The Stream, July 24: Shell Given Permits to Drill for Oil in Arctic

The Global Rundown

Shell has been given the yellow light for oil drilling beneath the Arctic Ocean. Sri Lanka will increase its rainfall storage capacity in the face of a changing climate. A brain-eating amoeba has again been detected in the water supply of a Louisiana community.

“With rain patterns now coming in short and intense bursts, we are faced with frequent incidents of floods interspersed with drought.” — S. Shanmugasivanathan, senior official with Sri Lanka’s Department of Irrigation, on the reasons behind the country’s new water storage project. (Reuters)

By The Numbers

1 billion cubic meters – Amount of rainwater Sri Lanka will store and use every year upon completion of ambitious new water infrastructure in the country’s dry zone. The $US 675 million project includes new reservoirs and canals and is expected to be completed in 2024. The project will help insulate the country’s already dry north and east against increasingly extreme rainfall patterns – bursts of drought and flooding that require increased storage capacity to make use of precipitation. Reuters

Science, Studies, And Reports

Naegleria fowleri, an amoeba that can cause death by damaging brain tissue, has again been found in a suburb of New Orleans. The amoeba was detected in the St. Bernard Parish back in 2013, and has now reappeared in the area’s tap water. It has caused 3 deaths in Louisiana in recent years. Officials say the water is safe to drink, but not to get in one’s nose. A 60-day chlorine burn will be administered to kill off the amoeba. Time

On The Radar

Royal Dutch Shell PLC has been given permits for limited drilling in Arctic waters by the Obama administration. Shell is only allowed to drill the top of wells, because equipment necessary to contain leaks is currently being repaired, but may apply for deeper drilling once the equipment is ready to deploy. A Shell spokeswoman said in an e-mail that the permitting process is now ending, and drilling will begin as soon as sea ice clears. New York Times