Entries by Nadya Ivanova

The Stream, March 18: Japan and Haiti

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Fuel shortages, heavy snowfall and freezing weather are hampering efforts to provide vital supplies of food, water and medicine to survivors of the massive earthquake and tsunami that hit northeastern Japan last week, The Financial Times reports. As the country is battling to douse overheating reactors at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, NPR reminds us […]

The Stream, March 17: California’s Nitrate Contamination

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A new report led by the Pacific Institute reveals that nitrate contamination in California’s groundwater is having a real impact on the state’s health, economy and environment, primarily in the San Joaquin Valley and other agricultural areas that use big amounts of fertilizers for irrigation. Nuclear Debate In an apparent contradiction to earlier statements, China […]

The Stream, March 16: Sources of Power

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As Japan’s nuclear emergency unfolds, the Guardian reports on the surging investor confidence in renewable energy, while a Peabody Energy executive says that the nuclear crisis will benefit the coal industry. Who’s got the power? Data According to this infographic in The Economist, the United States is the world’s biggest nuclear-energy producer, followed by France […]

The Stream, March 15: Nuclear Power

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Germany has set a three-month moratorium on plans to extend the lifetimes of its 17 nuclear reactors, and Australia might reconsider its uranium export policy following the disaster at Japan’s Fukushima plant. The European Commission is also holding a meeting of ministers and experts to review its nuclear power plans. Meanwhile, China said it would […]

The Stream, March 14: Water and Food

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts that the 2010-11 global wheat production, at 645 million tons, will fall below consumption, forecast at 655 million tons, forcing the world to tap into its 177 million ton inventories. UPI argues that there will be more drought, rising food prices and more food crises in store for the […]

The Stream, March 11: Japan Earthquake

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An earthquake of 8.9. magnitude has hit Japan, triggering devastating tsunami that has swept over the northern part of the country and sent out tsunami alerts in coastal areas throughout the Pacific. Reuters draws parallels between Egypt and Syria, where a water crisis has parched farmlands and plunged 800,000 people into extreme poverty. What else […]

The Stream, March 10: The Alberta Tar Sands

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Tar sands development in northern Alberta, Canada, causes water pollution, increases greenhouse gas emissions and damages forests, according to a team of independent scientists commissioned to study the impacts of oil operations in the region. The northern Alberta oil sands are the largest source of oil outside the Middle East but are believed by many […]

The Stream, March 9: New Water

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Singapore plans to more than triple its desalinated water capacity by 2013, when its second desalination plant is slated to start operations, according to AFP. The new facility will produce 318,500 cubic meters of water per day. Can desalination and water recycling reduce Singapore’s dependence on imported water? A shift from conventional agriculture to eco […]

The Stream, March 8: Toxic Lead

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Syria launched the construction of a $2.1 billion irrigation project on the Tigris River to transfer 1.25 billion cubic meters (330 billion gallons) of water to the drought-stricken eastern region of Hasaka, where much of the country’s oil, gas, wheat and cotton industries are concentrated, Bloomberg reports. Lead poisoning linked with illegal gold mining has […]

The Stream, March 7: Desalination, Ethanol and Dams

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There are about 20 full-scale proposals for desalination plants in California, with several smaller facilities already in operation, but conservationists are up in arms. Reuters reports on some of the powerful interests pulling the strings of California’s water management. In this article for the Guardian, Peter Bosshard, the policy director of the global environmental and […]

The Stream, March 4: Water + Energy

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With just a few days before China unveils its development plan for the next five years, should the world’s biggest energy consumer rein in its energy intensity targets to reflect its current reduction capacity or should it pump up its goals? Chinadialogue presents two opposing views. Indian activists are up in arms over a U.S. […]

The Stream, March 3: South Africa’s Energy Mix

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Members of South Africa’s Parliament are pushing for the country to wean its dependence on coal-fired power plants and instead invest more in clean energy development, power saving and the nuclear sector. The proposal triggered a debate in Parliament about the country’s future energy portfolio. Water and carbon emissions will be top environmental priorities in […]