Entries by Codi Kozacek

The Stream, March 31: International Climate Panel Stresses Immediacy of Climate Change in New Report

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Climate Change Climate change is no longer a potential problem, but one that is happening right now, says a new report from the International Panel on Climate Change created by dozens of leading scientists, The New York Times reported. The report outlined how climate change effects on businesses, food security and public health will worsen, […]

The Stream, March 28: Sea Level Rise Threatens 17 Percent of Land in Bangladesh

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Climate Change Bangladesh is likely to be one of the countries hardest hit by global climate change as rising seas, erosion and intense storms threaten its low-lying river deltas, The New York Times reported. A major problem is saltwater intrusion up freshwater rivers, which makes some farm fields unusable. Some countries, including Britain, are discounting […]

The Stream, March 27: Barriers to Reclamation of Canada’s Tar Sand Areas

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Scientists have called into question the viability of wetland ecosystems recreated on land used for oil sands mining in Canada, saying they do not function as well as before, Yale Environment 360 reported. None of the areas reclaimed by oil companies have yet been certified as meeting government standards, and reclamation efforts can cost as […]

The Stream, March 26: Neighborhoods in Jerusalem Turn to High Court for Water Service

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Water Supply Impoverished neighborhoods and a refugee camp east of security barriers in Jerusalem have dealt with very little water service for the past three weeks, according to a petition submitted to the High Court by Israel’s Association for Civil Rights, the Jerusalem Post reported. Water infrastructure in these areas has been neglected, according to […]

The Stream, March 25: Oil Spills Into Lake Michigan

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Pollution Oil spilled into southern Lake Michigan Monday from a BP refinery in Indiana that was updated last year to accommodate an increasing amount of crude oil coming from Canada’s tar sands, Reuters reported. Lake Michigan is currently 60 percent covered in ice, and the company has not yet said how much oil was leaked. […]

The Stream, March 24: Drought Fuels Fires and Air Pollution in Southeast Asia

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Asia Vast fires in Indonesia have started earlier in the season than usual and are spreading widely, in part due to a severe drought gripping Southeast Asia, the Guardian reported. The fires, which may have been started illegally to clear land for palm oil and paper plantations, are creating hazardous air pollution in cities like […]

The Stream, March 21: World Bank Approves Funding for D.R. Congo’s Inga 3 Dam

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Water and Energy The World Bank has approved a $US 73 million grant to continue the development of the Inga 3 hydropower project, the first in a series of large dams planned for the Congo River, Inter Press Service reported. The Grand Inga project would give the Democratic Republic of Congo the third highest hydropower […]

The Stream, March 20: Water Cleanup Halted at Fukushima Due to Malfunctions

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Asia Water cleanup systems meant to decrease the radioactivity of wastewater at Japan’s damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant have malfunctioned, prompting the Tokyo Electric Power Company to suspend water cleanup operations, the Japan Times reported. One of the three systems was not sufficiently reducing levels of radioactive substances in the water, and officials stopped the […]

The Stream, March 19: Dead Pigs Pulled From Chinese River

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Pollution Officials have found 131 dead pigs in China’s Ganjiang River near Nanchang, and are still recovering more carcasses, Bloomberg News reported. Drinking water in Nanchang has been tested and is safe, according to tests, but the incident is once again raising concerns about food and water safety a year after dead pigs were found […]

The Stream, March 17: How Electric Cars Contribute to Water Pollution in China

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Mining Mining activities for graphite, a material used in several electric car batteries popular in the United States, are leading to polluted rain and wastewater discharges in China, Bloomberg News reported. The pollution has prompted China to suspend operations and many of its graphite mines, even while world demand for the mineral is growing. A […]

The Stream, March 14: Newly Discovered Diamond Could Help Reveal Origin of Earth’s Water

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A small diamond found in Brazil contains a form of mineral that could tell scientists more about the amount of water deep in Earth’s mantle, and if that water was part of the planet’s original composition, according to a new study published in Nature. The mineral suggests that the diamond formed in a water-rich area […]

The Stream, March 13: Rio Grande Irrigation Water Delayed

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Drought Farmers in areas of New Mexico and Mexico have agreed for the second year to delay their irrigation water deliveries from the Rio Grande until June due to an ongoing drought, the El Paso Times reported. The city of El Paso is also preparing for water conservation measures and could supplement its water supply […]