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Archive for June 16th, 2013
Senegal: Behind the rhetoric what is really being done to combat desertification?
Posted by Independent: Gavin Haines on June 16th, 2013
Independent: Like most people living along the Sahel – the drylands between Africa’s tropical savannahs and the Sahara Desert – Mustafa Ba is all too familiar with the effects of desertification. Thanks to a combination of overgrazing and deforestation, he has watched the countryside around his Senegalese village, Mboula, turn into a dusty, unproductive wasteland. “Trees provide us with many benefits,” explains Mustafa, as we sit on a mat in the centre of his village. “They are good for the soil and important...
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Die-off in Indian River Lagoon killing dolphins, manatees
Posted by Tampa Bay Times: Craig Pittman on June 16th, 2013
Tampa Bay Times: The Indian River Lagoon on Florida's east coast has long been known as the most diverse ecosystem in North America. Its 156 miles of water boasts more than 600 species of fish and more than 300 kinds of birds.
The lagoon is not just an ecological treasure. To the towns along its edge -- Titusville, Cocoa, Melbourne, Vero Beach and Stuart, among others -- it accounts for hundreds of millions in revenue from angling, boating, bird-watching, tourism and other waterfront activities.
But these days...
Obama to Unveil Climate Change Package in July
Posted by Bloomberg: Lisa Lerer on June 16th, 2013
Bloomberg: With his administration under pressure from environmentalists to reject the Keystone XL pipeline project, President Obama plans to unveil a package of separate actions next month focused on curbing US greenhouse gas emissions.
At closed-door fund-raisers held over the past few weeks, the president has been telling Democratic party donors that he will unveil new climate proposals in July, according to people who have attended the events or been briefed.
Obama's promise frequently comes in response...
Climate change tack shifts to adaptation
Posted by Japan Times: None Given on June 16th, 2013
Japan Times: Efforts to curb global warming have quietly shifted as greenhouse gases inexorably rise. The conversation is no longer solely about how to save the planet by cutting carbon emissions, it is becoming more about how to save ourselves from the warming planet`s wild weather.
It was Mayor Michael Bloomberg`s recent announcement of an ambitious plan to stave off New York City`s rising seas with flood gates, levees and more that brought this transition into full focus.
After years of losing the fight...
West Nile virus fears on rise after Hurricane Sandy
Posted by Star-Ledger: Lisa Hagen on June 16th, 2013
Star-Ledger: With mosquito season approaching, some health officials are concerned about another possible consequence of Hurricane Sandy: an elevated risk of the West Nile virus.
Although they said it is too early to tell how severe the threat will be, officials said they are concerned about the "increased opportunity" for mosquitoes to breed because of standing water left in debris, depressions from fallen trees, damaged gutters and unmaintained swimming pools. And with more mosquitoes come mosquito-born...
Colorado wildfire victims await return home
Posted by Washington Post: P. Solomon Banda on June 16th, 2013
Washington Post: A Colorado sheriff said firefighters "are getting the upper hand' on the most destructive wildfire in state history Saturday, as authorities gained a clearer picture of the grim landscape left by the blaze.
No additional homes were destroyed as fire crews expanded containment lines, El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa said. And he said there were no new reports of injury or death.
The fire that exploded Tuesday outside of Colorado Springs, amid record-setting heat and tinder-dry conditions,...
Fracking Fuels Water Fights in Nation’s Dry Spots
Posted by Associated Press: Garance Burke on June 16th, 2013
Associated Press: The latest domestic energy boom is sweeping through some of the nation's driest pockets, drawing millions of gallons of water to unlock oil and gas reserves from beneath the Earth's surface. Hydraulic fracturing, or the drilling technique commonly known as fracking, has been used for decades to blast huge volumes of water, fine sand and chemicals into the ground to crack open valuable shale formations. But now, as energy companies vie to exploit vast reserves west of the Mississippi, fracking's...