Entries by Nadya Ivanova

The Stream, May 17: Finland’s Mining Boom

More frequent and more severe floods, or what some farmers call “climate chaos,” are forcing food growers in upstate New York to stop planting in fertile flood plains, Inside Climate News reported. Finland’s environmental regulators will toughen rules for mining companies amid growing evidence about environmental damage from the country’s recent mining boom, Bloomberg reported. […]

The Stream, May 15: America’s Most Endangered Rivers

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, […]

The Stream, May 14: NASA Scientist Links Specific Weather Events to Climate Change

Drinking water is safe to consume in the small Pennsylvania town of Dimock, where residents complained about hydraulic fracturing, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Meanwhile, this Reuters analysis shows that insurers find it tough to price the risk from hydraulic fracturing. A NASA scientist has for the first time tied specific weather events, […]

The Stream, May 10: How Effective Is Australia’s Water Trading System?

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 […]

The Stream, May 8: Czech Republic May Impose Shale Gas Moratorium

The Czech Republic plans to set a two-year moratorium on granting licences for shale gas exploration, pending new legislation that will address the new gas extraction technique, Reuters reported. Almost half of the water companies in the United Kingdom will not be required to reduce their leakages before 2015, even though the country is in […]

The Stream, May 7: Drought Crisis in Africa’s Sahel

Greenland’s glaciers are not speeding up as much as previously thought and may be contributing “significantly less” to sea-level rise, according to new research published in the journal Science, the BBC reported. Europe Temperatures in Europe are set to rise between 0.4 degrees and 2.5 degrees Celsius in 2021-2050 compared to the 1960-1990 period, with […]

The Stream, May 3: India’s Water Pollution

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 […]

Australia’s Agriculture and Energy Sectors Clash Over Water

Rural culture and the industrial economy are at odds. Photo © Aaron Jaffe / Circle of Blue Farmers from the Liverpool Plains region gather in Mullaley, New South Wales, to attend a town hall meeting about the progress of coal seam gas development. Residents here worry that the energy sector could damage aquifers traditionally tapped […]

The Stream, May 1: Water Problems Could Hinder India’s Economic Growth

India’s flawed water management could hinder its economic growth and political stability, Reuters reported, citing the expert charged with developing the country’s new water resource strategy. Agriculture & Drought A shortage of water in India’s Maharashtra state could affect the region’s sugar output unless it receives adequate rains during the June-September monsoon season, The Wall […]

The Stream, April 30: Budget Cuts at Environment Canada

Federal budget cuts at Environment Canada, the country’s environmental department, have forced the agency to trim some of its wastewater monitoring programs and water conservation efforts, among others, Postmedia News reported. Tens of thousands of refugees in a South Sudanese camp must be relocated immediately to escape life-threatening water shortages and diseases, the international aid […]

The Stream, April 26: Fracking Should Be 600 Meters From Aquifers, Study Says

Water Pollution Hydraulic fracturing for shale gas should take place at least 600 meters down from aquifers used for water supplies, according to a new study published in the journal Marine and Petroleum Geology, the Press Association reported. Heavy municipal and industrial pollution in a river in the Indonesian province of West Java is threatening […]

The Stream, April 24: New Estimate of the Niger Delta Oil Spill

Water Pollution Shell’s oil spill on the Niger Delta was at least 60 times bigger than the company said at the time, according to estimates by U.S. consultancy Accufacts, the Guardian reported. The textile suppliers for some of the world’s biggest clothing brands have violated China’s environmental laws by contaminating water supplies with chemicals from […]