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Archive for October 20th, 2014
United Kingdom: Dredging can make flooding worse, say activists
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 20th, 2014
Independent: Dredging is “pointless” and largely ineffective, according to a coalition of environmental groups who are calling on the Government to scale down its preferred method of flood prevention.
The Blueprint for Water coalition, which represents groups such as the RSPB, the Angling Trust and Friends of the Earth, is urging the Government to spend money earmarked for dredging on “more effective” alternative flood-control methods such as improved drainage systems.
The warning comes as remnants of Hurricane...
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Why Are The Great Lakes On The Rise?
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 20th, 2014
National Public Radio: Host Audie Cornish talks with Drew Gronewold, a hydrologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, about why water levels in lakes Superior, Michigan and Huron are rising.
Enbridge oil pipeline project delayed by spill concerns
Posted by Waterdown Daily Times: Robert Langreth, Shannon Pettypiece and Caroline Chen on October 20th, 2014
Waterdown Daily Times: Citing water-safety concerns, the Canada National Energy Board denied the application for an oil pipeline project proposed by Enbridge Pipelines of Calgary that would carry crude oil across the watersheds of Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River — a move praised by Clayton environmental advocacy group Save the River, which opposed to the project. The denial of the application, made Oct. 6 by the energy board, will delay a project that would reverse the direction of oil shipped through a 639-kilometer...
Mountaintop Removal Linked to Cancer
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on October 20th, 2014
EcoWatch: We know what a mess mountaintop removal makes when the tops of mountains are literally blown off to access the coal inside them. Forests are stripped and debris is dumped into streams and valleys, leaving behind a ravaged landscape. It`s partly responsible for the loss of jobs in the coal industry since it requires only a handful of workers to operate the huge machines involved. Now we`re learning that the process, which has been touted by advocates as cleaner and safer than below-ground coal mining,...
Australia: Australia prepares for ‘dangerous’ bushfire season
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 20th, 2014
BBC: As Australia prepares for another horror bushfire season, experts are warning that some areas of the country are becoming uninhabitable because of the increased risk of fire and that worse-than-normal seasons are becoming the norm.
And one of the country's top firefighters has warned that the loss of homes was now inescapable as climate change drives more frequent and fiercer blazes.
Hot, dry conditions in the lead up to summer have increased the likelihood of "very high fire danger weather"...
Population growth outpaces food supply conflict-ravaged Sahel – study
Posted by Reuters: Chris Arsenault on October 20th, 2014
Reuters: The Sahel region's ability to produce food is not keeping pace with its growing population, and global warming will only exacerbate the imbalance, according to a new study.
Among the 22 countries making up the arid region in northern Africa, the population grew to 471 million in 2010 from 367 million in 2000, a jump of nearly 30 percent.
As the population grew rapidly, the production of crops remained essentially unchanged, said researchers from Lund University in Sweden.
Using satellite...
Sumitomo’s Loss Shows Shale Isn’t Booming for Everybody
Posted by Bloomberg: Asjylyn Loder on October 20th, 2014
Bloomberg: Land in the Permian Basin, the busiest shale patch in the U.S. oil boom, is worth either $1,000 an acre or 50 times more, depending.
On Sept. 29, Calgary-based driller Encana Corp. (ECA) announced plans to buy a company that owns a West Texas prospect for $7.1 billion, or about $50,000 an acre. One day later, Tokyo-based Sumitomo Corp. estimated its land in the same region was worth a fraction of that price when it took a $1.55 billion writedown on its investment.
The disparity shows how fickle...