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Archive for January, 2014
Australia: Cities ‘must adapt’ to climate change
Posted by Radio New Zealand: None Given on January 10th, 2014
Radio New Zealand: An Australian urban planner says climate change is a daunting reality for the country and significant changes to how people live are necessary to prevent towns becoming deserted. Last year was Australia 's hottest year on record and temperatures are expected to rise further. Australia's Bureau of Meteorology said 12 locations in South Australia, Queensland and New South Wales recorded temperatures of 48°C or higher in December. Western Australia urban planner Charles Johnson says people need to...
When Big Carnivores Go Down, Even Vegetarians Take The Hit
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 10th, 2014
National Public Radio: Big, fierce animals - lions and tigers and bears, for example - are relatively scarce in nature. That's normal, because if you have too many, they'll eat themselves out of prey.
But top predators are now so rare that many are in danger of disappearing. That's creating ripple effects throughout the natural world that scientists are still trying to figure out.
What they're exploring is ecology - the interplay of animals and plants in nature. It's not rocket science. It's harder.
" We have...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on When Big Carnivores Go Down, Even Vegetarians Take The HitUK Floods Persist, Cameron Blames Climate Change
Posted by Environment News Service: None Given on January 10th, 2014
Environment News Service: The River Thames continues to rise in response to recent heavy rainfall, and communities in the south of England should be prepared for further flooding this week from groundwater and rivers, warns the UK Environment Agency.
Following a week of torrential rains, strong winds, storm surges and high tides that have left seven dead and hundreds of homes inundated, further flooding is expected along the River Thames.
The Environment Agency warns that water levels will continue to rise, even though...
United Kingdom: Disarray over flood prevention plans
Posted by BBC: Roger Harrabin on January 10th, 2014
BBC: There is disarray over government plans to prevent new developments making flooding worse, BBC News has learned.
The 2010 Flood Act states developments must be landscaped so water from roofs and drives seeps into open ground, and does not rush into the water system.
But details of the law have been delayed for more than three years.
House builders say it will put up the cost of new home and have been wrangling with government and councils over who pays to maintain new systems.
The BBC...
Switch to Natural Gas Slashes Power Plant Pollution
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 9th, 2014
Daily Climate: Natural gas plants emit a tiny fraction of the smog-causing gases and slightly more than half of the greenhouse gases emitted by their coal-burning counterparts, according to a soon-to-be published study.
The assessment builds upon earlier reports that substituting natural gas for coal has sharply reduced air pollutants from power generation in the United States.
"Since more and more of our electricity is coming from these cleaner power plants, emissions from the power sector are lower by 20,...
Natural Gas Boom Cuts Into Pennsylvania’s State Forests
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 9th, 2014
National Public Radio: On the side of a mountain road in Pennsylvania's Tiadaghton State Forest, I'm trying to avoid a steady stream of heavy truck traffic. Acres of freshly cut tree stumps stretch out in front of me.
Kevin Heatley lives in the area and has come to these woods for years to hike. He's an ecologist by trade and he's concerned about what he's seeing.
"Everything from the noise and the traffic to the lighting, to the pad placements, to the pipeline construction to the road expansion - this is all industrial...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Natural Gas Boom Cuts Into Pennsylvania’s State ForestsAustralia 2014 Heat Wave Picks Up Where 2013 Left Off
Posted by Climate Central: Brian Kahn on January 9th, 2014
Climate Central: The U.S. may just be climbing out of the freezer, but Australia has been sweating through a major heat wave to start the year. Heat records fell across a large part of the country in the first week of the New Year. The warm weather is currently centered over sparsely populated Western Australia, but it could hit major population centers along the east coast by late next week.
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology released a special statement to chronicle the extent of the heat wave and its movement....
United Kingdom: Who will David Cameron listen to on building in the countryside?
Posted by Telegraph: Isabel Hardman on January 9th, 2014
Telegraph: A Conservative MP complaining about the Government's planning reforms is hardly as rare as hen's teeth these days. Grumbles about what many MPs fear is a free-for-all that favours developers form a low-level backing track to Tory party life. But it was still remarkable when Nadhim Zahawi, the MP for Stratford-upon-Avon, decided to attack the National Planning Policy Framework this week. Mr Zahawi was simply repeating what many colleagues feel when he said the reforms were causing "physical harm'...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on United Kingdom: Who will David Cameron listen to on building in the countryside?Protesters are super-gluing themselves to fracking sites now
Posted by Grist: Holly Richmond on January 9th, 2014
Grist: In the past week, three women super-glued themselves to objects at fracking test site Barton Moss to protest the announcement. One of them even dressed up like Where’s Waldo (although, fun fact, they call him Wally over there):
Last Thursday, this 21-year-old glued herself to the gate at Barton Moss. She managed to delay fracking trucks’ departure for two hours, after which she was arrested and other protesters marched by the trucks as they left. Unfortunately she also, uh, ate some of the glue...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Protesters are super-gluing themselves to fracking sites nowTexas Supreme Court Favors Landowner Over TransCanada in Keystone XL Eminent Domain Case
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on January 9th, 2014
EcoWatch: The Texas Supreme Court ruled in favor of landowner Julia Trigg Crawford, ordering TransCanada to submit information by Feb. 6 as the justices weigh arguments to hear the case regarding eminent domain abuse.
Texas’s highest court delivered a clear victory for pipeline opponents and landowners fighting TransCanada’s overreach on property rights. At the heart of Crawford’s case is the ability of TransCanada, a foreign corporation, to use eminent domain under the state’s “common carrier” clause since...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Texas Supreme Court Favors Landowner Over TransCanada in Keystone XL Eminent Domain Case