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Archive for March 18th, 2016
Argentina’s ‘Shale Capital’ Suffers from Slowdown
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 18th, 2016
Inter Press Service: The dizzying growth of Añelo, a town in southwest Argentina, driven by the production of shale oil and gas in the Vaca Muerta geological reserve, has slowed down due to the plunge in global oil prices, which has put a curb on local development and is threatening investment and employment.
Vaca Muerta, a 30,000-sq-km geological reserve rich in unconventional fossil fuels in the province of Neuquén, began to be exploited in mid-2013 by the state-run oil company Yacimientos Petroliferos Fiscales...
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Colorado considers bill to make it easier to sue Big Oil over fracking earthquakes
Posted by Grist: Xian Chiang-Waren on March 18th, 2016
Grist: If you were under the impression that ordinary people couldn’t do much to hold Big Oil companies directly accountable for the environmental havoc they wreak, you definitely weren`t alone. But, if a bill currently making its way through Colorado’s state legislature becomes reality, Coloradans harmed by quakes linked to the fracking boom may be able to sue frackers.
The bill, HB16-1310, would hold companies liable for physical injuries and damage to property caused by the recent spate of unusual...
China’s new 5-year plan is out, and it doesn’t sacrifice the environment for the economy
Posted by Grist: Clayton Aldern on March 18th, 2016
Grist: On Wednesday, Chinese lawmakers approved the country`s 13th Five-Year Plan, the high-level document that will guide policymaking through 2020, including the country`s approach to climate and energy policy. As the world`s second-largest economy and the largest emitter of greenhouse gases, China necessarily plays a role in shaping global climate policy -- and if it can deliver on the goals outlined in the plan, that role will undoubtedly expand.
The plan is the first to set a national cap on energy...
World’s energy supply relies on water. Guess what we’re running low on?
Posted by Grist: Suzanne Jacobs on March 18th, 2016
Grist: Not to make you do math on a Friday or anything, but here`s a simple word problem: If 98 percent of global power generation requires water, the U.N. predicts a 40 percent shortfall in global water supply by 2030, and the world`s population is expected to reach 9 billion by 2050, then approximately how screwed are we? Please present your answer in units of Stacey Dash accidentally driving on the freeway:
Now, before you grab a pencil and paper, some context: A new report from the World Energy Council...
In California, Dealing With A Drought And Preparing For A Flood
Posted by National Public Radio: Lauren Sommer on March 18th, 2016
National Public Radio: As Californians hope for rain and snow to end the state's extreme drought, a decades-old rule prohibits reservoirs from filling up in the winter, so some water ends up being released. The rule may sound odd given how chronically dry California is, but it's actually to prevent a bigger disaster: flooding. In the winter, reservoirs are not allowed to fill up. That's so they can capture excessive amounts of water that flow out of the mountains during storms. It was a solution engineered to prevent...
Warmer Winter Brings Forest-Threatening Beetles North
Posted by New York Times: Tatiana Schlossberg on March 18th, 2016
New York Times: data-para-count="260" data-total-count="260">This winter has been the warmest on record in much of New England. And while many people enjoyed the T-shirt weather, it made Claire E. Rutledge, a researcher with Connecticut's Agricultural Experiment Station, more concerned about what next season may hold.
Beginning in April, she will head to Wharton Brook and other state lands, setting traps for the southern pine beetle and checking them weekly through midsummer.
The beetles, which can kill thousands...
Can improved agricultural practices help combat climate change?
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 18th, 2016
ScienceDaily: Did you know that over half of global non-carbon dioxide (non-CO2) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are accountable to agriculture? According to new a research study recently published in the Journal of Integrative Environmental Sciences, this figure is set to rise substantially in the next two decades, especially in developing countries. However, by analysing US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) data and models, the authors have projected that there is significant potential for the agricultural...
Drones revolutionize ecological monitoring
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 18th, 2016
ScienceDaily: New Monash University research has paved the way for drones to revolutionise ecological monitoring.
Published today in the journal Scientific Reports, the research found that drones are much more precise at monitoring the size of seabird colonies in tropical and polar environments than more traditional ground counts. Carried out on Ashmore Reef (tropical) and Macquarie Island (Sub-Antarctic), the research found that the ever-increasing precision provided by drones, along with the ability to survey...
Adaptation to increasing flood risk in Europe should aim to reduce impact
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 18th, 2016
ScienceDaily: A JRC-led research published in Climatic Change investigated the benefits of four adaptation measures to reduce the increasing flood risk in Europe under state-of-the-art global warming projections under a high-end climate scenario. Adaptation measures include the rise of flood protections, reduction of the peak flows through water retention, reduction of vulnerability and relocation to safer areas. Under the projected increase in frequency and magnitude of river floods in the current century, traditional...
The legacy of mercury in Lake Superior
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 18th, 2016
ScienceDaily: The northern Great Lakes are praised for being clean, but these aquatic systems don't exist in a vacuum. Contaminants still find their way into lake water and sediments. Mercury is of particular interest because of its toxicity and persistence. In a new study published in the Journal of Great Lakes Research in February, an interdisciplinary team from Michigan Technological University examined the legacy of mercury in Lake Superior. Currently, the National Atmospheric Deposition Program reports...