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Archive for August 25th, 2013
United Kingdom: The battle of Balcombe: West Sussex town is new front line in fracking debate
Posted by Independent: Peter Popham on August 25th, 2013
Independent: The people of Balcombe in West Sussex have plenty to thank Britain’s archaic land-owning system for. Sitting in the garden of Colette Randall, an anti-fracking protester who lives a few hundred yards from the drill site, there is nothing to see but trees, nothing to hear but birdsong.
The owner of the Balcombe Estate boasts of the “magnificent, airy wildlife habitat with beautiful, mature specimens of trees” which his family’s management of local forests has produced over the past 60 years, and...
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United Kingdom: Green belt housing ‘doubles in a year’
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 25th, 2013
Guardian: The number of houses planned for green belt land has nearly doubled over the past year, according to the Campaign to Protect Rural England.
The charity found that 150,000 homes, mines and commercial premises covering 1,000 hectares (2,470 acres) are proposed. Previous analysis suggested just 81,000 homes were planned, in August 2012.
The CPRE said the figures raised serious concerns about whether ministers were keeping their promises to safeguard the green belt. Spokesman Paul Miner said: "The...
Yosemite wildfire could worsen as firefighters brace for strong winds
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 25th, 2013
Guardian: Firefighters braced for strong winds that could push a raging wildfire further into the north-west edge of Yosemite national park, threatening thousands of rural homes.
The massive blaze was also burning Sunday in the vicinity of two groves of giant sequoias that are unique the region, prompting park employees to take extra precautions of clearing brush and setting sprinklers.
The towering trees, which grow only on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada and are among the largest and oldest...
High-level radioactive tritium found in seawater at Fukushima plant port
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 25th, 2013
Asahi Shimbun: Concentrations of radioactive tritium in seawater from the port of the stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant have risen between eight and 18 times in one week, Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Aug. 23.
It seems highly likely that the contaminated water is spreading into the sea beyond the port.
The latest levels are the highest since June, when TEPCO, the plant operator, strengthened its monitoring after discovering that groundwater contaminated with radioactive materials around the No....
India: How climate change worries have affected mental health of Sunderbans residents
Posted by First Post: None Given on August 25th, 2013
First Post: A number of environmental threats including that of climate change and man-animal conflict are driving villagers in Sunderbans islands towards madness and even suicide. Putting stress on the mental health of the villagers, the ill-effects of abject poverty and deprivation in the remote islands of the UNESCO World Heritage site are compounded by acute struggle against ecological hazards, experts say. Psychiatrist Arabinda N Chowdhury, who worked with the Institute of Psychiatry in Kolkata, studied...
Can UN scientists revive drive against climate change?
Posted by Agence France-Presse: Richard Ingham on August 25th, 2013
Agence France-Presse: A leaden cloak of responsibility lies on the shoulders of UN scientists as they put the final touches to the first volume of a massive report that will give the world the most detailed picture yet of climate change.
Due to be unveiled in Stockholm on September 27, the document will be scrutinized word by word by green groups, fossil-fuel lobbies and governments to see if it will yank climate change out of prolonged political limbo.
The report will kick off the fifth assessment by the Intergovernmental...
Rising oceans: An economy washed away?
Posted by Seacoast: Deborah McDermott on August 25th, 2013
Seacoast: Maine is considered an old hand by state standards at dealing with expected sea level rise, working actively on the issue since at least 2008. And among Maine towns, York is one of the elders, with work dating to 2010 resulting in a detailed sea level rise initiative going before voters this fall. The U.S. Navy is also becoming more proactive, as recent modeling shows significant portions of Seavey Island, home to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, affected by predicted sea level rise. With 3,500 miles...
Australia: Call to remove sea-level rise notices
Posted by Newcastle Herald: Damon Cronshaw on August 25th, 2013
Newcastle Herald: MORE than 250 residents have demanded the removal of Lake Macquarie City Council’s controversial sea level rise and flooding maps and notations, amid concern they threaten $4billion worth of private property.
The call comes from accusations that the council is showing disregard to the effects its flood policies are having on people’s lives and hip-pockets, but the council maintains it is acting prudently.
Cr Jason Pauling will table at a council meeting today a call from the residents for the...
Vancouver: Metro cities bracing for rising tides
Posted by Province: Glenda Luymes on August 25th, 2013
Province: Over the next century, Vancouver's greatest asset could become its worst enemy.
A new climate change report lists the city among the world's most at risk for losses from rising sea levels and flooding, ranking it 11th after cities such as New York, New Orleans and Mumbai.
"We're at the point where this can't be ignored," B.C. geoscientist John Clague told the Sunday Province. "The only good news is that there is time."
The report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development...
Geoengineering to address climate change
Posted by Sudbury Star: David Suzuki on August 25th, 2013
Sudbury Star: Altering environments to suit our needs is not new. From clearing land to building dams, we've done it throughout history. When technologies and populations were limited, our actions affected small areas -- though with some cascading effects on interconnected ecosystems. We've entered an era in which humans are a geological force. According to the website Welcome to the Anthropocene, "There are now so many of us, using so many resources, that we're disrupting the grand cycles of biology, chemistry...