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Archive for March 21st, 2014
Climate change threatens human’s and wildlife’s access to water, says new report
Posted by Tico Times: Zach Dyer on March 21st, 2014
Tico Times: Sea turtles in Costa Rica face threats from poachers when they come ashore to lay their eggs, but another threat comes from the water itself. Rising sea levels in the Caribbean are washing away valuable beaches where many of these endangered animals lay their eggs, noted a new report on climate change vulnerability in Costa Rica on Friday. Sea turtles aren’t the only ones facing future threats from climate change. A new report estimates that a lack of rainfall and rising sea levels from climate...
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World Water Day: Rising water insecurities can propel conflicts in future, warn experts
Posted by Express Tribune: None Given on March 21st, 2014
Express Tribune: Experts have warned that rising water insecurities can propel conflicts in the future if not conserved properly and utilised frugally.
They also urged the need for proper conservation and management of water resources in the country.
They were speaking at a seminar titled “Water for Future: Perspectives from Pakistan” to mark the the World Water Day here on Friday, said a press release.
The event was organised the Oxfam, the Strengthening Participatory Organisation (SPO), the Sustainable...
North Carolina to withdraw Duke Energy settlement over coal ash spill
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 21st, 2014
Associated Press: North Carolina regulators say they have asked a judge to withdraw a proposed settlement that would have allowed Duke Energy to resolve environmental violations by paying a $99,000 fine with no requirement that the $50bn company clean up its pollution.
The state Department of Environment and Natural Resources said in a statement on Friday that it would scuttle the proposed consent order to settle violations for groundwater contamination leeching from coal ash dumps near Charlotte and Asheville....
The Upside To Thawing Permafrost Is…Nothing, It’s Bad
Posted by Science 2.0: None Given on March 21st, 2014
Science 2.0: Every dark cloud has a silver lining and the silver lining for a thawing permafrost is...still a dark cloud.
The climate is warming in the Arctic at twice the rate of the rest of the globe. That has led to a longer growing season and increased plant growth, which captures atmospheric carbon - that is good - but it is thawing the permafrost, which releases carbon into the atmosphere. Permafrost contains three to seven times the amount of carbon sequestered in tropical forests. A thawing permafrost...
Rich nations to start fund to help cut methane emissions abroad
Posted by Reuters: Ben Garside on March 21st, 2014
Reuters: Nations including the United States and Sweden are advancing plans to launch a new fund this year to pay for methane emission reduction projects in the developing world.
The countries are aiming to set up a so-called Methane Abatement Facility with pledges of $100 million under the auspices of the World Bank to buy and cancel carbon credits, initially from projects that cut emissions at landfill waste sites.
The aim is to deliver fast-acting cuts to greenhouse gas output blamed for climate...
Invisible cities and flammable rivers: China’s pollution problem
Posted by Blue and Green: Ilaria Bertini on March 21st, 2014
Blue and Green: Disregard for pollution law from China, the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter, is having destructive effects on the country’s rivers and land – not to mention its citizens and its long-term prosperity.
China relies heavily on coal-fired power plants to provide energy to its cities and businesses. This, combined with heavy traffic, has led to alarming levels of air pollution in major Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shijiazhuang, Xingtai, Harbin and Shanghai.
The concentration of smog...
Global Energy Thirst Threatens to Worsen Water Scarcity, UN Says
Posted by Bloomberg: Tara Patel on March 21st, 2014
Bloomberg: Energy production will increasingly strain water resources in the coming decades even as more than 1 billion of the planet’s 7 billion people already lack access to both, according to a United Nations report.
“There is an increasing potential for serious conflict between power generation, other water users and environmental considerations,” said the UN World Water Development Report published today that focused on water and energy. Ninety percent of power generation is “water-intensive,” it said....
Russia: Seal teeth offer glimpse into the environmental past of Russia’s Lake Baikal
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 21st, 2014
ScienceDaily: The nerpa, also known as the Baikal seal, is the only seal that lives exclusively in fresh water. This earless seal can be found in just one place, Russia's Lake Baikal, where it is at the top of the food web. And now, Wellesley scientists have found that the teeth of this particular seal may hold the strongest evidence of the effects of decades of environmental pollution, nuclear testing, and climate change on Lake Baikal -- the deepest, oldest, and most bio-diverse lake in the world.
"The Baikal...
Concerns over Lanka’s water safety
Posted by Colombo Gazette: None Given on March 21st, 2014
Colombo Gazette: While being impressed with the national figures of the number of people who have access to water, UNICEF today raised concerns about vulnerable groups of children and their families who do not have access to water, as well as water safety in general.
Almost four years after the world met the global target set in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for safe drinking water, and after the UN General Assembly declared that water was a human right, the key issue now, according to UNICEF is how...
Lord of the bees
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 21st, 2014
PhysOrg: James Hung has collected more than 17,000 wild bees from coastal, desert and mountain areas of San Diego County. But many of his specimens bear little resemblance to the honey bees we normally think of as bees. To the casual observer, his bee collection looks more like a menagerie of Insects Gone Wild-gnat-sized bugs with long snouts, gigantic black bees and curious iridescent creatures with termite-like wings.
"When I first started studying native bees, I really didn't know that there was this...