Posts

A South American drought keeps global grain reserves tight, but it could mean good things for North American corn producers.

Breaking Laws of Supply and Demand: Record U.S. Corn Crop Not Likely to Lower Food Prices

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Favorable weather and prices, driven up by growing global demand and a series of droughts, have combined to push U.S. corn production to a new high — but retail food costs are not expected to drop.

Infographic: Water Privatization in the Philippines

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Breaking down the history of water privatization in the Philipine capital of Manila, this infographic explores the city's varied success with privatization using a timeline and a map.

Burdens of Extraction: The Growing Coal Mining Industry in Australia’s Hunter Valley Wine Region

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Farmers and small town residents grapple with the pressures of…

The Price of Water 2012: 18 Percent Rise Since 2010, 7 Percent Over Last Year in 30 Major U.S. Cities

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Rates have increased in many cities, but local conditions dictate by how much and how the increase is distributed. Chicago prices are up nearly 25 percent, while Los Angeles is down by 9 percent.
Groundwater Rescues New Mexico Farmers

In These Dry Times, Groundwater Rescues New Mexico Farmers

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Surface water allocations last year were 10 percent of normal,…

Photo Slideshow: Australia’s Agriculture and Energy

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The scale and rapid development of the nation's coal seam gas industry is changing the social fabric of the country’s small towns and farming regions, which have become protest centers.
Australia Liverpool Plains Mullaley New South Wales farm farmers irrigation food production drought energy coal seam gas water supply

Australia’s Agriculture and Energy Sectors Clash Over Water

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Rural culture and the industrial economy are at odds. Photo…
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Forecasting Western U.S. Water Supply in 2012: La Niña Again Delivers a Wet North and a Dry South

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As water availability data starts coming in, this year's water allocations and the potential consequences for irrigation, hydropower, wildfires, and flooding are being assessed — La Niña weather patterns have returned this year, but water supply conditions generally are not as extreme as they were 2011.

Draft Plan for Australia’s Murray-Darling Reignites Old Flames

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After the 20-week public consultations ended last week, three key basin states have rejected the proposed plan, and more than 60 Australian academics have slammed the document for neglecting to include climate change projections and for its lack of transparency.

Photo Slideshow: Australia’s Coal and Gas Boom Boosted By Asian Demand

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Massive hydrocarbon production has created worries over water use and pollution as the "Down Under" nation rises to the top of global exporters.
A coal loader eats away at a mountain of black coal at the Port of Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia. In 2011, the mines, trains, and coal loading terminals here shipped about 114 million metric tons of coal on about 1,000 freighters, bringing billions of dollars in export earnings.

Global Energy Demand Driving Australia’s Coal and Gas Export Boom

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International demand and new technologies push nation to the top for hydrocarbon exports. But massive production has also created worries over water.

Clean Energy Picture Dramatically Changed For Midwest, As U.S. Fossil Energy Boom Gathers Steam

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With the price of natural gas falling thanks to innovating drilling solutions in states like Ohio and Pennsylvania, investments in water-sipping energy models like wind and solar have dried up.