RSS Feed
Archive for October 23rd, 2013
Scientist splits Amazonian giants into separate species
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 23rd, 2013
Mongabay: It's hard to mistake an arapaima for anything else: these massive, heavily-armored, air-breathing fish (they have to surface every few minutes) are the megafauna of the Amazon's rivers. But despite their unmistakability, and the fact that they have been hunted by indigenous people for millennia, scientists still know relatively little about arapaima, including just how many species there are. Since the mid-Nineteenth Century, scientists have lumped all arapaima into one species: Arapaima gigas. However,...
Posted in 
What’s Behind Surging Ozone Pollution in Texas? Study to Weigh Role of Fracking in Health Hazard
Posted by InsideClimate: Lisa Song on October 23rd, 2013
InsideClimate: When ozone pollution skyrocketed in the tiny town of Boulder, Wyo., in 2008, it was relatively easy to identify the culprit as oil and gas drilling, the only major industry in the rural area. Today, a similar situation in San Antonio, Texas, will be more difficult to resolve. The city has violated federal ozone standards dozens of times since 2008, but with so much industrial activity in and around the city—including the Eagle Ford shale drilling boom south of San Antonio—local officials are waiting...
Why climate activists should get over their preoccupation with pipelines
Posted by Grist: Arielle Klagsbrun, David Osborn, Maryam Adrangi and Kirby Spangler on October 23rd, 2013
Grist: Architecturally, a keystone is the wedge-shaped piece at the crown of an arch that locks the other pieces in place. Without the keystone, the building blocks of an archway will tumble and fall, with no support system for the weight of the arch. Much of the United States climate movement right now is structured like an archway, with all of its blocks resting on a keystone - President Obama’s decision on the Keystone XL pipeline.
This is a dangerous place to be. Once Barack Obama makes his decision...
Small-scale agriculture holds big promise for Africa
Posted by Guardian: Caspar van Vark on October 23rd, 2013
Guardian: The recent discovery of a large aquifer in Kenya is a reminder that far from being dry, Africa has abundant water resources. The problem for farmers is access: only around 6% of cultivated land is equipped for irrigation, leaving millions dependent on rain-fed agriculture. How might more of them be helped to access water that could raise their productivity? Large-scale, government-funded irrigation systems have long attempted to address this, with varying degrees of success. Those systems have a...
Australia: Alan Jones breaches code with exaggerated climate change broadcast: ACMA
Posted by Sydney Morning Herald: Linda Morris on October 23rd, 2013
Sydney Morning Herald: Radio talk back host Alan Jones is in hot water again with the media watchdog after breaching the commercial radio code of practice by making unsubstantiated comments about power station closures and the salaries of climate change bureaucrats.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority rejected a third complaint that the Sydney broadcaster got his facts wrong about NBN rollout costs.
But the regulator was critical of Jones' use of exaggerated and emotive terms, such as "white elephant"...
Al Gore weighs into debate over links between bushfires and climate change
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 23rd, 2013
Australian Broadcasting Corporation: Former US vice-president and environmentalist Al Gore says there is a proven link between climate change and bushfires.
This week, a United Nations official said the devastating fires in New South Wales proved the world is "already paying the price of carbon".
Prime Minister Tony Abbott today dismissed the comment, accusing the official of "talking through her hat".
He argued that "fire is a part of the Australian experience" and not linked to climate change.
"Climate change is real,...
Court Case on Fracking Ban in Dryden, N.Y., May Have Wide Implications
Posted by New York Times: JESSE McKINLEY on October 23rd, 2013
New York Times: This town in the Finger Lakes region is not the kind of place where one would expect a grass-roots uprising. Even its promotional brochure makes it sound sleepy, listing the main attractions as “a few large dairy farms, some crop farms and several horse ranches.” But Dryden could soon be synonymous with something more than animals and agriculture. In August 2011, the town passed a zoning ordinance effectively forbidding hydraulic fracturing, the controversial gas extraction method also known as...
Tony Abbott: Australian bushfires not linked to climate change – video
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 23rd, 2013
Reuters: Australian prime minister Tony Abbott rubbishes a suggestion by the executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Christiana Figueres, that there is a link between global warming and bushfires, as the fire danger-level in regions of New South Wales was raised on Wednesday amid worsening weather conditions
Heavy rain across UK prompts flood warnings
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 23rd, 2013
Press Association: Parts of the UK will face risks of flooding on Wednesday as heavy rain continues to lash the country.
Rain is expected across much of the southern England, south Wales and south-west Scotland, along with thunderstorms and squally winds, forecasters say.
The Environment Agency has issued more than 20 flood alerts for northern England, the Midlands, the south-east and Wales, and motoring organisations are urging drivers take extra care in wet weather.
The Met Office has also issued a number...