RSS Feed
Archive for August 5th, 2013
Marine Life Reacting Faster to Climate Change
Posted by Voice of America: Rick Pantaleo on August 5th, 2013
Voice of America: Marine life is reacting to global climate change faster than land-dwelling species, according to a new three year study published in the journal, Nature Climate Change. The researchers said their findings show that the distribution of marine life is being re-arranged as the oceans get warmer. The research team includes 19 scientists from Australia, the United States, Canada, Britain, Europe and South Africa. According to the scientists, marine species are escaping the warming waters by heading...
Posted in 
Children given lifelong ban on talking about fracking
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 5th, 2013
Guardian: Two young children in Pennsylvania were banned from talking about fracking for the rest of their lives under a gag order imposed under a settlement reached by their parents with a leading oil and gas company. The sweeping gag order was imposed under a $750,000 settlement between the Hallowich family and Range Resources Ltd, a leading oil and gas driller. It provoked outrage on Monday among environmental campaigners and free speech advocates. The settlement, reached in 2011 but unsealed only last...
Announcing the Ecological Impacts of Climate Change Collection
Posted by PLos Blogs: Ben Bond-Lamberty on August 5th, 2013
PLos Blogs: The ecological impacts of climate change are broad and diverse, and include alterations to species’ range limits, plant phenology and growth, carbon and nutrient cycling, as well as biodiversity and extinction risk. Recent PLOS articles have used a variety of experimental and observational approaches to examine these subjects.
Identifying at-risk regions, taxa, and species is a critical first step in adaptation and conservation efforts. A study by Mouillot et al. suggested that rare species are...
Residents flee as fire rages at Marathon, near Athens
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 5th, 2013
Reuters: A wildfire fanned by strong winds raged near Athens on Monday, damaging homes and sending residents fleeing, fire brigade officials said.
Reuters witnesses said the blaze had damaged at least three homes at a hamlet by the town of Marathon - the site of the historic 490 BC battle between Athenians and Persians about 40 kilometres (25 miles) northeast of the Greek capital.
"The flames have reached homes, but we don't know yet how many are threatened," said a fire brigade official, speaking on...
Fukushima water leak ’emergency’
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 5th, 2013
BBC: Japan's nuclear watchdog has said the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant is facing a new "emergency" caused by a build-up of radioactive groundwater.
A barrier built to contain the water could be breached in three weeks, the Nuclear Regulatory Authority warned.
This meant the amount of contaminated water seeping into the Pacific Ocean could accelerate rapidly, it said.
There has been spate of water leaks and power failures at the plant, devastated by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
Its...
Fracking Companies Issue Gag Orders and Buy Victims’ Silence
Posted by EcoWatch: Joshua De Leon on August 5th, 2013
EcoWatch: In further attempts to stifle public awareness of the dangers of fracking, energy companies have been issuing gag orders on families who contract with them. The gag orders cover everyone in the family, including children. Drilling company Range Resources offered $750,000 to a Pennsylvania family to move from their home with one catch: the family, and their kids, were not to say a word.
There have been numerous reports of dangerous pollutants contaminating the land and water supply of families...
Bianca Jagger: Stop this fracking nightmare in Balcombe
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 5th, 2013
Guardian: I am very upset by reports that the fracking company Cuadrilla began operations in Lower Stumble, a mile south of the lovely village of Balcombe, West Sussex, last Friday, 2 August.
On Saturday I made my second trip to the campsite in Lower Stumble – my first journey was on 28 July. I felt compelled to lend my support after I received Twitter requests from concerned residents asking me to help them in their struggle against Cuadrilla. I decided it was important to visit Balcombe because I believe...
Republicans’ war on the environment: Time to counterattack
Posted by Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Joel Connelly on August 5th, 2013
Seattle Post-Intelligencer: The Republican leaders in Congress look so grim and dour on TV, always denouncing this and that, and voting -- for the 40th time in the House on Friday -- to repeal the health care reform law known as Obamacare.
Appearances are deceiving. If you read their tweets, you'll quickly identify one thing close to the hearts of House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell: These guys love coal.
They're out front going backwards. They want to strip the EPA of authority to...
Keystone pipeline decision pivotal for Obama
Posted by Star Tribune: James P. Lenfestey on August 5th, 2013
Star Tribune: In his speech on climate in June, President Obama laid out his criteria for approval of the Keystone XL pipeline: "Allowing the Keystone pipeline to be built requires a finding that doing so would be in our nation's interest. And our national interest will be served only if this project does not significantly exacerbate the problem of carbon pollution. The net effects of the pipeline's impact on our climate will be absolutely critical to determining whether this project is allowed to go forward.'...
Nebraska trial could delay Keystone XL pipeline
Posted by Washington Post: Lenny Bernstein on August 5th, 2013
Washington Post: While environmentalists, energy executives and elected officials across North America await the State Department’s critical decision on the Keystone XL pipeline, a little-noticed trial scheduled for next month in Nebraska could spell problems for the $5.3 billion project.
Despite two attempts by Nebraska’s attorney general to have the case thrown out, Lancaster County District Court Judge Stephanie Stacy has set a Sept. 27 trial date for arguments in a lawsuit that contends the state legislature...