International

"From Japan, Bearing Witness in Debate Over Indian Point"

As the anniversary of the 2011 Japanese nuclear power plant disaster nears, the question is asked: would a disaster at Indian Point nuclear power station -- 38 miles north of New York City -- be any less likely? Any less catastrophic? Are plans for preventing or responding to a catastrophe any less realistic?

Source: NY Times, 03/08/2012

World Meets UN Millenium Safe Water Goal

"More than two billion people have gained access to better drinking water sources, such as piped supplies and protected wells, between 1990 and 2010, UN officials said on Tuesday. The figure means the world has met the internationally agreed Millennium Development Goal to halve the proportion of people with no safe drinking water well ahead of a 2015 deadline, UNICEF and the World Health Organization said."

Source: Reuters, 03/07/2012

Ice Melt a Complex Key to Changing Global Climate System

Ice -- on both sea and land, near the poles and at high altitudes -- is connected in a number of ways with changing climate, as both a symptom and a cause. Several news stories about ice melt have come out recently. Charlie Petit at MIT's Knight Science Journalism Tracker has done a bang-up job of summarizing them. So we will save time and effort by linking directly to his work, which will richly reward the climate-curious.

"Venezuela Emerges as New Source of ‘Conflict’ Minerals"

Coltan ore is valuable as a source of niobium and tantalum, metals key to many kinds of electronics. Coltan mining has helped finance war in places like the Democratic Republic of Congo. Now new illegal coltan mining activity has sprung up in the remote Amazon jungles on the border between Venezuela and Columbia. It is controlled largely by armed militias and drug smugglers.

Source: iWatch News, 03/06/2012

"Oceans' Acidic Shift May Be Fastest In 300 Million Years"

"The world's oceans are turning acidic at what could be the fastest pace of any time in the past 300 million years, even more rapidly than during a monster emission of planet-warming carbon 56 million years ago, scientists said on Thursday.

Looking back at this bygone warm period in Earth's history could offer help in forecasting the impact of human-spurred climate change, researchers said.

Source: Reuters, 03/05/2012

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