RSS Feed
Archive for September, 2015
Scientists: Algae not just Toledo problem
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 26th, 2015
Toledo Blade: Climate change and poor land use have caused explosive growth of toxic algae around the world in recent years, putting more water-treatment plant operators on high alert and increasing anxiety of consumers.
Over the past two decades, the scourge has become so widespread, from the Arctic Circle to South America, that scientists were almost unfazed when they learned that trace amounts of the harmful algal toxin microcystin, the same one behind 2014's Toledo water crisis, showed up for the first...
Posted in 
Canada: The brutal math of climate change
Posted by Toronto Star: Yonatan Strauch Thomas Homer-Dixon on September 26th, 2015
Toronto Star: By making the oilsands the engine of economic growth, Canada has bet its economy against the climate. It’s a myth that a thriving oilsands industry and a livable climate can be easily reconciled. The brutal math of climate change confronts that myth, and that’s why in Canada this math is taboo.
NDP candidate Linda McQuaig breached this taboo when she uttered the words “a lot of the oilsands oil may have to stay in the ground.” An uproar ensued. Even though McQuaig’s statement was based in undeniable...
Rising sea levels and stronger storms increase flood danger
Posted by Environmental News Network: ClickGreen Staff on September 26th, 2015
Environmental News Network: New research has found rising sea levels and stronger storms associated with climate change will produce longer-lasting, more intense periods of flooding.
Many studies predict that future sea-level rise along the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coasts will increase flooding. Others suggest that the human-caused warming driving this rise will also boost the intensity and frequency of big coastal storms.
Up to now, though, these two hazards have been assessed mostly in isolation from each other. Now,...
Italy’s glaciers retreated by 40 percent: WWF
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 26th, 2015
Indo-Asian News Service: Alpine glaciers in Italy have lost an estimated 40 per cent of their area over the last three decades, a recent report released by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has said. "The situation of glaciers on the Italian side of the Alps is very worrying," Xinhua news agency on Friday quoted Gianfranco Bologna, scientific director of WWF-Italy and co-author of the report as saying. The Hot Ice report was unveiled earlier this week, ahead of a crucial United Nations Climate Change Conference due to be held...
Fracking, Water, and Our World
Posted by Nature World News: None Given on September 25th, 2015
Nature World News: Hydraulic fracturing receives much press and is taking place in many parts of the United States. Just a quick review: Fracking is a process of drilling into the earth, then injecting a high-pressure water mixture into the rock to release the gas inside. The water mixture includes sand and chemicals. The gas then flows to the well's head.
Several issues tend to be noted regarding fracking. These include its water use, the earthquake increase in a number of areas in which fracking has taken place,...
Final report high-volume hydraulic fracturing in Michigan
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 25th, 2015
ScienceDaily: University of Michigan researchers today released the final version of a report analyzing policy options for the state of Michigan regarding high-volume hydraulic fracturing, the natural gas and oil extraction process commonly known as fracking.
The final report of the U-M Hydraulic Fracturing in Michigan Integrated Assessment consists of six chapters totaling nearly 200 pages. The two-part integrated assessment took three years to complete and is the most comprehensive Michigan-focused resource...
Pope Francis warns environmental destruction could wipe out humanity
Posted by Grist: None Given on September 25th, 2015
Grist: Pope Francis issued a stark warning to the United Nations on Friday morning, telling world leaders assembled for the General Assembly that "large-scale destruction of biodiversity can threaten the very existence of the human species." His speech urged leaders to tackle the unfettered capitalism that he believes is the root cause of environmental destruction, and outlined a religious duty to protect the planet. He also declared a "right of the environment" alongside other fundamental rights like education,...
VIDEO: Pope defends ‘right of environment’
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 25th, 2015
BBC: Pope Francis has called on countries to respect the "right of the environment", in a speech to the UN General Assembly.
He told world leaders that mankind was "not authorised to abuse... or destroy it".
"Any harm done to the environment is harm to humanity", he said.
Wisconsin DNR delays decision on land sale to Scott Walker donor
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 24th, 2015
Associated Press: The Department of Natural Resources' board has put off deciding whether to sell a parcel of state-owned lakefront property to one of Gov. Scott Walker's major donors.
The agency wants to sell 1.75 acres along the Rest Lake shoreline to Elizabeth Uihlein for $275,000.
Uihlein and her husband, Richard, have donated nearly $3 million to Walker's presidential super PAC, Unintimidated PAC, and Our American Revival, Walker's now-defunct political committee. She owns a condominium complex adjacent...
Faith Leaders Speak Out Against Fracking Amid Pope Francis’ Visit to U.S
Posted by EcoWatch: Wenonah Hauter on September 24th, 2015
EcoWatch: Earlier this year, Pope Francis called for decisive climate action in his encyclical. Now, while the Pope is visiting the U.S. for the first time, faith leaders across the country are speaking out against fracking--a form of extreme fossil fuel extraction that hurts our health and communities, contributes to climate change, and will prolong our dependence on oil and gas at the expense of the development of truly renewable energy.
Today, Food & Water Watch is previewing a Faith Against Fracking...