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Archive for September 18th, 2014
Paul Robinson: capitalism isn’t working – speech
Posted by Blue and Green: None Given on September 18th, 2014
Blue and Green: Paul Robinson, CEO of Alquity spoke about capitalism and transforming the financial industry to change the world as the company rebranded and launched a new emerging market fund. The full text of the speech is below. A kick-about that changed everything… For me, this journey started with a ball. It’s amazing how something so simple can turn out to be a life-changing moment . . . t was 1996 and I was in the middle of a year off, driving through Malawi with some other travellers. We stopped to play...
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If natural gas wells used in fracking are contaminating water, why isn’t fracking to blame?
Posted by WUNC: None Given on September 18th, 2014
WUNC: Big news came out this week about fracking: Duke scientists have found that natural gas wells used in fracking caused contamination in eight drinking water wells in Texas and Pennsylvania.
Many of you might have seen the videos of people living near gas exploration sites who can light their tap water on fire, because there’s so much methane in it. But the energy industry has solidly defended its position that the gas could be naturally occurring. There’s no evidence fracking caused the contamination....
World population may hit 11 billion by 2100: study
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 18th, 2014
Agence France-Presse: The world population may grow larger than previously estimated, reaching 11 billion people by century's end, according to a UN-led analysis published Thursday.
That would mean two billion more people on Earth than expected by 2100, largely due to high birth rates in Africa, said the report in the US journal Science.
"The consensus over the past 20 years or so was that world population, which is currently around seven billion, would go up to nine billion and level off or probably decline," said...
India’s farmers beating climate change with technology
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 18th, 2014
BBC: It's the end of the monsoon season in India. But it's not been a good year.
During the sowing and planting season, when water was needed the most, rain was largely absent.
Now it's nearly harvest time and it has been raining heavily.
But for farmer Lovepreet Singh in the northern Indian state of Haryana, all is not lost.
He has been getting help from new technology, like the GreenSeeker - a handheld gadget that works as a crop sensor.
As Mr Singh points to a patch of crops, the sensor...
TransCanada CEO ‘Frustrated’ by Linkage of Keystone Pipeline to Climate Change
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 18th, 2014
Bloomberg: TransCanada Corp. chief executive officer Russ Girling told reporters Sept. 16 he is “frustrated” by critics of the Keystone pipeline who have cast the project as a symbol of increased greenhouse gas emissions and warming.
It's been caught up in this debate it has nothing to do with,” Girling said. “Actual people that are impacted by this project are supportive and willing to move forward with it,” Girling said during a meeting with reporters on Capitol Hill.”
Those that are in places on the...
Last month was world’s hottest August on record: US
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 18th, 2014
Agence France-Presse: Last month was the hottest August on record for global average temperatures over land and ocean surfaces, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday.
If the trend continues, 2014 could set records for planet-wide heat, raising fresh alarm at the pace of global warming and the burning of fossil fuels.
The month's temperature was 1.35 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th century average, the agency said in its monthly climate report.
"It was the largest departure from...
Podesta: Obama to Tout Global Warming ‘Resilience’ at U.N. Climate Summit
Posted by National Journal: Ben Geman on September 18th, 2014
National Journal: A top White House adviser said President Obama will use next week's United Nations climate summit in New York City to push initiatives aimed at helping nations bolster their defenses against climate-related risks.
"He'll be making a number of announcements that put America squarely on the side of building global resilience, trying to provide public goods to countries around the world, some of whom can't afford to build the kind of resilient tools they need to anticipate the effects of climate...
Trees Are Growing Faster Than Ever Before
Posted by Nature World: None Given on September 18th, 2014
Nature World: Recent research has revealed that trees across the world continue to grow significantly faster than they did before the 1960s, but what's the cause? Experts from Technische Universität München (TUM) provide evidence and speculation about this mysterious phenomenon in a recent study.
The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, details how the rate of tree growth, particularly in Central Europe, has increased by up to 70 percent over the last few decades.
These findings were...