NewsTrust - Sci/Tech - Most Recent Stories

World's poorest will feel brunt of climate change, warns World Bank

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0700

The Guardian - By Fiona Harvey - Jun. 19 (News Analysis) - Droughts, floods, sea-level rises and fiercer storms likely to undermine progress in developing world and hit food supply Millions of people around the world are likely to be pushed back into poverty because climate change is undermining economic development in poor countries, the World Bank has warned. Droughts, floods, heatwaves, sea-level rises and fiercer storms are likely to accompany increasing global warming and will cause severe hardship in areas that are already poor or were emerging from poverty, the bank said in a report. Food shortages will be among the first consequences within just two decades, along with damage to cities from fiercer storms and migration as people try to escape the effects. In sub-Saharan Africa, increasing droughts and excessive heat are likely to mean that within about 20 years the staple crop maize will no longer thrive in about 40% of current farmland. In other parts of the region rising temperatures will kill or degrade swaths of the savanna used to ...

NewsTrust Rating: Not rated yet - See Info » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Toxic substance in Fukushima water

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0700

BBC News - Jun. 19 (News Report) - High levels of a toxic radioactive isotope, strontium-90, have been found in groundwater at Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant, its operator says.

NewsTrust Rating: Not rated yet - See Info » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Fighting climate change with nuclear energy

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0700

Christian Science Monitor - Jun. 19 (Opinion) - Nuclear power is currently the only carbon-free energy source that can provide base load electricity, Stepp writes, a characteristic crucial to reducing global greenhouse gas emissions and fighting climate change. Next-generation nuclear energy offers even more productive strategies for reducing carbon emissions. ...

NewsTrust Rating: Not rated yet - See Info » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Green groups warn government of national parks hunting backlash

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0700

The Guardian - By Oliver Milman - Jun. 18 (News) - Labor appears to have backed away from laws granting greater federal powers to protect Australia's national parks Environmental groups have forecast a huge public backlash to proposed logging, shooting and prospecting within national parks, after the government backed away from adding federal oversight to conservation areas.

NewsTrust Rating: Not rated yet - See Info » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

After Fukushima, Japan beginning to see the light in solar energy

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0700

The Guardian - By Chico Harlan - Jun. 18 (News Report) - Government subsidies raising interest in renewables, but higher bills could complicate Shinzo Abe's economic recovery plan Across Japan, technology companies and private investors are racing to install devices that until recently they had little interest in: solar panels . Massive solar parks are popping up as part of a rapid build-up that one developer likened to an "explosion." The boom was sparked by a little-noted government policy, implemented nearly a year ago, that guaranteed generous payments to anybody selling renewable energy, including solar power. Because of that policy, known as a feed-in tariff, investors and analysts say Japan has become one of the world's fastest-growing users of solar energy. This year alone, Japan is forecasted to install solar panels with the capacity of five to seven modern nuclear reactors. Before the 2011 meltdowns at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant, Japan had all but neglected renewable energy, instead emphasising atomic power. But the accident at ...

NewsTrust Rating: Not rated yet - See Info » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

China supercomputer clocks in as world's most powerful

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0700

Christian Science Monitor - Jun. 18 (News Report) - China supercomputer: China's Tianhe-2 has bested its American counterpart in a semi-annual ranking of the world's most powerful supercomputers. ...

NewsTrust Rating: Not rated yet - See Info » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

What lies behind the power price increases in Australia?

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0700

The Guardian - By John Quiggin - Jun. 18 (Comment) - To explain the latest 20% rise of electricity cost in Queensland, look no further than the free market reforms kickstarted in the 1990s.

NewsTrust Rating: Not rated yet - See Info » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

The Rationale for Wind Power Won't Fly

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0700

Wall Street Journal - By Jay Lehr - Jun. 18 (Opinion) - Physical limitations will keep this energy source a niche provider of U.S. electricity needs.

NewsTrust Rating: Not rated yet - See Info » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Wheels Blog: University of Michigan Students Ready Solar Car for Australian Race

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0700

New York Times - By By RONALD AHRENS - Jun. 18 (Opinion) - Wheels Blog: University of Michigan Students Ready Solar Car for Australian Race

NewsTrust Rating: Not rated yet - See Info » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Which Trader Joe's Foods Are Healthiest?

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0700

Mother Jones - By Kiera Butler, Brett Brownell - Jun. 17 (News) - I've fessed up before about my takeout addiction , and now I'm ready to come clean about another dinner habit: Trader Joe's frozen meals. Even when I have plenty of time to cook a real dinner, I sometimes opt for a bowl of veggie gyozas or a chicken burrito instead. I know that these meals probably aren't exactly a juice cleanse, but I like to think they're not junk food either. So how healthy are they really? We decided to put a few meals to the test. And for the real nutrition nerds out there, here's the full rundown on the dishes we tested: ...

NewsTrust Rating: 2.1 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Everything Americans Think They Know About Drugs Is Wrong: A Scientist Explodes the Myths

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0700

AlterNet - By Kristen Gwynne - Jun. 16 (Interview) - There are multiple false conclusions. There is a belief, for example, that crack cocaine is so addictive it only took one hit to get hooked, and that it is impossible to use heroin without becoming addicted. There was another belief that methamphetamine users are cognitively impaired. All of these are myths that have have been perpetuated primarily by law enforcement, and law enforcement deals with a limited, select group of people—people who are, in many cases, behaving badly. But to generalize that to all drug users is not only shortsighted and naive, it’s also irresponsible. The impact of that irresponsible behavior has been borne primarily by black communities.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.7 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Secret Trade Agreements Threaten to Undo Our Last Shreds of Food Safety