BlueGranola » China

Water in the news

Justine — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 10:10:58 +0000

Here’s a round up of some of the latest news stories about water and the environment.

Tainted Water at 2 Reactors Increases Alarm for Japanese: “Japan’s troubled effort to contain the nuclear contamination crisis at its stricken Fukushima Daiichi plant suffered a setback on Sunday when alarmingly high radiation levels were discovered in a flooded area inside the complex, raising new questions about how and when recovery workers could resume their tasks.”

PepsiCo develops first PET plastic bottle made completely from plant-based material: PepsiCo recently unveiled a bottle made entirely of plant material left over from its food business, which the company says could change the industry standard for plastic packaging.

Controversial water park in the Middle East:

Rare civic protest in China- Villagers fight against the construction of dams: One of a series of enormous dams being built in southern China will cause 60,000 people to relocate. The residents of a village due to be obliterated due to incoming hydropower plants were forced to relocate at short notice 6 months ago, long before their scheduled departure date. As a result, villagers are now protesting and creating public disorder.

Water in the news

Half of China’s water is too polluted to drink

Justine — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 00:36:00 +0000

In reviewing the major news stories about water and environmentalism in 2010, I ran across one of the most disturbing statistics about the water crisis I have ever read. Get ready…

HALF OF CHINA’S WATER IS TOO POLLUTED TO DRINK
AND ¼ OF IT IS ENTIRELY UNUSABLE, even for industry

Wrap your head around that for a second.

Actual water samples collected from Chinese urban rivers and lakes.

The most populous country on the planet, making up nearly 20% of the world’s population, has undergone an economic makeover of unprecedented proportions in just a few decades. But the environment has all too often been a victim of China’s aggressive development. Case in point- 50% of the water is undrinkable (source: MEP). Not only is there a dangerous shortage of water, what is left is polluted and sometimes deadly.

Most experts will point the blame toward heavy industry for the sorry state of China’s natural resources. The outpouring of pollution from chemical, pharmaceutical, and paper plants paired with pesticide and fertilizer runoff from farms creates a water crisis that cannot be ignored.
Without stronger government controls on industrial and agricultural pollution and without significant investment in a sustainable sewage system, countless millions will suffer from the effects of poor water quality.

Water in the news

Justine — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 09:08:11 +0000

After a hiatus, here are more top news stories about water and the environment.

China Turns to Biogas to Ease Impact of Factory Farms: “In China, millions of tons of waste from livestock farms are causing severe water pollution and massive emissions of methane. Now, some large livestock operators are turning to biogas fuel production in hopes of creating “ecological” factory farms.”

Power from Pond Scum: Algal Biofuels: Some of the world’s top researchers are looking into how to turn algae into a sustainable source of biofuel. “Algae produce useful compounds that can be formed into fuels and chemicals desperately needed by our society. Synthetic gasoline and diesel, jet fuel, ethanol and biodiesel can all be produced from different parts of the algal biomass.”

10 Green Things To Be Thankful For This Holiday Season: Despite all the environmental disasters we’re facing, here are a few things to be optimistic about.

Group Votes to Keep Fishing Levels of Bluefin Tuna Stable: International fisheries negotiators elicit “stinging rebuke from conservationists who had been calling for a fishing moratorium” on the bluefun tuna which is at risk of extinction.

Analysis: Despite a Drying and Flooding Planet, Cancun Climate Negotiators Anticipate Scant Progress: Predictions about the climate talks in Cancun, Mexico (starting Monday) from a water perspective

Water in the News

Justine — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 05:23:31 +0000

Here are some of the latest news stories regarding water and the environment:

Gulf Well Permanently Plugged, U.S. Says: “U.S. officials formally declared an end to the worst oil spill in U.S. history Sunday, a milestone that followed nearly five months of dashed hopes and blistering criticism of nearly everyone involved.”

Turn That Tap Off or the Goldfish Gets It!: Chinese designer Yan Lu’s “Poor Little Fishbowl Sink” offers “an emotional way to persuade consumers to think about saving water, by making consumption tangible.”

China Resorts to Blackouts in Pursuit of Energy Efficiency:The risks of delaying energy-saving measures have been all too apparent in a Chinese region where the authorities initiated draconian rationing last month to achieve the state’s efficiency targets.

Melting Glaciers Expose Ancient Artifacts In Northern Europe Faster Than Archaeologists Can Collect Them (video): The glaciers up north are melting. Good news is, archeologists are finding thousand year old thawed reindeer poo all over the place.

eBay Moves to Green Shipping: “The online auction giant will launch a positive contribution to the environment next month: a shipping container for buyers and sellers to use — and re-use.”

Water in the news

Justine — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:45:22 +0000

Here are some of the latest headlines regarding water and the environment:

Brazilian Indians take hostages at Amazon dam site: Brazilian native Indians on Sunday took 100 workers hostage at the construction site of a hydroelectric plant which was built on top of an ancient burial site in the southern Amazon region.

Plastiki Completes Epic Plastic Journey: The journey of Plastiki, a 60-foot boat made out of 12,500 recycled plastic bottles came to an end today after travelling from California to Australia. The mission of the voyage was to bring attention to the effect plastic waste is having on the health of the Pacific Ocean.

Plastiki captain David de Rothschild

China water warning as oil spill hits Yellow River: After a pipeline burst in China, officials are trying to contain the damage but traces of oil have already been detected in the water supply that millions depend on.

Officials fear floods, strained reinforcements: More from China- “After more than 700 flooding deaths and some of the season’s worst downpours yet to come, senior officials are warning that the flood reinforcements of thousands of aging reservoirs in the country are strained to their limit.”

Do Cleaning Products Cause Breast Cancer?: A new study links the use of conventional cleaning products with higher risk of breast cancer. Yet another reason to clean green http://www.bluegranola.com/2009/10/31/clean-green/

Water in the news

Justine — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 08:18:49 +0000

Here are some of the latest headlines regarding water in the world today.

Countries Blame China, Not Nature, for Water Shortage: In light of a severe drought along the Mekong River basin, which is a water source for Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam, residents of these countries are lashing out at China, the owner of dozens of dams that might be causing the shortage. While scientific evidence shows that the drought is caused by low rainfall, China is still the target for its neighbors’ complaints.

Critics Seek to Halt Ethiopian Hydro Project: Activists are petitioning to stop the construction of what could be the biggest dam in Africa. This $1.7 billion project promises economic development, but others say that the Gibe 3 Dam in Ethiopia will severely affect local tribes who depend on the natural order of the river’s ecosystem.

2010 Stockholm Water Prize Awarded to American Water and Public Health Expert: Rita Colwell, winner of the Stockholm Water Prize, “discovered that cholera-causing bacteria can go dormant, then later revert to an infectious state. Therefore, bodies of water frequently store the bacteria, even absent an outbreak of the disease.These findings counteracted the conventional wisdom held that cholera could only enter the environment due to release of sewage.”

More Than $5 Billion Promised to Rebuild Haiti: Over 50 countries and organizations will donate a total of $5 billion to Haiti in an effort to meet water, food, and shelter needs of citizens.

Turkish Mayor Acquitted on Misconduct Charges… For Giving Citizens Free Water: A progressive Turkish mayor has been providing free water to citizens, rewarding those who conserve the resource, providing affordable health care, and making public transportation free. However, this got him into big trouble with the government and corporations who are trying to privatize water, thus profiting economically by limiting people’s right to this natural resource.

Water in the news

Justine — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 03:46:30 +0000

Here are the latest headlines regarding water pollution, natural disasters, and acrobatics….

Chinese Farms Generate More Water Pollution than Factories, Government Report States: The Chinese government released its first report on pollution this week in a surprising act of transparency. The official survey revealed that agricultural pollution poses a greater threat than factories.

With James Bond-like agility, a protester sneaks on board a Japanese whaling vessel in an attempt to stop further killing of marine species in the Oceania region.

Rising threats in Haiti as rain season nears

This video outlines one non-profit’s mission to the “Plastic Vortex,” an area 400 miles west of California that is home to a staggering amount of pollution which threatens marine life. This floating garbage patch spans approximately 3,500 miles—about the size of Texas. Project Kaisei, the organization that has been leading voyages to the area to conduct studies and find ways to turn the plastic waste into fuel, says that the pollution is made up of plastic particles from containers, bottled water and even children’s toys.

And here’s Edward Norton who has more to say on the subject of marine pollution:

Water in the news

Justine — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 23:19:02 +0000

Once again, the latest in water news:

Terrible flooding in Machu Picchu, Peru this week has left thousands of tourists stranded.

American helicopters have been airlifting citizens out of danger, but what will happen to Peruvian locals who are now homeless and vulnerable to the elements?

This video outlines the efforts made by the Chinese government to curb the effects of a drought that is effecting three million people in the southwest region.

Newport, Rhode Island, a popular tourist destination, suffers the same problems as many other old cities– water pollution caused by deteriorating sewage systems and urban storm runoff. Watch the video here.