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Archive for July 21st, 2013
Consumers to pay ‘dirty’ coal power subsidies for years
Posted by Independent: Oliver Wright on July 21st, 2013
Independent: Britain’s dirtiest coal power stations are to be allowed to bid for hundreds of millions of pounds’ worth of subsidies that could allow them to stay open well into the 2020s. Senior ministers are so worried about the possibility that the UK could suffer electricity blackouts over the next few years they have agreed to let Britain’s coal stations bid for “capacity payment” handouts – paid for through people’s energy bills – which could allow them to upgrade their facilities. If successful, the money...
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EARTH MEANDERS: Ecocide Is Not Development; Love and Ecology Are the Answer
Posted by Water Conservation Blog on July 21st, 2013
Earth's ecosystems are collapsing, human and all species' habitats are being lost, and our one shared biosphere is failing and dying. Love of other peoples and species and of nature, truth, justice, and equity are the only lasting basis for global ecological sustainability.
It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society. Krishnamurti
Truth matters. Freedom matters. Justice matters. Ecology matters. Peace matters. Compassion matters. Knowledge matters. Love matters. We should all try to matter by serving such ideals. Dr. Glen Barry
By Dr. Glen Barry, Ecological Internet
Earth Meanders come from Earth's Newsdesk
Earth is alive just like the biological patterns found in cells, species, individual organisms, and ecosystems; only at a different scale and thus can die if boundary conditions for health are exceeded. The biosphere [search] Earth's thin mantle of life is collapsing and dying, as ecosystems and climate are being murdered by human industrial growth. Such ecocidal madness, called "development," is hailed as the goal for society when in fact it is ecocide, and can only end in utter social, economic, and ecological collapse. Industrial human development destroys natural ecosystems necessary to maintain a habitable Earth.
Burning fossil fuels ...
Fracking films reflect twists in drilling debate
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 21st, 2013
Associated Press: The boom in natural gas drilling has cast two opposing documentary filmmakers in unlikely roles.
Josh Fox, a liberal environmental activist, finds himself at odds with President Barack Obama. Phelim McAleer, a free-market conservative, is echoing the Democratic president's support for natural gas.
The two don't see eye-to-eye on much of anything, especially each other.
"He's a very skillful filmmaker," McAleer said of Fox. "He's one of the most trusted scientists in America at the moment,...
Scientists say jet stream causing weather whiplash as it wobbles
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 21st, 2013
Associated Press: The jet stream - the river of air high above Earth that generally dictates the weather - usually rushes rapidly from west to east in a mostly straight direction.
But lately it seems to be wobbling and weaving like a drunken driver, wreaking havoc as it goes.
The more the jet stream undulates north and south, the more changeable and extreme the weather.
The most recent example occurred in mid-June when some towns in Alaska hit record highs. McGrath, Alaska, recorded an all-time high of 94...
Investigation into cause of contamination continues
Posted by Poughkeepsie Journal: Craig Wolf on July 21st, 2013
Poughkeepsie Journal: Though the crisis is over, the water contamination investigation in the City of Poughkeepsie continues — with the cause remaining a mystery for now.
Both technical and political officials are trying to get to the bottom of it.
Two meetings are set for this week, said Common Council Chairman Robert Mallory. One is a private “leadership meeting” with the Dutchess County Department of Health, including acting Commissioner Dr. Kari Reiber, on Tuesday.
The other is a public meeting of the council...
The war on coal Obama isn’t fighting
Posted by Nation: Zoë Carpenter on July 21st, 2013
Nation: As the pending decision on the Keystone XL pipeline dominates the climate focus in the United States, an even bigger carbon bomb is ticking quietly in a remote region of the American West.
Big Coal and Republican lawmakers are pushing to expand mining operations on federal lands in the Powder River Basin, which straddles eastern Montana and Wyoming and holds the bulk of the country's coal stocks.
If they're successful, railways in the Pacific Northwest will soon transport an annual cargo bound...
Fighting Fire With Fire: Why Some Burns Are Good For Nature
Posted by National Public Radio: http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1andt=1andislist=falseandid on July 21st, 2013
National Public Radio: Wildfire was once essential to the American West. Prairies and forests burned regularly, and those fires not only determined the mix of flora and fauna that made up the ecosystem, but regenerated the land.
When people replaced wilderness with homes and ranches, they aggressively eliminated fire. But now, scientists are trying to bring fire back to the wilderness, to recreate what nature once did on its own.
One place they're doing this is Centennial Valley, in southwestern Montana.
Rimmed...
United Kingdom: After the calm, the storms
Posted by Daily Mail: Adam Lee-potter and Jill Reilly on July 21st, 2013
Daily Mail: The longest heatwave for seven years could come to an end this week as the heat and humidity look set to give way to lightning and downpours. But don't pack away the barbecues just yet - tomorrow the mercury is expected to hit 35C for the first time since 2006. Isolated showers are expected across Britain at the start of the week, but from Tuesday it has the potential to be very unsettled in eastern and northern parts with thundery downpours possible. However, there will be a lot of sunshine too,...
Climate change threatens Swedish water cost hike
Posted by Local: None Given on July 21st, 2013
Local: Sweden could see the costs of tap water rise in the future, said Rural Affairs Minister Eskil Erlandsson, as the government investigates how to secure a plentiful flow under the threat of climate change. "Water will become more expensive and Sweden needs to take action," said Erlandsson to news agency TT and added that national infrastructure requires more investment and water pipes need improved maintenance. "In comparison with the rest of Europe, we have cheap water in Sweden. We do see a threat,...
Majority of British people know little about farmers, survey finds
Posted by Telegraph: Edward Malnick on July 21st, 2013
Telegraph: The study, commissioned by the Prince's Countryside Fund, revealed that 5 per cent of those who took part realised that the freezing conditions between January and April led to the deaths of more than 100,000 animals.
A quarter said they did not know what agriculture contributed to the British economy, while 58 per cent undervalued the income generated by the industry last year.
Almost 60 per cent of people responding to the survey said they believed farmers earned more than double the average...