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Archive for November 1st, 2013
Smoke from religious sites ‘melting Himalayan glaciers’
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 1st, 2013
Times of India: Holy smoke arising from Hindu funeral pyres, Muslim cemeteries and Buddhist temples are responsible for almost a quarter of the greenhouse gases blamed for global warming on the Indian subcontinent and the melting of the Himalayan glaciers, a new study has claimed.
Researchers have long suspected that the rituals of religious devotion in India, Nepal and South Asia, may be a factor in the level of brown carbon and soot which pollutes the air in the region, but until now little work has been done...
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India: Mercury on the rise in city, says study
Posted by Hindu: None Given on November 1st, 2013
Hindu: Mean rainfall has shown a declining trend between 1951 and 2010 in Kochi.
A scientific assessment has revealed that Kochi is vulnerable to extreme weather conditions linked to climate change.
The assessment was made as part of a study carried out by Sushil Kumar Dash of the Centre for Atmospheric Sciences of the Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi.
The findings were revealed during the AsianCitiesAdapt: Learning Exchange programme, a climate change conference that concluded in the...
How Gold Is Destroying Peru’s Rainforests
Posted by Business Insider: Kelly Dickerson on November 1st, 2013
Business Insider: This is the plane that the researchers used to survey the land and map where the mines are.
Years of illegal gold mining in Peru have taken a serious toll on the Amazon rainforest.
No one knew the full extent of the damage until a research team from the Carnegie Institution of Science and Peru's Ministry of the Environment used satellite imagery to map the damage.
Their findings are published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Greg Asner and his team of researchers found...
Canada panel says revised Taseko mine plan may harm environment
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 1st, 2013
Reuters: A revised mine plan for Taseko Mines' New Prosperity copper-gold project in British Columbia still poses significant threats to the environment and nearby communities, a Canadian federal review panel said late on Thursday.
Water quality in a trout-bearing lake beside the proposed mine, fish in the lake, land and resources used for traditional purposes by certain Aboriginal groups, and their cultural heritage would be most at risk from the project, the panel said.
The grizzly bear population...
Big Boost for Oil Sands as Key Players Forge Ahead
Posted by Globe and Mail: Jeffrey Jones and Carrie Tait on November 1st, 2013
Globe and Mail: So much for the slowdown in the oil sands.
Some of the world's largest energy companies have unleashed a torrent of oil sands spending, despite industry concerns about access to export markets, soaring costs and volatile Canadian heavy crude prices.
Suncor Energy Inc., France's Total SA and Teck Resources Ltd. gave the go-ahead to the long-delayed Fort Hills mining project, with a price tag of some $13.5-billion. Enbridge Inc. said it will spend $3-billion on pipelines for the project, where...
As EPA Lingers on Coal Ash, Michigan Group Raises Alarm
Posted by Midwest Energy News: Ken Paulman on November 1st, 2013
Midwest Energy News: Michigan clean water advocates say coal ash storage sites, like the ones at the Trenton Channel power plant near Detroit, aren`t being monitored closely enough. (Photo by rexp2 via Creative Commons)
With the U.S. EPA now more than four years into the process of developing regulations for coal ash, a Michigan environmental group says an ongoing lack of oversight raises serious safety questions.
In a report released today, Clean Water Action highlights 29 coal ash disposal sites in Michigan....
Federal Hydraulic Fracturing Rules on Uncertain Timetable
Posted by Houston Chronicle: None Given on November 1st, 2013
Houston Chronicle: The federal government is still wading through more than a million public comments filed on its plan to tighten standards for drilling on public lands, with “no date certain” for finalizing those mandates, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said Thursday. Although it would apply only on public land under the Interior Department’s control, the proposal would be the first major federal rule governing the hydraulic fracturing technology now being used to harvest natural gas and oil across the United States....
Montana, Feds to Seek Damages from Exxon Mobil Spill
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 1st, 2013
Associated Press: After two years of review, Montana and federal officials notified Exxon Mobil Corp. on Thursday that they intend to seek damages for injuries to birds, fish and other natural resources from a major crude oil spill into the Yellowstone River.
The Texas company’s 12-inch Silvertip pipeline broke near Laurel during flooding in July 2011, releasing 63,000 gallons of oil that washed up along an 85-mile stretch of the scenic river.
The move puts Exxon Mobil on notice that Montana and the Department...
North Dakota Democrats Want Required Spill Reporting
Posted by Associated Press: James MacPHERSON on November 1st, 2013
Associated Press: North Dakota Democratic lawmakers said Wednesday that they will seek bipartisan legislation to require regulators to publicly report all oil spills and other hazardous leaks.
"We believe that openness and transparency build public trust rather than causing alarm," Senate Minority Leader Mac Schneider said.
The move comes after officials took nearly two weeks to tell the public about a Tesoro Corp. pipeline rupture discovered last month that sent more than 20,000 barrels of crude spewing across...
Obama’s Keystone XL Policy ‘Totally Foolish,’ Says Cheney
Posted by Toronto Star: None Given on November 1st, 2013
Toronto Star: Former U.S. vice president Dick Cheney was firing on all cylinders as he spoke in Toronto on Thursday, throwing his support behind the Keystone XL pipeline, Tea Party Republicans and stepping up the fight against Al Qaeda. But he also joked not to worry — the 72-year-old, who has had six heart attacks, said he won’t be “running against anybody” in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. “It’s very much in our interest to build the Keystone pipeline,” Cheney said of the controversial plan to ship oil...