The Stream, April 20: China Schoolchildren Sickened By Toxic Waste

The Global Rundown

Hundreds of students have been sickened at a school in China, where toxic waste contamination of soil and water is blamed. Humans have caused the vast majority of global warming over the past 60 years, according to a new study. A U.S. federal judge dismissed a lawsuit blaming Michigan officials for lead-contaminated water in Flint. A farmer in Peru who has opposed a large gold and copper mine was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize. Pollution at a nuclear power plant that was accused of threatening Florida water supplies has been addressed, according to the company.

“In Cajamarca, we know what mines can do. In no time it would have poisoned the trout and the livestock. If we don’t have water we don’t have a life or a future.” –Maxima Acuña de Chaupe, a farmer in Peru who was recently awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize for her work to stop a major gold and copper mine. (Guardian)

By The Numbers

500 students Number at a school in China who were reportedly sickened by toxic waste that had been dumped by three chemical factories that previously occupied the site. Chemicals were buried and released into a nearby river, according to a former employee at one of the chemical plants. Guardian

Science, Studies, and Reports

Natural factors have had virtually no effect on warming global temperatures over the last 60 years; instead, the change is almost entirely the result of human activity, according to a new study published in the journal Climate Dynamics. Between 1951 and 2010, the time period studied, global surface temperatures warmed 0.65 degrees Celsius. Guardian

On The Radar

Fresh water has been used to dilute the cooling canals at a Florida nuclear power plant, where high salinity has threatened to pollute Biscayne Bay. Two environmental groups last month warned the power company that they would sue over concerns about the pollution of drinking water sources for Miami. Bloomberg

A lawsuit brought against Michigan leaders on behalf of residents of Flint, where drinking water was contaminated with lead, has been dismissed by a federal judge. The judge said the complaints could be addressed under state law. Other lawsuits are still pending. Reuters

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

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