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NEWS ABOUT: environment

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World to Get Its Tallest Dam

1,030-footer gets OK from environmental ministry

(Newser) - The title of world's tallest dam may shift to a new country in a decade's time. Plans for a 1,030-foot dam—45 feet taller than the current title holder, Tajikistan's Nurek dam—have gotten the green light from China's environmental ministry. The $4.4 billion... More »

2 Big Names Bail on Zuckerberg Advocacy Group

Elon Musk is one, angry over ads supporting Keystone pipeline

(Newser) - The advocacy group spearheaded by Mark Zuckerberg on immigration reform is down two high-profile players from Silicon Valley because of an ad strategy that has angered environmental and liberal groups, reports Reuters . The bigger name to leave is Tesla CEO Elon Musk. "I agreed to support FWD.us because... More »

Louisiana Is Shrinking, Thanks to Giant Swamp Rats

Beaver-like creatures behind vast erosion

(Newser) - When it comes to invasive species, Louisiana may have Florida and its giant snails beat: The state's beloved swampland is literally vanishing at the hands of gigantic swamp rats . Nutria—described by a documentarian tracking the creatures as "a cross between a beaver and a New York sewer... More »

Report Sees No Big Problems With Keystone Pipeline

State Department assessment angers environmental groups

(Newser) - A long-awaited State Department report on the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline is proving to be a bitter disappointment to environmentalists, reports Politico . The draft report issued late this afternoon does not give President Obama a clear yes-or-no recommendation on whether the project should move forward, but it generally plays... More »

Russian 'Ghost Ship' Turns Up Off Irish Coast

It's an environmental danger: French group

(Newser) - An empty Russian cruise ship lost at sea for weeks has turned up some 1,300 nautical miles off Ireland's west coast, reports AFP via PhysOrg. The Lyubov Orlova was being towed from Canada to the Dominican Republic when a tug line broke in late January, setting it adrift.... More »

Biofuel Demand Takes Big Toll on US Prairies

Grasslands destroyed at fastest rate since 1930s, says study

(Newser) - The push for biofuels—spurred by ethanol mandates and government subsidies—is taking a serious toll on the American landscape, a study finds. Grasslands are being plowed up faster than at any time since the 1930s, say researchers from South Dakota State University, with 1.3 million acres turned into... More »

Obama Mulls Exec Orders on Gay Rights, Environment

Could also take action on mortgage refinancing

(Newser) - If Congress won't move on President Obama's agenda, he may take further action—on mortgage refinancing, gay rights, and other issues—on his own. The process could begin this week with new cybersecurity rules for private firms in certain industries, including transportation, the Washington Post reports. Later, he... More »

State of the Union to Target Emissions Cuts

EPA could move to limit existing plants' greenhouse gases

(Newser) - President Obama's 2013 State of the Union address will follow up on his inaugural call to arms against climate change, insiders say. Though the specifics aren't clear yet, it's likely Obama will discuss limiting existing power plants' emissions—a plan that could depend on his use of... More »

The Gross Ways That Plastic-Bag Bans Backfire

Reusable bags are home to all kinds of germs: Ramesh Ponnuru

(Newser) - Environmental concerns have spurred plastic bag bans or fees in US cities ranging from Los Angeles to Washington—but these measures come with "unintended consequences" that "can be, among other things, kind of gross," writes Ramesh Ponnuru at Bloomberg . It seems that reusable shopping bags can carry... More »

Sitting in Traffic Cost Us Each $800 in 2011

Commuters released 56B extra pounds of carbon dioxide: study

(Newser) - This may not do much to quell road rage: America's commuters each wasted an average of $818 in time and gas while stuck in traffic in 2011, a yearly study finds, for a total of $121 billion nationwide. That's up $1 billion from the year before, the AP... More »

Cats Kill Billions of Birds a Year

And even more mammals: study

(Newser) - Forget the adorable YouTube videos—cats are cold-blooded killers, or so says a new study that attempted to quantify the toll felines take on birds and other wildlife. NPR has the numbers: Of the estimated 84 million pet cats owned by Americans, researchers determined as many as 47 million are... More »

Nebraska OKs Route for Keystone Pipeline

Obama will have 'stark' choice soon, says one blogger

(Newser) - The controversial and long-delayed Keystone XL oil pipeline just cleared a major hurdle: Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman says the state is fine with an alternative route that avoids an environmentally fragile area knows as the Sand Hills, reports NPR . (Read his full letter to President Obama here .) Nebraska's... More »

US Report: Climate Change Already Taking Heavy Toll

National Climate Assessment offers bleak overview

(Newser) - A federal advisory panel has delivered its assessment on climate change, and it's not pretty. Expect hotter temperatures and more "extreme weather events" across the US in coming decades, says the panel of 240 scientists and other experts, reports the Hill . “These changes are part of the... More »

Tehran Pollution So Bad That Going Out Is 'Suicide'

City shuts down for days until winds pick up

(Newser) - When the potent mix of cold weather and windless days hits Tehran, so does pollution so thick that it shuts down buildings and stings the eyes and throat, prompting calls to stay indoors. Schools, banks, and government buildings were closed for five days last week in an effort to cut... More »

Century-Long Drought Was Mayans' Undoing

Civilization failed 'to adapt successfully to climate change': study

(Newser) - The Mayan civilization collapsed at the hands of "a nearly century-long drought," says a UK-based researcher following a new study that the AFP reports has confirmed an existing climate-change theory. The Mayans' rise and fall "is an example of a sophisticated civilization failing to adapt successfully to... More »

Scientists Turn Air Into Gas

British company thinks it can help energy crisis in a big way

(Newser) - An amazing-sounding breakthrough from the UK: Scientists have found a way to extract carbon dioxide from air and mix it with water vapor to create a cleaner, clearer gas that can be used in existing cars and other forms of transport, reports the Independent . A company called Air Fuel Synthesis... More »

Rogue Bizman Dumps 100 Tons of Iron Into Sea in 'Experiment'

Canada probing possible treaty violations

(Newser) - A California businessman dumped 100 tons of iron sulphate dust into the Pacific Ocean as part of a rogue "experiment" that has infuriated scientists and government officials. The operation launched by Russ George, 62, spewed the dust off western Canada in exchange for $2.5 million from a native... More »

Couple Busted for Alleged Cyanide Dump

55-gallon dump kills 'nearly every fish in a three-mile stretch'

(Newser) - Federal authorities have accused an Ohio couple of killing "nearly every fish in a three-mile stretch" by illegally dumping 55 gallons of toxic cyanide into a storm sewer. Renato and Teresina Montsori, age 79 and 74, respectively, used to own a metal-plating company that used cyanide, the Cleveland Plain-Dealer... More »

Study: Electric Cars Hurt the Environment

At least in areas that burn fossil fuels for electricity

(Newser) - Buying a Model S or a Leaf might not be the proverbial tree hug you thought it was. Electric cars actually harm the environment more than their gas-powered counterparts in many places, a new study from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology has concluded. That's in part because... More »

Town Buys Livestock to Go Green, Save Dough

Charlotte, Vermont, replaces mowers with goats and sheep

(Newser) - Want to cut back on grass-cutting costs and go green at the same time? Buy a few sheep and goats to chomp on your lawn. That's been the solution in one Vermont town that wanted to save money without letting its cemeteries become overgrown with grass and weeds, NPR... More »

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