11-02-2009
Endless leak fuelling oil rig blaze
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 Australia -
[Australia] A fire that broke out at the West Atlas oil rig in the Timor Sea on 1 November can't be controlled for a while, said the owners of the rig, PTTEP Australasia. The firm has been battling a massive oil leak off the coast of Western Australia without success for more than ten weeks, and an endless supply of fuel will continue to feed the fire until the leak is sealed. Australia's Minister of Resources, Martin Ferguson, has ordered government agencies to do everything they can to assist PTTEP Australasia. Meanwhile, environmentalists responded to this latest catastrophe with outrage. West Australian Senator Rachel Siewert asked why PTTEP still hasn't explained what caused the leak in the first place, and Executive Director Martin Pritchard of Environs Kimberley called on the Federal government to stop oil and gas developments off the Kimberley coast. "This has really now turned into a disaster movie," he said.
- summary by Louise Shaler
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Source:
ABC News byDavid Weber
Original Language: English
Check for stories with: ocean, oil pollution, disaster plan
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11-02-2009
Kilimanjaro glaciers could disappear in 20 years
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 Tanzania -
[Tanzania] The famous snows of Kilimanjaro could vanish within 20 years, predicted glaciologist Dr. Lonnie Thompson of the University of Ohio in Columbus, Ohio. Glaciers inside the volcanic crater of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania's Kilimanjaro Region are melting more rapidly under the impact of rising temperatures: between 1912 and 2007, 85% of them vanished, but 26% of that loss has occurred since 2000.
- summary by Louise Shaler
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Source:
La Republica by
Original Language: Spanish
Check for stories with: global warming, glacier, forecasting
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11-02-2009
Probe to track impact of warming on Earth's water
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 Russia -
[Russia] The European Space Agency's Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) space probe was launched at Plesetsk Cosmodrome in the Archangel Region of Russia on 2 November. The satellite has two missions during its three- to five-year lifespan. The first is to measure soil moisture across the planet every three days up to a depth of 2 m, which will improve the forecasting of droughts, floods, and precipitation; the monitoring of plant growth; and calculations of how fast the planet absorbs carbon dioxide. The second mission is to measure changes in the salt content of surface waters in the world's oceans, which will enhance our understanding of what drives ocean circulation patterns. Ocean circulation affects climate by transporting heat from the Equator to the poles.
- summary by Louise Shaler
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Source:
Yahoo News byMarlowe Hood (taken from Agence France-Presse)
Original Language: English
Check for stories with: spacecraft, forecasting, drought, flood, rainfall, ocean, salinization, carbon dioxide emissions
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11-02-2009
Drought threatens 90% of Argentina
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 Argentina -
[Argentina] Meteorological officials reported that 90% of Argentina was threatened by drought, a situation aggravated by the outbreak of forest fires in the provinces of La Pampa, Buenos Aires, and Cordoba. Thousands of families are suffering from high temperatures and lack of drinking water, and a number of cities have instituted water rationing.
- summary by Louise Shaler
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Source:
La Nacion by
Original Language: Spanish
Check for stories with: drought, wildfire
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11-01-2009
Partnership improves water, sanitation, and hygiene in Ethiopia
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 Ethiopia -
[Ethiopia] The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Coca-Cola Africa Foundation completed projects in Ethiopia's Amhara Region that will provide sanitation and safe drinking water to over 46,000 people. The works -- carried out by the Millennium Water Alliance - included the rehabilitation and construction of water systems, cattle troughs, public showers, clothes-washing basins, and latrines fitted with hand-washing facilities. In addition, educational materials on hygiene were developed and distributed to schools and communities. Since 2004, the Millennium Water Alliance and its partners have built or upgraded more than 800 water networks in Ethiopia to supply around 421,000 people.
- summary by Louise Shaler
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Source:
Ethiopian Reporter by
Original Language: English
Check for stories with: sanitation, water service, international aid
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10-30-2009
Australia: Sea level threatens 700,000 houses
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 Australia -
[Australia] An alarming report to the Australian Parliament in Canberra, ACT, predicted that millions of coastal homeowners could be forced to abandon their dwellings as sea levels increase, bringing higher tides and bigger storm surges. Since 80% of Australia's population lives along the coasts, roughly 700,000 houses are threatened. In the coastal city of Byron Bay, New South Wales, a lot of houses have already been gobbled up by the waves, although the Greens-dominated Municipal Council discouraged householders from building protective walls and adopted a policy of "planned withdrawal" instead.
- summary by Louise Shaler
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Source:
Ta Nea by
Original Language: Greek
Check for stories with: global warming, ocean, flood, erosion
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10-29-2009
Water Use in the US Less in 2005 Than in 1975
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 United States -
[United States] According to a new report by the US Geological Survey, Americans are using less water than they did during the peak years of 1975 and 1980, despite a 30% increase in population. More efficient irrigation systems and greener technologies at power plants have provided most of the savings, which isn't surprising, since 49% of the 410 billion gallons consumed in the US every day is used to produce electricity and 31% is used for irrigation.
- summary by Louise Shaler
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Source:
Environmental News Network byRoger Greenway
Original Language: English
Check for stories with: water conservation
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10-28-2009
Project Sage Special Report: Sustainability Through Engineering
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 Arizona -
[Arizona] Dr. Jun Yan, a researcher in semiconductor manufacturing at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Pima County, has created a sensor that indicates when water is clean enough to use. The Electro-Chemical Residue Sensor, which can track contamination by measuring electrical impedance, makes over-rinsing unnecessary, potentially reducing the industry's water consumption by 50-65%. Semiconductor manufacturing plants now use about 50 billion gallons of "ultrapure" water a year - that is, water that's been treated by reverse osmosis, ion exchange, and ultraviolet degassing to reduce bacteria to 1 part per cubic meter. Yan works at the Engineering Research Center for Environmentally Benign Semiconductor Manufacturing, headed by Regents Professor Farhang Shadman. He, along with other leaders in the field, seeks ways to make semiconductor manufacturing more sustainable.
- summary by Louise Shaler
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Source:
UA News/University of Arizona byLew Serviss
Original Language: English
Check for stories with: water conservation
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