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'Big dry' drags on as Australia sets up drought-proof fund![]() Sydney (AFP) Oct 26, 2018 Australia is setting up a billion-dollar fund to "future proof" the country against droughts, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Friday, as farmers struggle with a 'big dry' forecast set to continue for months. Eastern Australia has been hit by a crippling drought - in some areas for several years - that has forced graziers to hand-feed their stock, sell them or even shoot them dead to stay afloat. The unfolding crisis has sparked a raft of support measures from the government, including Aus$1 ... read more |
ElekTrik Zoo wins best short film with Locked at 6th GNG Green Earth Film FestivalLos Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 25, 2018 Locked is a film about a contentious century-long battle between big commerce and the Louisiana wetlands. The power of Blue Oyster Cult shines when they repeat, "History shows again and again how na ... more
Drought cripples crucial German waterwaysCologne, Germany (AFP) Oct 23, 2018 The docks are eerily quiet at Cologne's main port on the mighty River Rhine, with hundreds of containers piled up and awaiting their journey north on one of Europe's busiest commercial arteries. ... more
A topical gel to protect farmers from lethal effects of pesticidesBangalore, India (SPX) Oct 23, 2018 Farmers are exposed to toxic pesticides, through skin contact and inhalation, during the spraying of pesticides. This is a severe health hazard. In the last year, from the Vidharbha region in Mahara ... more
Summer drought may shrink supplies of French spudsWarhem, France (AFP) Oct 18, 2018 It's harvest time and the chips are down for potato producers in northern France where a long summer drought could see French spuds shrink in size and volume. ... more |
Philippines digs out from Typhoon Fung-wong as death toll climbs to 18
Three Vietnam men survive 40 hours at sea after typhoon Typhoon Fung-wong floods Philippine towns, leaves 5 dead in its wake Typhoon Fung-wong leaves flooded Philippine towns in its wake Typhoon exposes centuries-old shipwreck off Vietnam port Weakening Typhoon Fung-wong exits Philippines after displacing 1.4 million Super Typhoon Fung-wong makes landfall in Philippines Over 1 million evacuate as deadly Super Typhoon Fung-wong nears Philippines Dam reservoir levels drop below 3% in Iran's second city: media Philippines evacuates one million, woman dead as super typhoon nears |
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| Previous Issues | Oct 25 | Oct 24 | Oct 23 | Oct 22 | Oct 19 |
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Water woes as drought leaves Germany's Rhine shallowBerlin (AFP) Oct 19, 2018 Months of drought have left water levels on Germany's Rhine river at a record low, exposing a World War II bomb and forcing ship operators to halt services to prevent vessels from running aground. ... more
Syracuse geologists contribute to new understanding of Mekong River incisionSyracuse NY (SPX) Oct 22, 2018 An international team of earth scientists has linked the establishment of the Mekong River to a period of major intensification of the Asian monsoon during the middle Miocene, about 17 million years ... more
New research identifies two types of drought across China and how they evolveBeijing, China (SPX) Oct 18, 2018 Flash drought is a rapidly intensifying water deficit process accompanied by high temperatures in a short period of time. Recently, heat extremes have become more frequent in a warming climate, and ... more
A warmer spring leads to less plant growth in summerVienna, Austria (SPX) Oct 18, 2018 Climate change influences plant growth, with springtime growth beginning earlier each year. Up to now, it was thought that this phenomenon was slowing climate change, as scientists believed this pro ... more
Applying auto industry's fuel-efficiency standards to agriculture could net billionsNew York NY (SPX) Oct 18, 2018 Adopting benchmarks similar to the fuel-efficiency standards used by the auto industry in the production of fertilizer could yield $5-8 billion in economic benefits for the U.S. corn sector alone, r ... more |
![]() China prices rise as cost of food spikes
Irrigating vegetables with wastewater in African cities may spread diseaseBirmingham UK (SPX) Oct 18, 2018 Urban farmers growing vegetables to feed millions of people in Africa's ever-growing cities could unwittingly be helping to spread disease by irrigating crops with wastewater, a new study reveals. ... more |
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Flexible fertilizer regulations could reduce pollution, save billionsPrinceton NK (SPX) Oct 18, 2018 As the global population continues to increase, so will food production. This means increased use of fertilizers, and many on today's market are not environmentally friendly. To reduce polluti ... more
Big Agriculture eyeing genetic tool for pest controlParis (AFP) Oct 16, 2018 A controversial and unproven gene-editing technology touted as a silver bullet against malaria-bearing mosquitos could wind up being deployed first in commercial agriculture, according to experts and an NGO report published Tuesday. ... more
Study finds potential benefits of wildlife-livestock coexistence in East AfricaChampaign IL (SPX) Oct 18, 2018 A study of 3,588 square kilometers of privately owned land in central Kenya offers evidence that humans and their livestock can, in the right circumstances, share territory with zebras, giraffes, el ... more
Diversity is key to sustainability for local chicken farming in AfricaLiverpool UK (SPX) Oct 18, 2018 Adopting a more local and flexible approach to sustainable development could be key to boosting the productivity of small-scale chicken farms in Africa, a new study reports. Research led by th ... more
The science of sustainabilityBoulder CO (SPX) Oct 17, 2018 The U.S. city of Louisville, Kentucky isn't known as a hotbed of environmental action and innovation, but that could change as it has recently become home to a first-of-its-kind collaboration betwee ... more |
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Researchers develop an operative complex scheme for short-range weather forecasts Moscow, Russia (SPX) Oct 25, 2018
Staff members from the Higher School of Economics and the Hydrometeorological Centre of Russia have proposed a new operative scheme for the short-range complex forecasting of wind and possible gusts, surface air temperature, and humidity. The results, i.e., estimates of average forecast errors at different lead times and their comparison with competitors' results, were published in the journal R ... more |
China launches twin BeiDou-3 satellites Xichang (XNA) Oct 16, 2018
China sent twin BeiDou-3 navigation satellites into space on a Long March-3B carrier rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, in Sichuan Province, at 12:23 p.m. Monday.
The satellites are the 39th and 40th of the BeiDou navigation system, and the 15th and 16th of the BeiDou-3 family.
The launch was the 287th mission of the Long March carrier rocket series.
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Saving the precious wood of Gabon's forests from illegal logging Oyem, Gabon (AFP) Oct 24, 2018
In Gabon the majestic kevazingo tree, its tropical hardwood highly valued in Asia for upmarket furniture, is also held to be sacred by generations of forest dwellers in equatorial Africa.
Chopping down the kevazingo tree, which can grow to more than 500 years old, has been outlawed in Gabon since March, but that hasn't eased environmental fears.
A loophole in the law allows the sale of t ... more |
Efficient electrochemical cells for CO2 conversion Washington DC (SPX) Oct 26, 2018
Scientists at Stanford University have developed electrochemical cells that convert carbon monoxide (CO) derived from CO2 into commercially viable compounds more effectively and efficiently than existing technologies. Their research, published October 25 in the journal Joule, provides a new strategy for capturing CO2 and converting it into chemical feedstocks.
CO2 capture from emission sou ... more |
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China's solar subsidy cuts will help US developers to revive projects and jobs, says GlobalData London, UK (SPX) Oct 25, 2018
The move by China in May this year to slash subsidies for domestic utility-scale solar projects will ultimately benefit developers in the US who rely on imported solar panels to revive projects and jobs, says GlobalData, leading data and analytics company.
Solar power developers in the US have been struggling since early 2018 due to two separate policy decisions announced in the US and Chi ... more |
Extreme weather forcing renewable operators to strengthen project economics London, UK (SPX) Oct 18, 2018
Global sustainable energy consultancy, K2 Management, has launched a report titled; Pre-Construction Projects: The battle to reduce uncertainty and improve business case bankability, at the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) Offshore WINDPOWER 2018 Conference, which kicked off in Washington, D.C.
The report identifies major project development trends in the fast-growing renewables sec ... more |
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Thousands join German forest demo after court reprieve Buir, Germany (AFP) Oct 6, 2018
Thousands of anti-coal demonstrators descended on Germany's Hambach forest Saturday, celebrating an unexpected court victory that suspended an energy company's planned razing of the woodland for a growing open-cast mine.
The ancient forest near Cologne has been occupied by activists for the past six years, becoming a symbol of resistance against coal mining in Germany, a country that despite ... more |
China's underground church set for 'annihilation', cardinal warns Hong Kong (AFP) Oct 25, 2018
Hong Kong's outspoken Cardinal Joseph Zen on Thursday criticised Pope Francis for not understanding the Chinese regime, warning the pontiff's historic deal with Beijing could lead to the "annihilation of the real Church" in China.
There are an estimated 12 million Catholics in China, divided between a government-run association whose clergy are chosen by the Communist Party and the unofficia ... more |
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Elephant trunks form joints to pick up small objects Rochester NY (SPX) Oct 25, 2018
Understanding how elephants use their trunks to pick up small objects could lead to robots designed with flexible hands or grippers, according to a new study that includes Rochester Institute of Technology research.
RIT scientist Scott Franklin collaborated with David Hu at Georgia Institute of Technology to understand how elephants apply force with their trunk to manipulate different size ... more |
Dutch join G7-led push to rid oceans of plastics Ottawa (AFP) Oct 25, 2018
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced his country's endorsement of a G7-led initiative to rid the oceans of plastics, during a visit to Ottawa on Thursday.
Britain, Canada, France, Germany and Italy, along with the European Union, signed the Ocean Plastics Charter at a leaders' summit in Canada's Charlevoix region in June, although neither the United States nor Japan put their names to a ... more |
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Indigenous fire practice protecting the Gibson Desert's biodiversity Brisbane, Australia (SPX) Oct 18, 2018
Traditional Indigenous burning practices are protecting plant biodiversity in Australia's Gibson Desert, according to University of Queensland research.
The study analysed how environments dominated by flammable spinifex grasses and fire-sensitive desert myrtle shrubs reacted to wildfires, and to the low-intensity burning practices of the Pintupi people.
UQ School of Agriculture and ... more |
ElekTrik Zoo wins best short film with Locked at 6th GNG Green Earth Film Festival Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 25, 2018
Locked is a film about a contentious century-long battle between big commerce and the Louisiana wetlands. The power of Blue Oyster Cult shines when they repeat, "History shows again and again how nature points out the folly of man. Godzilla." Indeed, the Lock system connecting Lake Pontchartrain to the Mississippi river was a monster project done when brute force was used for the pleasure of man ... more |
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US tornado frequency shifting eastward from Great Plains DeKalb IL (SPX) Oct 22, 2018
A new study finds that over the past four decades, tornado frequency has increased over a large swath of the Midwest and Southeast and decreased in portions of the central and southern Great Plains, a region traditionally associated with Tornado Alley.
The study, by meteorology professor Victor Gensini of Northern Illinois University and Harold Brooks of NOAA's National Severe Storms Labor ... more |
US tariffs trigger WTO spat escalation Geneva (AFP) Oct 19, 2018
China, Russia and the European Union are among a string of countries asking the World Trade Organization to probe new US steel and aluminium tariffs, the world trade body said Friday.
Washington is meanwhile calling the WTO to investigate a number of retaliatory duties imposed by a range of countries, the agenda for the next meeting of the organisation's Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) showed. ... more |
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Students help scientist ID the sonic signatures of solar storms Washington (UPI) Oct 20, 2018
What does it sound like when solar storms collide with Earth's magnetosphere? Students in London are helping scientists find out.
Earth's magnetic field features a near-constant cacophony of low-frequency sound waves - too low-pitched to be discernible to the human ear. But by speeding up audio recordings of the magnetosphere, researchers at London's Queen Mary University made the soun ... more |
Tigers dwindling: just six sub-species remain, says study Tampa (AFP) Oct 25, 2018
Six different sub-species of tigers exist today, scientists confirmed Thursday, amid hopes the findings will boost efforts to save the fewer than 4,000 free-range big cats that remain in the world.
The six include the Bengal tiger, Amur tiger, South China tiger, Sumatran tiger, Indochinese tiger and Malayan tiger, said the report in the journal Current Biology.
Three other tiger subspeci ... more |
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