In The News

Coffee Rust Plagues Farmers in Mexico

Frédéric Saliba April 2, 2013
Fungal diseases are a major challenge in farming, and coffee growers in Latin America must contend with coffee rust – a disease caused by the Hemileia vastatrix, an orange dust that causes the leaves on coffee bushes to fall away, reports Frédéric Saliba for Guardian Weekly. “The crisis seems particularly serious in Central America, with a state of emergency already in force in Honduras, Costa...

Oklahoma Earthquake Linked to Oil Extraction Wastewater

Jason Palmer April 1, 2013
Injecting millions of liters of water and chemicals into the ground for drilling oil and gas has been linked to seismic events, including a 5.7 earthquake in Oklahoma in 2011. A study in the journal Geology suggests that related seismic activity can occur years after wastewater injections begin. “The new study adds to an increasing body of evidence that the injection of wastewater is correlated...

Wind Rush

Edward Humes March 20, 2013
Wind turbines on vast ranches and fields of corn, soy and wheat have transformed US farmers into energy producers. Eight large turbines in one Iowa community produce 12.8 megawatts, enough to power 6,000 Iowa homes, and “generate healthy annual returns of up to 16 percent on the $12,000 to $50,000 individual investments from 180 local farmers,” reports Edward Humes for Sierra. “At four cents a...

Environmental Woes Could Reverse Global Development

Christopher F. Schuetze March 20, 2013
Storms, fires, rising seas, floods and other consequence of climate change could plunge one third of the world’s population into extreme poverty by 2050, according to the 2013 Human Development Report, released last week by the UN Development Programme. On a more positive note, the report says, “Extreme income poverty has plummeted from 1990, when 43 percent of the globe’s population lived on the...

UK Seabed Resources Joins Deep-Ocean Mineral-Mining Rush

David Shukman March 15, 2013
Technology, including robotics, is allowing more mining firms to explore the ocean floor for oil and minerals, as “surveys have revealed huge numbers of so-called nodules – small lumps of rock rich in valuable metals – lying on the ocean floor south of Hawaii and west of Mexico,” reports David Shukman for BBC News. Another method involves removing material near hydrothermal vents....

Fossil-Fuel Subsidies Help Asia Roar

Will Hickey March 15, 2013
Governments have long provided subsidies, direct and indirect, on fuels for both consumers and producers. Providing subsidies on fossil fuels is costly in terms of public health and climate change. In 2009, G20 leaders agreed that subsidies should be curtailed, but Asian countries continue to fund them to support economic growth. Subsidies for consumers lead to waste, traffic and pollution. Less...

Weaning From Fossil Fuels and Growing a Green Economy

Dennis Posadas March 8, 2013
Innovation in renewable energies is taking many directions, though implementation of best practices and policies is naturally slow to follow. It may be unrealistic to expect a global treaty on climate before innovation plays out. “Worldwide implementation may require getting comfortable with many different culturally appropriate approaches,” writes Dennis Posadas, author and fellow of the Climate...