News Roundup
‘Little has been done to protect marine life since the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, conservation scientists conclude.
On pledges to protect key habitat and restrict the size of fishing fleets, they say progress has been “pitiful”.’
via BBC News – Governments make ‘pitiful’ progress on oceans.
‘This month, on a barren Wyoming landscape dotted with gopher holes and hay bales, the federal government is assembling a supercomputer 10 years in the making, one of the fastest computers ever built and the largest ever devoted to the study of atmospheric science.’
via New Wyoming supercomputer expected to boost atmospheric science – latimes.com.
‘(Reuters) – German solar power plants produced a world record 22 gigawatts of electricity per hour – equal to 20 nuclear power stations at full capacity – through the midday hours on Friday and Saturday, the head of a renewable energy think tank said.’
via Germany sets new solar power record, institute says | Reuters.
‘A group of scientists warns that population growth, climate change and environmental damage are pushing Earth toward calamitous and irreversible changes.’
via Earth may be near tipping point, scientists warn – latimes.com.
‘Europe expects to decommission almost 150 of its nuclear power plants by 2030, while the US has granted life extensions to 71 and chosen to close only five, according to a report by experts in energy GlobalData.’
‘The commission’s conclusion that permanent storage will be available in the future when it’s needed didn’t account for how its absence could affect the environment now, the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington said today in deciding a lawsuit brought by New York state. The commission also failed to fully assess the dangers of storing spent fuel onsite for 60 years after a nuclear plant’s license expires, the court said.’
via Nuclear Waste Storage Rules Thrown Out by U.S. Court – Bloomberg.
‘Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will assert U.S. interest in the Arctic, where the prospects for abundant oil, gas and new trade routes has been likened to a modern-day gold rush, when she visits the region on Saturday.’
via Clinton to Assert U.S. Claim in Scramble for Arctic | InsideClimate News.
‘While investigators examine the steam generator damage that has forced the months-long outage at California’s San Onofre nuclear power plant, the cost of the shutdown and any necessary repairs continues to mount—and it’s unclear who will end up paying the bill.’
via Soaring Costs Plague California Nuke Plant Shut Down By Leak | InsideClimate News.
‘WASHINGTON (May 30, 2012) – Many of the country’s leading companies have taken contradictory actions when it comes to climate change science while pumping a tremendous amount of resources into influencing the discussion, according to an analysis released today by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).’
via Leading Companies Contradict Own Actions on Climate Science, Policy | Union of Concerned Scientists.
‘Long-abandoned 80-year-old aerial photographs found in a Danish basement document the unexpectedly rapid response of Greenland glaciers to changes in average temperatures, researchers have found.’
via Aerial photographs in a Danish basement reveal retreat of Greenland glaciers. – latimes.com.