Entries by Codi Kozacek

The Stream, December 22: Mercury Emissions Cuts Benefit Water

/in , , /by

Emissions The United States passed new rules to cut mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants, Reuters reported. Mercury emissions can accumulate in water and cause health problems. Airlines traveling to and from Europe will be required to buy carbon permits from the European Union’s emissions trading system starting in 2012, an EU court ruled, according […]

The Stream, December 21: Raising The Price Of Carbon

/in , /by

The European Union’s environment committee voted to decrease the supply of emissions allowances in Europe’s emissions trading system in order to increase the price of carbon, EurActiv reported. The EU hopes the price hike will provide an incentive for investment in low-carbon technology. About 87 percent of the world’s population has access to improved drinking […]

The Stream, December 16: Australia’s New Food Bowl

/in /by

An expansive new irrigation proposal could turn northern Australia into a food bowl, The Australian reported. Water withdrawals for agriculture and mining are putting increasing pressure on the South’s Murray-Darling basin, prompting government officials to look elsewhere. United States Chicago’s Deep Tunnel may not be completed until 2029, despite a recent legal settlement that set […]

The Stream, December 15: Water, Food and the Developing World

/in /by

Prices for farmland in the United States are rising as water-strapped countries like China turn to foreign sources for their grain, Forbes reported. China plans to boost its domestic grain production by expanding its man-made rain programs, according to the 12th Five-Year Plan, China Daily reported. Livestock production needs to become more efficient to provide […]

The Stream, December 14: Melting Arctic Releases Greenhouse Gas

/in /by

Thawing permafrost is releasing large plumes of methane gas into the atmosphere from the Arctic seabed, Russian researchers found, according to the Independent. If the trend continues, scientists fear the greenhouse gas could significantly impact climate change. Severe weather events such as monsoons and hurricanes may add stress to fault lines, triggering earthquakes, Discovery News […]

The Stream, December 9: Farming with Less Water

/in /by

The United States Environmental Protection Agency linked hydraulic fracturing to groundwater pollution for the first time Thursday after finding chemicals used in fracking in a Wyoming aquifer, Bloomberg News reported. Some companies that use fracking to extract underground natural gas deposits dispute that the drilling method was the source of the contamination. Farmers in California […]

The Stream, December 7: The Shale Gas Boom

/in , /by

Global carbon emissions are likely to continue increasing at a rate of 3 percent each year, EurActiv reported, citing a new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change. Emissions from burning fossil fuels rose by 5.9 percent in 2010. The booming shale gas industry could create 870,000 jobs and $118 billion in economic growth […]

Price Volatility: Food and Water Insecurities Require Deep Pockets

/in , , , /by

Adding pressure to already strained budgets, the price of food is expected to remain high and quite volatile on the heels of this year’s extreme floods and droughts. Though price increases are occurring globally, they are hitting hardest in the developing world.

The Stream, December 2: Climate Change Negotiations

/in /by

The United States, along with Russia, Canada, Japan, China and India, does not want new negotiations on legally binding climate agreements to start until at least 2015, while other countries — notably the European Union — want immediate action, the Guardian reported. International agencies recently affirmed that the world has only a small window of […]

The Stream, November 30: Climate Change, Energy, and the Hottest Years on Record

/in /by

The United Kingdom has been secretly lending its support to Canada’s tar sands agenda, the Guardian reported after obtaining documents through freedom of information laws. Canada has been looking for support in Europe ahead of a vote on fuel quality regulations that would label oil from tar sands as dirtier than other types of fuels. […]

The Stream, November 25: Record High Greenhouse Gases

/in /by

Levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have hit record highs, according to the World Meteorological Organization, UPI reported. Even higher levels are on the horizon as greenhouse gas emissions continue to accelerate. Arctic sea ice is melting faster, and on a larger scale, than it has since at least the year 561, The New […]

The Stream, November 23: Shale Gas and Climate Change

/in /by

Developing the United Kingdom’s shale gas reserves is incompatible with the country’s climate change goals, according to a new study from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research in Manchester. The carbon cost of developing just 20 percent of U.K.’s proven shale reserves would offset about 15 percent of the government’s greenhouse gas emissions budget […]