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Archive for August 19th, 2013
Hurricane Sandy Report Warns of Rising Sea, More Storms
Posted by National Geographic: Willie Drye on August 19th, 2013
National Geographic: A federal task force convened by U.S. President Barack Obama after Hurricane Sandy devastated much of the U.S. Atlantic Coast last fall released a report on Monday that included 69 recommendations for rebuilding storm-damaged areas and for reducing the impact of future severe storms.
Chaired by Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, the task force stressed the need for a more resilient national infrastructure and for preparing for the possibility that climate change could worsen...
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African Oryx Eat Poisonous Plants to Survive Periods of Drought
Posted by Nature World: James A. Foley on August 19th, 2013
Nature World: Researchers in Africa have observed two similar grazing animals adopt markedly different feeding habits during periods of drought.
The gemsbok, a type of gazelle found in Africa, was documented surviving during periods of drought by eating high quantities of poisonous plants. The behavior is striking when compared to similar animals such as the springbok antelope, which survives through drought by feeding on every type of plant material it can find but avoiding poisonous plants.
"We wanted...
Ecuador Scraps Plan to Block Rain Forest Oil Drilling
Posted by National Geographic: Scott Wallace on August 19th, 2013
National Geographic: The decision by Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa to abandon a plan to spare the species-rich Yasunà rain forest in eastern Ecuador from oil development has dashed hopes for what environmentalists had hailed as a historic approach to weaning industrial society from its dependence on fossil fuels.
"Ecuador and the world have lost an opportunity to shape a revolutionary initiative," said Alberto Acosta, Ecuador's former minister of energy and mines, and one of the chief architects of the so-called...
United Kingdom: A day on the anti-fracking frontline in Balcombe – video
Posted by Guardian: Jason N Parkinson on August 19th, 2013
Guardian: Scuffles broke out with police as hundreds of protesters blocked access to Cuadrilla's test-drilling site in the village of Balcombe in West Sussex. While many played drums and sang, clashes broke out with police as they tried to move protesters away from the gates. It was the first of two days of 'mass civil disobedience'
Iraq gets its first national park: just call it Eden
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 19th, 2013
Mongabay: Late last month, the Iraqi Council of Ministers approved the nation's first national park: the Mesopotamian marshes, which some scholars believe were the site of the historical Garden of Eden. The establishment of the park is a major milestone for a nation still plagued by violence with the park itself linked to the ravages of the Saddam Hussein regime. Portions of the marshes were drained beginning in the 1950s for agriculture and oil, however Saddam Hussein drained the vast majority of the marshes...
Firefighters step up battle against Idaho blaze; resort towns menaced
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 19th, 2013
Reuters: A wildfire that has forced the evacuation of more than 2,000 homes in central Idaho roared largely unchecked into a 12th day on Monday near the ski resort of Sun Valley, even though fire crews launched a big offensive against the blaze at the weekend.
Firefighters took advantage of calmer winds and higher humidity levels on Sunday to attack the flames aggressively, but still ended the day with containment lines carved around less than 10 percent of the blaze's perimeter, fire officials said. ...
United Kingdom: Over 700 Seals Spotted at Thames Estuary
Posted by Nature World: None Given on August 19th, 2013
Nature World: An estimated 708 seals have been spotted by conservationists in the Thames Estuary. The study was conducted by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL).
Harbor seals or common seals (Phoca vitulinaare) are usually found in the waters of the north Atlantic and north Pacific Oceans. About five percent of the world's seal population lives in Britain.
BBC had earlier reported the disappearance of seals in the United Kingdom. The population of seals in some parts of the U.K. is falling at a rate of...
British police detain protesters at anti-fracking demo
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 19th, 2013
Reuters: British police dispersed hundreds of protesters who blocked access to an oil exploration site in rural England on Monday in an intensification of an almost month-long standoff over the nascent shale gas extraction industry in Britain.
A total of 36 people were detained, both in the village of Balcome and in London, in the first of two days of "direct action" against the drilling process known as fracking, which protesters fear may trigger small earthquakes and pollute water supplies.
Hundreds...
Floods May Cost Coastal Cities $60 Billion a Year by 2050
Posted by Climate Central: Brian Kahn on August 19th, 2013
Climate Central: A little bit of sea level rise could go a long way to increasing flood risk for the globe's coastal cities. New research finds it's possible to reduce that risk, but not make it disappear completely. It also finds that cities not typically thought of as hot spots for sea level rise and flooding will actually be some of the biggest losers in a soggier future.
Global sea levels have risen 8 inches over the past century. Some areas have experienced even greater amounts due to land subsiding due to...
Balcombe fracking protests: Activists rally in UK
Posted by Christian Science Monitor: Daniel J. Graeber on August 19th, 2013
Christian Science Monitor: British energy company Cuadrilla Resources issued an apology last week to the residents of Balcombe, a village in West Sussex near the western British coast. Campaigners flocked to the region by the thousands and set up camp to protest against hydraulic fracturing. The company said it suspended its operations as a safety precaution on the advice from local police in light of the protest. British Prime Minister David Cameron came out in favor of fracking, saying the controversial practice was worth...