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Archive for October 30th, 2014
Californians will pay more for water, must still conserve: officials
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 30th, 2014
Reuters: Californians face higher water prices and permanent conservation measures amid drought, global warming and population growth in a state that has long struggled to satisfy urban and agricultural needs, the administration of Governor Jerry Brown said Thursday.
It will take up to $500 billion to improve the state's water infrastructure to improve supplies, reduce flood risk and shore up the fragile ecosystems that provide water for people, farms and wildlife, the state's top natural resources officials...
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Frack Waste Investigation Launched by Pennsylvania Congressman
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on October 30th, 2014
EcoWatch: In light of an increasing number of studies showing that fracking produces toxic emissions that have serious human health impacts throughout the entire process, Pennsylvania Congressman Matt Cartwright, a first-term Democrat, has opened an investigation into how toxic wastes from fracking are regulated.
"Preliminary reports indicate there are big gaps in protections and oversight that the federal government might have to fill," Cartwright told Inside Climate News.
Fracking is big business in...
U.S. to monitor turtle exports in face of booming global trade
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 30th, 2014
Reuters: There were lots of snickers when a Chinese-Canadian man was caught trying to leave the United States with 51 turtles hidden in his sweatpants, but the case illustrated the serious threat facing native species from the booming international turtle trade, federal scientists said on Thursday.
To protect native species, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed a rule on Wednesday that would put four kinds of freshwater turtle under the protection of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered...
European newts and salamanders at risk from deadly skin-eating fungus
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 30th, 2014
Guardian: A craze for exotic pet newts has spread a deadly infection from Asia to Europe that could threaten to wipe out UK native amphibian species unless action is taken, scientists have warned.
One of the creatures most at risk from the fungal disease is the great crested newt, already an endangered and protected species in the UK.
The skin-eating fungus, Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans, is believed to have originated in south-east Asia, where indigenous newts and salamanders are immune to its effects....
Deadly fungus killing British newts after spread from east Asia
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 30th, 2014
Independent: The international trade in pet newts and salamanders has spread a deadly skin fungus from east Asia to Europe, posing a further threat to the endangered great-crested newt of Britain, scientists said.
A previously unknown fungus called Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans was first discovered last year and a survey of more than 5,000 amphibians across the world has revealed its global spread from its native Asia.
Scientists believe the pet trade has helped the fungus to spread from Thailand, Vietnam,...
Miles of Gulf Seafloor Slick with Oil from BP Spill
Posted by Nature World: None Given on October 30th, 2014
Nature World: Back in 2010, the infamous Deepwater Horizon oil spill gushed millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, but where a lot of that oil ended up remained a mystery. Now however, a large amount of that elusive oil has been found, coating miles of the Gulf seafloor, according to new research.
Between two and 16 percent of the total oil spilled sits just within 25 miles (40 kilometers) of the BP-operated Macondo well responsible for the environmental disaster.
"This analysis provides us...
High Levels Dangerous Chemicals Found Air Near Oil & Gas Sites
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 30th, 2014
National Geographic: Dirk DeTurck had a years-old rash that wouldn't go away, his wife's hair came out in chunks, and anytime they lingered outside their house for more than an hour, splitting headaches set in.
They were certain the cause was simply breathing the air in Greenbrier, Arkansas, the rural community to which they'd retired a decade ago. They blamed the gas wells around them. But state officials didn't investigate.
So DeTurck leapt at the chance to help with research that posed a pressing question: What's...
Low oxygen ‘delayed life on Earth’
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 30th, 2014
BBC: There's been much debate about why animals took so long to evolve and thrive on Earth.
Now scientists say it was due to incredibly low levels of oxygen on Earth more than a billion years ago.
A team determined the chemical composition of ancient rocks to find there was about 0.1% of the oxygen levels present compared with today.
The researchers present their work in Science journal.
Why complex life took so long to appear on the scene has puzzled scientists for many years. It was only...
Methane emissions may swell from behind dams
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 30th, 2014
Climate Central: Imagine nearly 6,000 dairy cows doing what cows do, belching and being flatulent for a full year. That's how much methane was emitted from one Ohio reservoir in 2012.
Reservoirs and hydropower are often thought of as climate friendly because they don't burn fossil fuels to produce electricity. But what if reservoirs that store water and produce electricity were among some of the world's largest contributors of greenhouse gas emissions?
Harsha Lake, a large reservoir near Cincinnati, Ohio, emitted...
Fracking may release cancer-causing air pollution – study
Posted by RTCC: Megan Darby on October 30th, 2014
RTCC: Fracking wells may release cancer-causing chemicals into the air, a community science study has found.
Residents trained to take air quality samples recorded high levels of benzene, hydrogen sulphide and formaldehyde near shale gas extraction sites in the US.
While based on a small number of samples, the study published in Environmental Health adds a new set of potential health threats to fracking’s rap sheet.
Lead researcher David Carpenter, from the University at Albany, New York, said...