The Stream, January 5: Qatar’s Food Security

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 potential effects of shale gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing on human health and the environment, according to one of the top U.S. government scientists, The Wall Street Journal reported. When will science catch up with the pace of energy development?

Beijing faces extremely severe water shortage, China Daily reported, citing the Beijing Water Authority. How did China’s capital get in over its head, and what is the city doing to get its water crisis under control?

A top Canadian resource company has won a court injunction in the Philippines reversing a local ban on open-pit mining in a southern province hosting its $60 million copper and zinc mine, according to Reuters. Provincial legislators fear that the mining operations could threaten the land and water resources in the area.

PetroChina, Asia’s biggest oil and gas company, will take full ownership of Canada’s MacKay River oil sands project, Los Angeles Times reported. The deal is the latest in China’s growing investment in exploration and production ventures in Canada, Africa, Latin America and elsewhere.

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