Archive for June 2nd, 2014

California Governor Applauds Global Warming Fight

Associated Press: Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday welcomed President Barack Obama`s global warming initiative, saying it shows the administration is willing to confront climate change. The Democratic governor touted the state`s aggressive energy-saving programs, saying they already generate billions of dollars in savings and more than a million jobs as a result of clean-energy efforts. "While others delay and deny, the Obama administration is confronting climate change head-on with these new standards," Brown said...

3.4-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Colorado Less Than 2 Miles From Fracking Site

EcoWatch: A 3.4-magnitude earthquake struck northern Colorado Saturday night, and environmentalists weren’t surprised to learn that the epicenter was near a fracking site. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake struck about 9:35 p.m. It was felt in five towns, NBC 9 reported, with Greeley being the nearest. There were no reports of damage, but anti-fracking activists say there is not a lot of math to add up in this incident. The USGS site refers to eastern Colorado as nearly “aseismic”...

Permanent Protest Setup at Proposed Tar Sands Strip Mine in Utah

EcoWatch: Construction of what could become the first tar sands strip mine in the U.S. is expected to begin this summer in Book Cliffs, UT, with bitumen production and sales expected to commence next year. Local community members have vowed to stop the Canadian-based U.S. Oil Sands controversial project, and on Friday established a permanent protest vigil inside the boundaries of the planned tar sands mine. “These beautiful lands that U.S. Oil Sands plans to destroy have been enjoyed by Utahns for decades...

Government Proposes Plan to Clean Up Great Lakes

Nature World: The Obama Administration is not only pledging to clean up our atmosphere, but the Great Lakes as well. On Friday, federal officials released their five-year plan for environmental protection of the Great Lakes that would put greater emphasis on climate change and using science to choose cleanup projects. According to The Associated Press (AP), Congress has spent about $1.6 billion since 2009 for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. The initiative was meant to target what experts consider the...

Report: Two Years Were Australia’s Hottest on Record

Softpedia: Report says the past 24 months were Australia's hottest on record Towards the beginning of May, the United States Global Change Research Program released a report saying that climate change was already happening and affecting people living in this country. This past June 1, a very similar report hit the public eye, except that this time the focus was on how said phenomenon was reshaping weather patterns and influencing average temperatures in Australia. The report in question is the brainchild...

Paul McCartney Wants the UK to Implement a Moratorium on Fracking

Softpedia: Sir Paul McCartney joins the fight against shale gas exploration in the UK Sir Paul McCartney is no big fan of fracking, and he is anything but shy when it comes to letting other people know how he feels about this method of exploiting natural gas reserves. In fact, Paul McCartney hates fracking so much that he has agreed to spearhead a new green-oriented campaign intended to convince high officials in the United Kingdom to reconsider their plans concerning shale gas exploration. More precisely,...

Global warming may quintuple summer downpours in UK

New Scientist: By 2100 southern England will be drenched by five times as many sudden summer deluges as it is today, probably causing more flash floods, according to an advanced climate model. Other parts of the world are likely to experience similar increases in downpours, and global warming will be to blame. Sudden heavy downpours cause many floods, such as the flooding of Boscastle in Cornwall in 2004 (see picture, above right). The new finding comes just months after some of the worst recorded floods in the...