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Last ones left in a toxic town.
At the entrance to Treece, Kan., something strange happens: Mountains appear on the horizon. Except they’re not really mountains. They’re mounds of toxic stone. Gray, treeless monuments to the town’s more profitable past. New York Times. 16 May 2012.
Medical records could yield answers on fracking.
A proposed study of people in northern Pennsylvania could help resolve a national debate about whether the natural gas boom is making people sick. If the study goes forward, it would be the first large-scale, scientifically rigorous assessment of the health effects of gas production. Morning Edition, NPR. 16 May 2012.
Company wants to tap Mojave's public lands for Southern California water.
One company is pushing ahead with a proposal to pump enough groundwater every year to supply 100,000 homes and sell it to urban Southern California. If the plan succeeds, it will turn ancient desert groundwater, a public resource, into a fountain of private profit, blazing a new — and some warn ominous — path in the state. Los Angeles Times. 16 May 2012.
New US plans delay some evacuations, cut practice for major nuclear plant accidents.
Without fanfare, the nation’s nuclear power regulators have overhauled community emergency planning for the first time in more than three decades, requiring fewer exercises for major accidents and recommending that fewer people be evacuated right away. Associated Press. 16 May 2012.
Dam project threatens a way of life in Peru.
With encroachment from settlers and speculators, and after a devastating war against Shining Path rebels a decade ago, the indigenous Ashaninkas’ hold is precarious. And they are now facing a new peril, a proposed 2,200-megawatt Pakitzapango hydroelectric dam. New York Times. 16 May 2012.
Your heart on air pollution: An Olympic case study.
China's radical blue-sky measures during the 2008 Olympics actually improved Beijingers' cardiovascular health -- if only for a few weeks. After the games came to an end, many of the temporary pollution-reducing measures were relaxed, and pollution levels climbed once more. The Atlantic. 16 May 2012.
How cheap meat practices beef up superbugs like MRSA.
MRSA is among a growing number of bacterial strains that are highly resistant to antibiotics and are very difficult to treat when they cause serious infections. According to infectious disease experts, the increase in the number of superbugs over the past three decades comes from the overuse of antibiotics -- not only in humans but also in farm animals. ABC News. 16 May 2012.
Mining laws being drafted in Haiti.
The Haitian government is drafting legislation for the newly emerging mining industry to help this impoverished Caribbean nation reap benefits, the new prime minister said Tuesday. Associated Press. 16 May 2012.
Palestinians face hurdles to a greener West Bank.
In a society preoccupied with the struggle for independence from Israel, protecting the environment has often been sidelined — as evidenced by the ubiquitous sight of burning trash and piles of garbage bags on sidewalks in this city of 30,000 north of Jerusalem. Associated Press. 16 May 2012.
Ocean temperature made Australia floods worse.
Abnormally high ocean temperatures off the coast of northern Australia contributed to the extreme rainfall that flooded three-quarters of Queensland over the summer of 2010-11, scientists report. Melbourne Age, Australia. 16 May 2012.
Fukushima tsunami threat known since 2006.
The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency and Tokyo Electric Power Co. were aware at least by 2006 that the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant was at risk of having its power knocked out by massive tsunami, NISA officials said Tuesday. Kyodo News, Japan. 16 May 2012.
New scrutiny for California nuke plant as restart looms.
The idled San Onofre nuclear power plant is facing new scrutiny from Congress as the utility that operates it moves closer to proposing a fix to get the twin reactors back in service. Associated Press. 16 May 2012.
'Close encounters' with gas well pollution.
Living in the middle of a natural gas boom can be pretty unsettling. The area around the town of Silt, Colo., used to be the kind of sleepy rural place where the tweet of birds was the most you would hear. Now it's hard to make out the birds because of the rumbling of natural gas drilling rigs. All Things Considered, NPR. 16 May 2012.
Fracking pollution reduced through oversight, report finds.
State oversight of gas drilling has been effective at reducing environmental problems in Pennsylvania and will prevent major problems in New York if the state allows drilling to begin, according to a study released Tuesday by the University at Buffalo's new shale gas institute. Associated Press. 16 May 2012.
US asthma rates are at an all-time high, CDC says.
The proportion of Americans with asthma increased from 7.3% in 2001 to 8.4% in 2010, marking the highest level ever, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday. Los Angeles Times. 16 May 2012.
WHO warns of high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity.
Health data released on Wednesday provided the clearest evidence to date of the spread of chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease from developed nations to poorer regions such as Africa, as lifestyles and diets there change. Reuters. 16 May 2012.
Which kids' sunscreens should you avoid?
While sunscreen is important for staying safe from harmful UV rays, there are still enough confusing labels, dangerous ingredients, and misleading SPF designations in many common products. Mother Jones. 16 May 2012.
Insecticide resistance threatens malaria fight.
Malaria-carrying mosquitoes in Africa and India are becoming resistant to insecticides, putting millions of lives at greater risk and threatening eradication efforts, health experts said on Tuesday. Reuters. 16 May 2012.
After a half million bees die, Northshore beekeepers search for answer.
Back in May, more than a half million honeybees died in one location in Tangipahoa Parish. The bees belonged to two Northshore beekeepers, who kept nine hives in one location. And beekeepers believe they know why - pesticides, and more specifically, mosquito spraying. New Orleans WWL TV, Louisiana. 16 May 2012.
Natural sinks still sopping up carbon.
Earth’s ecosystems keep soaking up more carbon as greenhouse gases accumulate in the atmosphere, new measurements find. The research contradicts several recent studies suggesting that “carbon sinks” have reached or passed their capacity. Science News. 16 May 2012.
UK climate experiment cancelled on patent concerns.
British scientists have abandoned an experiment to test the possibility of spraying particles into the upper atmosphere to stem global warming, largely due to concerns over a patent for some of the technology, the project's leader said. Reuters. 16 May 2012.
If Salt Lake City's CO2 emissions can be monitored, can China's?
Negotiating an international agreement to fight climate change is hard enough. But for the past several years, scientists have warned that verifying whether countries meet their pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions could be even harder. ClimateWire. 16 May 2012.
Airlines and pollution: Europe against the world.
After a lot of noisy cross-fire, the smoke has cleared from the battleground that is the European Union’s policy on airlines and climate change: Of the 26 countries that fiercely opposed the emissions charge, only China and India are failing to comply with the scheme. Economist. 16 May 2012.
England is stuck in drought despite wettest April on record.
Huge swaths of Britain remain stuck in drought after two abnormally dry winters despite the country's having suffered its wettest April on record last month, with little letup in the often torrential downpours enduring into May. ClimateWire. 16 May 2012.
Interior ignored tribal concerns about wind farm impacts.
An American Indian tribe has filed a federal lawsuit against the Interior Department in an effort to stop what would become California's largest wind farm on public land. Greenwire. 16 May 2012.
Brown coal's allure in new coal economy.
The dream that clean technologies can drive development of a large-scale brown coal export industry is shared by Resources Minister Martin Ferguson and many investors along Melbourne's fine old financial hub of Collins Street. Australia ABC News, Australia. 16 May 2012.
When oil and gas talks, Obama team listens more closely.
The Obama administration is listening more attentively to the oil and gas industry in the past few months, the top White House official on energy said yesterday, after neglecting the relationship early in the president's term. EnergyWire. 16 May 2012.
Climate sceptics and sympathisers put heat on Flannery.
As a crowd gathered to see climate change expert Tim Flannery speak at a public forum, Janene Lawson's mind was elsewhere. "I try not to believe [in climate change] because I don't like to believe the worst," she said – an optimism not shared by Flannery and the federal government's Climate Commission. Sydney Morning Herald, Australia. 16 May 2012.
French threat to UK energy: François Hollande could close nuclear plants.
Six years ago today Tony Blair figuratively pushed Britain's nuclear button, announcing that to "keep the lights on" and prevent global warming the Government was backing the creation of the first new generation of nuclear power stations. Belfast Telegraph, United Kingdom. 16 May 2012.
Household assistance payments begin to flow.
The Federal Government's controversial carbon price comes into effect on July 1st, when Australia's biggest polluters will have to pay for their carbon emissions. Australia ABC News, Australia. 16 May 2012.
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