U.S. coal exports have doubled during Obama’s so-called ‘war on coal’

By Carmel Lobello27 June 2013 (The Week) – In a speech on Tuesday, President Obama laid out a plan for reducing carbon emissions, directing the EPA to add new carbon limitations for coal plants that are already active — a move that opponents are likening to a “war on coal.” Coal, the largest source of […]

Japan to ignore fishing ban on endangered sharks – ‘We use more sharks than anyone else in the world!’

By Gary Stokes, Director, Sea Shepherd Hong Kong18 June 2013 (SeaShepherd.org) – Recently Japan announced that despite the decision to protect five shark species at the CITES CoP16 meeting held in Bangkok this past March, it is entering a “reservation” (i.e., it will be ignoring the ruling) as it does not recognize the United Nations […]

Australia whaling case against Japan worth the gamble

By Andrew Darby, Hobart correspondent for Fairfax Media25 June 2013 (Sydney Morning Herald) – When Australia first went to court against Japan over whaling, it was against clear warnings from anti-whaling allies. The US commissioner at the International Whaling Commission, Monica Medina, called it a ”bet the whales” case – an uncertain gamble on whales’ […]

Record U.S. coal exports fuel climate change debate

By David J. Unger20 June 2013 (Christian Science Monitor) – No country emits more carbon dioxide than China, but at least some of that heat-trapping gas gets its start in Appalachian mines. With cleaner-burning natural gas cutting into the their market in the United States, coal companies have found eager customers in the East, fueling […]

IEA: Carbon emissions from fuel usage hit new global record

10 June 2013 (Deutsche Welle) – The International Energy Agency (IEA) says the world’s carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel usage have risen to a record level. It warns that despite increased renewables usage climate change will “not go away.” Global carbon dioxide emissions hit a new record in 2012, standing at 31.6 billion tons, […]

Another contaminated water leak at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant

By Mari Saito, Risa Maeda, and Kenichiro Hamada; Editing by Ron Popeski5 June 2013 TOKYO (Reuters) – The operator of the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant said it had found another leak of contaminated water on Wednesday, piling pressure on the utility to curb the problem as it seeks permission to release water to the sea. […]

Japan spring whale slaughter kills record low 34 – Whales eating young eels instead of mature, signaling ecosystem collapse

TOKYO, 6 June 2013 (AFP) – Japanese whalers hunting the mammals in the northwestern Pacific caught a record-low 34 minke whales this spring, the fisheries agency said Thursday, blaming bad weather. The whaling, conducted in the name of “scientific research,” took place from April 18 to June 3 and netted 17 male and 17 female […]

Soil around Fukushima to be frozen to stop groundwater leaking in – Disaster poses ‘an unprecedented challenge in the world’

By Mark Willacy31 May 2013 (ABC) – The Japanese government has ordered the operator of the Fukushima nuclear plant to freeze the soil around its crippled reactor buildings to stop groundwater seeping in and becoming contaminated. Every day another 400 tonnes of groundwater forces its way into the plant, becomes contaminated with radioactivity and needs […]

‘Absolutely every one’ – Bluefin tuna tested in California waters contaminated with Fukushima radiation

29 May 2012 (WashingtonsBlog) – We noted more than a year ago: The ocean currents head from Japan to the West Coast of the U.S. *** Of course, fish don’t necessarily stay still, either. For example, the Telegraph notes that scientists tagged a bluefin tuna and found that it crossed between Japan and the West […]

Strict radiation reference levels shunned to stem Fukushima exodus – ‘The prefectural government could not function with population drain under the 5-millisievert scenario’

By SHINICHI SEKINE25 May 2013 (Asahi Shimbun) – The government avoided setting stringent radiation reference levels for the return of Fukushima evacuees for fear of triggering a population drain and being hit by ballooning costs for compensation, an Asahi Shimbun investigation shows. The revelation could rekindle debate over the government’s safety standards as many evacuees […]

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