RSS Feed
Archive for January 19th, 2015
Calif Forests: Where Have All the Big Trees Gone?
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 19th, 2015
National Geographic: California has lost half its big trees since the 1930s, according to a study to be published Tuesday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences-and climate change seems to be a major factor.
The number of trees larger than two feet in diameter has declined by 50 percent on more than 46,000 square miles of California forests, the new study finds. No area was immune, from the foggy northern coast to the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the San Gabriels above Los Angeles. In the Sierra high...
Posted in 
Finding Farmland: Global Maps Help Fight Hunger
Posted by Nature World: Brian Stallard on January 19th, 2015
Nature World: With the world growing increasingly warmer, experts have estimated that we are actually due to gain a great deal of farmland, even if the crop yield that that land could see may actually decrease. However, finding this land so that it can quickly be put to use remains a challenge. Now, two new global maps may provide some help in the search for fresh farmland.
The maps were released today in the journal Global Change Biology, and offer two types of data that experts argue is essential for the...
Underwater Drones Map Algae Beneath Antarctic Ice
Posted by Live Science: Kelly Dickerson on January 19th, 2015
Live Science: Although the surface of Antarctica is almost completely white, a field of green and brown algae clings to the underside of the sea ice around the frozen continent.
Previously, this underwater forest of algae was accessible only to marine creatures or specially trained divers. But now, researchers are using pioneering drones to scout out and map the miles of algae mats.
The Antarctic algae begin growing in early spring and rely on the small amount of sunlight that penetrates the ice to survive....
Oil spills in Yellowstone River after pipeline leak
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 19th, 2015
Reuters: Bridger Pipeline LLC said on Monday it has shut the 42,000 barrel per day Poplar pipeline system after a weekend breach that sent as much as 1,200 barrels of crude oil into the Yellowstone River near Glendive, Montana.
The company said crews are now cleaning up the site after the leak on Saturday morning. Bridger estimates between 300 and 1,200 barrels spilled but could not say how much of the light crude flowed into the river.
The pipeline system runs from the Canadian border to Baker, Montana,...
Remarkable Images of California’s Epic Drought Show Impact on Farmers
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on January 19th, 2015
EcoWatch: With California experiencing the worst drought in 1,200 years, recent NASA satellite images documenting the stunning groundwater loss in California and the announcement last week that 2014 was the hottest year on record attributable to drivers of climate change, it’s vitally important that the seriousness of this issue stays top of mind for people, companies and policymakers.
One award-winning photojournalist, artist and filmmaker in the Western San Joaquin Valley, Randi Lynn Beach, is doing her...
Scientists say warm 2014 proves ‘undeniable fact’ of climate change
Posted by Oregonian: Kelly House on January 19th, 2015
Oregonian: Scientists says last year`s hottest-ever temperatures underscore the reality that global climate change is an "undeniable fact."
The Washington Post interviewed several scientists about the news that 2014 was earth`s hottest year on record. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced last week that seven out of 12 months last year reached record highs. "The moral of the story is that global warming is never globally uniform, with varying areas experiencing profoundly different...
What the UK could learn from New York’s fracking ban
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 19th, 2015
Guardian: Just before Christmas, New York became the first US state with major shale gas reserves to ban fracking for health reasons. The industry was shocked, campaigners cheered and governments like Britain, desperate to exploit their own reserves, looked the other way. It had never happened before.
The six-year New York campaign to ban fracking had been backed by hundreds of artists, actors, musicians and celebrities, such as Lady Gaga, Yoko Ono, Mark Ruffalo and the late Pete Seeger. There had also...
Food diversity under siege from global warming, U.N. says
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 19th, 2015
Reuters: Climate change threatens the genetic diversity of the world's food supply, and saving crops and animals at risk will be crucial for preserving yields and adapting to wild weather patterns, a U.N. policy paper said on Monday.
Certain wild crops - varieties not often cultivated by today's farmers - could prove more resilient to a warming planet than some popular crop breeds, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said.
But these wild strains are among those most threatened by climate...
More rains, more deaths as floods across southern Africa set to worsen
Posted by Reuters: Katy Migiro on January 19th, 2015
Reuters: Aid agencies raced on Monday to reach tens of thousands of people displaced by catastrophic floods across southern Africa, as more heavy rain was forecast in the coming days. More than 200 people have died in Malawi, Mozambique and Madagascar in one of the worst disasters to hit the region in years. Rivers have burst their banks, flooding vast areas and destroying homes, bridges and crops. "After surveying the flooded districts from the air, we know that the scale of flooding is immense, and with...
Richest 1% on track own more than all the rest 2016
Posted by Blue and Green: Charlotte Malone on January 19th, 2015
Blue and Green: Global inequality has been labelled as “simply staggering” after it was revealed that the wealthiest 1% is set to own more than the rest of the population combined by 2016.
A report published by charity Oxfam, entitled Wealth: Having it all and wanting more, found that the wealth gap is continuing to widen, despite the issue rising up the global agenda.
Between 2009 and 2014 the richest 1% have seen their share of global wealth increase from 44% to 48%, with members of this global elite now...