Demand for organic crops so outstrips the supply that some food brands are underwriting farmers’ arduous and costly transition to organic production. View this article: Paying Farmers to Go Organic, Even Before the Crops Come In ; ; ;
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Researchers analyzed hundreds of thousands of samples in digitized museum collections to produce an estimate of species in the South American rain forest. Originally from: After 300 Years of Collecting, Nearly 12,000 Amazon Tree Species Are Found ; ; ;
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After 300 Years of Collecting, Nearly 12,000 Amazon Tree Species Are Found
In the fifth year of a drought, Los Angeles wants to convert miles of extra space to capture storm water. View original post here: Los Angeles Looks for Extra Water Down Its Alleys ; ; ;
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While activists can agree that something must be done, differences arise over exactly what and how, on issues like nuclear power and fracking. Original link: Another Inconvenient Truth: It’s Hard to Agree How to Fight Climate Change ; ; ;
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Another Inconvenient Truth: It’s Hard to Agree How to Fight Climate Change
Can American communities repair the broken interface between citizens and keepers of the peace? This article: Is There a Path to Peace Between Civilians and Police? ; ; ;
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By Samantha Leeon Jun 6, 2016Share
Deep in the ocean where the sun don’t shine, fissures in the earth’s crust spew super-heated geothermal water and gases of up to 400 degrees Celsius.
Sounds like hell? Not quite — hydrothermal vents discovered just 40 years ago by scientists, teem with a surprising abundance of life. And these hotbeds of biodiversity are crucial for underwater ecosystems and the global climate, according to a recent report in Frontiers In Marine Science.
The vents dot the sea floor at depths of 5,000 to 13,000 feet, gushing sulfides, methane, iron, and hydrogen into the ocean. Like moths to a (very hot) flame, microorganisms around the vents convert these elements into food. They are, in turn, eaten by other organisms, transporting that geothermal energy up a food chain that includes mussels, clams, giant crabs, and those truly bizarre scarlet tube worm colonies.
Importantly, researchers found that vent-dwelling creatures gobble up as much as 90 percent of the released methane — which, if it were to be released into the atmosphere, would act as a greenhouse gas 86 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period.
“There is more methane on the ocean floor than there are other forms of fossil fuels left in the oceans,” said Andrew Thurber, coauthor on the report, “and if it were all released it would be a doomsday climatic event. Through methane consumption, these life forms are literally saving the planet.”
But before you can say “OMG tube worm!”, there’s more. These extreme ecosystems are threatened by offshore oil and gas extraction — particularly the peripheral impacts like, anchors, noise pollution, leakage. Big plans are brewing to mine the vents for copper, gold, or silver, with the first deep-sea mining machines set for a test drive in the near future.
Since the vents are dispersed around the ocean floor around the world, any coordinated plan to protect them would require international cooperation. Since losing them might spell disaster — not to get too fire and brimstone-y on you guys — it’s as good a reason as any to work together.
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Tiny sea creatures are saving us from hell on earth. So why are we endangering them?
Mother Jones
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A press conference called by Donald Trump to discuss his donations to veterans’ groups devolved into a lengthy bout of bickering between the presumptive Republican presidential nominee and members of the press over media treatment of his campaign.
While Trump has fought with the press throughout the campaign, repeatedly impugning individual reporters and banning many outlets, including Mother Jones, from his rallies, the press conference at Trump Tower on Tuesday was one of the sharpest clashes yet, as Trump insulted reporters to their faces and several journalists attempted to fight back. He again called the press corps “dishonest” and potentially libelous before singling out ABC’s Tom Llamas as a “sleaze” and mocking the looks of CNN reporter Jim Acosta. Reporters at the event returned fire, arguing with Trump that he seemed to be trying to dodge scrutiny of his donations and mistook questions for criticism. “Is this what it is going to be like covering you if you are president?” one exasperated reporter asked.
In January, Trump pledged to donate $1 million to unnamed veterans’ organizations. But that donation appeared not to have been made until after the Washington Post started asking questions about the money last week, prompting Trump to give $1 million to the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation. (Trump responded to that story by calling the reporter “a nasty guy.”) At Tuesday’s press conference, Trump came prepared with a long list of organizations he said received a total of $5.6 million thanks to a fundraising event he held in January.
Trump also continued his attacks on Judge Gonzalo Curiel, a federal judge in California who has ordered documents unsealed in a lawsuit against Trump University, a school that charged students as much as $35,000 for real estate courses that promised Trump-like success and wealth. The lawsuit alleges that the school defrauded its students. Trump called Curiel an “unfair judge” on Tuesday after having attacked him on Friday as a “Trump hater” and bringing up his Latino heritage as a reason for his alleged anti-Trump bias. The documents are due to be released today.
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By Katie Herzogon May 19, 2016Share
Norway has just announced that it will begin issuing drilling licenses to oil companies looking to cash in in the Arctic — after two decades of declining their advances.
“Today, we are opening a new chapter in the history of the Norwegian petroleum industry,” said petroleum and energy minister Tord Lien in a statement. “For the first time in 20 years, we offer new acreage for exploration. This will contribute to employment, growth and value creation in Norway. Northern Norway is now in the forefront of further developing the Norwegian petroleum industry.”
Environmental groups fighting to keep oil well underwater are, naturally, displeased. Aside from the carbon impact of burning fossil fuels, the drilling will take place in the ecologically delicate Barents Sea.
“The Barents Sea is one of the richest, most unique marine ecosystems in the world, with remarkable concentrations of seabirds, marine mammals, fish, and other marine life,” wrote Greenpeace’s Rick Steiner in 2014. “The potential short-term energy potential here is truly not worth the long-term environmental risk from offshore drilling.”
Norway’s announcement comes after state revenues around the country have been slashed by the global drop in crude oil prices. That drop has hit many economies dependent on oil, like Alaska’s. Still, Norway is in a better position than most oil-rich countries due to having diversified its economy with industries such as tourism and fisheries, as well as raising taxes, reports KTOO. In a visit to Anchorage this week, Ambassador Kare Aas said that the Norwegian government currently receives about 20 percent of its revenue from fossil fuel interests — while Alaska’s oil and gas industry produced roughly 90 percent of the state’s funds until fairly recently.
With luck, drillers won’t find enough easily accessible oil in the Barents Sea to make it worth their while. That’s what happened in Alaska last year: After a heated battle over offshore drilling in the Arctic, Royal Dutch Shell ultimately it wasn’t worth the bother and pulled out.
Either way, we’ll find out soon enough: Statoil plans to begin drilling in the Barents in 2017.
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By Clayton Aldernon May 18, 2016 4:44 amShare
To the shock of no one, it turns out that coal dust is pretty bad for just about everything. People? Turns their lungs the wrong color. Rats? Plaque in the arteries. Corals? Turns out when you spill a lot of coal dust into the water, they don’t do so well either.
In a Nature Scientific Reports article titled “Simulated coal spill causes mortality and growth inhibition in tropical marine organisms,” scientists from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and the Australian Institute of Marine Science have shown that, well, a simulated coal spill kills pretty much everything it touches underwater.
Here are some corals at different stages of exposure. The badly abused Swiffer mop of a polyp on the right bathed for 14 days in water flavored with 275 mg of coal per liter:
Berry et al., Nature Scientific Reports
And here are some stunted fish getting progressively more and more freaked out that scientists are making strip-mine tea in their tanks:
Berry et al., Nature Scientific Reports
Climate change is already devastating coral reefs around the world, but this new research seems to say, “Why not cut out the middle man! It turns out we can snuff out some ecosystems with coal dust alone!”
And — surprise again — with increased seaborne coal trade comes a greater risk of coal dust exposure for all these marine critters.
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Posted 16 May 2016 in
Last week, certified mechanics, engine performance experts, and professional fishermen visited Capitol Hill to instruct lawmakers on the finer points of ethanol use in marine engines.
From left to right: Marc Rauch, Executive Vice President and Co-Publisher at the Auto Channel; Joel Hennen, President and Owner of Hennen’s Auto Service; Brian Sowers, Co-Host of Crappie Masters TV; & Keith Holmes, President and Owner of CK Motorsports
At a briefing hosted by Fuels America, the experts dispelled some of the oil industry’s favorite myths about modern engines and explained the importance of biofuels in protecting the environment, preserving America’s energy security, and providing a high-octane boost to race boats.
The event was timely, as the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is expected – sometime this month – to complete its review of the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed blending requirements for ethanol and advanced biofuels in 2017. Under the Renewable Fuel Standard, the EPA is obligated to ensure that America’s fuel mix continues to lower our dependence on oil, keep our air clean, and combat climate change. And that makes the RFS vital to boaters, racers, fishermen and mechanics around the country.
Keith Holmes provided his perspective as President and Owner of CK Motorsports in Nunica, Michigan and a Certified Mercury Marine Racing Technician. One of his slides helps illustrate the point that ethanol is an ideal fuel for race craft:
Holmes: “Ethanol burns cleaner and cooler. Since the introduction of E10, we find that many engine parts have a 25 to 50 percent longer lifespan. The National Boat Racing Association exclusively uses E10 for all their races.”
Brian Sowers tells lawmakers that Crappie Master Champions all use an ethanol blend in their tanks
Brian Sowers provided a sportsman’s perspective as Co-Host of Crappie Masters TV, covering the Crappie Masters All American Tournament Trail based in Clinton, Missouri: “I want to take my grandkids fishing someday. That means having clean water and clean air.”
Marc Rauch pours some ethanol into a shot glass, explaining why ethanol burns cleaner than gasoline
Marc Rauch, Executive Vice President and Co-Publisher at the Auto Channel, based in Louisville, Kentucky: “As an oxygen booster, ethanol replaces toxins like MTBE, which are notorious for contaminating water supplies. And it reduces CO2 emissions by 34 to 100 percent or more compared to gasoline.”
Finally, a fuel retailer from the shores of the Minnesota River and Prior Lake explained why his customers have embraced ethanol blends for marine applications.
Joel Hennen explains the labels that ensure consumers always get the ethanol blend that’s best for their engine
Joel Hennen, President and Owner Hennen’s Auto Service: “Companies like Kawasaki, Mercury Marine, OMC, Pleasurecraft, Tigershark, Tracker, Honda, and Yamaha all approve the use of E10 in their engines. The labels are clear, and whether customers have a flex fuel vehicle or a race boat, we make it easy to pick the most affordable option with the lowest emissions.”
Fuels
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America’s Boat and Engine Experts Teach Lawmakers about the Benefits of Ethanol
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