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Archive for May 26th, 2014
Sea-level rise is already eating our coasts
Posted by Grist: None Given on May 26th, 2014
Grist: “We are a coastal country,” says Susanne C. Moser, a convening lead author for the National Climate Assessment’s Coasts chapter. The U.S. has 94,000 miles of coastline and more than $1 trillion in coastal infrastructure. Coastal lifelines, such as water and energy infrastructure, and nationally important assets, such as ports, tourism, and fishing sites, all are increasingly vulnerable to sea-level rise, storm surge, erosion, flooding, and related hazards.
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United Kingdom: Govt launches consultation allow freedom frack private land
Posted by Blue and Green: Ilaria Bertini on May 26th, 2014
Blue and Green: The government has launched an official consultation to change and simplify the rules on access to land for energy companies, which would allow drilling below 300m from the surface and would offer compensation to communities.
Under the new rules, companies will have to pay £20,000 per well to those living above the land and will have to clearly notify local people. In exchange, they would have the right of access for oil, shale gas and deep geothermal operations below 300m.
Energy minister...
Mexicans are dealing with the same drought as their northern neighbors, but with less water
Posted by PRI: None Given on May 26th, 2014
PRI: Ruth Valenzuela lifts a plastic sheet off the top of a small water barrel on her tiny back patio. She fills it up -- along with the washing machine when possible -- on the rare days that her taps flow.
She says the family has running water maybe two days a week. And when there is water, it’s usually just a trickle, not even enough for a shower.
Valenzuela lives in the port city of Ensenada in the Mexican state of Baja California. It’s a fast-growing place that’s popular with tourists and American...
Dry Conditions Fuel An Alaska Wildfire That’s Bigger Than Chicago
Posted by ThinkProgress: None Given on May 26th, 2014
ThinkProgress: Alaska is battling a huge wildfire this Memorial Day. In the last 24 hours the fire has spread to become bigger than Chicago, prompting officials to issue an order for about 900 people as it threatens Alaska`s Kenai Peninsula, a region south of Anchorage. With just 30 percent of the fire`s 243 square miles contained, 1,000 structures have been evacuated.
Large wildfires are familiar to the region, where 1 million acres burn annually, and yet it is unusually early in wildfire season to see a fire...
Dredging at Bahamas resort halted by court
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 26th, 2014
Independent: A court has ordered a resort company to stop dredging off the Bahamian islands of Bimini, granting at least a temporary victory to critics who say the project is damaging the delicate underwater environment prized for its marine diversity.
Known for its warm, clear water, Bimini is a world-famous destination for diving and research on its many shark species, including the great hammerhead, which can grow up to 6m in length.
The London-based Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, the ultimate...
How climate change is altering environments as small as your backyard garden
Posted by Living on Earth: Adam Wernick on May 26th, 2014
Living on Earth: Barilla is an associate professor of creative writing at the University of South Carolina and the author of My Backyard Jungle: The Adventures of an Urban Wildlife Lover Who Turned His Yard into Habitat and Learned to Live with It.
Until recently, Barilla says, climate change seemed “theoretical and futuristic, and really kind of disconnected from what I was doing ... in my own yard. But recently I've started to see tangible changes that make me question whether this is kind of the new normal.”...
New Environmentalists Taking Bold Actions, and Its Working
Posted by Truthdig: Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers on May 26th, 2014
Truthdig: No longer dominated by the traditional “Big Green” groups that were taking big donations from corporate polluters, the new environmental movement is broader, more assertive and more creative. With extreme energy extraction and climate change bearing down on the world, environmental justice advocates are taking bold actions to stop extreme energy extraction and create new solutions to save the planet. These ‘fresh greens’ often work locally, but also connect through national and international actions....
How will climate change affect livelihoods in South Asia?
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 26th, 2014
Times of India: How does a warming environment affect rainfall, cropping patterns, livelihoods? What could be the alternatives that people whose livelihoods are hit by the effects of climate change do to cope? An initiative by Britain and Canada seeks to study and tackle the effects of climate change in South Asia, in tandem with TERI and Jadavpur University in India and similar institutes in neighbouring Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the UK's Department...
Russia’s gas deal with China underlines risks Europe’s energy security
Posted by Guardian: Sarah Lain on May 26th, 2014
Guardian: The gas deal announced last week saw agreement between Russia and China after 10 years of negotiation. The implications of Russia's turn eastward to seek a new energy partner should raise concerns in Europe over its own gas supply and wider energy security.
Gazprom's share of Europe's gas market reached approximately 30% in 2013. As the Ukraine crisis has soured relations between Russia and Europe, both sides are looking to diversify.
Europe's need to diversify away from Russian gas is hardly...
Greenlands ice sheet melting faster than previously believed
Posted by Copenhagen Post: None Given on May 26th, 2014
Copenhagen Post: The ice sheet in northern Greenland is melting and moving into the ocean thereby adding billions of tonnes of melting water to the world’s already rising ocean levels. Researchers from Denmark’s Technical University (DTU), the University of Copenhagen and Aarhus University have documented that the outlet glacier in northeast Greenland, stretching from the inland ice sheet to the sea, has been moving towards the sea since 2006. “It’s very surprising that the northeast outlet glacier is moving. We...