RSS Feed
Archive for July 26th, 2014
Half of Britain to be opened up to fracking
Posted by Telegraph: Emily Gosden on July 26th, 2014
Telegraph: Ministers are this week expected to offer up vast swathes of Britain for fracking in an attempt to lure energy companies to explore shale oil and gas reserves.
The Department for Energy and Climate Change is expected to launch the so-called "14th onshore licensing round', which will invite companies to bid for the rights to explore in as-yet untouched parts of the country.
The move is expected to be hugely controversial because it could potentially result in fracking taking place across more...
Posted in 
Fracking in Nova Scotia should be put on hold to allow for more study: expert
Posted by Canadian Press: Michael MacDonald on July 26th, 2014
Canadian Press: Hydraulic fracturing should not proceed in Nova Scotia until a broader public discussion is held and more research is completed, says the head of an expert panel reviewing the industry's potential in the province.
David Wheeler, president of Cape Breton University, said Friday the province needs more time to get up to speed with the rapidly expanding unconventional oil and gas industry.
"We need more research in a couple of particular areas before anyone could take a view on whether this is...
Hundreds of juvenile salmon die due to low flows, warm weather
Posted by Times_Standard: Will Houston on July 26th, 2014
Times_Standard: After a recent population assessment of chinook salmon and steelhead found 54 adult and hundreds of juvenile fish dead in the Salmon River, researchers and tribes are concerned what the future will hold for the anadromous fish should the effects of drought persist.
"We're all on alert," California Department of Fish and Wildlife environmental scientist Sara Borok said. "We don't to want lose this year's spring run. There's not a whole lot we can do other than have more rain dances."
The 54...
Texas border fracking standoff: NY court ruling may affect outcome
Posted by Fronteras: None Given on July 26th, 2014
Fronteras: The Big Bend of Texas, so named for the way the region hugs a massive bend in the Rio Grande, is renown for its desert landscapes, open spaces and tranquility. But parts of it lie within the oil-rich Permian Basin, the nation’s highest producing oil field thanks to fracking technology.
Now, Mexico is drilling at least 29 exploratory wells across the border from the Big Bend and saying it wants to jumpstart fracking operations there.
Of course, fracking requires water. And in the Big Bend, some...
California’s water crisis
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 26th, 2014
Living on Earth: To cope with California's drought, farmers are carefully selecting which crops they plant and overpumping from deep underground aquifers. But as the President of the Pacific Institute, Peter Gleick, tells host Steve Curwood, a viable long-term solution to the growing water crisis requires rethinking priorities and conserving much more water. Transcript CURWOOD: So come December, there may be relief for California's record-breaking drought, but for now, it's about as bad as anyone can remember....
Australia bets on coal as climate policy crumbles
Posted by Sydney Morning Herald: Peter Hannam on July 26th, 2014
Sydney Morning Herald: Victoria, Australia. Drought, fierce winds and 47 degree C temperatures led to the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires, which killed over 170 people and millions of animals and plants. The intensity and frequency of bushfire conditions is rising in south-eastern Australia. Michael Hall, Victoria, Australia, 2009. Photo: Michael Hall/The Climate Institute
When the Senate voted on July 17 to axe the carbon tax, Australia became the first country to reverse course on pricing greenhouse gas emissions. ...
Extreme weather: Canadians better get used to it
Posted by Globe and Mail: Jeffrey Simpson on July 26th, 2014
Globe and Mail: Floods (again) in southern Manitoba. Ferocious forest fires (again) in the Northwest Territories. Memories still fresh from last year’s terrible floods in Calgary. Summer in Canada. Canada’s climate is changing, and with that change goes more extreme weather conditions. We are not immune from global warming caused by man-made greenhouse gas emissions; we just have to adapt differently from other places. Weather is, of course, day-to-day, month-to-month stuff. Climate change is certainly not responsible...
If All The Ice Melts, What Happens To Hockey?
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 26th, 2014
National Public Radio: A report from the National Hockey League says climate change could threaten the sport's future. NPR's Scott Simon talks to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman about the league's sustainability plan.