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Archive for July 30th, 2014
Canada’s boreal forests are burning releasing loads of carbon
Posted by High Country News: Krista Langlois on July 30th, 2014
High Country News: Rumbling afternoon thundershowers are breaking over the Southwest, bringing gratitude and sweet relief – not that the region needed much relieving this year. Bouts of cool, wet weather throughout early summer helped stave off the conflagrations predicted to erupt after a dry winter, and by mid-July, most areas had already been deluged by a full month’s worth of rainfall. In other words, summer monsoon season has extinguished any lingering fears that 2014 would be a bad fire year.
“In a word, fire...
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Not even Jesus is going to save California from this drought
Posted by Grist: None Given on July 30th, 2014
Grist: California is looking pretty thirsty these days, having gotten less than half the historical average rainfall over the past year. But a few months ago the state began think that a great wet hope might step in to save them: El Niño, the weather system named after Jesus himself. Now the forecasts have changed, however, and it looks like Californians are SOL.
Back in April, scientists said there was a close-to-80 percent chance that an El Niño would form this year. Some believed that all of the pieces...
Colorado residents go ‘untold’ as oil spills occur twice a day
Posted by Blue and Green: Richard Heasman on July 30th, 2014
Blue and Green: An analysis conducted by the Denver Post in the US state of Colorado has concluded that oil spills have dramatically increased since last year, often happening twice a day, and without residents being notified, regardless of state law.
With 52,000 active oil drills in the US mid-western state, increases in drilling activity has led to improvements in restrictions and observation of drilling companies. However, legislation does not directly enforce the notifying of residents of communities nearby...
Minorities aren’t well represented in environmental groups, study says
Posted by PhysOrg: Marianne Levine on July 30th, 2014
PhysOrg: Minorities and people of color have not managed to break the "green ceiling" inside environmental organizations, and remain underrepresented on their staffs, according to a report released Monday. The report found that while people of color make up about 38 percent of the U.S. population, they represent 12 percent to 15.5 percent of the staffs of environmentally focused foundations, nonprofits and government agencies. None of the largest environmental organizations has a person of color as president,...