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Archive for April 20th, 2013
Winemaking would suffer under climate change, study finds
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 20th, 2013
Press-Enterprise: Grape growing in the Temecula Valley Wine Country and other prime wine-producing regions of California would wither by mid-century if greenhouse gas emissions continue unabated and farmers don’t make significant adjustments to their crops, say the authors of a new climate change study.
Under a worst-case scenario, the area suitable for wine production in the Temecula region would shrink by more than half by 2050, according to the work by Conservation International and Environmental Defense Fund,...
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Promised Land – review
Posted by Guardian: Philip French on April 20th, 2013
Guardian: Adapted by John Krasinski and Matt Damon from a story by the prolific novelist, journalist and editor Dave Eggers, Promised Land is a soft-centred drama starring Damon as Steve Butler, a smooth-talking salesman out to cheat country folk of the same stock as himself. He's employed by an oil company to persuade a small midwestern town to sell the drilling rights to their land. The dirt-poor, rust-belt town is in terminal decline, but the windfall will involve fracking for shale oil that could result...
Drought Worsens, Scorching Much of the Country
Posted by CNBC: Mark Koba on April 20th, 2013
CNBC: The drought that ravaged much of the U.S. in 2012 shows no sign of letting up. Spring rains have eased concerns in the Southeast and in some areas of the Midwest, but other sections are not so lucky.
"The western half of the country is bad and will probably get even worse," said Richard Heim, a drought monitor expert at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
"In the plains and California, the long term drought conditions are degrading. It's going to be while before they...
ESSAY: What Would John Muir Say… About the Sierra Club?
Posted by Water Conservation Blog on April 20th, 2013
What would Muir say about the Sierra Club being led by Michael Brune, Accountant-in-Chief and old-growth forest logging apologist? On the occasion of Muir's 175th birthday, we are certain he would not be pleased and would say so strongly. As we celebrate Earth Day, will Madison Progressives see through Brune's greenwash of logging ancient, sacred wildlands for toilet paper and books?
"The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness." - John Muir
"Any fool can destroy trees. They cannot run away; and if they could, they would still be destroyed -- chased and hunted down as long as fun or a dollar could be got..." - John Muir
"The battle we have fought, and are still fighting for the forests is a part of the eternal conflict between right and wrong, and we cannot expect to see the end of it." - John Muir
By choosing to sell FSC-certified wood, The Home Depot is walking its talk. - Michael Brune, Executive Director, Sierra Club
By Dr. Glen Barry, Ecological Internet
Earth Meanders come from Earth's Newsdesk
John Muir was one of the greatest protectors of forests and nature who ever lived. He was connected to my hometown Madison, Wisconsin, where he attended college. He ...
Climate’s role in US droughts is under scrutiny
Posted by New Scientist: Peter Aldhous and Michael Marshall on April 20th, 2013
New Scientist: CAN the extreme drought that devastated crops across the US Midwest in 2012 be blamed on global warming? Probably not, according to a report from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). But the conclusion has been met with stinging criticism from another leading climate scientist.
The controversy highlights the need for better methods to assess if and how extreme weather events are linked to climate change.
Martin Hoerling of NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory in...
Grain handlers wary of toxin lingering in ’12 US corn harvest
Posted by Reuters: Julie Ingwersen on April 20th, 2013
Reuters: Problems with the toxic residue of a mold that attacked the 2012 drought-hit U.S. corn crop may worsen this summer and autumn as Midwest farmers blend off tainted supplies held in storage, grain experts say.
The substance, aflatoxin, is a chronic problem in dry, hot southern states like Texas where stressed crops are vulnerable to the mold. But in 2012, the worst U.S. drought in more than half a century extended the aflatoxin threat moved northward into the heart of the Midwest, resulting in the...
Killing The Keystone Pipeline Won’t Stop The Oil Sands Being Mined
Posted by Forbes: Tim Worstall on April 20th, 2013
Forbes: I have to admit that I don’t really understand one of the arguments being used against the Keystone pipeline project. Several of the arguments I do understand and simply disagree with, but one of them I just don’t get in some important manner. That’s the one that if the pipeline isn’t built then the oil in the tar sands won’t be extracted and thus climate change is be less likely. This just doesn’t ring true for me. Mark Perry provides one little chart to show why:
As the Wall Street Journal pouts...
UN-backed partnership helps Kenyans protect forests, improve livelihoods
Posted by UN News: None Given on April 20th, 2013
UN News: A United Nations-backed project in Kenya is protecting forests and wildlife, as well as providing alternative livelihoods, and offers valuable lessons on how governments and the private sector can successfully work together for the betterment of communities and the environment.
The project is run through the UN Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+), which seeks to create financial value for the carbon stored in forests, offering incentives...
E.P.A. Issues Plan on Tainted Water From Power Plants
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 20th, 2013
Bloomberg: Power producers would have to curb the tainted water they discharge into waterways under a proposal issued by the Environmental Protection Agency on Friday, the latest in a series of rules focused on utilities that burn coal. The agency proposed four options for regulating the waste from power plants, which are the top source of pollutants in streams, rivers and other waters. The final rules would have the most impact on coal-fired plants, which are the primary source of the pollutants, and would...