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Archive for the ‘Water Conservation’ Category
Warming Fuels Rise in Methane Threat
Posted by Climate News Network: Alex Kirby on January 7th, 2016
Climate News Network: There is fresh concern among scientists over the rises they are detecting in one of the chief greenhouse gases, methane.
A team of researchers from universities in Sweden and the US says methane is increasing in the atmosphere fast enough for emissions of the gas possibly to rise by between 20% and 50% before the end of the century.
Over a century, methane is 25 times more powerful as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, the main gas contributing to global warming. But over a 20-year period,...
Record hot end 2015 for Australia as giant El Niño dominates
Posted by Morning Herald: Peter Hannam on January 7th, 2016
Morning Herald: Australia has posted its hottest end to any year as the impact of one of the biggest El Ninos on record began to be felt across the continent.
Mean temperatures were 0.36 degrees above the previous record for the October to December period, capping what was Australia's fifth-hottest year since the Bureau of Meteorology began keeping national figures in 1910.
2015 was another hot year for Australia - and the hottest on record for the world.
"For temperatures, it was a year of two halves -...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Record hot end 2015 for Australia as giant El Niño dominatesGovernor declares emergency over Los Angeles gas leak
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 7th, 2016
New York Times: Natural gas has been spewing into the air in the Porter Ranch neighborhood here since late October, sickening residents, prompting thousands to evacuate their homes and pouring greenhouse gas into the atmosphere.
Gov. Jerry Brown, faced with mounting public anger and no end in sight to the leak, declared a state of emergency on Wednesday for the neighborhood of about 30,000 at the edge of the San Fernando Valley. And residents - who have been demanding to know why the Southern California Gas Company...
State regulators again approve Keystone XL oil pipeline
Posted by Associated Press: James Nord on January 7th, 2016
Associated Press: State regulators approved again on Tuesday the portion of the Keystone XL oil pipeline that would go through South Dakota, despite the project’s stalled status at the federal level. The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission’s decision also hinges on a requirement that TransCanada Corp. get a presidential permit for the project. President Barack Obama blocked the pipeline in November, but it could be revived under the next administration. South Dakota’s decision “further strengthens” the company’s...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on State regulators again approve Keystone XL oil pipelineOregon utilities agree to phase out coal-fired power
Posted by OPB: None Given on January 7th, 2016
OPB: Oregon utilities have agreed to support a bill that would phase out coal-fired power in Oregon by 2030.
The agreement follows negotiations with the backers of a proposed ballot measure that set the same target for eliminating coal from the state`s electrical supply.
The proposed legislation would only affect Pacific Power and Portland General Electric, which together serve about 70 percent of Oregon`s electricity. It also calls for doubling the amount of renewable energy the utilities generate...
storms give glimpse of future sea-level rise
Posted by KPBS: None Given on January 7th, 2016
KPBS: Sensors buried in the beach can tell researchers how the sand and ocean behave in El Niño storms and give them insight into what might happen to coastal communities when sea levels rise.
A San Diego scientist from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography is taking advantage of this week’s storms and high tides to test his models of sand movement on San Diego beaches.
Researcher Bob Guza was out Wednesday in Cardiff with his team from Scripps burying sensors in the sand.
“These sensors are...
United Kingdom: Water companies withholding sewage data nearly 2,000 outfalls
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 7th, 2016
Guardian: Details of nearly 2,000 sewage outfalls are being withheld by water companies, according to anglers’ legal organisation Fish Legal. A freedom of information (FOI) request by Fish Legal revealed that the frequency and contents of 1,968 sewage outfalls remain unknown to the Environment Agency (EA). As a result the discharges cannot be properly regulated. During the privatisation of the water industry in 1989, several thousand outfalls were given temporary deemed consent (TDC) because no legal permits...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on United Kingdom: Water companies withholding sewage data nearly 2,000 outfallsDroughts hit cereal crops harder since 1980s
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 6th, 2016
ScienceDaily: Drought and extreme heat events slashed cereal harvests in recent decades by 9% to 10% on average in affected countries -- and the impact of these weather disasters was greatest in the developed nations of North America, Europe and Australasia, according to a new study led by researchers from McGill University and the University of British Columbia. At a time when global warming is projected to lead to more extreme weather, the study, published in Nature, provides the most comprehensive look yet...
Scotland warned to expect further ‘heavy and prolonged’ rain
Posted by Guardian: Libby Brooks on January 6th, 2016
Guardian: Flood-weary communities across central and north-east Scotland have been told to expect further “heavy and prolonged” rain as the Met Office upgraded its weather warning for Thursday to amber “be prepared”.
With 25 flood warnings still in place from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa), residents of Aberdeenshire, Angus, Dundee and Perthshire have been advised to get ready for further disruption as water falls on already saturated ground and river levels rise accordingly.
With...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Scotland warned to expect further ‘heavy and prolonged’ rainAmerica’s Food System Could Be More Vulnerable to Climate Change Than We Thought
Posted by Mother Jones: Tim McDonnell on January 6th, 2016
Mother Jones: For billions of people around the world, the most immediate threat posed by climate change is at the dinner table, as staple crops face a steadily worsening onslaught of drought, heat waves, and other extreme weather events. The United States certainly isn't immune to these challenges; for proof, just look at California, where an unprecedented drought has cost the state's agriculture industry billions.
Still, the conventional thinking among many scientists is that developing countries, particularly...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on America’s Food System Could Be More Vulnerable to Climate Change Than We Thought