Environment

Oil companies fail to clean up tar sands mess

Reported in The Guardian:
None of the companies operating in Canada‘s tar sands have met a commitment to clean up the vast and expanding sprawl of toxic waste ponds, an official report has found.
The report, from Alberta’s Energy Resources Conservation Board, further challenges the Canadian government’s claims to responsible mining of the tar sands.
Canada’s prime minister, [...]

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California water crisis, Central Coast chapter

The San Luis Obispo Tribune takes on the water situation in the North County. thanks for this five-part series. This is an example of newspapers doing what no other person or agency will do. Great graphics, too.
How the growth of the wine industry and poor resource management are sucking wells dry and threatening the North [...]

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$110 Billion Price Tag for Extreme Weather Events in 2012

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When it came to extreme weather and climate events, 2012 was a colossal year for the U.S. It was the warmest year on record in the lower 48 states, featuring a massive drought and deadly heat waves that broke thousands of temperature records. Hurricane Sandy devastated parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, and one of the most intense and [...]

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DEP lawyer says clashes over enforcement led to his firing

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Lawyer Chris Byrd had just won a court victory on behalf of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. After a four-day trial, a jury had ruled that a Marion County couple had illegally filled in wetlands by an aquatic preserve along the Rainbow River. Instead of celebrating, the DEP attorney felt worried.
“As soon as the [...]

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The B Team Launches: Nonprofit Group Aims To Build Better Version of Capitalism

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   Sir Richard Branson, founder and chairman of Virgin Group, and Jochen Zeitz, chairman of Puma, launched a nonprofit group called The B Team on Thursday, Business Green reported.
The B Team aims to build a better version of capitalism, one that prioritizes people and planet over profit. By joining forces with business leaders from across the globe, the [...]

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The GM genocide: Thousands of Indian farmers are committing suicide after using genetically modified crops

INDIAN FARMERS COMMIT SUICIDE OVER FAILED CROPS

Shankara, like millions of other Indian farmers, had been promised previously unheard of harvests and income if he switched from farming with traditional seeds to planting GM seeds instead.

Distressed: Prince Charles has set up charity Bhumi Vardaan Foundation to address the plight of suicide farmers

Beguiled by the promise of future riches, he borrowed money in [...]

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Adorable Child Sums Up Moral Argument For Being Vegetarian (VIDEO)

Unlike most children his age, Luiz Antonio wants to eat his vegetables. It’s the other stuff that apparently gives him second thoughts.
As evidence, YouTube user Flavia Cavalcanti has an adorable video, originally uploaded in Portuguese, of little Luiz struggling to comprehend the origins of his meal. Potato? Easy enough. Rice? Sure. Octopus gnocchi? Fat chance.
In a recently uploaded [...]

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UN Recommends Big Companies Report Environmental Impacts As Well As Profits

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A UN development panel concluded that climate change is too important an issue to leave off of corporate disclosure forms. [Reuters]
Big companies should report their impact on the environment in addition to their earnings under a U.N. plan to boost economic growth and ease poverty by 2030, according to recommendations by a panel of world [...]

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Comedy show takes on ag-gag laws

Al Madrigal, reporting for the Jon Stewart Show, lauds the American agriculture industry for protecting animals from people trying to protect the animals.

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Pigs suffer when fed GMOs

By Robyn O’Brien
(Prevention)
A just-released study shows that animals found in the US food supply are harmed by the consumption of feed containing genetically modified corn and soy.
It’s enough to make anyone paying attention to the genetically modified food debate sit up and take notice.
The research results were striking, showing that the weight of the uterus [...]

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California PUC is PG&E’s lapdog

The San Jose Mercury News comments on the relationship:
Last week brought yet more evidence that the Legislature needs to remind the Public Utilities Commission that it works for the people. The regulatory agency continues to act as PG&E’s guardian, keeping taxpayers and ratepayers in the dark while the utility rakes in hundreds of millions of [...]

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New Mexico County First To Ban Fracking In U.S.

General Views of the Inglewood Oil Field

Mora County, a conservative ranching community in New Mexico, is the first U.S. county to ban the practice of fracking, according to reports from the Los Angeles Times. Wells are the only source of water in Mora, which is why last month officials announced a countywide ban on fracking citing water safety concerns.
Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is [...]

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Burning Up the World in the Name of “Renewable Energy”

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It is always helpful to hear the perspective of people in the “global south,” especially when it is their land in the tropics that is so often targeted as a source of biomass energy for the “north.” World Rainforest Movement (WRM) has been at the forefront of opposition to industrial tree plantations for decades, so they know [...]

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Clean Up or Cover Up? | The Fine Print | Gainesville, FL

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Thanks to Lily Wan, one of the print editors at The Fine Print, for her continuing coverage of the Koppers Superfund site and for sending this story along to us:
“WARNING! NO TRESPASSING! CONTAMINATED AREA.”
The residents won’t plant, let alone eat, fruits or vegetables grown in their own backyard. They have been warned not to. The [...]

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Ghana’s Logging Permits Show That Much Of The Country’s Timber Is Illegal

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New documents on logging permits in Ghana indicate most timber exported from the country is likely illegal, exposing purchasers to possible jail time under a new European Union regulation, the environmental watchdog group Global Witness said Tuesday.
In February, Ghana’s Forestry Commission gave Global Witness lists of permits covering more than 15,000 square kilometers (5,800 square [...]

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How the toxic by-product of Greek yogurt is causing a world-wide pollution problem | Mail Online

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The benefits of eating Greek yogurt for breakfast have been widely documented, but the liabilities to the environment are little known.
A by-product of Greek yogurt, called acid whey, is causing a world-wide toxic waste problem, and scientists are scrambling to find a way to fix it.
For every four ounces of milk used in the production [...]

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Offshore Drilling In Virginia Would Threaten Coastal Economy, Environment

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Yesterday Terry McAuliffe, Virginia’s Democratic gubernatorial candidate, revealed newfound support for oil and gas exploration off the Commonwealth’s coast. The Washington Post reported that he now backs legislation sponsored by Virginia’s Democratic U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine that would open offshore areas to oil and gas exploration.
Offshore oil drilling is viewed by Virginia politicians on both sides of the aisle [...]

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Arctic base evacuated as ice dissolves beneath researchers’ feet

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Though it carries major supervillain cred, placing a scientific research station atop an Arctic ice floe in an era of global warming is a dicey proposition — even for the Russians.
North Pole 40, a Russian science station that monitors pollution and conducts meteorological research, began operating in October on an Arctic ice floe. The Russians [...]

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Walmart Pleads Guilty To Dumping Hazardous Waste, Will Pay $81 Million

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Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will pay $81.6 million after pleading guilty on Tuesday to criminal charges of improperly disposing of fertilizer, pesticides and other hazardous products that were pulled from stores in California and Missouri because of damaged packaging and other problems.
The retail giant entered the plea in federal court in San Francisco to misdemeanor counts [...]

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Elephant seals as oceanographers

For more information on Northern Elephant Seals, check out my blog, Elephant Seals of Piedras Blancas.
A news report by Alison Smith from the UK on research being led by a scientist there:
Seals wearing special tags are playing a vital role in collecting temperature and salinity measurements from the polar oceans, delivering insights for weather forecasters, [...]

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