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Archive for February 7th, 2014
United Kingdom: David Cameron promises to help flood victims on visit to Somerset
Posted by Guardian: Patrick Wintour on February 7th, 2014
Guardian: The prime minister, under growing pressure for not visiting the flood-hit Somerset levels, finally made a trip to the area on Friday where he vowed to do everything he could to help.
On his visit in the company of the local Bridgwater Conservative MP, Ian Liddell-Grainger, David Cameron said: "Clearly people here faced a very tough time and continue to face a tough time, and that is why we have got to do everything we can to help.
"So more pumps – we brought in more pumps; more help from the...
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Submarine melting gives rise to sea levels by chewing away the Greenland Ice Sheet
Posted by Environmental News Network: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution on February 7th, 2014
Environmental News Network: Over the past two decades, ice loss from the Greenland Ice Sheet increased four-fold contributing to one-quarter of global sea level rise. However, the chain of events and physical processes that contributed to it has remained elusive. One likely trigger for the speed up and retreat of glaciers that contributed to this ice loss is ocean warming.
Climate change becomes a rapid, unplanned survival experiment for animal species
Posted by ClimateWire: Elizabeth Harball on February 7th, 2014
ClimateWire: In the 1993 blockbuster movie "Jurassic Park," a sleazy scientist played by Jeff Goldblum quips that "life finds a way." For real biologists, climate change is like a massive, unplanned experiment, one that may be too fast and strange for some species to survive it.
Some animals are already in the middle of it. As Arctic ice shelves melt, polar bears are ransacking seabird nests to sustain themselves. Migrating geese are exploring valuable but previously unseen real estate, due to melting permafrost....
Canadian Tar Sands Poised to Flood European Market As U.S. Considers Lifting Oil Export Ban
Posted by EcoWatch: Phil Ortiz on February 7th, 2014
EcoWatch: Recent developments in Europe and the U.S. are setting the groundwork for a surge in Canadian tar sands production.
In both regions, government leaders are considering proposals that would loosen import and export regulations for the fuel, which has been estimated to produce 23 percent more greenhouse gases than conventional oil.
The European Commission is currently grappling with the future of the Fuel Quality Directive (FQD), a 2009 order that requires a six percent reduction in the greenhouse...
Wild Places Destroyed in the Name of Progress
Posted by EcoWatch: Craig Limpach on February 7th, 2014
EcoWatch: There`s a wild place at the end of my street inside the city limits. Sixty acres of very big pin oaks, wild cherry, basswood, some old agricultural fields reverting back to wetlands and forest and an ancient fencerow of swamp white oaks that may be remnants of the original wilderness.
There are a few small ponds, too, that formed after sandstone quarrying a very long time ago. It`s a great place to watch red foxes, hear frogs, wild turkey and wood thrushes singing in the spring, and escape the...
Ancient farmers caused first global warming
Posted by Indo Asian News Service: None Given on February 7th, 2014
Indo Asian News Service: Ancient farmers were responsible for increasing the Earth's temperature by about 0.9 degree Celsius over a period of 8,000 years - almost as much as global warming has caused in the past 150 years. The finding, by a new study, suggests that early agriculture was as powerful as the whole industrial revolution, says Feng He, lead author and a climate scientist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. The study, however, says that the "net warming" caused by early humans was only 0.73 degrees Celsius,...
Solar Water Pumps Wean Farmers From India’s Archaic Grid
Posted by Bloomberg: Natalie Obiko Pearson and Ganesh Nagarajan on February 7th, 2014
Bloomberg: India has a novel idea: Wean farmers from archaic power lines and expensive diesel fuel to run their water pumps with solar energy. The government is looking to swap 26 million groundwater pumps for more efficient irrigation models powered by the sun. If successful, crop production could rise in India, where farms suffer from blackouts and volatile fuel costs. It would also save about $6 billion a year in power and diesel subsidies. Companies targeting the market include BlackRock Inc (BLK).- backed...