The Stream, August 10: New Zealand Announces End of Coal Power

The Global Rundown

New Zealand plans to close its coal-fired power plants and transition almost entirely to renewable energy sources. Acid mine drainage is a persistent pollution problem in the western United States, and protesters in Brazil continue to pressure Rio de Janeiro to clean up its Olympic waters. Turkey completed the undersea portion of its Cyprus water transfer pipeline, while officials in Iraq’s Kurdistan region urged residents to conserve water due to shortages. Typhoon Soudelor caused flooding and mudslides in Taiwan and China.

“There’s still a whole generation of abandoned mines that needs to be dealt with.”–Steve Kandell, director of the Sportsmen’s Conservation Project for Trout Unlimited in Colorado, on efforts to clean up water pollution from acid mine drainage in the western United States. Last week, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency mine cleanup project went awry and spilled sludge into the Colorado River. (Associated Press)

By The Numbers

80 kilometers Length of the undersea portion of a new water pipeline between Turkey and northern Cyprus, making it the longest of its kind in the world. The pipeline will carry 75 million cubic meters of water from Turkey to Cyprus each year. Bloomberg

14 people Number killed by Typhoon Soudelor, which triggered flooding and mudslides in Taiwan and eastern China over the weekend. Reuters

1 out of 8 water treatment plants Number built so far in Rio de Janeiro as part of a plan to clean up Guanabara Bay. Pollution in the bay has sparked protests ahead of the 2016 Olympics. BBC News

Science, Studies, And Reports

Approximately 700,000 people across three provinces in the Kurdistan region of Iraq have limited or no access to drinking water, according to a report from the Kurdistan Ministry of Planning. Officials asked residents across the region to conserve water, while rationing has been implemented in the regional capital of Erbil due to shortages. Rudaw

On The Radar

New Zealand plans to close its last coal-fired power plants by the end of 2018 and rely almost entirely on renewable energy sources. Coal is used to bridge energy gaps during dry years when hydropower reserves are low, but recent growth in geothermal energy has rendered it unnecessary, according to the country’s energy and resources minister. United Press International

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