Dmitry Orlov: Checkmate

By Dmitry OrlovTuesday, June 15, 2010 In all of the descriptions of perilous situations that I have studied, arising during adventures on the high seas or in the high mountains, or during armed conflict, a single mistake rarely proves fatal. More often than not, death comes as a result of a sequence of bad choices […]

Droughts causing power blackouts in hydro-dependent Kenya

By MICHAEL BURNHAM AND NATHANIAL GRONEWOLD of GreenwirePublished: May 10, 2010 NAIROBI, Kenya — The restaurant manager shrugs as his customers eat in darkness and his kitchen limps along on half power. “What they told us in the newspaper last week was that one section of the city would have a blackout for maintenance purposes, […]

Water supply in Nashville ‘critically low’ after record rainfall

By Lee Hill City officials in Nashville say the area’s water supply is now “critically low” after a weekend storm dumped a record 13 inches of rainfall over two days. Because of potential shortages, the city’s Metro Water Services utility urges residents to cut down on taking showers and is now directing its customers to […]

Record Tennessee river levels will continue to rise; water mains break, sewage treatment plants engulfed, curfew declared

By Juanita Cousins • The TennesseanMay 2, 2010, UPDATED 7:30pm A number of water main breaks and sewage treatment problems are being reported across Middle Tennessee. According to, Tisha Calabrese-Benton, spokeswoman for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, water main breaks in the city of Brentwood and Humphreys and Maury counties are threatening fresh […]

So long Suburbia: Construction in US cities shifting back to urban core

  By Jesse Fox, Tel Aviv, Israel  on 04.11.10 The boundless growth of suburban sprawl in the US, long blamed for everything from climate change to social segregation, may finally be slowing down. According to a new study by the EPA, new construction in the urban cores and older suburbs of American cities is beginning […]

Image of the Day: Artificial Archipelagos, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Caption by William L. Stefanov, NASA-JSC. The municipality of Dubai is the largest city of the Persian Gulf emirate of the same name, and has built a global reputation for large-scale developments and architectural works. Among the most visible of these developments—particularly from the perspective of astronauts on board the International Space Station—are three human-made […]

Drought causes coal shortage in central China province — Three Gorges reservoir six meters lower than last year

13:22, April 04, 2010Source:Xinhua About 300,000 tonnes of thermal coals were needed in central China’s Hubei Province as lingering drought in the upstream region has cut the hydropower, local officials said Sunday. About 30 percent of Hubei’s electricity capacity comes from hydropower generation, but the drought in southwest China has lowered the water level in […]

Desperate Australia farmers volunteer to sell water entitlements

By DEBRA JOPSONMarch 30, 2010 SIXTY drought-affected farmers living on more than 100 kilometres of an irrigation channel in the state’s south-west, who have volunteered to stop growing rice and thirsty cereals, expect an offer this week from the federal government for their water entitlements. In a desperate move, which for many will end their […]

Ken Salazar: Water a ‘ticking time bomb’ for California

The U.S. Interior secretary discusses water infrastructure and climate change legislation with Times editors and reporters. March 22, 2010 Below are excerpts from a conversation Monday morning between U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Times reporters and editorial board members. Dan Turner, L.A. Times: I know that you’ve been involved in the climate bill talks. […]

Ancient Khmer civilization felled by mega-droughts and torrential rains

ScienceDaily (Mar. 30, 2010) — Decades of drought, interspersed with intense monsoon rains, may have helped bring about the fall of Cambodia’s ancient Khmer civilization at Angkor nearly 600 years ago, according to an analysis of tree rings, archeological remains and other evidence. The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of […]

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