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Archive for August 12th, 2013
‘Swamp rats’ on the move as winters warm
Posted by Daily Climate: Brett Israel on August 12th, 2013
Daily Climate: As fans of "Duck Dynasty" can attest, hunting for nutria – big, water-loving rodents with bright orange front teeth – is hugely popular in Louisiana. This might not be exclusive to the bayou for long. As winters warm, nutria could migrate across the country, according to new research.
Researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey found that during a recent string of mild winters, nutria populations expanded northward in the United States. Left uncontrolled, that trend could continue over the next...
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Greenland Ice Melting Due to Heat from Below, Study Finds
Posted by Nature World: None Given on August 12th, 2013
Nature World: High heat flow from the mantle to the lithosphere is increasing the rate of ice melt in Greenland. Researchers said that although the rate isn't high, this process must be considered during calculations of ice-loss in the region.
Scientists from IceGeoHeat found the association between geothermal heating and Greenland ice sheet melting at an exceptionally thin lithosphere in Greenland. They said that coupling ice/climate models with those that explain the flow of heat in the region is a better...
Investors in agriculture ignore environmental risks at their peril
Posted by Guardian: Oliver Balch on August 12th, 2013
Guardian: Forget hi-tech stocks or shares in fast-growth pharma. Farming is where the clever money is heading these days. With the world enjoying the longest agricultural commodity boom since the second world war, billions of investment dollars are funnelling into farm-rich emerging markets such as Brazil, Nigeria and China. More established agricultural powerhouses such as North America and Russia are surging too.
Many investors are sitting pretty as a consequence. Global farmland asset values, for instance,...
Peru’s culture ministry supports Amazon reserves
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 12th, 2013
Guardian: Peru's Vice-Ministry of Inter-Culturality (VMI) is officially supporting proposals to establish five reserves for indigenous peoples living in "voluntary isolation" in the Amazon rainforest totaling almost four million hectares.
The VMI's support does not mean that the reserves will definitely be established, but they will now be discussed by a cross-sector government commission which is scheduled to convene with indigenous leaders in Peru's capital, Lima, on 26 and 27 August.
The VMI, the...
Why the World Bank Is Taking On Climate Change
Posted by National Journal: Coral Davenport on August 12th, 2013
National Journal: The World Bank, headquartered a block from the White House, was founded after World War II to combat global poverty. But over the past year, fighting climate change has become the bank's new guiding principal, as economic evidence indicates that global warming will be a driving cause of poverty worldwide in the 21st century. The bank has become a big player in climate policy, investing billions annually into climate-related programs--and blocking money from projects such as coal-fired power plants....
Exxon Knew Its Ruptured Pipeline Was Old, Defective and Brittle, and Still Added New Stresses
Posted by InsideClimate: Elizabeth Douglass on August 12th, 2013
InsideClimate: Since at least 2006, ExxonMobil [3] has known that its 1940s-era Pegasus pipeline had many manufacturing defects like the faulty welds that recently sent crude oil spewing into an Arkansas neighborhood. The company also knew that the seams of the pipe have been identified by the industry as having another dangerous flaw: They are especially brittle, and therefore more prone to cracking. "Having a crack or flaw in a pipeline is a whammy," said Patrick Pizzo [4], a professor emeritus in materials...
United Kingdom: Fracking should get public support, says David Cameron
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 12th, 2013
BBC: The whole of the country must "get behind fracking", which ought to get "real public support" once its benefits are explained, David Cameron has said.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, he said he wanted all of the UK to benefit from shale gas drilling - "north or south".
The prime minister moved to allay concerns about the technique, insisting it was safe if properly regulated.
Environmentalists fear it can cause small earth tremors, water contamination and environmental damage.
Fracking...
United Kingdom: Cameron calls on north and south to get behind fracking
Posted by BusinessGreen: James Murray on August 12th, 2013
BusinessGreen: Prime Minister David Cameron has today issued his clearest call to date for communities to support a nationwide boom in fracking activity, arguing that it will deliver lower energy bills and create jobs without damaging the environment.
In an article for the Telegraph that is bound to anger the growing ranks of those opposed to fracking, Cameron said he was determined to win the debate over whether or not the UK should exploit its shale gas resources.
"If we don't back this technology, we will...
David Cameron: UK must accept the potential of fracking
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 12th, 2013
Press Association: David Cameron has insisted the UK should accept fracking, claiming the controversial method of extracting gas will attract "real public support" when the benefits are explained.
The prime minister said the process would not damage the countryside and cause only "very minor change to the landscape".
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Cameron said: "I want all parts of our nation to share in the benefits: north or south, Conservative or Labour.
"If neighbourhoods can really see the benefits –...
Brazil: Extinctions ‘cut nutrient arteries’
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 12th, 2013
BBC: The demise of big animals in the Amazon region 12,000 years ago cut a key way that nutrients were distributed across the landscape, a study has suggested.
Researchers say animals such as huge armadillo-like creatures would have distributed vital nutrients for plants via their dung and bodies.
The effects, still visible today, raise questions about the impact of losing large modern species like elephants.
The findings have been published in the journal Nature Geoscience.
A team of UK and...