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Archive for June 4th, 2013
Methane leaks ‘could negate climate benefits’
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 4th, 2013
Guardian: Methane leaks could undo the climate change benefits of America's natural gas boom, a new report said on Tuesday.
The report, produced by the Centre for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES), said America's shift from coal to gas had produced important climate gains.
Carbon dioxide emissions fell last year to their lowest point since 1994, according to the Department of Energy. Energy-related carbon dioxide emissions were 12% below 2005 levels.
But the report said those reductions were not...
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Study: Increased carbon dioxide may lead to greener deserts
Posted by Mother Nature Network: John Platt on June 4th, 2013
Mother Nature Network: Increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide may have contributed to a gradual greening of some desert regions over the past 30 years, a process that will continue, according to a new study. But the authors warn that this "CO2 fertilization effect" could also have consequences for native plants and the wildlife that depends on them. The study, published May 15 in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, was conducted by researchers from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization...
Climate change may increase the risk of severe thunderstorms
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 4th, 2013
ScienceDaily: Analysis has suggested that changes in the atmosphere will lead to more frequent conditions favorable for severe thunderstorms. According to recent studies there will be more damaging winds related to thunderstorms. The number of tornadoes and large hail is expected to remain at the same level as today.
Climate model simulations suggest that on average, as the surface temperature and moisture increases the conditions for thunderstorms becomes more frequent. Climate change decreases temperature...
Frog Long Thought Extinct Is Rediscovered in Israel
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 4th, 2013
National Geographic: Israeli park ranger Yoram Malka caught only a fleeting glimpse of the frog as it leapt across the road, but he knew it was something special.
When he first saw the frog in northern Israel's Hula Valley, Malka jerked his utility vehicle to a stop, bounded out of his seat, and jumped atop it, catching the creature in his hands.
The animal had a mottled backside and a black belly with white dots. It belonged to a species that most scientists thought had disappeared from the Earth more than half...
Two Months Later, Arkansas Residents Still Hurting From ExxonMobil Tar Sands Spill
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on June 4th, 2013
EcoWatch: More than two months after ExxonMobil’s 65-year-old Pegasus pipeline burst and spewed a gusher of thick Canadian tar sands oil through Mayflower, AR, and into a marsh on Lake Conway--the state’s most popular fishing spot--residents are still complaining of health problems and are worried about poisonous impacts on wildlife and in the environment. Many locals and some scientists have little faith in the continuous rosy assurances from Exxon and the Unified Command that testing results show the environment...
Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Still Spilling After Nearly a Decade
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on June 4th, 2013
EcoWatch: The 2013 hurricane season is now upon us, and it`s predicted to be a doozy this year. Which got us to thinking ... Remember that strange, persistent little oil slick about 12 miles offshore that SkyTruth discovered on satellite imagery during the BP oil spill in 2010, that was not related to BP's Deepwater Horizon disaster?
Remember how SouthWings flew photographer J. Henry Fair out there and came across a deepwater drill rig with a miles-long oil slick next to it?
When we published this, an...
Billionaire Democrat vows fight against Keystone by targeting Obama voters
Posted by Associated Press: Lee-Anne Goodman on June 4th, 2013
Associated Press: A San Francisco billionaire -- a friend to Barack Obama and a major Democratic financier -- is embarking on a mission to block TransCanada's proposed Keystone XL pipeline by targeting voters who cast ballots for the president in last year's election.
In an open letter to Obama, written by Tom Steyer just two months after hosting the president at his home, the climate-change activist says his political action committee, NextGen Action, is launching a campaign to "intensify our efforts in communicating...
Scientists: Key Parts of State Dept Keystone Review Are ‘Without Merit’
Posted by InsideClimate: None Given on June 4th, 2013
InsideClimate: Dozens of leading scientists in the fields of climate change, public health and ecology have told the State Department that the findings of its draft assessment of the impacts of the Keystone XL pipeline are "without merit in many critical areas." In unusually blunt advice, they urged the Obama administration to reject the pipeline as not being in the U.S. national interest. "How is importing the world's highest carbon content crude consistent with national policy goals?" they asked. "Now is the...
Billionaire Donor Warns Obama to Reject Pipeline or Face Backlash
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 4th, 2013
Washington Post: Billionaire and climate activist Tom Steyer has written an open letter to President Obama, warning him to reject the Keystone XL pipeline or face an organized rebellion from some of his most loyal supporters later this month.
On Friday, Canada’s British Columbia province informed a federal review board it opposes the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline, which aims to export crude oil from Canada`s oil sand region to Asia via tankers. Since that represents an alternative means for shipping oil to...