The Stream, October 15: Colombian Farmers Sue BP Over Water and Environmental Damage

Law
The construction of a BP oil pipeline in Colombia caused serious damage to water supplies and fields, according to more than 100 farmers who are suing the oil company in the United Kingdom, the Guardian reported. The lawsuit is one of the largest environmental cases in UK history.

A dispute over water rights between Nebraska and Kansas has reached the U.S. Supreme Court, the Omaha World-Herald reported. The court has established that Nebraska took more than its share of water from the Republican River during a drought in 2006, but is now deciding how much money the state will pay to Kansas in damages and penalties.

Water Supply
China is creating financial incentives for the private sector to invest in water projects, Bloomberg News reported. The country plans to build 172 major water projects by 2020, and has increased the national budget for water investment by 7 percent this year.

Higher prices for water will do more to reduce water consumption than regulations promoting water conservation, The New York Times reported. Low water prices across the United States, and especially for the agricultural industry, are encouraging wasteful use of the resource.

Climate Change
Changing precipitation patterns and temperature patterns due to climate change will require much more agricultural adaptation in Australia, Reuters reported. Several agricultural sectors have shifted locations within the country to accommodate the changing climate, but efforts to improve irrigation efficiency and grow more resilient crops will likely be more successful, experts say.

A string of glaciers high in the Himalayas are not melting because they are protected from seasonal rains and instead receive precipitation in the form of winter snow, Yale Environment 360 reported, citing a new study in the journal Nature Geoscience. Still, scientists say the glaciers will disappear after 2100 if global climate change continues at its current rate.

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