Satellite data shows the Tigris and Euphrates river basins are yet another example of how groundwater is being pumped at unsustainable rates across the world.
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Middle East
Oil sand mining operations in Alberta, Canada have been shown to cause increased levels of the toxic pollutants polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, in nearby lakes, according to a study from a team of Canadian researchers, reported The New York Times. The research tested sediment deposits from six lakes surrounding Fort McMurray dating back about [...]
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The price of five internationally-traded staple crops rose 10 percent last month.
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Middle East Israel’s government plans totransfer water from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea, where water levels are dropping more than one meter (3.3 feet) each year. China The average per capita 236.5 millimeters (9.3 inches) of rain to one town, Xinhua reported. North America Canada Wednesday announced new selling city tap water that [...]
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For developing the principles behind more efficient irrigation systems — and for spreading those ideas around the world — Dr. Daniel Hillel, a soil scientist, has been awarded the 2012 World Food Prize.
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The country already has major water transfer projects moving 2,110 million cubic meters (557 billion gallons). Just two weeks ago, Iran began construction on a new $US 1.5 billion project that will transfer more water from the Caspian Sea.
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New photos published on the Guardian reveal that early construction work for the controversial Belo Monte dam has already started in the Amazon, despite ongoing legal battles over environmental licenses. And there are already signs of deforestation. Australia’s water market has helped farmers and irrigators in the ailing Murray-Darling River Basin to weather drought and [...]
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Policy & Accountability Pollution, political unrest and corruption are contributing to the chronic water shortages in Nigeria and Ghana. PBS Newshour followed two local journalists as they investigated the challenges of bringing clean drinking water in two of the biggest and richest countries in the region. Allegations by a former integrity officer at the U.S. [...]
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India’s proposed mega project to link more than 30 rivers and divert waters from wet to dry areas has triggered worries in neighbouring countries, according to the BBC. Energy-hungry Nepal has approved the China Three Gorges Corp.’s controversial $US 1.6 billion hydropower project after the Chinese state-owned company threatened last month to withdraw its investment, [...]
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Diminishing supplies of water, metals and biomass could slow the deployment of clean energy technologies by 2035, Reuters reported, citing a new study by the Stockholm Environment Institute and by business initiative 3C. Some low-carbon technologies use more water than conventional fuels. Read the policy brief to find out why cutting carbon emissions and saving [...]
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Water scarcity will likely create conflict in regions around the world within the next decade, according to a report from the United States Director of National Intelligence, launched March 22 in Washington. The report, available here, predicts that water-linked instability is most likely to occur in South Asia and the Middle East. Providing enough water [...]
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Unlike the other oil-rich, water-poor Gulf states, by 2024 Qatar plans to produce up to 70 percent of its food domestically, by spending massively to boost crop yields and convert semi-desert into farmland, Reuters reported. But many economists and agricultural experts say Qatar’s plans do not make economic sense. There isn’t enough research on the [...]
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Groundwater levels have dropped dramatically in many places across the globe over the past nine years, with the biggest decline in parts of California, India, the Middle East and China, where expanding agriculture has increased water demand, ScienceNews reported. Nitrate pollution in the River Thames is so high that a clean-up would mean massive changes [...]
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Classified cables show that Saudi and U.S. officials believe water supplies along the Persian Gulf are at high-risk for terrorist attacks and possible contamination from nearby nuclear plants. This is the first of a new series that will analyze the water-related U.S. embassy cables published by WikiLeaks.
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Peter Gleick, an internationally recognized water expert, tells Circle of Blue what has changed — and what has not — since the 2009 release of Volume 6. The Pacific Institute’s biannual report analyzes how water relates to climate change, corporate interests, and policy reform.
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France plans to cancel shale gas exploration permits granted to Total SA and Schuepbach after it banned shale gas drilling due to environmental concerns earlier this year, Reuters reported, citing Le Figaro. Agriculture groups are up in arms over a proposal by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency to enlarge [...]
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Floods caused by monsoon rains have affected millions of people in northern and eastern India, forcing many out of their homes as swollen rivers wash away roads and hinder the rescue work, Reuters reported, citing government and aid officials. The Rio+20 global development summit co-ordinator is looking to make agriculture the highlight of the event [...]
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The debt deal reached by the White House and the U.S. Congress will likely slash the funding for many energy and environmental programs for years to come, including those dealing with fuel cells, wind and nuclear energy, as well as drinking water and pollution monitoring efforts, according to Yale Environment 360. Mother Jones gives more [...]
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A 2008 compact designed to protect the Great Lakes against diversions is undergoing its first big test as the Great Lakes face more and more pressure to supply surrounding regions, according to WBEZ. A new map shows the regional and local impacts of climate change. As energy demand and oil prices are soaring, Arab countries [...]
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Despite getting a go-ahead in the U.K., shale gas faces an uncertain future in Europe.
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