Archive for the 'Environment' Category
Nuclear Waste May Be Leaking Into Soil from Hanford Site
June 23rd, 2013Via: AP: An underground tank holding some of the worst radioactive waste at the nation’s most contaminated nuclear site might be leaking into the soil. The U.S. Energy Department said workers at Washington state’s Hanford Nuclear Reservation detected higher radioactivity levels under tank AY-102 during a routine inspection Thursday. Spokeswoman Lori Gamache said the department […]
Beijing Pollution So Bad That International Schools Build Filtered Air Domes for Children
June 22nd, 2013How about if all the shit-for-brains politicians in New Zealand, who gladly bend over for China, send their kids over there to play in the domes? Hmm? John Key? How does that grab ya? Via: Los Angeles Times: After nearly two decades in Beijing, David Wolf knew it was time for a change when his […]
Singapore Smog Disaster
June 21st, 2013Via: Independent: Singapore has been hit by the worst air pollution crisis in its history, while government agencies try to induce rain in an attempt to stop forest fires spreading a smoky haze across three south-east Asian countries. The average Pollution Standard Index (PSI) – the measurement for air pollution – hit 401 at midday […]
Nicaragua Gives Chinese Firm Contract to Build Alternative to Panama Canal
June 7th, 2013Via: Guardian: Nicaragua has awarded a Chinese company a 100-year concession to build an alternative to the Panama Canal, in a step that looks set to have profound geopolitical ramifications. The president of the country’s national assembly, Rene Nuñez, announced the $40bn (£26bn) project, which will reinforce Beijing’s growing influence on global trade and weaken […]
Japan and South Korea Bar Imports of U.S. Wheat
June 4th, 2013Via: New York Times: Japan and South Korea suspended some imports of American wheat, and the European Union urged its 27 nations to increase testing, after the United States government disclosed this week that a strain of genetically engineered wheat that was never approved for sale was found growing in an Oregon field. Although none […]
Acid Jobs
June 4th, 2013Via: Reuters: “All this anti-fracking language misses the target and I am very concerned it is a diversion,” said Steve Shimek, of environmental group Monterey Coastkeeper. The Monterey shale holds an estimated 15 billion barrels of oil, more than most estimates for Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and twice the reserves of North Dakota’s Bakken […]
Doing the ‘Absolute Opposite’ of So-Called Green Revolution Techniques, Poorest Indian Farmers Growing Record Amounts of Food
June 2nd, 2013Via: Guardian: What happened in Darveshpura has divided scientists and is exciting governments and development experts. Tests on the soil show it is particularly rich in silicon but the reason for the “super yields” is entirely down to a method of growing crops called System of Rice (or root) Intensification (SRI). It has dramatically increased […]
‘Devastating Consequences for the Ecosystem’ If GM Salmon Escape and Breed with Wild Species
May 30th, 2013Madness. Via: Independent: Genetically modified salmon could escape into the wild with devastating consequences for the ecosystem, a new study has warned. Researchers from Canada say that there is a risk of GM salmon mating with the closely-related brown trout species to produce a hybrid fish. GM salmon grow faster than normal salmon and scientists […]
Power Out – Winter Conditions in New Zealand
May 28th, 2013Update: Lights On And I sit here, watching the meters on the UPS units slowly coming back up in anticipation of the next dump. It is suddenly still and quiet outside. — We’ve been having insane weather. We’re not getting snow in the Far North, but there’s lots of hail, lightning, heavy rain and wind. […]
New Zealand, China in Talks on Convertibility of Currencies
May 27th, 2013Via: Wall Street Journal: Seeking to help its exporters, New Zealand is negotiating with China to make their currencies directly convertible, a spokeswoman for Prime Minister John Key said. Wellington’s push is aimed at driving down costs for companies that do business with China, which is close to overtaking Australia as New Zealand’s No. 1 […]
