Potentially deadly heat threatens Southwest U.S., could reach 120 degrees

Dangerous and potentially life-threatening heat is expected to spread across the Southwestern United States and occasionally reach the Plains states.

GEO Martyrotop - Eco R News in brief (March 2015 - A)

--

Im Nordosten der USA nimmt der Winter kein Ende: Erneut gab es am Wochenende Sturm und rekordverdächtig viel Neuschnee. Eine eisige Kälte macht den Menschen schwer zu schaffen, in Boston liegt der Verkehr lahm......................Rekordwinter in den USA: Neuer Schneesturm lähmt Boston

--

(February 2015 - a)

- 

(February 2015 - b)

WTO Appellate Body rules against Chinese restrictions on access to rare earths and other raw materials (E.C.)

European Commission, Press release, Brussels, 7 August 2014:

The Appellate Body of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) today ruled in the EU’s favour. It confirmed the findings made by a Panel in March 2014 that China’s export restrictions on rare earth, as well as tungsten and molybdenum, are in breach of WTO rules. Backing the claims of the EU and its co-complainants, the US and Japan, the WTO found that China’s export duties and quotas were not justified for reasons of environmental protection or conservation policy.

Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev said on Tuesday that all activities related to the South Stream gas pipeline project should be put on hold until it was brought in line with European legislation.

The statement followed reports about the Bulgarian Energy Holding to prepare the decision on a contract with Russia’s Gazprom for a loan to finance Bulgaria’s participation in the project.
The president expressed surprise and indignation at the continuing project work by the government contrary to its public obligations assumed on June 8 to temporarily suspend the project, the presidential press service said.
Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski said earlier this month that Bulgaria would be able to convince the European Commission that its actions with regard to the South Stream gas pipeline project were justified and founded.

Fracking: Major Scientific Document Shows Why NY Fracking Moratorium Is Imperative

Less than two weeks ago, local communities triumphed over the fracking industry in a precedent-setting case decided by the New York Court of Appeals. The court ruled that the towns of Dryden and Middlefield can use local zoning laws to ban heavy industry, including oil and gas production within municipal borders.

While the court decision is a victory for the two towns, many New Yorkers continue to rally and push for a statewide fracking moratorium. In this vein, Concerned Health Professionals of New York (CHPNY) today released a major resource to the public, including public officials, researchers and journalists—the Compendium of Scientific, Medical and Media Findings Demonstrating Risks and Harms of Fracking................................http://ecowatch.com/2014/07/10/major-scientific-document-ny-fracking-moratorium-imperative/
10/7/14

Russia wants South Stream built as scheduled

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Sofia on Monday said the South Stream gas pipeline should be built as scheduled, and urged the European Commission to implement a reasonable approach.

He made the statement at a joint press conference with his Bulgarian counterpart Kristian Vigenin, after talks for the expansion of bilateral cooperation and the construction of a Bulgarian section of South Stream gas pipeline.

Bulgaria suspends works on South Stream project. - Plamen Oresharrski said on Sunday after a meeting with American Senators.

“We have received a request from the European Commission, after which I ordered to suspend the works," - Bulgarian Prime Minister Plamen Oresharrski said...

Bulgaria suspends works on the South Stream project over the European Commission’s infringement proceedings, Bulgarian Prime Minister Plamen Oresharrski said on Sunday after a meeting with American Senators.  

U.S.-China Joint Statement on Climate Change. -Office of the Spokesperson U.S. State Department

Washington, DC .- In light of the overwhelming scientific consensus on climate change and its worsening impacts, and the related issue of air pollution from burning fossil fuels, the United States and China recognize the urgent need for action to meet these twin challenges. Both sides reaffirm their commitment to contribute significantly to successful 2015 global efforts to meet this challenge. 

Accordingly, China and the United States will work together, within the vehicle of the U.S.-China Climate Change Working Group (CCWG) launched last year, to collaborate through enhanced policy dialogue, including the sharing of information regarding their respective post-2020 plans to limit greenhouse gas emissions. 

Russia, US Plan to Jointly Fight Space Threats

MOSCOW, January 27 (RIA Novosti) – Russian and US experts are planning to join efforts in protecting our planet against thousands of potentially hazardous near-Earth space bodies, Russia’s emergencies minister said.

“The collision with the Chelyabinsk meteorite last year showed that space threats could be real and as destructive as huge fires or natural disasters on Earth,” Vladimir Puchkov said in an interview with Rossiiskaya Gazeta to be published on Tuesday.
The minister said a joint working group would be set up in the near future to develop solutions to counter space threats.

U.S.icebreaker Polar Star to help vessels trapped in Antarctica: AMSA

SYDNEY, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has requested the U.S. Coast Guard's icebreaker Polar Star to assist the Russian vessel MV Akademik Shokalskiy and the Chinese vessel Xue Long (Snow Dragon)which are stuck by ice in Antarctica.

AMSA has identified the Polar Star as a vessel capable of assisting the trapped vessels.

The U.S. Coast Guard accepted this request on Saturday and will make Polar Star available for the rescue operation, AMSA said in the latest statement.

Energieexperte Yergin: "Europa unterschätzt Schiefergas".

US-Ökonom in Wien: Massive Förderung sei enormer Anschub für die industrielle Wettbewerbsfähigkeit...

Die massive Förderung von Schiefergas in den USA ist nicht nur die größte Innovation in der Energiewirtschaft der vergangenen Jahrzehnte, sondern auch ein riesiger Anschub für die US-Wirtschaft.“ Daniel Yergin, US-Ökonom, Buchautor und Energieexperte, ließ bei seinem Vortrag an der WU Wien im Rahmen des OMV-Business Talk keinen Zweifel darin, für wie wichtig er Schiefergas hält.
In den USA seien dadurch zwei Millionen Jobs entstanden, die Staatseinnahmen gestiegen und die Gaspreise gefallen. Der Chemiekonzern Dow wolle nun fünf Milliarden Dollar (3,7 Milliarden Euro) in den USA investiert. „Hätten wir den Konzern vor fünf Jahren gefragt, ob er das machen würde, hätte er wohl gefragt, ob man verrückt sei“, meinte Yergin.

Fast-moving storm, tornadoes threaten US Midwest.

CHICAGO: A fast-moving storm system that produced at least one tornado in Illinois threatened some 53 million people across 10 Midwestern states on Sunday, US weather officials said.

"A confirmed large and extremely dangerous tornado" was spotted near Washington, Illinois, located about 145 miles (233 kilometers) southwest of Chicago, the National Weather Service said.

Photos taken at the scene showed structures were reduced to rubble and houses ripped open in Washington, Illinois.

Norway overtakes Russia as Europe’s biggest gas supplier

Russia lost its position as the main supplier of gas to EU last year as Gazprom exports fell by 10% knocked down by coal and high prices.
High gas prices in the EU coupled with cheap coal from the US, have made coal a more attractive fuel for power stations, according a new energy report from BP. On average, generating power in Europe is 45% cheaper with coal than with gas, BP chief economist Christof  Rühl explains in the report. That’s why Europe did not compete for liquid natural gas (LNG) and its imports to Europe fell by 25%. EU imports from Gazprom also dropped by 10%, as Russia’s gas prices are tied to oil prices and therefore remained high, BP’s economist said.  Norway’s gas pricing is not pegged to oil and are therefore lower. Imports from Norway rose 12%, and 2012 became the first year when Norway sold more gas to the EU than Russia, Rühl said.

ΗΠΑ: Έρχεται επιδρομή τζιτζικιών στα ανατολικά

 

-

Οι προειδοποιήσεις άρχισαν τις προηγούμενες εβδομάδες. Τώρα, όμως, γίνονται πραγματικότητα, καθώς χιλιάδες τζίτζικες που για χρόνια βρίσκονταν κρυμμένοι στο υπέδαφος έρχονται στην επιφάνεια, στις ανατολικές ακτές των ΗΠΑ. Μέσα στις επόμενες εβδομάδες και κατά τους θερινούς μήνες αναμένεται επιδρομή δισεκατομμυρίων εντόμων. Η όλη ιστορία θυμίζει σενάριο αμερικανικού b-movie των '90s.

Εισβολή από τρισεκατομμύρια τζιτζίκια απειλεί τις ΗΠΑ / Billions of cicadas to invade US east coast

Η Ανατολική Ακτή των ΗΠΑ τις επόμενες εβδομάδες θα πρέπει να επιβιώσει από μία μοναδική σε μέγεθος εισβολή τζιτζικιών.

Αυτό το σπάνιο φαινόμενο επαναλαμβάνεται κατά τους μήνες Μάιο και Ιούνιο κάθε 17 χρόνια. 

Οι επιστήμονες αναμένουν ότι ο αριθμός τους στην Ανατολική Ακτή θα είναι τουλάχιστον 600 φορές μεγαλύτερος από τον αριθμό των ανθρώπων που ζουν εκεί. 

Companies line up to drill after survey shows Dakota oil, gas fields far bigger than believed

 --

WASHINGTON 

–  Energy companies are lining up for their shot to drill in the Dakotas and Montana after a new government report revealed that a massive geological formation stretching across the states contains twice the oil and three times the amount of natural gas than was originally believed.
While the new estimate is drawing smaller companies to the game, the larger players like Schlumberger, Halliburton and Continental Resources are pushing forward with ambitious multi-year plans to stake their claim in the industry.
Continental recently announced a five-year plan to triple its production by 2017. The company’s growth is based on success in North Dakota and Montana as well as in parts of Oklahoma.

Turkey’s “new Bosporus”: risks and benefits / Ο νέος Βόσπορος ως κλειδί για την κυριαρχία των ΗΠΑ στη Μ.Θάλασσα

The Istanbul/Constantinople canal project

Turkey’s government has given the go-ahead to the Canal Istanbul project linking the Black and Marmara Seas and allowing ships to bypass the crowded Bosphorus Strait. Its construction may seem economically controversial, but may appear geopolitically beneficial, experts say.

The idea was first voiced by Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during his election campaign back in 2011. The project aims to relieve the congested Bosphorus Strait as well as to improve the Strait’s ecology and navigation safety by shifting tanker traffic to the new canal.

The project looks perfect at first site, but experts believe it’s an absolute utopia. The minimum costs are estimated at 20 bln dollars while the Canal is expected to go into operation by 2023. Therefore, the payback period of the project is now almost impossible to estimate.

The project is expected to be mainly funded by the government while private investors are to contribute one third of the needed sum.

Who does Antarctica belong to?/Who has the right to Antarctic?

---

For half a century the question of who owns Antarctica has been frozen but it is showing signs of warming up.

Das Roboter-Auto rollt an

Die Autoindustrie kündigt eine Revolution an: In nur zehn Jahren werden Autos ganz ohne Fahrer über die Straßen rollen. Die Fortschritte bei der Zukunftstechnik sind schon jetzt beeindruckend. (Von Gernot Kramper)
- 
Die Vision eines autonom fahrenden Fahrzeugs wird in der Öffentlichkeit meist mit dem Google-Auto verbunden. In den USA sind computergesteuerte Autos von Google eine halbe Million Kilometer unfallfrei auf öffentlichen Straßen gefahren. Doch auch klassische Automobilhersteller wie Volkswagen, BMW, Daimler, Volvo und Toyota sowie Zulieferspezialisten wie Bosch und Continental arbeiten seit Jahren an dem Thema. Und anders als Google fällt es ihnen leichter, neue Systeme in die Serienproduktion zu bringen. Auf der Computermesse CES in Las Vegas etwa stehen selbstfahrende Autos von Audi und Lexus.

With disasters on the rise, relief is the problem

The popular perception that natural disasters are on the rise has now been confirmed. Private insurers are preparing for rough weather, and governments would do well to heed calls for more precautionary measures.

Munich Re, the world's largest re-insurer, had little good news to report in its January 3 wrap-up of disasters in 2012. Hurricane Sandy, droughts in the American Midwest, an Italian earthquake, a series of Midwest tornadoes and Typhoon Bopha in the Philippines were just five of the more than 900 events worldwide that caused $160 billion-worth of damage (122 billion euros) to the worldwide economy.
Since 2006 it has been rare for worldwide disasters to number under 900 in any given year. This is in stark contrast to the 1980s, when a terrible year might have seen a mere 500 disasters.