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Archive for August 21st, 2014
New Bill Would Ban Fracking Waste in New York City
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on August 21st, 2014
EcoWatch: New York City council members Stephen Levin and Corey Johnson introduced legislation today--Introduction 853--that would ban the discharge, disposal, sale or use of any wastewater or natural gas waste produced by fracking.
“Hydrofracking waste is highly toxic and doesn’t belong in any of the five boroughs,” said Council Member Stephen Levin. “With this legislation we can keep this toxic waste out of New York City and send a clear message that we are opposed to fracking in our state."
“Extracting...
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Bill would keep other states’ radioactive fracking waste out of Michigan
Posted by Detroit Free Press: None Given on August 21st, 2014
Detroit Free Press: A state senator says he wants to prevent Michigan from further becoming other states’ dumping ground for low-level radioactive waste from the oil and gas drilling process known as fracking.
Sen. Rick Jones, R-Grand Ledge, said Thursday that he plans to introduce legislation to stop companies in other states, such as Pennsylvania, from dumping low-level radioactive waste materials in Michigan landfills.
The Free Press reported Tuesday that a hazardous-waste landfill in Van Buren Township, Wayne...
Climate change: meteorologists preparing for worst
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 21st, 2014
Agence France-Presse: Intense aerial turbulence, ice storms and scorching heatwaves, huge ocean waves-the world's climate experts forecast apocalyptic weather over the coming decades at a conference in Montreal that ended Thursday. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) brought together 1,000 specialists to discuss the uncertain future of weather forecasting. A decade after the entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol, the world's focus has shifted from reducing greenhouse gas emissions linked to warming, to dealing...
Antarctica & Greenland Losing Ice at Fastest Rate Ever Recorded
Posted by Environment 360: None Given on August 21st, 2014
Environment 360: Ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica are losing mass at an unprecedented rate of 500 cubic kilometers per year — enough ice to cover the Chicago metropolitan area with a layer of ice 600 meters thick — according to German researchers. Using data from the European Space Agency's CryoSat 2 satellite from 2011 to 2014, the team created the most detailed maps to date of ice elevations across Antarctica and Greenland, accurate to a few meters in height. The results reveal that Greenland alone is losing...
Colorado Town Sues State, Gov. Hickenlooper and COGA to Protect Right to Ban Fracking
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on August 21st, 2014
EcoWatch: In a state wracked with clashes over its explosive expansion of fracking, residents of Lafayette, Colorado just outside Boulder, have filed a motion for a preliminary injunction to prevent the state of Colorado, Gov. John Hickenlooper and the Colorado Oil and Gas Association (COGA) from taking away the town’s right to ban the practice. Citizens in Lafayette, which is a Home Rule Community under Colorado law, voted last November to pass a Community Bill of Rights under its Home Rule Charter that...
Bottling Water from Drought Stricken Areas
Posted by Environmental News Network: Leon Kaye on August 21st, 2014
Environmental News Network: The bottled water industry has grown exponentially the past few decades despite the fact tap water in the United States is generally safe. Never mind the fact bottled water producers have had more than their fair share of safety issues: bottled water has become accepted by consumers. While companies such as Nestlé insist they are taking responsibility for water stewardship and recycling, they also bottle their water at dubious sources, including those in drought stricken regions. In fact, much of...
‘Growth drives UK flooding problems’
Posted by BBC: Roger Harrabin on August 21st, 2014
BBC: Part of the UK's problem with flooding is self-imposed, new research suggests.
The study says the number of reported major flood events has increased, but in parallel with population growth and a boom in building in vulnerable areas.
It says it is unclear if climate change is implicated in recent flooding.
But the Southampton University team urges government to continue spending on flood defences as more homes are likely to be vulnerable due to sea level rise and more intense rainfall. ...
Microbes thrive below Antarctic ice
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 21st, 2014
Christian Science Monitor: Researchers have uncovered a thriving community of microbes in a lake some 2,600 feet below the surface of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, the first direct evidence of life in such lakes and the first window on the ecosystem the microbes occupy.
Genetic evidence extracted from samples of lake water indicates that the lake teems with a wide variety of microbes that make up a complete food chain, with those at the bottom drawing their energy from chemicals in rocks and sediment in the lake bed.
In...
Climate change could have negative effect on the Great Lakes
Posted by HNGN: Rebekah Marcarelli on August 21st, 2014
HNGN: New research suggests climate change may have a strong effect on the Great Lakes.
The consequences could impact the drinking water potential and recreational value of the lakes, as well as make them more vulnerable to invasive species and infectious pathogens, Grand Valley State University reported.
"Climate change has occurred in the past, but this time, the frequency of change is too fast, not allowing animals enough time to adapt," said Kevin Strychar, an associate professor at Grand Valley's...
Behind the mysterious holes in Siberia
Posted by PBS: None Given on August 21st, 2014
PBS: JUDY WOODRUFF: Finally tonight, new indications that the planet is warming, especially in the frozen north. Scientists have been tracking Arctic thawing for decades, and they have seen a dramatic increase since 2000.
When holes opened up in the earth recently in Siberia, a wave of speculation was set off as to their cause. Scientists now think warming is the culprit.
To help us understand all this, we welcome back Tom Wagner. He directs studies of the polar regions for NASA.
And it`s good...