Another Amazon oil spill puts Peruvian communities at risk – ‘We don’t drink river water any more. It gives us diarrhea and stomachaches’

By Barbara Fraser and Milton López Tarabochia26 June 2016 (mongabay.com) – A new oil spill from the pipeline that carries crude oil from the northern Peruvian Amazon across the Andes Mountains to the Pacific coast has raised fears of yet more pollution of the water and fish on which indigenous villages and riverside communities depend. […]

Ulba river in Siberia poisoned by mining city Ridder in Kazakhstan, 1100 km upstream – ‘It is a real ecological disaster’

31 May 2016 (Siberian Times) – Alert as dump including cyanide at zinc plant leaks into Ulba Rover and pollution flows towards Omsk. An acidic smell causes breathing difficulties as far as 700 metres from the river, according to worried locals on the bank of the Ulba. Omsk residents, around 1,100 kilometres from the source […]

Climate change could alter the chemistry of deepwater lakes and harm ecosystems

By Alexander L. Forrest13 June 2016 (The Conversation) – In an age of rapid global population growth, demand for safe, clean water is constantly increasing. In 2010 the United States alone used 355 billion gallons of water per day. Most of the available fresh water on Earth’s surface is found in lakes, streams and reservoirs, […]

Tibetans believe mass fish kill in Lichu River caused by lithium mine waste – Protests ignored by China mining company

By Tenzin Palden4 June 2016 (Tibet Policy Institute) – On 4 May 2016, a sudden mass death of fish in the Lichu River in Minyak Lhagang, Dartsedo County in Karze Prefecture brought hundreds of local Tibetans out on the street, protesting against a lithium mining company (Ronda Lithium Co Ltd) that released mine waste into […]

The world is about to install 700 million air conditioners – “Demand for cooling, particularly in hot climates, is going to be an incredible driver of electricity requirements”

By Chris Mooney and Brady Dennis 31 May 2016 (Washington Post) – As summer temperatures finally settle in, many in the United States take it for granted that they can dial down the thermostat: Americans use 5 percent of all of their electricity cooling homes and buildings. In many other countries, however — including countries […]

777 days later, Congress hasn’t lifted a finger for Flint, Michigan

By Katie Herzog10 June 2016 (Grist) – It’s been 777 days since Michigan switched Flint’s water supply from Detroit to Flint River and residents began complaining that it looked, tasted, and smelled wrong; 478 days since a Flint resident informed the Environmental Protection Agency that her water contained high levels of lead; and 157 days […]

Global urban air pollution levels increased by 8 percent in five years – ‘Urban air pollution continues to rise at an alarming rate, wreaking havoc on human health’

12 May 2016 (UN) – More than 80 per cent of people living in urban areas that monitor air pollution are exposed to air quality levels that exceed guidelines set by the World Health Organization (WHO), with populations in low-income cities the most at risk for respiratory diseases and other long-term health problems. Some 98 […]

UN calls for end to poaching and trade of migratory birds – ‘We must stop the illegal killing now, if we don’t want our skies to fall silent’

10 May 2016 (UN) – Millions of migratory birds are being lost each year as a result of illegal killing, taking and trade, United Nations officials warned on World Migratory Bird Day, calling for concerted action to end the threats to migratory birds and urging everyone to step outside and “listen to the birds chirping,” […]

Wave of dead sea creatures hits Chile beaches – Experts blame El Niño and fish farming

4 May 2016 (ABC News) – Piles of dead whales, salmon, sardines, and clams blamed on the El Niño freak weather phenomenon have been clogging Chile’s pacific beaches in recent months. Last year, scientists were shocked when more than 300 whales turned up dead on remote bays of the southern coast — it was the […]

Poor Pennsylvania communities bear greatest burden from fracking – ‘This trend is not one we’re surprised by, we see this in a lot of industries’

By Brian Bienkowski6 May 2015 (Scientific America) – Fracking wells in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale region are disproportionately located in poor rural communities, which bear the brunt of associated pollution, according to a new study. The study bolsters concerns that poor people are more likely to deal with hydraulic fracturing in their community and raises concerns […]

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