Clipmarks | Drought Clips

Expert: World is Entering a Little Ice Age

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 05:27:32 GMT

clipped by: pkronfield
clipper's remarks: At present, assured the world is going through a transition phase where solar activity diminishes considerably, "so that in two years or so, there will be a small ice age that lasts from 60 to 80 years," and the immediate consequence of this He added, will be drought.

Here's hoping Algore freezes his gonads off...whoops... forgot he has no gonads....

Clip Source: 209.85.171.104

Un experto de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México pronosticó que en alrededor de diez años la Tierra entrará a una “pequeña era de hielo” que durará de 60 a 80 años y será causada por la disminución de la actividad solar. An expert from the National Autonomous University of Mexico predicted that in about ten years the Earth will enter a "little ice age" which will last from 60 to 80 years and may be caused by the decrease in solar activity.

Víctor Manuel Velasco Herrera, investigador del Instituto de Geofísica de la UNAM, sostuvo lo anterior durante una conferencia que impartó en el Centro de Ciencias Aplicadas y Desarrollo Tecnológico. Victor Manuel Velasco Herrera, a researcher at the Institute of Geophysics of the UNAM, as argued earlier during a conference that teaches at the Centre for Applied Sciences and Technological Development.

Tags: global warming, loony left

Climate Change -- Caused Tree Death in Ca

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 08:51:05 GMT

clipped by: coonhnd
clipper's remarks: Plus the infestation of the bark beetle..Make sure to read the whole article.

Clip Source: www.sciencedaily.com

Climate Change Caused Widespread Tree Death In California Mountain Range, Study Confirms

ScienceDaily (Aug. 15, 2008) — Warmer temperatures and longer dry spells have killed thousands of trees and shrubs in a Southern California mountain range, pushing the plants' habitat an average of 213 feet up the mountain over the past 30 years, a UC Irvine study has determined.

White fir and Jeffrey pine trees died at the lower altitudes of their growth range in the Santa Rosa Mountains, from 6,400 feet to as high as 7,200 feet in elevation, while California lilacs died between 4,000-4,800 feet. Almost all of the studied plants crept up the mountain a similar distance, countering the belief that slower-growing trees would move slower than faster-growing grasses and wildflowers.

White fir trees died in the 2002 drought, while neighboring Jeffrey pines survived at this elevation. (Credit: Image courtesy of University of California - Irvine)

Tags: climate change, global warming, death, trees, california

Salicornia, oil-yielding plant for coastal belts

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 04:25:23 GMT

clipped by: A53GG4

Clip Source: www.hindu.com

Salicornia, oil-yielding plant for coastal belts

By Our Agriculture Correspondent

The highly salt-tolerant crop yields high quality edible oil and other valuable edible and non-edible products. (Inset) A close-up of the succulent bush.

SALICORNIA, IS a succulent, bushy plant found in the salty-terrains near the coast, and it holds a lot of promise as an ideal edible-oil yielding crop, which can be raised using seawater. "An improved variety of Salicornia developed by crossing with other highly drought-resistant and salt-resistant species of Salicornia, is being grown extensively in several parts of the world, including India.

The variety, SOS-10, grows well in desert sands irrigated with seawater and it can be grown along the sea shore as well," explains Felix Ryan, the Chennai-based Advisor for Development and Refugee Rehabilitation of the United Nations, and Chief Monitor, Survival by Seawater Global Movement.

Tags: biofuel

new penalties in LA for wasting water

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 23:45:00 GMT

clipped by: kroqben
clipper's remarks: but is it enforceable?

Clip Source: www.latimes.com

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa signed an ordinance today that doubles fines for residents who repeatedly violate the city's "drought buster" rules, including a reworked ban on watering lawns between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.

The measure will bar restaurants from serving water to customers unless it is specifically requested. And it will quadruple fines for large customers of the Department of Water and Power, mainly businesses, that break the city's water-waster law.

Under the rules, DWP customers will be prohibited from using a hose to wash down their sidewalks and driveways, unless there is a public safety issue or a pressure washer involved. The law also bars residents from watering their lawns when it rains. Anyone who sees a water-waster violation may call 1-(800)-DIAL-DWP. The hotline has received 2,400 complaints since last summer, DWP spokesman Joe Ramallo said.

verbana b more

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 11:48:05 GMT

clipped by: clare rishbeth

Clip Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Tall, narrow, sparsely-leafed stems bear flattened heads of bright lavender-purple flowers that provide useful height in a herbaceous border. This is a short-lived perennial, and because it is borderline hardy, plants may be damaged by winter frosts. This may be avoided by leaving the dead stalks until spring, when new growth is evident, before cutting them back. A protective mulch should be added around them in the autumn with leaf mould or compost. They do, however, self-seed liberally and resulting seedlings are stronger and more drought-tolerant than those that are transplanted. This is a superb butterfly plant, rivalling even buddleja. The Royal Horticultural Society have given it the Award of Garden Merit.

Common Name: Verbena
Genus: Verbena
Species: bonariensis
Skill Level: Beginner
Exposure: Full sun
Hardiness: Half Hardy
Soil type: Well-drained/light, Moist
Height: 150cm
Spread: 45cm
Time to plant seeds: March to April

Flowering period:

August to October

Lack of water access adding to worlds poor and hungry

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 17:38:53 GMT

clipped by: spirithiker
clipper's remarks: The effects of industrialization are felt world wide. Responsible resource management needs to be given a higher priority to prevent the spread of hunger and dependence on industrialized countries.

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

Lake Chad once was the sixth-largest lake in the world, but in 45 years it has shrunk to half the size of Rhode Island - only 10 percent of its earlier size.

The shallow body of water borders four countries: Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria - and provides water to 20 million people.

In Nigeria, the shrinking lake has a huge effect on human health - farmers find it more difficult to siphon water into irrigation and they have a harder time growing food, which means people become more vulnerable to diseases like malaria and yellow fever.

Scientists say water diversion (irrigation and new dams on nearby rivers) and drought are equally to blame for the shrinking lake levels.

Tags: food, hunger, environment, global warming, resource management

Elephants' Legendary Memories Help Herds Survive

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 11:07:58 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: The call is for extra protection for the older females (the ones with the biggest tusks). They remember where water is during droughts.

Clip Source: www.livescience.com

Elephants really do have a memory like, well, an elephant.

Elephant matriarchs seem to retain memories of distant, life-sustaining sources of food and water, a new study suggests. These memories could be key to the survival of their family groups during lean times.

"Understanding how elephants and other animal populations react to droughts will be a central component of wildlife management and conservation," said lead author of the study, Charles Foley, of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). "Our findings seem to support the hypothesis that older females with knowledge of distant resources become crucial to the survival of herds during periods of extreme climatic events."

The researchers hope the study will underline the importance of protecting the leaders of elephant herds, as well as the vulnerability of the herds to increased drought brought about by climate change.

Tags: nature, is, like, an, egg - often, poached

Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Scheme

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 02:08:51 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: If a man has the faith the size of a mustard seed, he can say to a mountain 'move', and it will move.
Started in 1949, the scheme provided employment for returned soldiers, 'New Australians', who came to Australia after WW2 to start a new life, to provide electricity for the states of N.S.W. and Victoria, and to turn the 'Snowy' River from it's flow into the ocean, back inland to the irrigation area in central N.S.W.
The Government tried to sell the scheme in 2005, but widespread protests, arguing it was not theirs to sell, from people including 100 Mayors from N.S.W., prominent politicians, and conservationists, prevented the sale.
As a result of the drought-in Australia, droughts go hand in with bush fires, Lake Jindabyne reached an all time low of around 10%.in 2005. Today the level is around 60%. 'Old' Jindabyne is beneath Lake Jindabyne. They decided to move the town. when the dam was built. Parts of it can be seen when the dam is low or when fishing. Particularly the steeple.

Clip Source: en.wikipedia.org

The Snowy Mountains Scheme is a hydroelectricity and irrigation complex in south-east Australia. The waters of the Snowy River and its tributary, the Eucumbene, are captured at high elevations and diverted inland to the Murray River and the Murrumbidgee River, through two tunnel systems driven through the Snowy Mountains. The water falls 800 metres and travels through large hydro-electric power stations which generate peak-load power for the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales and Victoria.^[1]^[2]

Clip Source: en.wikipedia.org

Lake Jindabyne

Clip Source: en.wikipedia.org

Talbingo Dam

Tumut 3 generating station.

Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme,

listed as a "world-class civil engineering project" by the American Society of Civil Engineers.^[5] The scheme interlocks seven power stations and 16 major dams through 145 kilometres of trans-mountain tunnels and 80 kilometres of aqueducts. The scheme virtually reverses the flow of the Snowy River from its natural course toward the ocean and directs it inland

Thousands rally to mark 'death' of Australian river

Sun, 10 Aug 2008 16:49:19 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: The Murray River has suffered neglect at the hands of both major parties at both state and federal level. Too hard. Maybe it will rain. The river was destined to fail when they built a hydro electric scheme at the top of the river and diverted water into another river after ww2

Clip Source: www.terradaily.com

The 5,000-strong crowd gathered near the mouth of the 2,530 kilometre (1,569 mile) Murray to hold two minute's silence to mark the 'death' of the river, which forms part of Australia's most important agricultural region.

Kym McHugh, mayor of the local Alexandrina Council, said the ceremony near the South Australian town of Goolwa was to "underscore this eleventh hour bid to save the nation's greatest river."

"It sent a very clear message by saying we've had a lot of talk about the river system, a lot of science, we all know what the problem is -- we just want politicians to have the will to fix it up," he told national news agency AAP.

"They need to secure water upstream and send it down."

Water levels are so low in the Murray River, due to drought and irrigation, that the freshwater lakes the river feeds into are turning to acid.

Counting sheep easier in New Zealand now

Sun, 10 Aug 2008 09:11:18 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: This is the Kiwis answer to the need for population control. With the ratio falling to 8 to one, the ugly ones still provide the meat and wool, so there are not many left for homemaking duties.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

It used to be a national joke that New Zealand had 20 times more sheep than people.

But figures released today show sheep numbers are dwindling and there are now only eight of the woolly animals per head of the country's population.

In 1982 the ratio of sheep to people was nearly 22, but Meat and Wool New Zealand revealed there are now 34 million sheep to 4.2 million people.

The sheep population in the agriculture-based country dropped sharply by 4.3 million or 11 per cent in the past year alone due to drought and the expansion of dairying, the organisation said.

Sheep farmers were also struggling with low prices for wool and lamb, said spokesman Rob Davison, with the number of lambs due for slaughter in the coming year down 6 million to 20.3 million.

"Lambchops will be harder to find," he said.

Tags: kiwis, love, 'em

Australians say eating kangaroos will save the world

Sat, 09 Aug 2008 16:30:31 GMT

clipped by: Smoke TNT
clipper's remarks: Al Gore has officially made the world retarded.

Clip Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

(Ray Strange/The Australian)

The new study says eating more kangaroos will help to reduce carbon gas emissions in Australia

Australian scientists have come up with a unique way to combat climate change: eat kangaroos and save the world.

A study claims that farming and consuming more kangaroos instead of cattle and sheep will reduce carbon gas emissions.

Exports, particularly to Germany, Russia and South Korea, make up about 60 per cent of the Australian kangaroo meat industry, which is worth an estimated $A200 million (£92 million).

The President of the Wildlife Protection Association of Australia, Pat O’Brien, described the study as nonsense. He said that 500 times more kangaroos than the current population would have to be killed to produce the equivalent amount of sheep and cattle meat.

“The kangaroo population is in demise in Australia; it’s never been so low because of ten years of drought,” said Mr O’Brien, who is also the chairman of the National Kangaroo Protection Coalition.

Tags: global warming, hoax, climate chage, animals, australia

Minimum Wage

Sat, 09 Aug 2008 04:28:59 GMT

clipped by: mklosinski

Clip Source: www.epionline.org

Researchers at Northeastern University, who described summer 2007 as "the worst in post-World War II history" for teen summer employment, say that 2008 is to be "even worse." According to their data, only about one-third of Americans 16-19 years old will have a job this summer, and vulnerable low-income and minority teens are going to fare even worse. One of the reasons for this drastic employment drought is the mandated wage hikes that policymakers have forced down the throats of local businesses. Economic research has shown that increasing the minimum wage destroys jobs for low-skilled workers while doing little to address poverty.

According to economist David Neumark of the University of California at Irvine, for every 10 percent increase in the minimum wage, employment for high school dropouts and young black adults and teenagers falls by 8.5 percent.

Tags: minimum wage

Contradiction? Ya Think

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 04:51:00 GMT

clipped by: bmeuppls
clipper's remarks: Can't y'all get your stories straight?

Clip Source: mypetjawa.mu.nu

(New York City) Published in the journal Obesity, research results indicate that all U.S. adults will be overweight in 40 years. U.S. government survey data were analyzed to determine "that 86 percent of American adults will be overweight by 2030, with an obesity rate of 51 percent. By 2048, all U.S. adults could be at least mildly overweight."

Of course, I remain forever annoyed by the fact that the mainstream media doesn't call out the lefties for not coordinating their end-of-the-world alarms. It would be appropriate to ask, "How can everyone end up overweight when the Gorebots shriek of impending drought and famine?"

Prepare for global temperature rise of 4C, warns top scientist

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 10:47:45 GMT

clipped by: sunblock
clipper's remarks: Drought-resistant plants such as these in the Majorelle gardens in Marrakech, Morocco, would become more common in British gardens. Photograph: Clay Perry/Corbis

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

The UK should take active steps to prepare for dangerous climate change of perhaps 4C according to one of the government's chief scientific advisers.

"There is no doubt that we should aim to limit changes in the global mean surface temperature to 2C above pre-industrial," Watson, the chief scientific adviser to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, told the Guardian. "But given this is an ambitious target, and we don't know in detail how to limit greenhouse gas emissions to realise a 2 degree target, we should be prepared to adapt to 4C."

Link to this audio
James Randerson: 'Massive shifts in Earth's systems'

Globally, a 4C temperature rise would have a catastrophic impact.

Tags: cllimate change catastrophe

The World Needs to See the Tragedy in Africa

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 08:23:34 GMT

clipped by: bs1999bs
clipper's remarks: Our politicians have, conveniently, played lip-service to the famine in Africa. It needs to be addressed.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Desperation as Ethiopia's hunger grows

It is a strange and unsettling ride west from the Ethiopian town of Shashamene. The fields are vibrant green. There is water in the creeks. The soil is a deep rich burgundy.

However, the people here speak of a "green drought".

It is the time when the land is full of new shoots but there is no food. It happens because the last rains failed and few crops were planted.

In every village there were vulnerable children

You can sense the desperation when you arrive in a village.

A crowd gathers quickly. Some hold up their children. They want us to see the distended stomachs which are one sign of hunger.

You can sense the desperation when you arrive in a village.

A crowd gathers quickly. Some hold up their children. They want us to see the distended stomachs which are one sign of hunger.

here lies the challenge: what will become of so many poor, frail children in the months ahead before the next harvest in early autumn.

Tags: famine, society, hunger