This week in America, “continent-spanning winter storms triggered blackouts in Texas, Oklahoma, Mississippi and several other states,” reports the New York Times. But that was just the beginning… One-third of oil production in the nation was halted. Drinking-water systems in Ohio were knocked offline. Road networks nationwide were paralyzed and vaccination efforts in 20 states were disrupted. The crisis carries a…
Tag: Water Supplies
Plastic Pipes Are Polluting Drinking Water Systems After Wildfires
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Conversation: When wildfires swept through the hills near Santa Cruz, California, in 2020, they released toxic chemicals into the water supplies of at least two communities. One sample found benzene, a carcinogen, at 40 times the state’s drinking water standard. Our testing has now confirmed a source of these chemicals, and it’s clear…
Culled Mink Rise From the Dead To Denmark’s Horror
Dead mink are rising from their graves in Denmark after a rushed cull over fears of a coronavirus mutation led to thousands being slaughtered and buried in shallow pits — from which some are now emerging. From a report: “As the bodies decay, gases can be formed,” Thomas Kristensen, a national police spokesman, told the state broadcaster DR. “This causes the…
The Arctic hasn’t been this warm for 3 million years
The last time CO2 concentrations reached today’s level was 3 million years ago, during the Pliocene Epoch. Hear from geoscientists who see evolving conditions in the Arctic as an indicator of how climate change could transform the planet. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/arctic-warmest-3-million-years…
Google Data Centers’ Secret Cost: Billions of Gallons of Water
To meet surging demand for online information, internet giant taps public water supplies that are already straining from overuse. From a report: In August 2019, the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association built a 16-foot pyramid of jugs in its main entrance in Phoenix. The goal was to show residents of this desert region how much water they each use a day…
Australian Hunters to Kill 10,000 Feral Camels from Helicopters Amid Worsening Drought
The dry season is turning the pest creatures into dangerous competitors for limited water supplies. Source: https://www.livescience.com/australian-hunters-kill-camels-helicopters-drought-fire-season.html
Nestle Cannot Claim Bottled Water Is ‘Essential Public Service,’ Court Rules
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: Michigan’s second-highest court has dealt a legal blow to Nestle’s Ice Mountain water brand, ruling that the company’s commercial water-bottling operation is “not an essential public service” or a public water supply. The court of appeals ruling is a victory for Osceola township, a small mid-Michigan town that blocked Nestle from building…
Algal blooms are getting worse in lakes worldwide
In a global study that analyzed almost 30 years of satellite images of freshwater lakes, most of the lakes showed signs of worsening algal blooms. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/satellite-algal-blooms-lakes…
US Military Could Collapse Within 20 Years Due To Climate Change, Report Commissioned By Pentagon Says
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Motherboard: According to a new U.S. Army report, Americans could face a horrifically grim future from climate change involving blackouts, disease, thirst, starvation and war. The study found that the U.S. military itself might also collapse. This could all happen over the next two decades, the report notes. The senior U.S. government officials who…