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Archive for March 3rd, 2016
Australia: Up to 1,000 coalminers could have black lung disease, says mining union
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 3rd, 2016
AAP: As many as 1,000 coalminers may have black lung disease, the mining union says.
The potentially fatal disease is caused by the inhalation of coal dust over a long period, and can emerge up to 15 years after exposure.
A coalminer diagnosed with the first case of black lung in Australia in more than 60 years worked in an underground mine for six years after early signs of the disease were missed in a medical examination.
The CFMEU says it is very concerned about a backlog of screening x-rays...
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Fuel or food? Study sees increasing competition for land, water resources
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 3rd, 2016
ScienceDaily: As strategies for energy security, investment opportunities and energy policies prompt ever-growing production and consumption of biofuels like bioethanol and biodiesel, land and water that could otherwise be used for food production increasingly are used to produce crops for fuel. About 4 percent of the world's agricultural land and 3 to 4 percent of its fresh water are now used for growing biofuels, according to a new study published March 3, 2016 in the Nature journal Scientific Reports. About...
Parasites help brine shrimp cope with arsenic habitat contamination
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 3rd, 2016
ScienceDaily: Artemia (the scientific name of the small crustacean that is also commonly known as 'sea monkey') is famous for being able to live in extreme environments and has become a model organism used to test the toxicity of chemicals in water. In addition, Artemia can produce dormant eggs, known as cysts, that can be stored for long periods and hatched on demand to provide a convenient form of live feed for the seafood industry, and 2000 tonnes of Artemia cysts per year are sold worldwide. Marta Sánchez...
Greenland’s ice is getting darker, increasing risk of melting
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 3rd, 2016
ScienceDaily: Greenland's snowy surface has been getting darker over the past two decades, absorbing more heat from the sun and increasing snow melt, a new study of satellite data shows. That trend is likely to continue, with the surface's reflectivity, or albedo, decreasing by as much as 10 percent by the end of the century, the study says. While soot blowing in from wildfires contributes to the problem, it hasn't been driving the change, the study finds. The real culprits are two feedback loops created by the...
America’s ‘Lead Wars’ Go Beyond Flint, Mich: ‘It’s Now Really Everywhere’
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 3rd, 2016
National Public Radio: Flint, Mich., isn't the only American city with a lead problem. Though the health crisis in Flint has highlighted the use of lead in water pipes, author David Rosner tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross that lead, which is a neurotoxin, can be found throughout the U.S. on walls, in soil and in the air.
"The problem with lead is that it's now really everywhere, and we've created a terribly toxic environment in all sorts of ways," he says.
Lead is particularly dangerous to young children. In their book,...
U.S. sends elite disaster experts to respond to Ethiopia drought
Posted by Reuters: Katy Migiro on March 3rd, 2016
Reuters: The United States is sending an elite team of disaster experts to respond to Ethiopia's worst drought in 50 years, it said on Thursday.
Around a dozen members of the U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) have arrived in Ethiopia to coordinate the U.S. response to the drought.
They will be joined by DART logistics, nutrition, and water, sanitation and hygiene experts in the next few days.
USAID responds to around 65 disasters a year,...
Greenland’s ice melt accelerating as surface darkens, raising sea levels
Posted by Guardian: Oliver Milman on March 3rd, 2016
Guardian: Greenland’s vast ice sheet is in the grip of a dramatic “feedback loop” where the surface has been getting darker and less reflective of the sun, helping accelerate the melting of ice and fuelling sea level rises, new research has found.
The snowy surface of Greenland started becoming significantly less reflective of solar radiation from around 1996, the analysis found, with the ice absorbing 2% more solar energy per decade from this point. At the same time, summer near-surface temperatures in...
Arctic on Thin Ice as Extreme Heat Takes a Toll
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on March 3rd, 2016
EcoWatch: For the second month in a row, the Arctic has set a record for lowest ever sea ice extent, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center. Ice extent is 448,000 square miles below average for February and 200,000 square miles lower than the previous record-low February. The region has experienced extreme heat over the past few months, with temperatures reaching as high as 23°F above average. Sea ice usually hits its annual low in September, but these early records have scientists concerned for...
Climate Change Could Kill Half a Million Annually by 2050
Posted by EcoWatch: Climate Nexus on March 3rd, 2016
EcoWatch: The impacts of climate change on the global food supply could lead to more than 500,000 deaths a year by 2050, according to a new study in the Lancet.
Droughts, floods and other climate-related impacts will hurt crop yields and reduce the amounts of fruits and vegetables available. On average, the consumption of fruits and vegetables will drop 4 percent by 2050, leading to an increase in malnutrition and disease, particularly in less developed countries. Without climate change, the study found...
Extreme tornado outbreaks are on the rise, study says
Posted by Time: Justin Worland on March 3rd, 2016
Time: The average number tornado outbreaks that bring multiple twisters from a single weather event is on the rise in the U.S., according to new research, and the findings could change the way insurers and disaster preparedness officials respond to tornadoes.
The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, also shows an increased variability in the number of tornadoes from one outbreak to another. Higher variability means that large outbreaks that result in multiple tornadoes can be more...