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Archive for May 11th, 2013
Climate change ‘will make hundreds of millions homeless’
Posted by Observer: Robin McKie on May 11th, 2013
Observer: It is increasingly likely that hundreds of millions of people will be displaced from their homelands in the near future as a result of global warming. That is the stark warning of economist and climate change expert Lord Stern following the news last week that concentrations of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere had reached a level of 400 parts per million (ppm).
Massive movements of people are likely to occur over the rest of the century because global temperatures are likely to rise to by up to...
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United Kingdom: Campaigners warn against rise of the ‘mega-farms’
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 11th, 2013
Independent: Farming in the British Isles is on the verge of a dramatic step towards industrialisation with the establishment of "mega-farms" for salmon, pigs and cows, which opponents claim put the environment and human health at risk. The Government signalled its backing yesterday for large-scale farms ahead of an announcement this week of a timetable for plans for a 25,000-capacity pig farm in Derbyshire. A decision on a planned 1,000-cow dairy unit in Wales is also imminent. Pressure to meet growing demand...
Joe Biden Talks Climate Change And Natural Gas In Rolling Stone Interview
Posted by Huffington Post: Nick Visser on May 11th, 2013
Huffington Post: "We've been dealing with a Congress where a significant portion of the other party thinks there's no such thing as global warming," according to Vice President Joe Biden.
In an interview with historian Douglas Brinkley published this week in Rolling Stone, Biden aimed squarely at congressional Republicans and their lack of enthusiasm for the environment.
The Obama administration has pushed green legislation, including changes to fuel emissions standards and tax programs to spur the clean energy...
Optimistic but Cautious, Grenada Bolsters Its Water Resources
Posted by Inter Press Service: Desmond Brown on May 11th, 2013
Inter Press Service: One daunting scientific forecast states that almost half of the world`s population will live in areas of water scarcity by 2030. Yet Christopher Husbands, the head of Grenada`s National Water and Sewerage Authority (NAWASA), is unfazed.
"Nationally, we have adequate resources, certainly taking us way past 2030," he told IPS, adding that for the coming decades Grenada did not need to be overly concerned about the coming water scarcity.
Yet he allowed that two villages in Grenada do not have...
Warmer Climate Threatens Africa’s Vital Cassava Crop
Posted by Climate News Network: Alex Kirby on May 11th, 2013
Climate News Network: A plant which is a staple food crop for millions of people across Africa is at risk from disease as regional temperatures rise, scientists say.
The plant, cassava, is a significant source of food and income, and is an important industrial crop, and there is concern that serious food shortages may result and poverty worsen.
Experts say the spread of the disease could halve cassava production and threaten the diets of 300 million people.
Experts say the spread of the disease could halve cassava...
Do we need a better yardstick to measure severe droughts?
Posted by ClimateWire: Tiffany Stecker on May 11th, 2013
ClimateWire: After more than a decade, the U.S. Drought Monitor might be due for a tuneup.
As Illinois' State Climatologist Jim Angel puts it, it's like the scene in the 1984 parody of hard rock documentaries "This Is Spinal Tap" in which heavy metal guitarist Nigel Tufnel shows off his amplifiers with volume knobs that go up to 11.
Tufnel's amplifiers, he brags to the filmmaker in the spoof, give his guitars that ear-splitting "extra push off the cliff" compared with traditional amps that only reach 10....
Prince Harry’s concern over ‘visual impact’ of wind farms
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 11th, 2013
Telegraph: His comments came as he attended a reception in Denver on Friday night and his views are apparently shared by his father the Prince of Wales.
The event was hosted by Beverley Simpson, British consul general for Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming, and among the guests was four-time Olympic gold medal winning swimmer Missy Franklin.
Susan Reilly, chief executive officer of Renewable Energy Systems Americas, said after speaking to the prince that she had to reassure Harry about the benefits of wind...
Decision on Keystone XL Pipeline Seen Dragging Past Summer
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 11th, 2013
Reuters: The Obama administration is unlikely to make a decision on the Canada-to-Nebraska Keystone XL pipeline until late this year as it painstakingly weighs the project's impact on the environment and on energy security, a U.S. official and analysts said on Friday.
The decision may not be made until November, December or even early 2014, said a U.S. official, as President Barack Obama will not rush the process, which still has a number of stages to work through. One of those stages has not even begun...
China battery plant protest gives voice to rising anger over pollution
Posted by Reuters: Jane Lee and Gabriel Wildau on May 11th, 2013
Reuters: Hundreds of protesters gathered in the Chinese financial hub of Shanghai on Saturday to oppose plans for a lithium battery factory, highlighting growing social tension over pollution.
Police stood by as residents marched peacefully along a busy street in the Songjiang district of the city, gathering at an intersection near the site of a Carrefour hypermarket, chanting and holding signs saying "No factory here, we love Songjiang."
Many wore matching t-shirts with an image of a smoky factory...
Frozen Lakes Cut Into Minnesota Fishing Tradition
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 11th, 2013
National Public Radio: On the shores of Mille Lacs Lake in central Minnesota, it finally feels like spring. But the lake still looks like winter.
Saturday marks the opening of the walleye fishing season, and it's usually one of the busiest weekends for the state's resort communities. But this year, many of the northern lakes are still frozen, restricting water access and, potentially, local businesses.
Rick Bruesewitz, a fisheries manager for the Department of Natural Resources, says it would be tough to get a boat...