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Archive for October 25th, 2014
Israeli ecosystems appear too tough for climate change
Posted by Times of Israel: Andrew Tobin on October 25th, 2014
Times of Israel: Climate change may not pose a serious risk to plants in parts of Israel in the coming decades, according to an ecological study based on years of induced drought. The conclusion - the plants are tougher than the changes - runs counter to the current scientific consensus.
Semi-arid and Mediterranean ecosystems are thought to be among the most vulnerable to climate change, but in the study, conducted by an international team of scientists, a nine-year climate change rainfall simulation had almost...
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GMOs Expose Dangerous Science Disconnect in Agriculture
Posted by Huffington Post: Donald Carr on October 25th, 2014
Huffington Post: A contentious issue in the upcoming Colorado and Oregon GMO labeling referendums is the perceived safety of consuming genetically modified foods.
Question a representative of the National Corn Growers Association or the American Farm Bureau Federation about the safety of eating GMOs and you'll rightly be scolded about the scientific evidence that consuming those crops is as safe as any other.
These representatives of the American farm lobby wield enormous political clout with conservative and...
Unsafe groundwater only adds to California drought misery
Posted by CNBC: Mark Koba on October 25th, 2014
CNBC: With surface water supplies decimated from the ongoing drought, more Californians are forced to use groundwater.
But groundwater is unsafe for nearly 800,000 residents, according to the state's water resources control board.
This problem is the longtime contamination from nitrates and arsenic.
That's meant less drinkable water in California's struggle to survive more than three years of severely dry weather.
"Most areas affected by contamination don't have surface water supplies so they...
Nation’s ‘personality’ influences its environmental stewardship, shows new study
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 25th, 2014
ScienceDaily: Countries with higher levels of compassion and openness score better when it comes to environmental sustainability, says research from the University of Toronto.
A new study by Jacob Hirsh, an Assistant Professor of Organizational Behaviour & Human Resource Management at the University of Toronto Mississauga's Institute for Management & Innovation, who is cross-appointed to UofT's Rotman School of Management, demonstrates that a country's personality profile can predict its environmental sustainability...
Florida Lizards Evolve in Just 15 Years
Posted by Nature World: None Given on October 25th, 2014
Nature World: A native lizard species from Florida has demonstrated some rapid evolution - in as little as 15 years - due to pressures from an invading lizard species hailing from Cuba, according to a recent study.
Fearful of invading Cuban anoles or brown anoles, the native lizards reportedly began perching higher in trees, and, generation after generation, their feet evolved to become better at gripping the thinner, smoother branches found higher up.
The change occurred so quickly, that just within a matter...
Brazil’s Severe Drought Dries Up Reservoirs
Posted by National Geographic: Brian Clark Howard on October 25th, 2014
National Geographic: Thanks to the worst drought in eight decades in southeastern Brazil, water levels have dropped dramatically in the reservoirs that supply São Paulo, the country's largest city. New satellite imagery from NASA reveals that critical reservoirs there have dwindled to 3 to 5 percent of storage capacity, creating shortages in the region.
Rainfall totals in the region this year are 12 to 16 inches (300 to 400 millimeters) below normal.
According to a poll conducted this week, 60 percent of respondents...
Blocked on Keystone XL, the Oil-Sands Industry Looks East
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 25th, 2014
National Geographic: The oil-sands industry in Alberta has a problem: It's capable of producing more oil than it can get to market. It has tried building new pipelines south into the United States-the famous Keystone XL project-and west to British Columbia. But both projects are stalled and face stiff opposition. Now a battle is heating up over the latest proposal: a 2,858-mile-long pipeline to Canada's east coast.
TransCanada, the same company that wants to build Keystone XL, says it plans to seek Canadian government...