redford on March 22nd, 2013
EcoWatch: Rumor has it the U.S. Senate will consider a budget bill provision to approve the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. Here`s what they need to share with their constituents:
1) It`s great for Big Oil. Bad for America. And really bad for climate change, producing three times more global warming pollution than conventional crude production, and using vast amounts of energy and water, causing significant pollution to both air and water.
2) Canadian citizens are against tar sands pipelines too, fighting...
In the Face of Growing Risks, Every Day Is a World Water Day
Posted by World Resources Institute: Betsy Otto on March 22nd, 2013
World Resources Institute: Today marks the 20th anniversary of the first World Water Day, an international celebration designed to draw attention to the importance of freshwater resources. However, for a large and growing proportion of the world’s population, every day is a World Water Day. Difficult, complex water challenges including drought, groundwater depletion, pollution, and clean drinking water availability are growing in urgency and seriousness all around the world. Some even argue that we should boycott World Water...
Whistleblower Bill Would Criminalize Exposing Wrongdoing at Factory Farms and Fracking Sites in PA
Posted by EcoWatch: Natasha Khan on March 22nd, 2013
EcoWatch: Chickens crammed into wire cages next to the rotting carcasses of other chickens. The floor of a barn coated with flies. Hens with their heads jammed between cages and feeding machines.
The Humane Society conducted an undercover investigation in 2012 at Kreider Farms in Manheim, Pa. Kreider cages about seven million egg-laying hens at its four Pennsylvania facilities. Photo by The Humane Society of the U.S.
The Humane Society of the U.S. released a video last year depicting those conditions...
Ford puts the brakes on water use with 8.5 per cent cut
Posted by BusinessGreen: None Given on March 22nd, 2013
BusinessGreen: Ford slashed the amount of water it uses to make each vehicle by 8.5 per cent last year, moving the car maker more than halfway towards its target of using just four cubic metres per vehicle globally by 2015.
The company has decreased its global water consumption from 64 million cubic metres to 24 million cubic metres since 2000, mainly due to new methods for monitoring and managing water use at its facilities.
For example, its Cologne engine plant halved water use per engine through the use...
Massachusetts Democrats blast billionaire’s bid to stir Senate race
Posted by Reuters: Scott Malone on March 22nd, 2013
Reuters: Both Democratic contenders in Massachusetts' April Senate primary are pushing back against a former hedge fund manager turned environmental activist who is trying to make the proposed Keystone XL pipeline an issue in the race.
While the pipeline, which would carry crude from Canada's tar sands to Texas refineries, is not due to come anywhere near the New England state, California billionaire Tom Steyer is threatening a campaign to make it a wedge issue ahead of the April 30 primary.
Steyer,...
UN wants Tanzania to bulk up efforts to protect fragile Earth
Posted by Citizen: None Given on March 22nd, 2013
Citizen: Dar es Salaam. The UN yesterday called for joint global efforts towards the preservation of ecosystems saying they play a major role in climate change adaptation.
The deputy executive secretary for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Mr Richard Kinley, said in Dar es Salaam that the world is on the verge of the climate crisis.
He told the UNFCCC international workshop on ecosystem-based approaches for adaptation to climate change that nobody is immune from the impact of...