Entries by Nadya Ivanova

The Stream, May 11: Damming Patagonia

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In the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, Japan has announced a major overhaul of its energy policy. The country will cancel all its planned nuclear plants in favor of renewable energy and power conservation, The New York Times reports. Meanwhile, the director of the Energy Research Institute (ERI) at China’s National Development and Reform […]

The Stream, May 10: Land Grabs

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Concerns over land grabs and food security are prompting Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay to consider changing their land laws to put breaks on foreign ownership of their arable land, The Christian Science Monitor reports. How will this affect big land-buyers such as China and Saudi Arabia? The water levels at China’s Three Gorges Dam, the […]

The Stream, May 9: Adapting to Climate Change

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Genetically-modified crops are not the solution to Europe’s growing food demand, according to the European Union’s farm commissioner. Warming temperatures are affecting European farming more severely than North America’s, according to a new climate study published in the journal Science. The study found that the climate shifts over the past three decades are linked to […]

The Stream, May 6: Alberta Oil Spill

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About 28,000 barrels of crude oil spilled from a broken pipeline in northern Alberta, Canada. Though none of the oil reached flowing water, the spill is reported to be the biggest in the country since 1975, according to UPI. Hear more about Canada’s oil sands, and the prospects and barriers of increasing Chinese imports of […]

The Stream, May 5: Soaring Population

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The world’s population could explode to 10.1 billion by the end of the century, according to a new report by the United Nations population division. Can the planet sustain that? The State of Maryland plans to file a lawsuit against Chesapeake Energy, the company that operated a gas well that ruptured in Pennsylvania, spilling chemicals […]

The Stream, May 4: China’s Energy

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The golf course market is enjoying a bonanza in China despite a government ban on the construction of new golf courses, according to the Financial Times. Learn more about the water impacts and governance challenges of China’s golf course development from this China Environment Forum presentation. Is China entering the strategic shale gas race? This […]

Off the Deep End — Beijing’s Water Demand Outpaces Supply Despite Conservation, Recycling, and Imports

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How China’s capital got in over its head, and what the city is doing to get its water crisis under control.

The Stream, May 3: Nile River Treaty?

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Local protests against mining and energy projects in Peru are on course to affect the outcome of the upcoming presidential elections in June, Reuters reports. Some $40 billion in mostly foreign investment has been lined up for Peruvian projects over the next decade, but protesters fear that the extractive processes might cause pollution and drain […]

The Stream, May 2: Energy Peak

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Surprisingly to some, carbon emissions and energy in the United States and China will peak and stabilize in the 2030s after which they will increase much less, according to a new study by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Read more details here. South Africa said it would conduct a comprehensive feasibility study of hydraulic fracking […]

The Stream, April 29: Natural Disasters

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Southern California, Arizona and Nevada are in discussions with the Mexican government about sharing a desalination plant across the border in Mexico, Reuters reports. But some conservation groups say that the controversial plan may be taking advantage of Mexico’s lower costs and weaker regulations. Emergencies A violent tornado swept across the American South on Wednesday […]

The Stream, April 28: Earth’s Water From Above

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Check out these stunning images of the Earth taken from the International Space Station. And revisit Circle of Blue’s own compilation of the best NASA and ESA satellite images of the Earth’s water: Part I and Part II. Back on Earth, Foreign Policy surveyed world experts about the future of food and also published this […]

The Stream, April 27: Climate Change Impacts

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A new federal report on the impact of climate change in the western United States predicts dire future for the most water-stressed regions in the country, with potentially significant problems for the U.S. economy and environmental health. The New York Times green blog gives an overview. Meanwhile, in Siberia, larch trees in the region’s vast […]