By DOROTHY SPEARS12 August 2011 During the shooting of his 2010 documentary Climate Refugees, the Irish-American filmmaker Michael Nash visited nearly 50 countries in about 18 months, interviewing politicians, scientists, health workers and victims of floods, cyclones, hurricanes and droughts. His conclusion was that short- and longer-term changes in climate are causing vast numbers of […]
By Jim Efstathiou Jr. 11 August 2011 Natural-gas companies risk causing serious environmental damage from hydraulic fracturing unless they commit to the best engineering practices, a task force named by Energy Secretary Steven Chu concluded. Regulations to protect public health will work best when drillers embrace techniques that avoid “undesirable consequences,” according to a draft […]
KEMP, TEXAS, August 8 (ABC) – Water conservation has been turned up a notch in one North Texas community: The water has been cut off. Kemp Mayor Donald Kile says water was turned off to residents Sunday for 48 hours. KDFW-TV in Dallas-Fort Worth reports that two weeks ago, excessive heat caused the soil to […]
By Duncan Green8 August 2011 So is famine in the Horn of Africa linked to climate change or not? The question arises whenever “extreme weather events” – hurricanes, floods, droughts – hit our TV screens. It’s impossible to answer with a simple yes or no – but here’s what we think we know so far. […]
NAIROBI, 5 August 2011 (IRIN) – The Horn of Africa is facing what has been called the worst drought in 60 years, with an estimated 12.4 million people urgently needing food. Here are some points about the ongoing food crisis: When to use the “F” word – Although some media reports have described the food […]
By Joe Romm 4 August 2011 In light of the sustained drought, Governor Mary Fallin today asked all Oklahomans to set aside time this Sunday, July 17, to pray for rain. That was two weeks ago. The result is that Oklahoma went from the drought condition on the right to the one on the left […]
ABUJA, Nigeria, August 5, 2011 (ENS) – Pollution from over 50 years of oil operations in the Ogoniland region of Nigeria is poisoning communities by contaminating their air, land and drinking water, an in-depth scientific assessment by the United Nations Environment Programme reveals. Conducted at the request of the Nigerian government, the UNEP report blames […]
By Michael Hirtzer with additional reporting by Julie Ingwersen; Editing by John Picinich4 Aug 2011 CHICAGO (Reuters) – Drought worsened in the Midwest during the last week as record-high temperatures stressed the developing corn and soybean crops, while cotton and pastures eroded amid a historic drought in the southern Plains. Nearly 38 percent of the […]
A Texas lake that turned blood-red this summer may not be a sign of the End Times, but probably is the end of a popular fishing and recreation spot. A drought has left the OC Fisher Reservoir in San Angelo State Park in West Texas almost entirely dry. The water that is left is stagnant, […]
By JASON STRAZIUSO4 August 2011 THREE new Somali regions have been declared famine zones, expanding the area where the highest rates of malnutrition and mortality are taking place, including the refugee camps in the capital, Mogadishu. The UN’s food agency said yesterday famine is likely to spread across all of Somalia’s south in the next […]
