Category: RT Newswire

The Economist
Jun 5th 2008

Israel

Don’t make the desert bloom

Milk and honey is all very well. But what about the water?

THIS is the fourth consecutive year of drought in
Israel. Last winter it rained only about 65% of
the long-term average. The water level in the Sea
of Galilee, the source of nearly 30% of Israel’s
fresh water, is close to the danger line and
hardly rose during the winter even though the
pipeline that takes water from it was closed for
part of the year. This week the government
reacted with an emergency plan.

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Message From JB Fobister from Grassy Narrows

http://understory.ran.org/

JB Fobister is a Grassy Narrows member who has been a key part of the community’s
work towards self-determination. He sends this message:

Six years ago when we blocked the main logging road near our small community people
told us we were crazy to take on two of the largest logging companies in the world.
We weren’t crazy, we were just fed up with watching our livelihood, our culture, our
medicine, our children’s future – our forests – being carried off our land right
before our eyes. We were tired after decades of letter writing, petitions, meetings,
protests, speaking tours, legal challenges and rallies, but we refused to give up.

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National Center for Atmospheric Research  (NCAR)

Permafrost Threatened by Rapid Retreat of Arctic Sea Ice, NCAR Study Finds
http://www.ucar.edu/news/releases/2008/permafrost.jsp

June 10, 2008

BOULDER-The rate of climate warming over northern Alaska, Canada, and
Russia could more than triple during periods of rapid sea ice loss,
according to a new study led by the National Center for Atmospheric
Research (NCAR). The findings raise concerns about the thawing of
permafrost, or permanently frozen soil, and the potential
consequences for sensitive ecosystems, human infrastructure, and the
release of additional greenhouse gases.

“Our study suggests that, if sea-ice continues to contract rapidly
over the next several years, Arctic land warming and permafrost thaw
are likely to accelerate,” says lead author David Lawrence of NCAR.

See the complete news release at:
http://www.ucar.edu/news/releases/2008/permafrost.jsp

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“If we have bad crops, it’s going to be a wild ride,” said the
Agriculture Department’s chief economist, Joseph Glauber. “There’s
just no cushion.”

“China also faces trouble: the agriculture ministry issued an urgent
notice to wheat and rice farmers in southern China on Sunday, telling
them to harvest as much of their crop as possible immediately in the
face of unseasonable torrential rains expected to rake the region for
the next 10 days.”

“”We can’t snap our fingers and make high yields,” said Emerson D.
Nafziger, a professor of agronomic extension at the University of
Illinois. “We still depend on the weather.”
————————————-

New York Times
June 10, 2008

Worries Mount as Farmers Push for Big Harvest
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/10/business/10planting.html?hp
By DAVID STREITFELD and KEITH BRADSHER

GRIFFIN, Ind. – In a year when global harvests need to be excellent
to ease the threat of pervasive food shortages, evidence is mounting
that they will be average at best. Some farmers are starting to fear
disaster.

American corn and soybean farmers are suffering from too much rain,
while Australian wheat farmers have been plagued by drought.

“The planting has gotten off to a poor start,” said Bill Nelson, a
Wachovia grains analyst. “The anxiety level is increasing.”

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