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Archive for April 9th, 2015
China’s environment ministry blocks hydro project
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 9th, 2015
Reuters: China's environment ministry has refused approval for a hydropower dam on an ecologically vulnerable river already damaged by construction, a rare setback for the country's extensive dam-building program.
While the 1,000-megawatt Xiaonanhai project appears scrapped, experts said China's overall plan for dams was on course given pressure to cut smog from coal-fired power plants.
Hydropower capacity is due to rise another 60 gigawatts (GW) in five years as new projects get approved.
The Ministry...
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Universities should keep leading Australia’s push to divest from fossil fuels
Posted by Guardian: Bill McKibben on April 9th, 2015
Guardian: In the UK, Archbishop Desmond Tutu has demanded that his alma mater – King’s College London – sell off its fossil fuel shares and Oxford’s former finance director threw his weight behind calls for divestment by helping to take over a university administration building.
In the US, Harvard alumni – including Star Wars actress Natalie Portman – have backed student calls for civil disobedience later this month. At historic Swarthmore College near Philadelphia, 44 students have been occupying the president’s...
If We Dig Out All Our Fossil Fuels, Here’s How Hot We Can Expect It to Get
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 9th, 2015
New York Times: World leaders are once again racing to avert disastrous levels of global warming through limits on greenhouse gas emissions. An agreement may be in reach, but because of the vast supplies of inexpensive fossil fuels, protecting the world from climate change requires the even more difficult task of disrupting today’s energy markets. The White House last month released a blueprint to reduce United States emissions by as much as 28 percent by 2025. The plan lays the groundwork for the formal international...
India expects normal monsoon rains this year
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 9th, 2015
Reuters: India's summer monsoon rains are expected to be normal this year, the chief economic adviser at the finance ministry said on Thursday. Monsoon rains are vital for India's farm sector, which accounts for 14 percent of the $2 trillion economy, as half of the country's farmland lacks irrigation. Weak monsoon rains have cut farm output in the past, stoking inflation. Arvind Subramanian also said inflation is not expected to run up in the medium term due to the recent unseasonal rains, which have damaged...
Garden centres urged drop bug killer to protect bees
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 9th, 2015
Guardian: Garden centres are being urged to withdraw products which contain a type of pesticide linked to bee declines.
In its latest product guide, Ethical Consumer magazine said that nine of the UK’s leading garden centres including B&Q and Homebase were selling Provado Ultimate Bug Killer which contains a neonicotinoid chemical known as thiacloprid.
Environmental campaigners say that while thiacloprid is less toxic to bees than three other neonicotinoid pesticides which have been banned for use on...