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Archive for August 9th, 2013
A sobering new climate report for California
Posted by KQED Science: Craig Miller on August 9th, 2013
KQED Science: “An immediate and growing threat.” That’s how California’s lead environmental agency — and the Governor’s office — describe climate change in the latest in a series of periodic reports on the subject. The report cites “already discernible impacts of climate change” and attempts to pinpoint the main drivers — no pun intended. In California, nearly 40 percent of greenhouse gas emissions come from the transportation sector — trains, planes and automobiles, and the last in particular. According to...
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Buried in Muck, Clues to Future NYC Drought
Posted by Climate Desk: Tim McDonnell on August 9th, 2013
Climate Desk: Piermont Marsh seems an unlikely place to learn about drought. This warren of narrow streams and muddy, reed-choked embankments clinging to the edge of the Hudson River twenty miles north of Times Square is the domain of crabs, worms, herons, and other water-loving creatures. But as Columbia University climatologist Dorothy Peteet paddles a narrow aluminum canoe deep into the marsh, she insists that buried deep in this black, sulphur-stinking muck are clues that could reveal when, and how badly,...
Uganda: Farmers Feel Threat of Climate Change
Posted by Observer: Joseph Olanyo on August 9th, 2013
Observer: More than 20 years ago, Wilbarido Akutu knew when to prepare his land, plant and harvest. Akutu had mastered the art of following rain clouds, particular stars and birds that would depict the return of mighty rains. He also knew particular insects that would chirp ahead of the rainy season. He may not have gone to school to study meteorology or weather patterns, but Akutu, in his late 80s, is an example of a farmer with the revered wisdom of weather patterns. Few weather experts, if any, can match...
Africa will not be Europe’s digital dumping ground, say leaders
Posted by EurActiv: None Given on August 9th, 2013
EurActiv: African countries have demanded action to stem the import of electronic waste, including old computers and mobile telephones from Europe, where stringent environmental laws make exporting used goods cheaper than disposing of them at home.
In a document released this week, African countries that adopted an international convention on hazardous waste called for uniform action to end the import of discarded electronic goods containing dangerous components. In some cases, the products are sent as...
United Kingdom: Agriculture market stoking £5trn asset bubble, study warns
Posted by BusinessGreen: Jessica Shankleman on August 9th, 2013
BusinessGreen: Investors are facing fresh calls to build up the resilience of their agricultural portfolios, after a major new report showed $8trn (£5.2trn) worth of farming assets could become uninsurable owing to environmental risks linked to climate change. The report, released today by the University of Oxford's Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, aims to show the scale of the asset bubble faced by the agricultural sector, which could leave huge levels of capital exposed to the physical and economic...
Keystone Would Not Impact Tar Sands Production, Emissions
Posted by Fuel Fix: Zain Shauk on August 9th, 2013
Fuel Fix: Keystone XL would not add to greenhouse gas emissions, according to a study published Thursday by an independent research group that echoed the findings of government-backed reports. The study found that the addition of the new pipeline connecting Canadian oil sands fields with the U.S. Gulf Coast wouldn’t make a substantial difference in emissions because U.S. refineries would get similar crude from Venezuela or elsewhere. Production, processing and transportation of Venezuelan heavy crude results...
California Lawmakers Ask for Offshore Fracking Probe
Posted by Associated Press: Alicia Chang on August 9th, 2013
Associated Press: A group of state lawmakers has asked the federal government to investigate hydraulic fracturing off the California coast where new oil leases have been banned since a disastrous oil spill in 1969. Fracking has occurred in the Santa Barbara Channel at least 12 times since the late 1990s, and regulators earlier this year approved a new project, according to a recent report by The Associated Press, which obtained well permits and internal emails through the Freedom of Information Act. The extent of...
Colorado Fracking Stresses Regulators as Permit Bids Soar
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 9th, 2013
Bloomberg: New rules governing oil and gas extraction in Colorado may increase the review period for permits and add to a backlog of well applications as energy exploration proceeds at a pace to eclipse last year’s record. The new regulations by the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, which went into effect Aug. 1, would require wells to be at least 500 feet (152 meters) from the nearest occupied building and mandate pre-drilling notice for nearby landowners and measures to reduce noise, odors, dust...
Canada: Imperial, Exxon Deal Offers Industry Hope of Alberta Oil Turnaround
Posted by Globe and Mail: Jeffrey Jones on August 9th, 2013
Globe and Mail: Imperial Oil Ltd. and Exxon Mobil Corp. have teamed up to buy a major Alberta oil sands property from ConocoPhillips for $751-million, ending a drought of large deals for bitumen-rich lands that had persisted since the start of the year. ConocoPhillips has had a package of oil patch assets on the auction block since early 2012. In that time, however, the deal flow in the industry slowed to a trickle. The U.S. energy giant now says that in addition to selling the oil sands assets to Imperial and...
Taiwan says nuclear power plant may have leaked toxic water
Posted by Reuters: Ben Blanchard on August 9th, 2013
Reuters: A nuclear power plant in Taiwan may have been leaking radioactive water for three years, according to a report published by the government's watchdog, adding to uncertainty over the fate of a new fourth nuclear power plant.
The First Nuclear Power Plant, located at Shihmen in a remote northern coastal location but not far from densely populated Taipei, has been leaking toxic water from storage pools of two reactors, said the watchdog, called the Control Yuan.
An official of Taiwan Power Co....