MicroHawk's NewsScan

Green Tech Drives Search for Rare Earths in Argentina - IPS

Argentina could meet part of the rising world demand for "rare earth" metals, required for a variety of green technologies, advanced electronic devices and medical diagnostic equipment. The challenge lies in mining them in a sustainable fashion.

via ipsnews.net

Forest health versus global warming: Fuel reduction likely to increase carbon emissions

There may be valid reasons to thin forests -- such as restoration of forest structure or health, wildlife enhancement or public safety -- but increased carbon sequestration is not one of them, scientists say.

via www.sciencedaily.com

SOUTH AFRICA: Climate Change Affecting Fisherwomen’s Livelihoods - IPS ipsnews.net

OCEAN VIEW, South Africa, Dec 13 , 2011 (IPS) - Having observed changes in the sea and the life cycles of the rock lobsters that their livelihoods depend on, a group of fisherwomen from the Western Cape, South Africa are calling on government to adjust fishing seasons to adapt to what they claim are climate change-related alterations.

via ipsnews.net

Arctic Sea Ice Shrinking at 'Unprecedented' Levels | Common Dreams

The recent loss of sea ice in the Arctic is greater than any natural variation in the past 1½ millennia, a Canadian study shows.

According to the leading science journal Nature, Arctic sea ice is disappearing on a pace and magnitude unlike anything the Earth has experienced in the past 1,450 years. (Photograph by: HO, Reuters) "The recent sea ice decline … appears to be unprecedented," said Christian Zdanowicz, a glaciologist at Natural Resources Canada, who co-led the study and is a co-author of the paper published Wednesday online in Nature.

"We kind of have to conclude that there's a strong chance that there's a human influence embedded in that signal."

via www.commondreams.org

Kazuhiko Takemoto: Education Is the Answer to Sustainable Development

Since I was born, the world's population has more than doubled, and we now find ourselves with the largest youth population in history. More people are using more resources -- but those resources are fast depleting. The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations is predicting that by 2025, 1.8 billion people will be living in countries or regions with absolute water scarcity. We encounter the same problems when we look at available food, minerals and other natural resources.

Yet this is not necessarily as ominous as it sounds. The Earth could actually support billions more people, assuming those people were making sound choices around resource production and consumption. This brings us to the heart of the issue: how do we convince individuals, organizations and governments to make the right choices, thus ensuring a sustainable future for us all?

via www.huffingtonpost.com

Shale Gas Craze Gets Bigger | EnergyBiz

Of all the bets on natural gas so far, nothing tops that of Kinder Morgan. It has bid $21.1 billion on El Paso Corp. in what would become the biggest pipeline operator and the fourth biggest energy company in North America.

via www.energybiz.com

USGS: Elevated Nitrogen and Phosphorus Still Widespread in Much of the Nation’s Streams and Groundwater

Elevated concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus, nutrients that can negatively impact aquatic ecosystems and human health, have remained the same or increased in many streams and aquifers across the Nation since the early 1990’s, according to a new national study by the U.S. Geological Survey.

“This USGS report provides the most comprehensive national-scale assessment to date of nitrogen and phosphorus in our streams and groundwater,” said Marcia McNutt, USGS Director. “For years we have known that these same nutrients in high concentrations have resulted in ‘dead zones’ when they reach our estuaries, such as during the spring at the mouth of the Mississippi, and now we have improved science-based explanations of when, where, and how elevated concentrations reach our streams and aquifers and affect aquatic life and the quality of our drinking water.”

via www.usgs.gov

Tikkun Daily Blog » Imperial America and Nature

There are many unanticipated consequences in creating and sustaining an imperial America. Seldom do things go as expected in the geopolitical realm and social arena. This is especially true with militarism, technology and nature. Imperial leaders have trouble accepting nature has limits. These limits affect all life on earth. Nature’s limits cannot be simply overcome by political decisions, political expediency, or ideology. Imperfect human beings can only make imperfect technology. Therefore, the failures of technology (accidents) are quite normal. The more complex the technology, the more disastrous the accident. Does one degrade the oceanic ecosystem due to expected blowouts and leaks in order to capture deep offshore oil deposits? Meanwhile, safe and sustainable alternative energy sources are marginalized or ignored. Imperial designs will never account for all the variability of the natural world because in part, they do not fully understand nature, ecology and the evolution of life. Of course, nature, beauty and the health and sanctity of life is not an imperial priority. But it is a priority for the vast majority of people on the planet. It is in the interest of humanity and all life to prevent ecosystems from cascading and collapse.

via www.tikkun.org

TVA blueprint calls for less coal, more nuclear, gas and efficiency | Chattanooga Times Free Press

The Tennessee Valley Authority could shut down more than one-third of its coal-fired power plants and add more nuclear, gas and renewable generation to make up for any shortfall in power generation, according to a blueprint released Thursday.

via www.timesfreepress.com

The complete article by Dave Flessner includes dates for public hearings on the plan.

See the plan's webpage and download a full copy or individual chapters of the Integrated Resource Plan here.

EPA Formally Requests Information From Companies About Chemicals Used in Natural Gas Extraction

Information on hydraulic fracturing chemicals is key to agency study of potential impacts on drinking water

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced that it has issued voluntary information requests to nine natural gas service companies regarding the process known as hydraulic fracturing. The data requested is integral to a broad scientific study now underway by EPA, which Congress in 2009 directed the agency to conduct to determine whether hydraulic fracturing has an impact on drinking water and the public health of Americans living in the vicinity of hydraulic fracturing wells.

via yosemite.epa.gov