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IN TODAY’S RADIO REPORT: Drinking water ban in Ohio’s 4th largest city is over — for now; Mine waste breach means British Columbia’s water crisis is just beginning; California state of emergency over wildfires; Bee-killing pesticide now found in U.S. rivers; PLUS: Trees save lives … All that and more in today’s Green News Report!
Green News Report
with Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen
8/5/2014
‘Green News Report’ – August 5, 2014 | With Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen... · · · · · ‘Green News Report’ – August 5, 2014 | With Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen...
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IN ‘GREEN NEWS EXTRA’ (see links below): CO compromise removes anti-fracking measures from ballot; First 100°F Temperature on Record in the Baltics; Acidifying oceans killing oyster industry in the Pacific Northwest; The science behind the rise of deadly flesh-eating bacteria in the U.S.; Beijing to ban coal; ‘Otherworldly’ deluge causes deadly landslide in India; First-ever precip recorded in SoCal in August; Religious leaders call pollution ‘an affront to God’ … PLUS: Texas V. EPA: Who in Texas wants tighter refinery regulation? … and much, MUCH more! …
STORIES DISCUSSED ON TODAY’S ‘GREEN NEWS REPORT’…
- Toledo’s Water Crisis Is Over — For Now:
- Toledo tap water deemed safe to drink (Toledo Blade)
- VIDEO: Toledo’s Water Crisis: ‘This Is Not Over Yet’ (NBC News)
- Lawmakers urged to act on algae: Critics argue measures to address issue affecting Lake Erie lagging (Toledo Blade)
- Past votes delayed upgrades to Toledo water system (Toledo Blade)
- 7 Things You Need To Know About The Toxin That’s Poisoned Ohio’s Drinking Water (Climate Progress)
- Behind Toledo’s Water Crisis, a Long-Troubled Lake Erie (NY Times):
It took a serendipitous slug of toxins and the loss of drinking water for a half-million residents to bring home what scientists and government officials in this part of the country have been saying for years: Lake Erie is in trouble, and getting worse by the year.
- What Happens When An Ohio Mom Of Three Discovers All The Water In Her House Is Poisoned (Climate Progress)
- Bee-killing Pesticide Now Found in U.S. Rivers, Streams:
- New Federal Study: Highly Toxic, Bee-killing Pesticides Common in 9 Midwestern Waterways Including Mississippi and Missouri Rivers (Center for Biological Diversity):
“It’s shocking to see the prevalence of these toxic pesticides – already banned by the European Union – in so many American waterways,” said Jonathan Evans, toxics and endangered species campaign director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “We’re sowing poison when these neonicotinoid-treated seeds, known to be toxic to important pollinators like honeybees, are now routinely used for many of our biggest crops, including 99 percent of our corn seeds.”
- Neonic insecticides widespread in Iowa waters -study (Reuters)
- VIDEO: Study Finds Widespread Neonicotinoid Insecticides in Iowa Waters (NBC News)
- Toxic Mine Waste Breach Pollutes B.C. Waters:
- VIDEO: Residents calling it an environmental disaster: tailings pond breach at Mount Polley Mine near Likely, BC (Global News Canada) [emphasis added]:
A breach of the tailings pond on Mount Polley Mine sent five million cubic metres of toxic waste into Hazeltine Creek, Quesnel Lake and Polley Lake, with fears it could spread far and wide in the coming days….There are already concerns that the total damage will be immense. The sheer volume of toxic slurry from the pond – equivalent to 2,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools – caused Hazeltine Creek to expand from four feet in width to 150, and some of the sludge has already made its way into Quesnel Lake and Polley Lake.
- Canadians Can’t Drink Their Water After 1.3 Billion Gallons Of Mining Waste Flows Into Rivers (Climate Progress)
- VIDEO: Mount Polley Mine tailings pond dam stable, says mine owner (CBC):
Wastewater from Imperial Metals’ Mount Polley copper and gold mine near Likely, B.C., has contaminated several lakes, creeks and rivers in the Cariboo region, causing officials to evacuate local campgrounds and enact a number of water use and drinking water bans.
- Pebble Mine connection: EPA proposal could derail planned Pebble Mine in Alaska: The agency’s proposed restrictions would basically prevent development of the gold and copper mine near the highly valued salmon fishery in Bristol Bay.
- California: State of Emergency Declared Over Wildfires:
- Governor Brown Declares State Of Emergency As Wildfires Consume California (Climate Progress)
- Gov. Brown declares state of emergency for California wildfires (LA Times)
- State Of Emergency Declared Over California Wildfires (Climate Progress)
- VIDEO: NBC Shows How To Report On The Economic Costs Of Climate Change – Reporter Connects Global Warming To “The New Price Of Fighting Fires” (Media Matters)
- The annual cost of America’s forest fires has more than quintupled in the past 20 years (Washington Post)
- Hug A Tree: Trees Save Lives:
- Trees Save More Than 850 Lives a Year, Forest Service Study Says (NBC News) [emphasis added]:
U.S. Forest Service scientists and collaborators calculate that trees, by removing air pollution as they respirate, save more than 850 lives a year in the U.S. and prevent 670,000 incidences of acute respiratory symptoms….The researchers calculated that trees remove less than 1 percent of air pollution – but say that even that seemingly small amount has substantial health impacts.
- The Health Benefits of Trees (The Atlantic):
They prevent $7 billion in health costs every year by filtering air pollution-not to mention their psychological effects. New research says the closer you can live to trees, the better off you are.
‘GREEN NEWS EXTRA’ (Stuff we didn’t have time for in today’s audio report)…
- Two Colorado Democrats Reach A Deal On Fracking (Climate Progress)
- Deal struck in Colorado over anti-fracking ballot measures (NY Times)
- Texas V. EPA: Who in Texas Wants Tighter Refinery Regulation? (State Impact Texas):
At issue: new EPA rules that would make oil refineries invest in better equipment to reduce pollution emissions from storage tanks and to improve the efficiency of flares that burn emissions during plant “upsets”. Refineries would also have to increase fence-line monitoring to track exactly what pollution is blowing into adjacent communities.
- First 100°F Temperature on Record in the Baltics (Weather Underground):
The 37.8°C (100.0°F) temperature observed at Ventspils, Latvia on August 4th was the first time on record that a reading of 100°F has been measured in any of the Baltic nations (Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania). The heat wave has also affected Poland, Belarus, and Sweden where a massive forest fire, said to be the worst in the nation’s modern history, rages out of control.
- As Oysters Die, Climate Policy Goes on the Stump (NY Times):
“It used to be the canary in the coal mine,” Mr. Inslee said in a recent interview. “Now it’s the oyster in the half shell. You can’t overstate what this means to Washington.”
- The Science Behind The Rise In Deadly Flesh-Eating Bacteria In America’s Waterways (Climate Progress)
- Beijing to Ban Coal Use to Curb Air Pollution, State Media Says (Reuters)
- Otherworldly Downpour Preceded Landslide in India (NY Times)
- California’s a Hot (Weather) Mess Right Now (Slate):
According to the National Weather Service in Los Angeles, it was the first time that rain had ever been measured in much of Southern California on Aug. 3″”normally the middle of the dry season.
- Climate Change Law in New York Bridges Partisan Divide (InsideClimate News):
Adapting for climate change is no longer just a recommendation in New York State. It is about to become the law.
- At EPA Hearing, Religious Leaders Call Carbon Pollution ‘An Affront To God’ (Climate Progress) [emphasis added]:
“God said ‘the land is mine; with me you are but aliens and tenants,'” he said. “‘Throughout the land that you hold, you shall provide for the redemption of the land.'”
…To be wasteful of the land’s bounty … is not just unproductive, but is an affront to God. - World’s top PR companies rule out working with climate deniers (Guardian UK):
Ten firms say they will not represent clients that deny man-made climate change or seek to block emisson-reducing regulations
- Climate change is fueling forest disturbances, study shows (Science Daily):
Climate change is already altering the environment, experts say….There is strong feedback from forest disturbances on the climate system. Currently, Europe’s forests are mitigating climate change by taking up large quantities of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. The carbon loss from increasing tree mortality and disturbance could, however, reduce this uptake and reverse the positive effects of forest management aimed at reducing climate change.
- June 2014 was Earth’s warmest on record as ocean temperatures surged (Washington Post) [emphasis added]:
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports that June was the globe’s warmest in 134 years of records following its report that May was also the hottest on record. These reports are feeding anticipation that 2014 could become the warmest year on record.
- Global Ocean Temperatures Haven’t Been This Hot Since Before 1880 (Mashable)
FOR MORE on Climate Science and Climate Change, go to our Green News Report: Essential Background Page
Restraining global warming to no more than 2 degrees Celsius will require changing how the world produces and uses energy to power its cities and factories, heats and cools buildings, as well as moves people and goods in airplanes, trains, cars, ships and trucks, according to the IPCC. Changes are required not just in technology, but also in people’s behavior.
From Dr. Glen Barry:
(Origin of the Classic Nuclear Bully – 3). August 6, 1945 was a record setting day for killing school children in an instant.
Killing all school children by killing their life support system would break the record.
Let’s not.