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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: drought

drought stories: 33 news summaries

1 - 20 of 33 Stories | 1 2 Next >>

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OPINION

 Tear Up Your Lawn 

Why do we devote so much water to a superficial end?

Sep 30, 09 6:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - Matthew Fleischer has always hated lawns as wasteful and useless. But his hate is at a fevered pitch after reading about how the desire for lush green grass in literally draining states dry. America’s lawns and golf courses require about 200 gallons of water per citizen per day. We... More »

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California • drought • water • suburban sprawl • tap water • suburban lawn • lawn

 As Gov't Bickers, 
 Drought Ravages Kenya 

Squabbling government fails to prepare for the worst as 4M starve

Sep 8, 09 10:46 AM CDT
(Newser) - While countries like Ethiopia and Somalia have been long associated with drought and famine, it's the robust safari destination of Kenya that's wasting away. Nearly 4 million Kenyans, 10% of the population, are desperate for food due to a lack of rainfall—some villages haven't seen rain in years, the... More »

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Kenya • hunger • drought • starvation • international aid

OPINION

 Let's Start Paying 
 for Water—Or Lose It 

Solution to 'crisis' may be controversial, but problem will only worsen

Aug 30, 09 11:54 AM CDT
(Newser) - You may receive a water bill every month, but you’re not actually paying for water. You’re paying for the cost of service, and this free-rider problem is contributing to the worsening water crisis that threatens to dehydrate the US, author and law professor Robert Glennon argues in the... More »

MORE ABOUT:
conservation • drought • water • natural resources • water shortage • water supply • desalination

 Addictive Leaf May 
 Rob Yemen of Water 

Khat consumes water, drains family resources, detractors say

Aug 25, 09 8:15 PM CDT
(Newser) - It's no secret that Yemen loves khat—a leaf chewed to produce a mild, amphetamine-like effect. Nearly 90% of men and 25% of women indulge, and most families actually spend more on khat than food. The ramifications have been long chronicled, but Time points out a less obvious one emerging... More »

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terrorism • drought • water • Yemen • amphetamines • insurgency • khat

(Newser) - With Texas caught in the midst of a brutal drought, a new crime is on the rise: hay rustling. Hay has been disappearing from farms, depriving cattle of much-needed nourishment, the Wall Street Journal reports. Stolen hay reports remain sporadic—the Journal catches up with one farmer who lost... More »

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agriculture • Texas • farming • drought • theft • hay

 Drying Euphrates 
 Cripples Iraq 

Turkish, Syrian dams, Iraqi practices blamed

Jul 14, 09 8:53 AM CDT
(Newser) - Iraqis are suffering as the Euphrates river dwindles, a result of Turkish and Syrian dams upstream, a 2-year drought, and Iraqi’s own mismanagement of its water supply, the New York Times reports. Farmers and fishermen have been ruined and key grain-growing land desiccated. “The old men say it’... More »

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Iraq • Turkey • Syria • drought • water • Euphrates • river • dams

 Drought Turns Off Tap 
 in Mexico City 

Citizens counting on water trucks during shutoff

Apr 10, 09 3:52 AM CDT
(Newser) - A record drought forced officials to turn off the major water pipeline providing fresh water to Mexico City, reports the BBC. The shutoff was scheduled to last 36 hours and affects 5 million residents. Emergency water trucks were supplying hard-hit citizens, but Easter weekend was chosen when many people leave... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Mexico City • drought • water • Mexico • rain • water restrictions • water shortage

 Battered Australia a Preview 
 of Climate Devastation 

Country grapples with drought, wildfires, and heat

Apr 9, 09 9:29 AM CDT
(Newser) - Pummeled by drought, wildfires, and heat, Australia may be offering the world a preview of what’s to come as the planet warms, experts say. “Australia is the harbinger of change,” says a paleontologist. Many say climate change has already taken a human toll in the 173 killed... More »

MORE ABOUT:
climate change • environment • Australia • drought • global warming • cyclone • heat wave • flooding • extinction • wildfires

 After Record 
 US Drought, Bleak 
 Summer Looms 

Texas farmers fear poor crops, Calif. preps for increased wildfires

Mar 11, 09 4:35 PM CDT
(Newser) - The first two months of this year have been the driest on record in the US, foreshadowing a summer of poor crops and brutal wildfires. Texas farmers have delayed planting corn and cotton, while cattle ranchers have sold off cows they can no longer feed. “It might take me... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Florida • weather • Texas • drought • California wildfires • farmers

 1 in 10 Jobless in California 


Feb 28, 09 10:43 AM CST
(Newser) - California’s jobless rate soared to 10.1% in January, the highest in more than 26 years, the Los Angeles Times reports. Some 1,863,000 are unemployed in the state after 79,300 lost their jobs last month. On top of the usual culprits such as manufacturing and retail,... More »

MORE ABOUT:
California • drought • Arnold Schwarzenegger • unemployment • state of emergency

Rains Hit California, but Drought Fears Remain

Weekend brings annual rainfall level closer to normal

Feb 23, 09 1:21 PM CST
(Newser) - California saw steady rain this weekend, but it’s still too early to know if the state’s water woes are over, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The recent rains brought the state’s total rainfall up to 90% of normal levels for the year; 2 weeks ago only 60%... More »

MORE ABOUT:
California • drought • rain • National Weather Service • precipitation

 LA Moves to Ration Water 

Statewide water shortage means LA may impose first water limits since 1991

Feb 18, 09 2:11 AM CST
(Newser) - Los Angeles is taking steps toward rationing water for the first time since 1991, reports Reuters. The LA Department of Water and Power has approved a plan to charge a penalty rate for water use over a set monthly limit that will take effect in May unless it is vetoed... More »

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California • drought • water • Los Angeles • rationing • shortage • water shortage

 China Battles 
 Worst Drought 
 in 60 Years 

Beijing introduces emergency measures as country dries out

Feb 6, 09 7:46 AM CST
(Newser) - The Chinese government has released $44 million in emergency funds to battle a worsening drought that has left parts of the country drier than at any time since 1951. The drought has threatened wheat crops and livestock and portends rising food prices—at a moment when China is already facing... More »

MORE ABOUT:
China • environment • drought • crops • canals

Calif. Town to Cut H2O
to Water Hogs

Customers limited to 150-gallon-a-day ration

Feb 4, 09 9:06 AM CST
(Newser) - A California town is threatening to cut off water to any customer who fails to stick to a mandated 150-gallon-a-day ration, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. "People don't understand how bad this is going to get," said an official from the oceanside town of Bolinas, who fears the... More »

MORE ABOUT:
California • drought • rationing • tap water

 Calif. Faces Worst Drought Ever 

With snowpack well below normal, state likely to face water rationing, higher food prices

Jan 30, 09 3:45 PM CST
(Newser) - With winter precipitation lagging well below normal, California officials say residents should prepare for the state’s worst drought on record, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The snowpack in the Sierra Nevada—the state’s main water supply—is at just 61% of normal after an unusually sunny and dry... More »

MORE ABOUT:
weather • California • drought • Sonoma • water restrictions • Sierra Nevada

 Battle Rages
 Over Culling
 Mustang Herd 

Proposed euthanasia of growing wild horse population sparks debate

Jul 20, 08 8:27 AM CDT
(Newser) - In the debate over how to deal with America's wild mustang herds, both sides claim to have the animals' best interests at heart. Federal agency officials tasked with protecting the horses say the most humane—and economical—course is to euthanize some so the rest don't starve. But activists see... More »

MORE ABOUT:
drought • euthanasia • animal rights • wildlife • Bureau of Land Management • mustang

 Quest on for Chocolate Genome 

Mars aims to unlock genetic code to develop hardier cacao trees

Jun 26, 08 6:44 AM CDT
(Newser) - Candy giant Mars is investing $10 million in a 5-year research project to unlock the secrets of chocolate's genetic code—the cocoa genome—as the first stage in developing cacao trees that can produce more, survive droughts, and combat disease. Mars intends to make the results public to stop key... More »

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drought • Mars • West Africa • Brazil • IBM • genome • chocolate • Department of Agriculture • cacao • cocoa • Public Intellectual Property Resource for Agriculture

 US Weather Hell:
 You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet 

Global warming will deliver decades of hurricanes, floods and heat waves

Jun 20, 08 4:18 AM CDT
(Newser) - The US will suffer a wide range of increasingly extreme weather events in the coming decades as a result of global warming—from drought and excessive heat to wildly destructive hurricanes and record floods triggered by intense rains, reports the Washington Post. The grim prognosis was revealed in the latest... More »

MORE ABOUT:
climate change • drought • global warming • tropical storms • National Climatic Data Center • rainstorms • hurricanes • National Center for Atmospheric Research • greenhouse-gas emissions • Climate Change Science Program • excessive heat

Poor Crops Threaten to Worsen Food Crisis

Bad weather in US, Australia threatens harvests amid shortages

Jun 10, 08 7:14 AM CDT
(Newser) - Amid fears of looming food shortages around the world, this year’s crops aren’t providing much hope, the New York Times reports. While farmers in America have been hit with too much rain, Australian farmers are battling the effects of drought. US farmers planted 4 million more acres this... More »

MORE ABOUT:
weather • drought • crops • harvest • farmer • food shortage

 'Big Dry' Killing Aussie Farms 

Wheat exports critically low as farmers flee parched land

May 2, 08 8:33 AM CDT
(Newser) - The worst drought in a century has forced a tenth of Australian farmers off the land, reports the BBC. The "Big Dry" has led to parched farmland across the nation over the last seven years, accelerating the exodus from rural areas. The number of farming families in Australia has... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Australia • farming • drought • wheat • farmer • farm • food shortage

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