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Archive for November 4th, 2015
Gold mining boom threatening communities in Suriname
Posted by Mongabay: None Given on November 4th, 2015
Mongabay: High gold prices combined with lax land use regulations have led to an explosion in mining in Suriname. A recent report by the Amazon Conservation Team (ACT) finds that gold mining in the small South American country grew by 893 percent between 2000 and 2014, and is threatening the health and ways of life of many communities in the region. Much of the small-scale and industrial gold mining in Suriname is taking place within the boundaries of the traditional territories of the Maroons – descendants...
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California revs up for Paris climate change summit
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 4th, 2015
LA Times: In the wonky world of climate change, California’s presence at the United Nations summit in Paris next month is expected to be a star-studded affair.
There will be an actual movie star, former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who jump-started some of the state’s most ambitious efforts to slow global warming. Also in the mix is Tom Steyer, the billionaire Bay Area environmental activist who has bankrolled political campaigns around the country.
And there is the official state delegation led by Gov....
US denies TransCanada request to delay Keystone XL review
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 4th, 2015
Guardian: The United States has formally denied a TransCanada Corp request to pause the US review of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, a State Department spokesman said on Wednesday.
John Kirby told a briefing there was no legal requirement to pause the Keystone review based on the developer’s request. Secretary of state John Kerry has not given a timeline for making a recommendation.
“The secretary believes that, out of respect for that process and all the input that has gone into it, that it is the...
Cracking the problem of river growth
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 4th, 2015
ScienceDaily: A general mathematical theory that predicts how cracks spread through materials like glass and ice can also predict the direction in which rivers will grow, according to a new MIT study. In fracture mechanics, the theory of local symmetry predicts that, for example, a crack in a wall will grow in a direction in which the surrounding stress is symmetric around the crack's tip. Scientists at MIT have now applied this theory to the growth of river networks, finding that as a river fed by groundwater...
Hillary Clinton: Climate change has contributed to refugee crises, including Syria
Posted by CNN: Dan Merica on November 4th, 2015
CNN: Hillary Clinton said climate change is a contributing factor to refugee crises Civil war in Syria and the rise of ISIS have led to a mass exodus from the Arab nation
Climate change is a contributing factor in the world's most dire refugee crises, including the one in Syria, Hillary Clinton said in Iowa Tuesday.
Clinton was asked at a town hall in Coralville about what the United States can do about refugee crises in Syria and Africa. After a long answer on Syria, including calling for a international...
New York State Warns To Prepare for up to 6 Feet of Sea Level Rise
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 4th, 2015
Yale Environment 360: New York State is telling developers and homeowners in New York City and coastal towns that they should prepare for up to 75 inches of sea level rise by 2100. The sea level rise projections, based on recent scientific studies by NASA and Columbia University, are part of the New York Community Risk and Resiliency Act passed after the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. The state says it is creating new sea level rise regulations requiring coastal planners, developers, and builders to expect...
US will not pause Keystone review; Obama expected reject
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 4th, 2015
Reuters: The United States formally denied a request on Wednesday to pause the review of the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline, a decision expected to lead to the project's rejection by the Obama administration.
TransCanada Corp's request to the State Department for a delay was seen by many as an attempt to postpone the decision until after President Barack Obama left office and a new president more friendly to the plan took over in 2017.
The White House declined to comment on the State Department's...
Bernie Sanders launches new climate plan to curb US fossil fuel extraction
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 4th, 2015
Guardian: Bernie Sanders launched a new climate campaign on Wednesday, aimed at fighting global warming by banning new coal, oil and gas mining on public land.
The Keep it in the Ground Act co-sponsored by the senator and Democratic presidential candidate aims at plugging one of the big gaps in Barack Obama’s climate change plan: his administration’s continued sanction of fossil fuel extraction on the government’s lands and waters.
The bill, jointly introduced with Jeff Merkley, a Democratic senator...
Justin Trudeau sworn in as Canada second youngest prime minister ever
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 4th, 2015
Guardian: Justin Trudeau has been sworn in as Canada’s prime minister, following in the footsteps of his storied father.
The 43-year-old Trudeau, a former schoolteacher and a member of parliament since 2008, on Wednesday became the second youngest prime minister in Canadian history.
Related: Justin Trudeau: Canada's new prime minister faces great expectations
He is the son of late prime minister Pierre Trudeau, who swept to office in 1968 on a wave of support dubbed “Trudeaumania”. He was prime minister...
Pennsylvania Township Passes Bill of Rights Banning Fracking Wastewater Injection Wells
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on November 4th, 2015
EcoWatch: Last night, the people of Grant Township adopted the country’s first municipal charter establishing a local bill of rights. The Grant Bill of Rights codifies environmental and democratic rights, and bans fracking wastewater injection wells as a violation of those rights.
Grant joins growing numbers of communities across Pennsylvania and the U.S. that are coming together in a community rights movement to stand up to a system of law that forces fracking waste wells and other practices into communities,...