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Archive for February 17th, 2016
Reintroduction of Beavers Can Be Beneficial to the Environment, According to Scottish Study
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 17th, 2016
Yale Environment 360: The reintroduction of beavers to Scotland has proven beneficial to the environment, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Stirling. Beaver dams increased the retention of organic matter by as much as seven times, and the level of aquatic plant life by 20-fold, researchers said. They also found that the levels of pollutants from agricultural runoff were reduced, with concentrations of phosphorus halved, and nitrate levels lowered by more than 40 percent. “Their dam building...
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Climate activists and pipeline protesters turn to civil disobedience in the Northeast
Posted by Grist: Ben Adler on February 17th, 2016
Grist: Nine climate activists are facing charges in New York state for an act of civil disobedience. One day in November, they blocked the entrance to a parking lot in Montrose, N.Y., where work is being done on a major natural gas pipeline expansion, the Algonquin Incremental Market (AIM) Project. Now they plan to defend themselves in court on the grounds that their actions were necessary to protect humanity from climate disruption. Consider it a form of self-defense.
The Montrose 9, as they’re calling...
Lawsuit Filed Over Oklahoma’s ‘Fracking’ Earthquakes as Its Third Largest Quake Is Felt in 7 Other States
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on February 17th, 2016
EcoWatch: The Sierra Club and the public interest law firm Public Justice have filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against three energy companies engaged in hydraulic fracturing, aka fracking, in Oklahoma.
The suit against New Dominion, Chesapeake Operating and Devon Energy Production Company alleges that wastewater from fracking and oil production have contributed to the state`s alarming spike in earthquake activity.
The lawsuit demands the companies, as a first step, to “reduce, immediately and substantially,...
The heat goes on: Earth sets 9th straight monthly record
Posted by PhsOrg: Seth Borenstein on February 17th, 2016
PhsOrg: The January figures are in, and Earth's string of hottest-months-on-record has now reached nine in a row. But NASA said January stood out: The temperature was above normal by the highest margin of any month on record.
And January set another record: Arctic sea ice reached its lowest point for that ice-building winter month.
NASA said January 2016 was 2.03 degrees Fahrenheit (1.13 degrees Celsius) above normal. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which calculates temperatures...
Radioactive Leak at Indian Point Nuclear Plant Shows ‘We Are Flirting With Catastrophe’
Posted by EcoWatch: Cole Mellino on February 17th, 2016
EcoWatch: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has called for Indian Point nuclear power plant to be shut down after officials discovered that a radioactive material known as tritium was leaking into the groundwater.
New York: Radiation Spikes 65,000% at #IndianPoint Nuclear Plant After Leak https://t.co/YRkULEyraO pic.twitter.com/ghACoq0UiA
-- Democracy Now! (@democracynow) February 9, 2016
On Feb. 6, Cuomo ordered an investigation into the leak after Entergy, the company that operates the plant, reported...
Palestine to submit UN climate pledge mid-year
Posted by Climate Home: None Given on February 17th, 2016
Climate Home: Palestine aims to submit a climate plan to the UN by the middle of the year, its lead envoy has told Climate Home.
The state becomes a full party to the UN climate body in March, having been previously confined to an observer role.
It is gearing up to contribute to the global warming agreement struck in Paris last December, said representative Nedal Katbeh-Bader. “We have a clear vision.”
Nearly 190 countries have entered pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions and manage climate impacts....
Can climate change cause wars?
Posted by Grist: Clayton Aldern on February 17th, 2016
Grist: For decades, psychologists have studied the links between temperature and aggression. Whatever the mechanism, it seems to be the case that with spikes in heat come spikes in violence. How can we understand this effect, and what might it mean for the risk of larger scale conflicts like war? Check out the video above. After all, we’re living in a warming world.
The Bangladesh shrimp farmers facing life on the edge
Posted by Guardian: Joanna Lovatt on February 17th, 2016
Guardian: Coastal Bangladesh is an unlikely place for a fresh water crisis. Mighty rivers carve paths through the landscape, all the way from melting Himalayan glaciers in the north to the Bay of Bengal in the south. Viewed from above, the countryside is an extensive patchwork of agricultural ponds, glinting in the sunlight.
But farmer Sheikh Zillur Rahman, who complains of skin disease and stomach problems, is adamant there is a problem. “We think it’s the water,” he says, firmly. “It’s too saline.”
Rahman...
South Africa drought pushes 50,000 into poverty: World Bank
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 17th, 2016
Reuters: South Africa's worst drought in over a century has pushed around 50,000 below the poverty line, the World Bank said on Wednesday.
"Around 50,000 people, we estimate, have been pushed below the national poverty line of 501 rand ($31.68) a month because of the drought," Catriona Purfield, program leader for South Africa told a parliamentary committee.
A simple way to prevent African water wars
Posted by SciDevNet: None Given on February 17th, 2016
SciDevNet: The first stage of Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance dam project is fast approaching its end. At 70 metres high, the dam is just 25 metres shy of the target for this stage of the project. Come June, it will be able to store the 14 billion cubic metres (BCM) of river water needed to kick the first turbines into action. [1] With two out of the 16 planned turbines up and running, the dam will generate 700 megawatts of electricity per year. And by late 2017, all turbines will produce 6,000 megawatts of power,...