Drought In The South Central U.S. Expected To Persist Through October, Says Climate Experts

This summer, we’ve all felt at least a few days of scorching 100 degree heat, but nowhere in the United States has it been felt more than in the country’s south central region.

 Earlier this week, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported that, “Persistent, scorching heat in the central and eastern regions of the United States shattered long-standing daily and monthly temperature records last month.

“The South climate region – Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas – had the warmest single calendar month for any region on record. Dallas exceeded 100° F on 30 of the 31 days in July. ”

While many states are beginning to feel a relieving cooling this month, experts are unfortunately predicting that states in the Texas and Oklahoma region will have to endure this roasting until mid-fall.

The U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook came out last week with data from NOAA, saying that, “Climate anomalies attributed to the Summer 2010 – Spring 2011 La Niña event prompted widespread drought development and intensification across the southern tier of the United States.

“In many locations, significant deterioration occurred, with the Great Plains experiencing the worst impacts. Apart from the relief afforded by isolated thunderstorms, or a tropical system, drought conditions are anticipated to persist over the south central states through the August – October period.”

Click to read more ...

Europe’s Appetite For Seafood and Overfishing Threatening Domestic Industry Sustainability

Decades of European overfishing is now reaching crisis levels. Without new sustainability regulations in place, the European Union’s fishing industry continues to overexploit its waters, and now needs to increasingly depend on imported fish to meet domestic consumer demands.

Overfishing in European Union waters. Cartoon from the World Wildlife Fund.

“EU catches have steadily declined since 1993 at an average rate of two percent per year,” according to the new report, Fish Dependence - 2011 Update: Increasing reliance of the EU on fish from elsewhere, by the nef and the OCEAN2012 alliance.

The report finds that as the EU’s domestic fish populations continue to decline, “fish consumption in the EU continues to increase and remains at levels beyond what EU waters can produce.” It estimates that Europeans eat about 29 percent more seafood that the global average.

This trend is having both a devastating effect on the ecology of the EU’s domestic waters and on the ability of EU states to maintain profitability in their fishing industries.

If this trend continues, it means less fish for European consumers, and higher prices for the fish. For decades, the EU has had to import a portion of its fish supplies to meet consumer demands, and every year that number has grown.

Click to read more ...

Damage to Yellowstone’s Ecosystem Expected To Grow As Oil Enters the Food Chain

When Exxon’s pipeline burst in the Yellowstone River earlier this month, the company said that the “pumps were shut down within seven minutes,” but the consequences from the approximately 1,000 barrels of oil that spilled into the river will likely be felt for years throughout the ecosystem.

Pallid sturgeon. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer.

There is also no way to fully appreciate the extent of the long-term financial damages that will be felt by those whose livelihoods depend on the river and the surrounding areas that it irrigates.

The affected section of the river contains highly prized populations of brown and rainbow trout as well as other fish such as the native pallid sturgeon, sauger, goldeye, channel catfish, and non-native fish, including smallmouth bass, and walleye, which are under heavy threat of contamination.

On July 5, the day the pipeline burst, the river was running at just below flood stage, and volunteers from the non-profit Trout Unlimited reported that oil was evident in wheat fields at least 40 miles downriver near a state wildlife management area and the Pompey’s Pillar National Monument.

The non-profit also worries that “as the flooding recedes, this toxic oil could easily be deposited in important shallow-water spawning and rearing habitats. Toxic components of oil, such as benzene could also threaten macro-invertebrates (i.e., crayfish, clams, and snails) and larval fish.”

Click to read more ...

Foul Smelling Fumes With Dangerous Health Risks Wafting From The Yellowstone Oil Spill

A lot of people that both live and work along the banks of the Yellowstone River are reporting concerns about noxious smells coming from the water. People have noticed “a strong odor” along the river, and the backwaters near where the pipeline ruptured, says the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Yellowstone River oil spill cleanup. Photo courtesy of KLS Broadcasting, Salt Lake City, UT.

“If you are smelling a gas-station-like odor, you may be smelling volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. The VOCs in oil are benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene,” says the agency. Odors from these chemicals can cause health problems including: headaches, dizziness, nausea, or vomiting.

If people smell these odors near their homes, they’re advised to immediately close their doors and windows, turn on their air conditioners (set to recirculating mode, if it’s an option), and notify local authorities to find out what other actions they can take. If people are feeling sick in any way from the fumes, they need to be taken to the nearest medical facility as soon as possible for treatment.

Also nearby residents need to be cautious of any odd smells or tastes coming from the water they drink, which can also cause symptoms including: headaches, dizziness, nausea, or vomiting.

In addition, people need to careful of their pet’s water, and make sure that when their pets are outside, that they don’t get into any contaminated areas. Also, if pets get any contaminated water on them, wash it off immediately with soap and water.

Click to read more ...

Private Sector Still Skeptical Over The United Kingdom’s Green Investment Bank

As the United Kingdom moves deeper into the first phase of establishing its first ever Green Investment Bank, many in the private sector are still skeptical over whether it will really have any substantial benefit for the country.

Courtesy of Getty Images.

There is a lot of concern from potential investors over the bank’s long-term funding ability. Andrew Raingold, executive director of the Aldergate Group, an alliance of political and business leaders, believes that the bank should be able to “borrow from the start” and have “the power to raise revenue by issuing its own green bonds.”

Raingold wants to see a growth plan which ensures that the UK has a “more balanced economy that makes things instead of imports them,” adding that, “This would put the bank at the heart of the chancellor’s plan for growth and not wait until the UK is overtaken in the key green industries by competitors.”

In its 2011 budget, the UK government has already committed to fund the bank with £3 billion ($4.86 billion) until 2015, according to the country’s department for business, innovations and skills. The bank will be capitalized to an extent that it will not need to borrow money before the 2015/16 fiscal year.

To speed up progress, the government plans to make direct, state-aid compliant investments in green infrastructure projects until April 2012, until these investments can be transferred to the bank.

Click to read more ...