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Archive for August 1st, 2014
Wildfires And ‘Biomass Burning’ Bigger Climate Change Threats Than Previously Thought
Posted by Business Times: None Given on August 1st, 2014
Business Times: Nearly one-fifth of the carbon dioxide emissions caused by humans can be traced back to wildfires, slash-and-burn agriculture and the burning of wood waste to produce power, a Stanford University report found. While “biomass burning” has long been considered a culprit of climate change, the new research is the first to comprehensively quantify that threat -- and the number suggests the risks may be higher than previously thought.
About 18 percent of all human-made carbon dioxide emissions -- or...
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How Conservation & Groundwater Management Can Gird California for Drier Era
Posted by New York Times: Andrew C. Revkin on August 1st, 2014
New York Times: It’s way past time for California to come to grips with the possibility that its extraordinary water woes are the new normal — and essentially the return of the old normal given the state’s climate history, in which drought has been the rule and the verdant 20th century the exception. In the weekly update to the U.S. Drought Monitor site yesterday, nearly 80 percent of the state was in extreme or exceptional drought conditions. It could well be that atmospheric circulation will shift and the drought,...
California Experiencing Most Severe Drought Ever Recorded
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on August 1st, 2014
EcoWatch: One of the worst North American droughts in history could be getting a whole lot worse. According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor Map released on Tuesday, more than 58 percent of California is in an “exceptional drought” stage. That’s up a staggering 22 percent from last week’s report. And, in its latest drought report released earlier today, the National Drought Mitigation Center warned that “bone-dry” conditions are overtaking much of the Golden State, and noted that, overall, California is...
Fracking Makes California’s Drought Worse
Posted by EcoWatch: Mike G, DeSmogBlog on August 1st, 2014
EcoWatch: California is in the middle of an epic water shortage, with nearly 80 percent of the state experiencing “extreme or exceptional” drought conditions. Check out this animated map to get a sense of how extensively the drought has impacted the Golden State. Things have gotten so bad that California enlisted Lady Gaga to record a public service announcement. Given the situation, anti-fracking activists say it’s time for Governor Jerry Brown to put a stop to water-intensive fracking, claiming that...
EPA coal hearing draws large crowd
Posted by Observer-Reporter: Michael Bradwell on August 1st, 2014
Observer-Reporter: The Environmental Protection Agency opened two days of public hearings in Pittsburgh Thursday on its controversial proposed regulations for coal-fired power plants.
By midday, the agency heard from scores of people supporting or opposing its proposal to cut carbon pollution from coal-burning plants by 30 percent by 2030.
A huge crowd of supporters and opponents was on hand at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, including a large contingent of United Mine Workers of America members.
Testimony,...
Win over EPA won’t save Southern W.Va. coal, experts say
Posted by Charleston Gazette: Ken Ward Jr. on August 1st, 2014
Charleston Gazette: This week, West Virginia leaders were painting a picture of the rosy future that could await the coal industry, were it not for the Obama administration. Sprinkled among comments criticizing proposed reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, the state’s elected officials made it sound like the good times could be just around the corner for the coalfields — if only the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency would get out of the way.
Speaking to a coal industry rally in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, Gov....
Rescuers in Indian landslide say hopes for survivors ‘bleak’
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 1st, 2014
Reuters: Hopes of finding survivors in India from a landslide that swallowed up more than 100 people faded on Friday as rescuers dug through mud and debris following heavy rains, with the death toll rising to 52.
Finding people alive would be extremely unlikely, said Gautam Sarkar, a senior official involved in the rescue, as hundreds of rescuers toiled to sift debris after Wednesday's landslide submerged 46 homes and almost wiped out a village.
"The houses have been buried under layers of wet mud,...
EU threatens Poland with environmental court action over fracking defiance
Posted by Blue and Green: Richard Heasman on August 1st, 2014
Blue and Green: Poland has recently amended its fracking laws to allow shale gas excavation of up to 5,000 feet, without assessing the environmental implications, thus breaking EU law and triggering legal proceedings.
Under the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive, fracking sites in natural preservation areas are limited to 1,000 metres.
Poland has argued, however, that this ruling greatly restricts shale gas exploration in the country, “as shale gas reserves in Poland are located mostly at a depth...
Wildfires and other burns play bigger role in climate change
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 1st, 2014
ScienceDaily: The map above shows the predicted global warming impact of all anthropogenic emissions, including biomass burning, on global near-surface air temperature since 1850. The map below shows the observed change in global near-surface air temperature since 1900. The average modeled increase in temperature since 1850 is 1.0 K. The average observed increase since 1900 is 0.92 K. Most increases in temperature occur over the Arctic, which is melting quickly. Credit: Courtesy of Mark Jacobson [Click to enlarge...