2021-05-09: News Headlines

Eurasia Review (2021-05-10). PCB Contamination In Icelandic Orcas: A Matter Of Diet. eurasiareview.com A new study from McGill University suggests that some Icelandic killer whales have very high concentrations of PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) in their blubber. But it seems that other orcas from the same population have levels of PCBs that are much lower. It mainly depends on what they eat. | PCBs were industrial chemicals banned decades ago, after they were found to affect the health of both humans and wildlife. But because they degrade very slowly after being released in the environment and they still accumulate in the bodies of marine mammals. | After collecting skin and blubber biopsies from 50 orcas in…

Eurasia Review (2021-05-10). Sea Level Rise: Rapid And Unstoppable Unless Paris Agreement Targets Met. eurasiareview.com New research, published this week in Nature, models the impacts on the Antarctic Ice Sheet of several different global warming scenarios and the resulting effects on global sea levels. The study was led by the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and included a researcher from McGill University. The scenarios that were considered range from meeting the Paris Agreement target of 2 ∞C warming and an aspirational 1.5 ∞C scenario to our current course which, if not altered, will yield three or more degrees of warming. | An accelerated pace of future sea level rise?: | If the more optimistic 1.5…

Naomi Klein (2021-05-09). A Climate Dystopia in Northern California. zcomm.org California's divided and fire-scarred cities, reeling from climate disasters, need a Green New Deal…

Alison Kentish (2021-05-09). Conflict, Climate Change, and Covid-19 Are Aggravating World Hunger. commondreams.org "We must take this opportunity to transform food systems, reduce the number of people in need of humanitarian food assistance, and contribute meaningfully to sustainable development and peaceful and prosperous societies." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/south_sudan_hunger.jpg

sputniknews (2021-05-09). Climate Activists Gather for March in Paris. sputniknews.com In December, French President Emmanuel Macron announced his intention to hold a nationwide referendum on constitutional amendments related to the fight against climate change.

Eurasia Review (2021-05-09). New Weather Warning Gauge. eurasiareview.com Australia, the driest inhabited continent, is prone to natural disasters and wild swings in weather conditions – from floods to droughts, heatwaves and bushfires. | Now two new Flinders University studies of long-term hydro-climatic patterns provide fresh insights into the causes of the island continent's strong climate variability which affect extreme wet or dry weather and other conditions vital to water supply, agriculture, the environment and the nation's future. | For the first time, researchers from the National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training (NCGRT) at Flinders have revealed a vegetation-m…

KQED (2021-05-09). Wednesday 5/19: Stronger, Higher, Faster: Big Wave Surfing and Climate Change. indybay.org Virtual/Online Event…

Eurasia Review (2021-05-09). With Bacteria Against Coral Bleaching. eurasiareview.com Corals are the backbone of marine ecosystems in the tropics. They are threatened by rising water temperatures caused by global warming and they are among the first ecosystems worldwide that are on the verge of ecological collapse. Coral bleaching, which is becoming stronger and more frequent due to heat stress, has already wiped out corals at many locations globally. With the help of a microbiome-targeting strategy developed by an international team led by GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, it could become feasible to help protect corals from heat stress. The work has now been published in the in…

World Nuclear News (2021-05-09). Work Starts On First Disposal Tunnel At Finnish Repository. eurasiareview.com Excavation of the first final disposal tunnel has started at the Onkalo underground used nuclear fuel repository near Olkiluoto, Finnish radioactive waste management company Posiva Oy announced today. The repository – the first in the world for used fuel – is expected to begin operations in the mid-2020s. | Used nuclear fuel will be placed in the bedrock, at a depth of about 450 metres. The disposal system consists of a tightly sealed iron-copper canister, a bentonite buffer enclosing the canister, a tunnel backfilling material made of swellable clay, the seal structures of the tunnels and premises, and the en…

_____ (2021-05-09). To Dismantle A Gas Pipeline And Sell It As Scrap Metal. popularresistance.org Loma de Bácum, Sonora: A gigantic metal pipe can be seen at the bottom of a hole in the earth. The family of Carmen García look into the hole which was dug by the people of Loma de Bácum to remove the gas pipeline. | The people used an excavator they seized from the company IEnova, affiliate of the United States transnational, Sempra Energy. The company was building the gas pipeline without the approval of those who live there. A consultation was never carried out. So, after an assembly, the entire community went to where the pipeline was being laid. There, they excavated and cut out with a blowtorch nearly ten k…

Ivana Lima* (2021-05-09). Nord Stream 2: To Gain Or To Refrain? — OpEd. eurasiareview.com Why Germany Refuses to Bend under Sanctions Pressure: | The chances of the sanctions war around Nord Stream 2 to rage on after the construction of the pipeline is finally over seem to be high. That said, we have to admit, with regret or with joy, that it will be completed, and for the following reasons: | Germany, like any other European country, has set itself the task of abandoning coal and nuclear energy within the next few decades. In reality, however, there is no alternative to coal and nuclear energy. Simultaneously forsaking gasoline and diesel cars, which is something Europe dreams about, will…

Leon Kunstenaar (2021-05-09). Protests at Pipeline Funding Banks. indybay.org Citibank, Chase and Wells Fargo called out for funding oil pipelines…

_____ (2021-05-08). Global Protests Target Banks Funding Line 3 Pipeline. popularresistance.org San Francisco – Today across 8 countries, 4 continents, and 50 U.S. cities, hundreds of climate and Indigenous rights activists are protesting 20 banks that have backed loans for Enbridge, the company constructing the Line 3 tar sands pipeline through Anishinaabe territory in Minnesota. The protests feature elaborate and artful displays such as a body mural in Seattle spelling "Defund Line 3," a fake oil spill in New York, a large floating banner display in Chicago, a fake oil spill and giant dance party in D.C., and a street mural in San Francisco. Activists also effectively shut down branches of the 20 target b…

sputniknews (2021-05-08). Hundreds of Bottles of 'Chernobyl Booze' Seized in Ukraine, Media Says. sputniknews.com The company that manufactures the spirit is run by scientists working in the Chernobyl exclusion zone who seek to determine whether safe-for-consumption products can be made from things grown in the area.

sputniknews (2021-05-08). Bill Gates Names Three Most Important Inventions of All Time. sputniknews.com Among other things, Bill Gates, who has just written a book about fighting climate change, said there is an urgent need to act on the matter.

RFA (2021-05-08). China Pressed To Improve Climate Pledges — Analysis. eurasiareview.com By Michael Lelyveld | Two weeks after President Xi Jinping took part in the U.S.-sponsored climate summit of world leaders, it is hard to tell whether China has made a commitment to tougher carbon reduction deadlines or not. | In a carefully worded statement on April 22, Xi left it unclear whether China will go beyond pledges that he made last September to reach a peak in carbon emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. | Particular attention was paid to China's largest source of carbon emissions — the country's consumption of high- polluting coal. | While China is rapidly increasing it…

Eurasia Review (2021-05-08). 'Natural Disasters' Increase Triggers For Violence Against Women And Girls. eurasiareview.com 'Natural disasters,' sparked by climate change and other natural hazards, increase the triggers for violence against women and girls by boosting the means, opportunity, and underlying drivers, finds a review of the available evidence, published in the online journal BMJ Global Health. | As these disasters are increasing in frequency, severity, and duration worldwide, this consequence must now be formally recognised in public health, violence prevention, and disaster management strategies, urge the researchers. | Over the past two decades, 7348 disasters precipitated by natural hazards were recorded. This is ne…

KQED (2021-05-08). Wednesday 5/19: Stronger, Higher, Faster: Big Wave Surfing and Climate Change. indybay.org Virtual/Online Event…

Eurasia Review (2021-05-08). How Viruses And Bacteria Can Reach Drinking Water Wells. eurasiareview.com Induced bank filtration is a key and well-established approach to provide drinking water supply to populated areas located along rivers or lakes and with limited access to groundwater resources. It is employed in several countries worldwide, with notable examples in Europe, the United States, and parts of Africa. Contamination of surface waters poses a serious threat to attaining drinking water standards. | In this context, human pathogenic microorganisms such as some viruses and bacteria, originating from the discharge of wastewater treatment plants, form a major contaminant group. A detailed study at an indu…

sputniknews (2021-05-08). Ransomware Attack Reportedly Shuts US Pipeline Giant. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – A ransomware attack caused the temporary shutdown of one of the United States' largest pipeline operators, media reported Saturday.

Staff (2021-05-08). Top US pipeline operator shuts fuel line after cyber attack. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 08 (MNA) — Top US fuel pipeline operator Colonial Pipeline has shut its entire network after a cyber attack, the company said in a statement on Friday.

Leon Kunstenaar (2021-05-08). Protests at Pipeline Funding Banks. indybay.org Citibank, Chase and Wells Fargo called out for funding oil pipelines…

2021-05-10 02:34 | 22:34 EST | 22 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 2