Archive for the 'Environment' Category
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 […]
Protesters Around the World March Against Monsanto
May 26th, 2013Via: USA Today: Protesters rallied in dozens of cities Saturday as part of a global protest against seed giant Monsanto and the genetically modified food it produces, organizers said. Organizers said “March Against Monsanto” protests were held in 52 countries and 436 cities, including Los Angeles where demonstrators waved signs that read “Real Food 4 […]
Bill Oddie’s BankWatch
May 22nd, 2013“He’s a Banker, of course he’s gonna charge.” *chortle* Via: Global Witness: Research Credit: BJ
U.S. Government Lobbies Worldwide for Monsanto and Other GMO Firms
May 16th, 2013Via: Guardian: If you have a feeling that genetically modified (GM) foods are being forced upon the population by a handful of business interests and vociferously defended by the scientists that work in the agriculture industry or at the research institutions it funds, you might be onto something. The zeal with which GM proponents evangelize […]
TEPCO Seeks Permission to Dump Groundwater from Fukushima Plant Into Ocean
May 14th, 2013Via: Japan Today: Officials from Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) on Monday met with a Fukushima fisheries cooperative to seek its members’ permission to dump groundwater from the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the ocean. The contaminated water storage has been a problem since early in the accident. TEPCO officials acknowledged last month […]
