Entries by Nadya Ivanova

The Stream, March 12: Japan’s Tsunami Disaster – One Year On

/in /by

A year after the devastating tsunami in Japan, communities in the affected regions are slowly repairing their towns. On the one-year anniversary of the disaster, the Guardian features a series of montages that press agencies have created by combining pictures taken during or just after the tsunami hit with images taken up to a year […]

The Stream, March 8: Damming the Mekong

/in , /by

Dams on the tributaries of the Mekong River could have a bigger negative effect on fish biodiversity and food security than the hydropower stations on the main river, new research shows, according to the journal Nature. Extreme weather and climate change signal the emergence of a new normal that increases the risks at the intersections […]

Q&A: Ben Braga on the 6th World Water Forum

/in , /by

Ben Braga, the president of the International Committee for the 6th World Water Forum and the vice president of the World Water Council, talks with Circle of Blue about the Forum next week, the Rio+20 Summit in June, and the solutions to the world water crisis.

The Stream, March 6: An Essay on Hunger

/in /by

Droughts and Floods Today’s must-read: Paul Salopek’s beautiful, poignant, thought-provoking account for Foreign Policy of his journey with the Daasanach nomads through the hunger zone in northern Kenya. Prolonged dry spells and droughts have threatened parts of China, Russia, Australia, France, Spain, Portugal, Argentina, the United Kingdom, East Africa and the United States in recent […]

The Stream, March 5: Severe Drought Grips Portugal

/in /by

Water Shortages A severe drought in Portugal is ravaging pastures and threatening to worsen the country’s economic crisis, Reuters reported. Thousands of Texas rice farmers won’t get water for irrigation this year after the Lower Colorado River Authority said it won’t release water into the rivers and canals the farmers use for irrigation, AP reported. […]

The Stream, March 1: Drought Could Return to the Horn of Africa

/in /by

Africa A massive relocation program in Ethiopia is pitting village farmers against the government and land investors racing to secure prized agricultural land and water, PBS Newshour reported. Drought is likely to return to Somalia and other parts of the Horn of Africa over the next three months, climate scientists have warned, according to IRIN. […]

The Stream, February 28: The Future of Water in Central Asia

/in , , /by

Water Law The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by five U.S. states seeking an order requiring that additional steps be taken to keep invasive Asian carp out of the Great Lakes, Reuters reported. Poland has not yet complied with EU legislation on water protection, including the monitoring of water quality, the European Commission […]

The Stream, February 27: The U.S. Shale Oil Boom

/in /by

Energy The shale oil boom in the United States is putting a big squeeze on small towns in North Dakota and Montana that are suddenly seeing a rapid influx of people, traffic, infrastructure, crime and rising demand for housing, according to Reuters. On Friday, a second New York state judge upheld an upstate community’s ban […]

The Stream, February 23: New Report Adds Fuel to Fracking Debate

/in /by

Energy A new study by the University of Texas Energy Institute has found no evidence that hydraulic fracturing is contaminating groundwater, Voice of America reported. According to the report, many problems associated with fracking are related to processes common to all gas and drilling operations, such as drill casing failures, yet more science is needed […]

The Stream, February 21: Drought Declared in South-East England

/in /by

Droughts South-East England is officially in a state of drought, the Press Association reported, citing the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The Guardian has mapped out the affected regions. As rivers and reservoirs in England and Wales are running low after two dry winters, water industry executives have again called for regulatory reforms […]

The Stream, February 20: Low Water Levels May Hurt Texas Rice Industry

/in /by

Water-Food Continuing low water levels in Texas may prompt the first-ever restrictions on irrigation in the state’s major rice-growing areas, Bloomberg reported. Egypt’s slide from breadbasket of the eastern Mediterranean to net grain importer signals an economic crisis that threatens to shake the nation, according to The Washington Post. Brazil is planning a new grains […]

The Stream, February 16: Uruguay to Begin Onshore Oil and Gas Exploration

/in /by

Uruguay has signed a contract with U.S. company Schuepbach Energy to begin exploration for oil and gas in the north and centre of the country, MercoPress reported. Though China has spent billions of yuan trying to clean Lake Tai, where decades of pollution have brought ecosystems to the brink, acute problems persist, Guangzhou Daily reported. […]