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Archive for July 10th, 2015
California’s Driest Region Finds Short-Term Drought Aid
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 10th, 2015
National Public Radio: Rural Tulare County, Calif., is now being called the epicenter of this drought.
That's because at least 1,300 residential wells have run dry, affecting at least 7,000 people. When your taps start spitting out air here, Paul Boyer and his team are who you call.
Under a punishing midafternoon sun, Boyer helps muscle down five of these hefty 400-pound water tanks from a semi-truck flatbed. He helps run a local nonprofit that's in charge of distributing these 2,500-gallon water tanks to drought...
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Extremely high coastal erosion in northern Alaska
Posted by Environmental News Network: U.S. Geological Survey on July 10th, 2015
Environmental News Network: In a new study published today, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey found that the remote northern Alaska coast has some of the highest shoreline erosion rates in the world.Analyzing over half a century of shoreline change data, scientists found the pattern is extremely variable with most of the coast retreating at rates of more than 1 meter a year.
“Coastal erosion along the Arctic coast of Alaska is threatening Native Alaskan villages, sensitive ecosystems, energy and defense related...
10 challenges created by a population boom
Posted by Mother Nature: None Given on July 10th, 2015
Mother Nature: World Population Day falls on July 11, and its aim is to headline the challenges and advantages faced by a booming population. These include some big heavies — aging, health, urbanization, mass migration, gender equality and education. This year's theme, "Vulnerable populations in emergencies," focuses on those most defenseless in a time of crisis, namely women, girls and youth. Think back to the earthquake that shook Nepal to its core a few months ago, or to the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis. People...
California Gov. Jerry Brown to Meet With Pope on Climate Change
Posted by NBC: None Given on July 10th, 2015
NBC: California Gov. Jerry Brown announced Thursday that he will travel to Vatican City later this month to discuss climate change and modern slavery with dignitaries including Pope Francis as the governor seeks to burnish his legacy as a climate change activist.
Brown, a former Jesuit seminarian, plans to attend a two-day event starting July 21 hosted by the Pontifical Academies of Sciences and Social Sciences.
The focus is on two issues highlighted in the pope's recent teaching document, called...
The complicated relationship between agriculture and climate change
Posted by Investigate Midwest: Robert Holly on July 10th, 2015
Investigate Midwest: Various studies have highlighted these and dozens of other ways the U.S. agriculture industry will likely be affected by climate change, the growing global crisis that major agribusinesses have already started to combat.
But while the agriculture industry plays victim to climate change, it is also a culprit.
Climate change is predominately caused by the buildup of atmospheric carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Overall, the agriculture industry is responsible for at least 8 percent of...
IEA: Ignoring Climate Change Could Be Costly Fossil Fuel Firms
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 10th, 2015
Guardian: The world’s fossil fuel companies risk wasting billions of dollars of investment by not taking global action to fight climate change seriously, according to the chief economist of the International Energy Agency (IEA).
Fatih Birol, who will take the top job at the IEA in September and is one of the world’s most influential voices on energy, warned that companies making this mistake would also miss out on investment opportunities in clean energy.
Coal giant Peabody recently dismissed global...
Will Some Republican Governors Running for President Ignore EPA Coal Regs?
Posted by Washington Post: James Hohmann on July 10th, 2015
Washington Post: Some Republican governors who are running for president are threatening to ignore Environmental Protection Agency regulations likely coming this summer that would limit power plant emissions.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal have both been the most vocal in telegraphing their planned resistance. To combat climate change, President Obama’s goal is to cut carbon pollution 30 percent by 2030 and to reduce pollution that causes soot and smog by 25 percent from 2005 levels....
Saskatchewan Wildfires Could Burn Months
Posted by CBC: None Given on July 10th, 2015
CBC: The fires burning in northern Saskatchewan could burn until the first snowfall, according to researchers.
Kerry Anderson, a research scientist with the Canadian Forest Service, said the weather pattern known as El Nino, which is caused by the warming of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of South America, is responsible.
He expects weather conditions will settle down in Saskatchewan in the coming weeks, but warmer than normal temperatures will likely persist in B.C. and Alberta.
Anderson said...
Hawaii Attorney General: Proposed Mauna Kea rules followed complaints
Posted by KITV: Roger Mari on July 10th, 2015
KITV: On Friday, more than 150 people signed up to speak on proposed new emergency rules that would prevent opponents of the Thirty Meter Telescope from camping on the mountain where it’s planned to be built. These rules would prohibit anyone from camping at Mauna Kea or bringing camping gear onto the mountain from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., which is three hours shorter than what was originally proposed. Only vehicles on the Mauna Kea Observatory Access Road will be allowed in the area during these hours. Many...
Hawaii AG to Provide Info Emergency Rule for Mauna Kea
Posted by Civil Beat: None Given on July 10th, 2015
Civil Beat: Hawaii Attorney General Doug Chin plans to hold a press conference at 11 a.m. Friday to provide more information about the need for the administration’s proposed emergency rule for Mauna Kea. The Board of Land and Natural Resources is set to consider the rule, drafted by DLNR Chair Suzanne Case and Chin, sometime after 1 p.m. Friday. State officials say the rule will promote safe access to Mauna Kea’s summit, the site of the planned $1.4 billion Thirty Meter Telescope project that has been unable...