Entries by Codi Kozacek

The Stream, April 4: Water and Politics in South America

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Under a new law, mining and oil companies in Peru will be required to hold talks with local communities about the effects of natural resource extraction on the environment and water supplies, Reuters reported. The law stops short of giving communities the power to veto potential projects. Venezuela’s President Hugo Chávez faces criticism from within […]

Agriculture and Sewage Dead Zone: Taking on Nutrient Pollution in the Mississippi River Watershed

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As the impact of agriculture on water quality intensifies around the globe, two lawsuits in the United States aim to reduce the size of the Gulf of Mexico’s ‘dead zone’ by setting limits on nutrient pollution in the Mississippi River Basin.

The Stream, March 23: Water Security Is National Security

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Water scarcity will likely create conflict in regions around the world within the next decade, according to a report from the United States Director of National Intelligence, launched March 22 in Washington. The report, available here, predicts that water-linked instability is most likely to occur in South Asia and the Middle East. Providing enough water […]

The Stream, March 21: Drought, Fire, and Kenya’s Wildlife

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Drought and Water Access A forest fire in China’s Yunnan province was brought under control Tuesday after burning for two days and coming within 40 kilometers (25 miles) of the provincial capital, Xinhua reported. The fire was linked to drought conditions that have plagued Yunnan for the past three years. The Guardian looks at the […]

The Stream, March 16: Emissions On The Rise

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Climate Change Fossil fuels will supply 85 percent of the world’s energy in 2050 if current trends persist, creating a 50 percent increase in greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new environmental outlook released by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Reuters reported. A report from the Union of Concerned Scientists identifies the top […]

The Stream, March 14: South Africa’s Water Gap

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South Africa could face a 17 percent gap between water supply and demand by 2030, a shortage that would significantly impact the country’s economy, according to the new Water Disclosure SA report published by the Carbon Disclosure Project. The survey found that 58 percent of South African businesses have already experienced negative impacts from water […]

Food Security: Race to Prevent Famine As Drought and Food Crisis Plague Africa’s Sahel

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An estimated 10 million people are struggling with growing food shortages in Burkina Faso, Chad, Gambia, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger, which have all declared emergencies and appealed for international assistance. Aid agencies and governments are now bracing to reach remote communities before the situation deteriorates into a famine.

The Stream, March 9: Great Lakes Lose Ice

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Ice coverage on the Great Lakes decreased 71 percent between 1973 and 2010, EarthSky reported, citing a study from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) published in the Journal of Climate. The lakes currently have only a 12 percent ice cover, less than a third of the ice cover present at this time last […]

The Stream, March 7: Australia Floods Stir Murray-Darling Debate

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Extensive flooding in Australia makes the need to implement a new Murray-Darling Basin water management plan less urgent, argued the Water Minister of New South Wales, who called for delayed action on the reforms, according to The Australian. Two billion people gained access to safer drinking water between 1990 and 2010, meeting an international Millennium […]

The Stream, March 2: Where Did The Brahmaputra River’s Water Go?

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As water levels dropped three meters (10 feet) in India’s Brahmaputra River, fears surfaced that China was diverting water near the river’s origin in Tibet, Agence France-Presse reported. The cause of the water shortage remains unknown. Africa’s Lake Chad is shrinking—it is now one tenth the size it was in the 1960s—but local residents have […]

Third Time’s Not A Charm: U.S. Supreme Court Again Denies Request to Stop Asian Carp

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The Supreme Court denied a request by five states that were calling for immediate action to stop invasive Asian carp from infiltrating the Great Lakes. This is the third time that the court has denied an injunction for the Asian carp case.

The Stream, February 29: Water Struggles At Fukushima

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Asia Water is essential for keeping Japan’s damaged Fukushima nuclear plant safe, where hundreds of thousands of gallons are used every day to cool reactors, but containing the 10,000 tons of contaminated water leaked each month is becoming a challenge, The Wall Street Journal reported. Thailand will spend almost $US 1 billion to regenerate forests […]