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Trump administration rolls back clean water protections![]() Washington (AFP) Dec 11, 2018 The US government on Tuesday unveiled a plan to roll back clean water rules protecting the nation's waterways and wetlands, fulfilling a pledge from President Donald Trump to farmers and supporters who view environmental regulations as too strict. The proposed changes to the Clean Water Act would "remove and replace" rules set by the administration of Barack Obama in 2015, which was widely praised by environmental protection activists. That rule limited the runoff from pesticide and fertilizer p ... read more |
Red gold: Afghanistan saffron production growsHerat, Afghanistan (AFP) Dec 12, 2018 Starting before dawn has even broken, Afghanistan's army of saffron pickers shift their way across sun-baked fields to pluck brightly the coloured crocuses that are providing the country's farmers with a new means of income. ... more
BASF and VanderSat collaborate to provide farmers with high-precision, field-specific crop optimizationLudwigshafen, Germany (SPX) Dec 10, 2018 BASF and the Dutch Earth observation company VanderSat are collaborating to support farmers worldwide with even more precise, satellite data-based recommendations on application of crop inputs. Vand ... more
German farmers sue government over missed climate targetsVetschau, Germany (AFP) Dec 8, 2018 Dismayed by the German government's failure to meet climate protection targets, dairy farmer Heiner Luetke Schwienhorst has filed a lawsuit against Berlin to force it into action. ... more
Egypt's fertile Nile Delta threatened by climate changeKafr Al-Dawar, Egypt (AFP) Dec 7, 2018 Lush green fields blanket northern Egypt's Nile Delta, but the country's agricultural heartland and its vital freshwater resources are under threat from a warming climate. ... more |
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 Japan observes tiny tsunami following 6.7 magnitude quake |
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| Previous Issues | Dec 11 | Dec 10 | Dec 09 | Dec 08 | Dec 07 |
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Flint, Michigan lead crisis should have buried the city in water bottles. So, why didn't it?West Lafayette IN (SPX) Dec 06, 2018 One hundred thousand residents of Flint, Michigan could only use water from bottles or filters during a years-long lead contamination crisis, which started when the city switched to a new drinking w ... more
US farmers more cautious than hopeful after China trade dealNew York (AFP) Dec 4, 2018 President Donald Trump says American farmers will see immediate benefits from the trade detente with Beijing, but farm belt representatives are still cautious about declaring victory. ... more
US groundwater in peril: Potable supply less than thoughtTucson AZ (SPX) Dec 04, 2018 The U.S. groundwater supply is smaller than originally thought, according to a new research study that includes a University of Arizona hydrologist. The study provides important insights into ... more
Soil tilling, mulching key to China's potato cropBoston MA (SPX) Dec 04, 2018 When you think of China, do you think of potatoes? Maybe not, but in the Loess Plateau region of northwestern China, potato is the main food crop. Even though it is such an important crop ther ... more
Study shows regions increasingly suffer hot, dry conditions at the same timeStanford CA (SPX) Dec 03, 2018 A new study from Stanford University suggests that the kind of hot, dry conditions that can shrink crop yields, destabilize food prices and lay the groundwork for devastating wildfires are increasin ... more |
![]() Scientists reveal substantial water loss in global landlocked regions
UK will have 'completely safe' water after BrexitLondon (AFP) Nov 28, 2018 Britain's environment minister reassured the country on Wednesday that it would have plenty of safe drinking water should it crash out of the European Union without a deal. ... more |
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Drinking water sucked from the dusty desert airThuwal, Saudi Arabia (SPX) Nov 27, 2018 A simple device that can capture its own weight in water from fresh air and then release that water when warmed by sunlight could provide a secure new source of drinking water in remote arid regions ... more
The tragedy of the commons - minus the tragedyColumbus OH (SPX) Nov 27, 2018 Sometimes, there is no "tragedy" in the tragedy of the commons, according to a new analysis that challenges a widely accepted theory. Scientists have long believed that when there is open acce ... more
Floods ravage rice production in Niger's Diffa regionNiamey Nov 26, 2018 Floods destroyed more than 400 hectares (1,000 acres) of rice in Niger's southeastern Diffa region, already beset by deadly attacks by Boko Haram jihadists, the local governor said. ... more
New biocontainment strategy controls spread of escaped GMOsHiroshima NJ (SPX) Nov 27, 2018 Hiroshima University (HU) researchers successfully developed a biocontainment strategy for genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. Their new method prevents genetically modified cyanobacteria from ... more
Escaping death and rebirth on Varanasi's sacred riverbanksVaranasi, India (AFP) Nov 23, 2018 Boats loaded with wood arrive almost constantly at the ghats of Varanasi for around 200 cremations per day on the banks of India's holy Ganges river. ... more |
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Copernicus Sentinel-5P ozone boosts daily forecasts Paris (ESA) Dec 06, 2018
Measurements of atmospheric ozone from the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite are now being used in daily forecasts of air quality.
Launched in October 2017, Copernicus Sentinel-5P - short for Sentinel-5 Precursor - is the first Copernicus satellite dedicated to monitoring our atmosphere. It is part of the fleet of Copernicus Sentinel missions that ESA develops for the European Union's envir ... more |
First Lockheed Martin-Built GPS III satellite encapsulated for Dec. 18 launch Titusville, FL (SPX) Dec 12, 2018
The U.S. Air Force's first Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT)-built GPS III satellite is now encapsulated for its planned December 18 launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
GPS III Space Vehicle 01 (GPS III SV01) underwent pre-launch processing, fueling and encapsulation at Astrotech Space Operations, in Titusville, Florida. During encapsulation, GPS I ... more |
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Chile's pine forests: a botanical dinosaur bound for extinction Quinquen, Chile (AFP) Dec 11, 2018
In Quinquen, an indigenous community in southern Chile, Ricardo Melinir shows off a forest of Chilean pine trees - the araucaria araucana, a "living fossil" seen as sacred by several local tribes.
He managed to save the "Monkey Puzzle" trees - some of which are 1,000 years old or more - from logging companies, but they are still under threat from blight and climate change.
"It is diff ... more |
In Mauritius, sugar cane means money, renewable energy La Baraque, Mauritius (AFP) Dec 9, 2018
Far out into the Indian Ocean where it is forced to be self-reliant, the island nation of Mauritius is weaning itself off fossil fuels by turning to its main cash-crop sugar cane, for electricity.
The leftover, crushed sugar cane stalks and tips - dry fibrous material known as "bagasse" - is burned to help power Mauritius and reduce its reliance on coal and oil.
Electricity from sugar ... more |
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Lithuanian scientists' approach to perovskite solar cells - cheaper production and high efficiency Kaunas, Lithuania (SPX) Dec 12, 2018
A team of chemists from Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), Lithuania together with physicists from Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin (HZB) science institute, Germany are offering novel approach for the selective layer formation in perovskite solar cells. The molecule, synthesised by the KTU chemists, assembles itself into a monolayer, which can cover a variety of surfaces and can function as a hole t ... more |
Widespread decrease in wind energy resources found over the Northern Hemisphere Beijing, China (SPX) Dec 06, 2018
As climate change is becoming more and more a matter of concern, efforts on mitigation are being undertaken by the world community. Developing clean and renewable energy is a major component of those efforts for its significant contribution to reducing carbon emission to the atmosphere compared with fossil fuel.
In 2016, renewable energy contributes more than 19% to the global final energy ... more |
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China's unbridled export of coal power imperils climate goals Paris (AFP) Dec 5, 2018
Even as China struggles to curb domestic coal-fired power and the deadly pollution it produces, the world's top carbon emitter is aggressively exporting the same troubled technology to Asia, Africa and the Middle East, an investigation by AFP has shown.
The carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from these Chinese-backed plants could cripple global efforts to rein in global warming caused by the bur ... more |
China cracks down on unofficial Christian church Beijing (AFP) Dec 10, 2018 Dozens of members of a prominent unofficial Protestant church and their pastor have gone missing in southwest China after authorities raided their homes, churchgoers said Monday, amid increasing restrictions on religious worship.
The police sweep occurred Sunday night, according to a statement from the Early Rain Covenant Church, which is based in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province. ... more |
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Norfolk Navy Shipyard introducing exoskeletons for workers Washington (UPI) Dec 7, 2018
The Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Virginia is introducing exoskeletons for heavy manual work designed to prevent injuries and fatigue, according to the Navy.
The Robotics Subcommittee has been investigating technologies that will assist shipyard employees. The Levitate AIRFRAME is a flexible mechanical back-mounted unit that helps stabilize core muscle and reduces physical energy expended b ... more |
Waste plant fire stokes Italy garbage crisis Rome (AFP) Dec 11, 2018
Twelve teams of firefighters battled Tuesday to put out a vast fire at a garbage dump in Rome as critics slammed the capital's beleaguered waste manager and warned of chaos to come.
The odour of burning refuse wafted across the historic centre as the blaze, which began overnight, crept steadily from the site in the north-east of the city.
City hall said it had called the national civil p ... more |
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Atmospheric scientists find causes of firenado in deadly Carr Fire Reno NV (SPX) Dec 07, 2018
A destructive fire-generated vortex - a massive stream of rising, spinning, smoke, ash and fire - that topped out at 17,000 feet above the earth, accelerated the Carr fire that killed eight people and devastated a widespread area in the Redding, California region in July 2018. The vortex, a little-observed atmospheric phenomena, was spinning with the power of a class three tornado, which earned ... more |
Ocean fertilization by unusual microbes extends to frigid waters of Arctic Ocean Santa Cruz CA (SPX) Dec 12, 2018
Microbes that provide natural fertilizer to the oceans by "fixing" nitrogen from the atmosphere into a form useable by other organisms were once thought to be limited to warm tropical and subtropical waters. Now, however, researchers have documented nitrogen fixation by an unusual type of cyanobacteria in the cold waters of the Bering and Chukchi Seas.
"This goes against all the textbook a ... more |
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Heatwave death threat soars for elderly, city dwellers Paris (AFP) Nov 29, 2018 More than 150 million vulnerable people worldwide were exposed to potentially life-threatening heatwaves last year, scientists said Thursday, warning that climate change posed an unprecedented global health risk.
In a worldwide stocktake of public health trends, dozens of international agencies said people over 65, those living in large cities, and sufferers of heart and lung disease were al ... more |
Global economy in 2019: Growth beginning to fray Washington (AFP) Dec 12, 2018
American farmers have been forced to warehouse a bumper crop of soybeans, or sell at a loss, while a Midwest medical supply company is considering shipping production overseas amid growing uncertainty.
Surveys of US business and consumer sentiment continued to show economic optimism going into next year but cracks are beginning to form - in the United States and around the world - with Pre ... more |
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Research provides insights into Sun's past, future San Antonio TX (SPX) Dec 10, 2018
Andres Munoz-Jaramillo and Jose Manuel Vaquero, from Southwest Research Institute and University of Extremadura, respectively, have developed a new technique for looking at historic solar data to distinguish trustworthy observations from those that should be used with care. This work is critical to understanding the Sun's past and future as well as whether solar activity plays a role in climate ... more |
Study considers how climate change, shifting winds will impact migratory birds Washington (UPI) Dec 11, 2018
New research suggests migratory birds in North America will be more likely to encounter headwinds as they fly southward each fall. However, changing wind patterns will make their springtime return less strenuous.
Scientists at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology used radar observations collected at 143 weather stations to measure the altitude, density and direction of birds migrating during ... more |
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