The Stream, February 24: The Scale of Shale

Will Europe replicate the shale gas boom in the United States? It’s far too early to know, experts say, but exploratory drilling is already under way in Britain, Germany and Poland. Others, like France, are holding off exploration until further environmental studies.

South Korea proposed a “climate vulnerability” index to judge which developing countries are most at risk from climate change. The index will measure climate impacts such as sea level rise, water resources, health and response capacity, and will help set priorities in distributing climate aid. This is just one among a number of proposals submitted to the United Nations ahead of the next round of climate talks in Bangkok in April.

China will spend more than 62.54 billion yuan (about $9.48 billion) in the next five years to repair its dangerous small reservoirs, Xinhua reported. The spending plan is part of China’s efforts to boost water conservation in light of the perennial droughts that are spreading through the country. Meanwhile, China began monitoring the water quality in its border rivers and signed a water protection agreement with neighboring Kazakhstan.

WWF-Indonesia is urging for an “environmental service fee” to help the country’s capital Jakarta avoid a water crisis. But others say that the water problems of the Greater Jakarta area are far too complex to resolve through an environmental tax.

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.