The Stream, July 10: U.S. Drought and World Food Prices

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, according to Voice of America.

Foreign companies are buying more and more into China’s water treatment market, after the country said it would invest $63 billion in the sector through 2015, China Daily reported.

The last four water companies with hosepipe bans in the United Kingdom have announced that they are lifting the restrictions following months of heavy rainfall, the Press Association reported. The utilities introduced hosepipe bans in parts of drought-stricken southern and eastern England in April.

Anglo American said it was close to beginning construction for its $3 billion Quellaveco copper project in Peru after the company gained crucial community support for its water plan, Reuters reported. Quellaveco is among a number of mining projects in the country that have been opposed by local environmental and political groups for months.

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