The Stream, June 27: Costa Rica’s ‘Green Economy’ Works for Water

The Guardian explores how Costa Rica has implemented a green economy, which places a monetary value on ecosystem services, to protect resources like forests and water.

Officials in Mumbai have warned that water rationing will likely occur after July 15 due to dwindling water supplies in India’s most populous city, The Times of India reported.

China plans to invest $US 1.27 billion by 2015 to develop water-efficient farms, Xinhua reported. The farms will be located in Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning provinces and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, which collectively produce one-fifth of the country’s grain.

Water withdrawals, waste water management and drinking water contamination top stakeholders’ list of concerns about hydraulic fracturing, according to a new report from the Pacific Institute that examines the impact of the controversial drilling method on water.

Samples taken from meteorites revealed that Mars’ mantle once contained 70 to 300 parts per million of water, a concentration similar to the Earth’s, according to CBS News. The meteorites landed on Earth 2.5 million years ago.

United States
The United States Supreme Court will review a decision made by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that claims sediment runoff from timber operations should be regulated like other industrial runoff, not agricultural runoff, the Associated Press reported. The decision, if it stands, would require industrial loggers to obtain a Clean Water Act permit.

The administration of U.S. President Barrack Obama has granted construction permits for the southern portion of TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline, The New York Times reported. The unapproved northern section of the disputed pipeline, which would carry crude oil from Canada’s tar sands to refineries on the Gulf of Mexico, would likely cross over parts of the important Ogallala Aquifer in Nebraska.

The Stream is a daily digest spotting global water trends. To get more water news, follow Circle of Blue on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter.

Codi Kozacek

A news correspondent for Circle of Blue based out of Hawaii. She writes The Stream, Circle of Blue’s daily digest of international water news trends. Her interests include food security, ecology and the Great Lakes.
Contact Codi Kozacek