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Archive for September, 2014
Could Fracking Boom Drive Silica Sand Mining Operations in 12 More States?
Posted by International Business Times: Maria Gallucci on September 26th, 2014
International Business Times: Victoria Trinko says she hasn’t opened the windows to her home in Bloomer, Wisconsin, in more than two years. That’s around the time a mining company began churning up silica sand a half-mile from her family farm, filling the air with tiny particles and making it harder for her to breathe. “I could feel dust clinging to my face and gritty particles on my teeth,” Trinko recalls.
Silica sand is one of many ingredients used in the hydraulic fracturing process. During fracking, operators blast thousands...
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Drought Has 14 Communities on the Brink of Waterlessness in California
Posted by LA Times: Hector Becerra on September 26th, 2014
LA Times: Under the blistering Central Valley sun, Filiberta Sanchez and her toddler granddaughter strolled down a Parkwood sidewalk lined with yellow weeds, dying grass and trees more fit for kindling than shade.
"It was very pretty here, very pretty," said Sanchez, 56, as little Jenny crunched a fistful of parched dirt and pine needles she grabbed from the ground. "Now everything's dry."
Parkwood's last well dried up in July. County officials, after much hand-wringing, made a deal with the city of...
UN climate summit reveals India’s hypocrisy on saving forests
Posted by Guardian: Climate Forests on September 26th, 2014
Guardian: On Tuesday, India’s minister for environment, forests, and climate change, Prakash Javadekar, scoffed at the idea of the country reducing emissions to counter climate change. He held the US chiefly responsible for the climate crisis, and therefore it had to bear the responsibility for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. That has been India’s position on climate change at international negotiations for a while.
Developed nations have polluted the atmosphere and brought the planet to the crisis it...
Ohio Singled Out for Worst Fracking Waste Disposal Practices
Posted by EcoWatch: Anastasia Pantsios on September 25th, 2014
EcoWatch: The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a new report this week showing that Ohio was the only state among eight studied that allows waste fluids from oil and gas wells to be disposed of without disclosure of the chemicals it contains.
The report, created as a request by seven Democratic U.S. Senators and Congresspersons, studied eight states where fracking has become widespread--California, Colorado, Kentucky, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Texas. All but Ohio required...
Natural Gas Usage Won’t Help Curb Carbon Emissions
Posted by Nature World: None Given on September 25th, 2014
Nature World: Switching from coal to natural gas for power generation will do very little to reduce harmful US carbon emissions causing climate change, according to new research. In fact, burning this cheap gas will just make us use more energy and hinder the expansion of renewable resources like wind and solar.
It's no secret that coal-fired plants, the nation's largest source of power, produce vast quantities of carbon dioxide (CO2), the main greenhouse gas polluting Earth's atmosphere. Increased use of natural...
How Dust Might Make Drought Worse (or Bit Better) in California
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 25th, 2014
National Geographic: Most of California's water comes from the snow stored in the Sierra Nevada each winter. In the spring, melting snow helps fill the state's reservoirs for the dry summer. (Read "When the Snows Fail" in National Geographic magazine.)
As the state's historic drought drags on, scientists are watching the Sierra snow with intense interest-and they're worrying that even tiny airborne particles of dust may have a big effect on water supplies.
Here's how: As California gets drier, it's getting dustier,...
China’s war on pollution could leave Australia dirty coal out in cold
Posted by Ecologist: Shabbir Ahmad on September 25th, 2014
Ecologist: To tackle its serious air pollution, China is imposing stringent restrictions on dirty coal high in ash or sulphur, writes Shabbir Ahmad. One result: half of Australia's coal exports to China face exclusion, or extra 'washing' costs. But Australia's response is not to raise environmental quality. Instead, it's increasing production.
if Australia wants to remain an energy exporter far into the future, it should focus on developing renewable energy products.
China's recent move to limit imports...
Study says natural factors, not humans, behind West Coast warming
Posted by Seattle Times: None Given on September 25th, 2014
Seattle Times: It has been a subject of debate for years: How much has global warming contributed to a documented rise in temperatures along the West Coast?
A new study published Monday in a major research journal suggests the answer thus far, particularly in the Northwest, is: hardly any.
An average coastal temperature increase of 1 degree Celsius since 1900 along the West Coast appears more likely to be the result of changes in winds and air circulation over the eastern Pacific Ocean, two former University...
Pakistan: National agricultural economy facing climate change risks
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 25th, 2014
Daily Times: Senior Environmental experts said on Wednesday that national agricultural economy was being affected by five major risks related to climate change. Talking to APP senior researcher, Kashif Salik working with Sustainable Policy Development Institute (SDPI) said that being a predominantly agricultural economy, climate change is estimated to decrease crop yields in Pakistan not only as a result of flooding, but also as a result of changing temperatures, which in turn will affect livelihoods and food...
Brazil warming to ‘green’ policies
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 25th, 2014
Nature: Environmental icon Marina Silva may struggle to advance her environment agenda if elected president.
Marina Silva rose from poverty deep in the Amazon jungle to become a prominent politician and the advocate who kick-started Brazil’s battle against deforestation. Now she is clashing with an old foe, President Dilma Rousseff, in a wild election that could reshape the nation’s environmental policy.
Silva’s sudden ascent is almost as shocking as the event that prompted it: a plane crash on 13...