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Archive for September 9th, 2015
Watch NASA Explain Why We Should All Be Worried About Greenland’s Melting Ice Sheet
Posted by EcoWatch: Cole Mellino on September 9th, 2015
EcoWatch: NASA scientists are worried about Greenland. Its ice sheet is three times the size of Texas and a mile deep on average. The only place with more of the world’s ice is Antarctica. But Greenland is warming twice as fast as Antarctica, NASA says. This rapid melting is raising global sea levels at an alarming rate—even faster than expected. That’s why NASA scientists are “monitoring Greenland’s ice sheet from high up in space to the ocean floor below to provide data for scientists studying the global...
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Heavy sandstorm sweeps across Middle East
Posted by Times of Oman: None Given on September 9th, 2015
Times of Oman: A dense sandstorm engulfing parts of the Middle East left at least eight people dead and hundreds suffering from respiratory problems on Tuesday, as officials warned residents to stay indoors.
Large parts of Lebanon, Syria, Israel and Cyprus were shrouded in a thick cloud of dust from the storm that began sweeping into the region on Monday.
Refugees from Syria now living in basic conditions in Lebanon were badly affected.
In Syria itself, the storm meant government warplanes and helicopters...
Climate change is darkening Seattle’s water forecast
Posted by Investigate West: None Given on September 9th, 2015
Investigate West: One of the country’s fastest-growing cities suddenly has a long-term water problem.
The weather was uncharacteristically drizzly for late summer when Seattle Public Utilities tour guide Ralph Naess, tooling along a backroad in the city-protected Cedar River watershed, suddenly looked skyward with alarm at a sudden sunbreak.
“Hey -- the sun is coming out. Bad news!” Naess exclaimed. Turning to visitors, he explained: “We would much prefer a dousing rain for a month.”
It’s not unusual for...
Fracking Boom Responsible for 175 Million Gallons of Toxic Wastewater Spilled Since 2009
Posted by EcoWatch: Lauren McCauley on September 9th, 2015
EcoWatch: Among the litany of risks posed by the continued extraction and use of fossil fuels, an Associated Press analysis published Tuesday exposes yet another harmful side effect of the oil and gas drilling boom: an uptick in toxic wastewater spills.
According to data obtained from leading oil- and gas-producing states, "more than 175 million gallons of wastewater spilled from 2009 to 2014 in incidents involving ruptured pipes, overflowing storage tanks and other mishaps or even deliberate dumping,"...
New Alliance of First Nations in B.C. Call for Scrutiny of Energy Projects
Posted by Globe and Mail: Brent Jang on September 9th, 2015
Globe and Mail: Ten First Nations leaders in northern British Columbia have formed a new alliance to draw attention to their environmental concerns that range from hydraulic fracturing to exporting liquefied natural gas.
One project that is raising ecological alarm bells is Pacific NorthWest LNG, said Donnie Wesley, a hereditary chief of the Gitwilgyoots, one of nine allied tribes of the Lax Kw'alaams.
Pacific NorthWest LNG, led by Malaysia's state-owned Petronas, wants to take natural gas from northeastern...