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Droughts, floods and other natural disasters are creating huge economic losses around the world, totaling about $US 2.5 trillion this century, according to estimates by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Bloomberg BNA reported. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged businesses to take steps to reduce disaster risk exposure when investing in new buildings [...]
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For Water, Cities Look to Farms Conserving water on farms is the key to securing water for cities that face recurring shortages, according to a new study published in the journal Water Policy, National Geographic reported. The growth of both irrigated agriculture and cities in water-scarce regions has fueled these shortages, necessitating working relationships between [...]
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Canada Oil Sands An unknown volume of water has been released from a holding pond at Suncor Energy’s oil sands project in Alberta, Reuters reported. The water was released into the Athabasca River, though it is unclear if the water contained toxic materials. China Water Pollution Another wave of dead animals has hit China’s waterways, [...]
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Canada Oil Sands An unknown volume of water has been released from a holding pond at Suncor Energy’s oil sands project in Alberta, Reuters reported. The water was released into the Athabasca River, though it is unclear if the water contained toxic materials. China Water Pollution Another wave of dead animals hit China’s waterways Sunday, [...]
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While working as an editor and writer at COLORS Magazine, Rose George was assigned to work on Cacas, a coffee table book featuring photographs of animal and human feces, for which “caca” is slang. Through the project, she discovered Sulabh International, an organization in India that provides public toilets and works to liberate those whose [...]
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Water Supply A new study about Andean glaciers found that the pace of ice retreat in the tropical Andes is “unprecedented,” putting the water supply for many South American communities at risk, the Guardian reported. The study, published in Cryosphere, claims that an average temperature rise of 0.7 degree Celsius over 70 years is behind [...]
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Winter Storms An Israeli security barrier built mostly in occupied areas of the West Bank is blocking the drainage of flood waters after a winter storm, Reuters reported. The wall does have drainage channels, but many are closed or clogged with debris. Conditions for Syrian refugees have further deteriorated after the eastern Mediterranean region was [...]
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California The first measure of Sierra Nevada snowpack in 2013 showed promising signs for California’s water supply, with hydraulic fracturing in the Monterey shale may be in California’s future, according to this column posted by Reuters. The state government took the first steps toward expanded fracking by publishing draft rules for the practice on December [...]
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Pollution A pig farm in the Chinese town of Houtonglong has polluted water sources, created health problems, and made it difficult for local farmers to raise other animals, the Guardian reported. As China’s appetite for meat continues to grow, ban production at 93 iron ore mines in Goa, which were found to be contributing to [...]
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A 7.3-magnitude earthquake hit off the coast of Japan near the site of the Fukushima disaster, creating a 1-meter (3.2 feet) tsunami, Reuters reported. Neither the quake nor the tsunami caused much damage. In this Guardian blog, George Monbiot questions the United Kingdom’s trial policy of biodiversity offsetting, which allows developers to destroy habitat for [...]
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Days of heavy rainfall have swollen rivers in the United Kingdom, where nearly 60 flood warnings remained in force Thursday and areas of York were already underwater, the Guardian reported. South America Brazil has the potential to become the world’s breadbasket due to its water resources, argues private investor and author James Dale Davidson in [...]
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San Francisco is considering an ordinance that would require owners of new and renovated buildings with water fountains to install special bottle-filling taps, according to Associated Press. The measure is part of the city’s efforts to increase the water supply in cities and rural areas across the country, Bloomberg reported, citing government officials. Heavy rains [...]
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Flood protection will cost the United Kingdom at least $1.3 billion (£860 million) by 2015, the Guardian reported, citing the U.K. government’s climate change advisers. The experts also warned that instead of maintaining the expenditure needed, the government has been drastically reducing the amount of public money available for protecting householders from floods. Meanwhile, the [...]
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Hydraulic fracturing for natural gas in Pennsylvania could put water supplies at risk, according to a new study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The drought and heat in the major maize and soybean producing regions of the United States could drive up world food prices in the coming months, [...]
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aid organizations are warning of a possible famine in Sudan, despite the government’s promise to allow food aid into conflict zones, according to AlertNet. Those who flee face severe water shortages in South Sudan’s refugee camps. A photo story from the Guardian shows how law banning mining and drilling on glaciers, Reuters reported. increasing the [...]
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Australian state and federal water ministers have agreed for new modeling to be done on returning more environmental flows to the ailing Murray-Darling river system, ABC Radio Australia reported. As Circle of Blue has reported previously, the process to adopt new water use regulations for the basin has pitted states against states and environmentalists against [...]
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The Potomac River is the most endangered river in the United States, according to a new report by the environmental group American Rivers. The annual list of U.S. rivers at risk includes streams in virtually every region of the country. Several are threatened by the same types of activities: energy development or dam- and reservoir-building, [...]
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A flawed water-trading system is choking the Murray-Darling, Australia’s largest river basin, and the new draft plan for the region will not solve the problems, according to a prominent Australian water expert. South Africa’s Cabinet will receive the long-awaited technical report on shale gas development in the country in July at the latest, according to [...]
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A $12.4 billion pharmaceutical industry and poor hygiene are fostering the growth of antibiotic-resistant super bacteria in India’s water, which could have serious implications for global health, Bloomberg News reported. The Club of Rome, a Switzerland-based think tank, has released a report forecasting global changes over the next 40 years. The report predicts an average [...]
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After years of drought, water is again flowing in the Jordan Valley. But questions over who controls the water still divide Palestinian and Israeli communities, MSNBC reported. Immersing painted idols in rivers and lakes during religious ceremonies in India has caused severe pollution to the country’s waters, according to scientists. Cambodia has officially asked Laos [...]
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