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☆ Carbon-removal tech startups like Equatic and Climeworks look to the future of sustainability
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-20 | by ( Helen Li | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Startups like Equatic and Climeworks develop ways to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Carbon removal technologies, like those developed by Equatic, can transform businesses by helping them reduce their legacy carbon footprint. AdvertisementFor startups that want to break into the industry and market their product's integrity, they must make carbon removal measurable. The carbon credits market is highly unregulated, dotted with stories of credits sold but followed by incomplete actions and scams. AdvertisementThe biggest hurdle for carbon removal startups like Equatic and Climeworks is cost.

Persons: Stella Kalinina, Equatic, Gaurav Sant, Sant, Jan Wurzbacher, Indroneil Ganguly, Wurzbacher, Climeworks, Edward Sanders, Sanders Organizations: Equatic, Business, University of California, Water Agency, Boeing, Microsoft, Boston Consulting Group, Washington Post, Netflix, University of Washington, Occidental Petroleum, US Department of Energy, Trump Locations: Los Angeles, Singapore, Zurich, Iceland, Louisiana, Texas

☆ Severe drought has returned to the Amazon. And it’s happening earlier than expected
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-03 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Ap-Live-Blog-Byline-Image.Png | The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

In several rivers in the southwestern Amazon, water levels are the lowest on record for this time of year. Boats sit on the bank of the Acre River, the main water source for the city of Rio Branco, which is facing water shortages in Acre state, Brazil on Friday. The next day, Acre state declared an emergency amid an impending water shortage in its main city. Boats in the community of Polo Benfinca sit on the bank of the Acre River in Brazil on Friday. Marcos Vicentti / APIn Acre, the drought has already caused water supply shortages in several areas of its capital, Rio Branco.

Persons: Brazil — Holder, ”, Marcos Vicentti, It’s, ” Julie Messias Organizations: Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, Farmers, Associated Press Locations: BRASILIA, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela, Acre, Rio Branco, Acre state, Madeira, Purus, Mexico, Amazonas, Porto Velho, Envira, Polo

☆ Can this ocean-based carbon plant help save the world? Some scientists are raising red flags
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Fans will pump air through the alkaline stream, which causes carbon dioxide to form solid calcium carbonate, the material from which seashells are formed, which will look like a fine sand, as well as dissolved bicarbonate. The seawater will also be sent back into the sea, ready to absorb more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The ambition is to scale up to 100,000 metric tons of CO2 removal a year by the end of 2026, and from there to millions of metric tons over the next few decades, Sanders told CNN. Equatic has already signed a deal with Boeing to sell it 2,100 metric tons of hydrogen, which it plans to use to create green fuel, and to fund the removal of 62,000 metric tons of CO2. It will remove just under 4,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year, with the aim of scaling up to 100,000 metric tons a year by the end of 2026.

Persons: Jean, Pierre Gatusso, “, ”, Patrick T, Fallon, Equatic, Gaurav Sant, Edward Sanders, Sanders, Sant, Lili Fuhr, Fuhr, James Niffenegger, Niffenegger, “ we’re, ” Fuhr, It’s, Gatusso, ” Equatic, UCLA’s Sant, ” Sant Organizations: CNN, University of California, Sorbonne University, Getty, UCLA, National Water Agency, Port, Boeing, Center for International Environmental Law, National Renewable Energy Laboratory Locations: Vietnam, France, Singapore, Tuas, Los Angeles, LA, AFP, Port of Los Angeles

GUALBA, Spain (AP) — Plastic jugs in hand, Joan Torrent takes a path into the woods in search of drinking water. The drought emergency, which takes effect Friday, limits the daily amount of water permitted for residential and municipal purposes to 200 liters (53 gallons) per person. Catalonia’s water agency says the average resident uses 116 liters (30 gallons) per day at home. Gualba's name, according to local lore, means “white water” thanks to the streams flowing down from the Montseny mountain that overlooks the village. Only the Guadalete-Barbate river basin in southern Andalusia, which faces similar shortages and restrictions, is worse off at 14.6%.

Persons: Joan Torrent, Gualba, don’t, ”, Jordi Esmaindia Organizations: ” Locations: Spain, Gualba, Barcelona, Spain’s, Catalonia, Llobregat, Andalusia

The Ely Shoshone, Duckwater Shoshone, and the Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation — a coalition representing about 1,500 enrolled tribal members — are lobbying the federal government to designate nearly 40 square miles (100 square kilometers) as Bahsahwahbee National Monument. He testified in a multi-decade legal battle alongside ranchers, local officials and environmental groups who all opposed the project by the Southern Nevada Water Authority. Protecting water for sacred trees is not something the agency had previously done, Sullivan said. Even if the land becomes a national monument, the water beneath Bahsahwahbee would remain under the state’s jurisdiction. The Southern Nevada Water Authority supports a monument designation that allows for the continuation of existing ranching and agricultural activities, said Bronson Mack, water authority spokesman.

Persons: ELY, — White, ”, Warren Graham, Mamie Swallow, Spilsbury, Charlene Pete’s, —, ” Pete, Ely Shoshone, Alvin Marques, David Charlet, ” Charlet, Adam Sullivan, Sullivan, Neal Desai, Bahsahwahbee, Graham, Bronson Mack, Avi Kwa, Joe Biden, Catherine Cortez Masto, Jacky Rosen, Deb Haaland, Cortez Masto’s, Monte Sanford, “ Organizations: Rocky, Ely Shoshone, Southern Nevada Water Authority, College of Southern, Nevada Division of Water Resources, Southern, Southern Nevada Water, National Park Service, National Parks Conservation Association, National Register of Historic Places, Land Management, The Southern, The Southern Nevada Water Authority, Nevada Legislature, United, Associated Press, Walton Family Foundation, AP, Press, Lilly Endowment Inc Locations: Nev, Nevada, Ely, Duckwater Shoshone, ”, Bahsahwahbee, Vegas, College of Southern Nevada, Southern Nevada, The, The Southern Nevada, Arizona, U.S, United States

All were found to be within U.S. federal standards, said Don Gregoire, water director for St. Croix. Despite those findings, people on St. Croix remain concerned. At least 1,270 people on St. Croix have been screened. Authorities plan to extend the screening to the islands of St. Thomas and St. John by the end of January, said Reuben Molloy, acting commissioner for the U.S. Virgin Islands Health Department. On Thursday, officials will start distributing free water filters as they continue to test water samples taken from homes and businesses across St. Croix.

Persons: St . Croix, Joe Biden, Don Gregoire, Croix, Shirley Smith, Thomas, John, Reuben Molloy, St . Croix ., Noel Hodge, Gregoire, “, we’ve, ”, “ It’s, Harold Mark Organizations: JUAN, U.S . Virgin Islands, U.S . Virgin, U.S . Environmental Protection Agency, St, Authorities, U.S . Virgin Islands Health Department, and Power Authority, ”, Department of Natural Resources Locations: Puerto Rico, St . Croix, U.S, St ., St

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Tighter water restrictions for drought-stricken northeast Spain went into effect Wednesday, when authorities in Catalonia said that Barcelona may need to have fresh water shipped in by boat in the coming months. Catalonia is suffering its worst drought on record with reservoirs that provide water for about 6 million people, including Spain’s second-biggest city Barcelona, filled to just 18% of their capacity. Barcelona has already been relying on Europe’s largest desalination plant for drinking water, and a sewage treatment and purification plant to make up for the drop in water from wells and rivers. Political Cartoons View All 1270 ImagesMunicipal governments are now prohibited from using drinking water for street cleaning or to water lawns. If not, then Barcelona could need tankers to bring in drinking water.

Persons: Pere Aragonès, Aragonès Locations: BARCELONA, Spain, Catalonia, Barcelona, South Korea

☆ Mexico braces for Category 5 hurricane, risk of 'catastrophic' damage
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Javier Verdin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Members of the federal forces chat as they keep watch at a beach as Hurricane Otis barrels towards Acapulco, Mexico, October 24, 2023. REUTERS/Javier Verdin Acquire Licensing RightsACAPULCO, Mexico, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Mexico's southern coast braced for Hurricane Otis on Wednesday as the Category 5 storm made landfall near the beach resorts of Acapulco, with the potential to cause "catastrophic damage," the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. The hurricane reached land near Acapulco, bringing maximum sustained winds around 165 mph (270 kmh) and heavy rain, the center said. In Guerrero, authorities were preparing storm shelters and the national guard said it was helping to prepare for rescues and evacuations. Reporting by Javier Verdin in Acapulco and Brendan O'Boyle in Mexico City; writing by Brendan O'Boyle; editing by Robert Birsel and Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Hurricane Otis, Javier Verdin, CONAGUA, Otis, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Evelyn Salgado, Brendan O'Boyle, Robert Birsel, Bernadette Baum Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, U.S, National Hurricane Center, Guerrero, Thomson Locations: Hurricane, Acapulco, Mexico, Rights ACAPULCO, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Miami, Mexico City

☆ Inside Poland Spring’s Hidden Attack on Water Rules It Didn’t Like
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Hiroko Tabuchi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +14 min

The BlueTriton bottling plant in Poland Spring, Maine, this month. Water Clashes NationwideBlueTriton finds itself pitted against local water boards, environmentalists and other groups across the country. Aquifers Water bottling facility BlueTriton facility Aquifers Water bottling facility BlueTriton facility Aquifers Water bottling facility BlueTriton facility Water bottling facility Aquifers BlueTriton facility Water bottling facility Aquifers BlueTriton facility Water bottling facility Aquifers BlueTriton facility Sources: U.S. Geological Survey; Continental U.S. aquifer map data from GebreEgziabher, Jasechko and Perrone, Nature Communications (2022) Mira Rojanasakul/The New York TimesIn California, BlueTriton has publicly criticized and vowed to fight a cease-and-desist order issued by the state’s water board to stop diverting millions of gallons of water from a spring in San Bernardino County. Poland Spring water was first packaged as a local elixir in the mid-1800s. The original Poland Spring water source.

Persons: BlueTriton, ”, Elizabeth M, Frazier, haven’t, Christopher Kessler, Bottlers, Ms, Frazier didn’t, Anthony Moffa, Mark Lawrence, Lawrence, Mira Rojanasakul, State Legislature’s, Margaret M, “, John Mullaney, Roger Crouse, Cheryl Dieter, Metropoulos, Nestlé, John McGowan, Natalie DiPentino, DiPentino, Poland Spring, BlueTriton’s Organizations: The New York Times, Times, Democratic, Energy, Utilities, Technology, Maine State House, ”, Industries, University of Maine School of Law ., Democrat, Water, . Geological Survey, Continental, Nature Communications, New York Times, State, Poland, U.S, Geological, Water Science, Industry, Maine Water Utilities Association, United States Geological Survey, Rock Capital Partners, Metropoulos, Moody’s Investors Service Locations: Maine, Poland, Poland Spring , Maine, South Portland, Michigan, Colorado, Augusta, In Colorado, Arkansas, United States, Continental U.S, GebreEgziabher, California, San Bernardino County, In Michigan, Lincoln, Lincoln , Maine, New York, BlueTriton’s Poland, Chaffee County , Colorado

Political Cartoons View All 1190 ImagesFor years, California didn't regulate groundwater, allowing farmers and residents alike to drill wells and take what they needed. There is a small market, hardware store, a Western-themed boutique hotel and miles of land sown with olives, pistachios, grapes and carrots. From the start, Grimmway and Bolthouse participated in the formation of the local groundwater sustainability agency and plan. Furstenfeld, who sits on an advisory committee to the groundwater agency, doesn’t own land and doesn’t have an attorney. The company that owns the land, Bolthouse Land Co., is still litigating.

Persons: Lee Harrington, “ It’s, ” Harrington, Bolthouse, ”, Dan Clifford, Jeff Huckaby, “, ” Huckaby, Jake Furstenfeld, David, Goliath, Alfonso Gamino, haven’t, Eric Garner, Huckaby, Grimmway, Jean Gaillard, ” Gaillard Organizations: —, Bolthouse Locations: Calif, California, New, Los Angeles, Cuyama, Oxnard, Pleasant, San Diego County, Southern California

☆ Fact-Checking Vivek Ramaswamy on the Campaign Trail
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Linda Qiu | More About Linda Qiu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

First, Mr. Manuel is not an “Obama appointee” but rather participated in a leadership development program run by the Obama Foundation in 2019. Noting high winds and drought, the company requested permission to fill a private reservoir for fire control, though the reservoir was not connected to fire hydrants. The water agency asked the company whether the fire department had made the request, received no answer and said that it needed the approval of a farmer who relied on the water for his crops. The company said that it could not reach the farmer, but that the agency approved the request hours later. The executive, in another letter, also wrote that “we would never imply responsibility” on Mr. Manuel’s part.

Persons: Manuel, Obama, ”, Ramaswamy, Ramaswamy’s Organizations: Obama Foundation, Mr, Maui Land Company, The New York Times Locations: Hawaii, Lahaina, Maui, The

Catalonia, Spain CNN —Standing in his field of stunted, withered maize, Santi Caudevilla is very worried. It’s becoming increasingly hard to make ends meet as crops shrivel through lack of water – or cannot be planted at all. “This is the worst period that we have had for the last 100 years,” Samuel Reyes, director of the Catalan Water Agency, told CNN. Allison Nussbaum/NASA Allison Nussbaum/NASA These two images show shrinking water reservoirs in the Catalonia region of Spain. In April, Spain requested emergency funding from the European Union to help farmers cope with the impacts of the drought.

Solis, 64, lives on the banks of Mexico's Villa Victoria reservoir, which supplies water to the bustling capital hours away but does not reach her own faucets. Villa Victoria is part of the Cutzamala System, the source of water for about six million people in Mexico City and the surrounding state of Mexico. Climate change, chaotic urban growth and inefficient infrastructure have strained Mexico's water supplies, pushing the Cutzamala System's stores to their lowest level in 27 years. Mexico City is also tapping alternative sources of water outside the Cutzamala System, including by replacing wells in the Zumpango area in the state of Mexico. But for people like Israel, who lives just a few minutes' drive from the Cutzamala System's water treatment plant and asked not to use his last name, the constitution's promise is increasingly distant.

☆ Europe drought: This once-thriving lake has all but dried up -- a story repeated across Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

While in the United States, the snow and rain that have pummeled California have helped fill reservoirs and ease unrelenting drought, winter has been far from kind to many parts of Europe. A buoy is seen on the banks of the partially dry Lake Montbel as France faces a record winter dry spell. “Lake Montbel remains at an abnormally low level,” Franck Solacroup, the regional director of the Adour-Garonne Water Agency, which covers the area that includes Lake Montbel, told CNN. Farmers like Rouquet, who rely on the lake, are having to make tough decisions on what to grow. “This is the most extreme winter in terms of low snow cover,” she told CNN.

☆ Nevada considers plan to restrict water use for Las Vegas residents
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The proposed bill would make Nevada the first state to allow a water agency, the Southern Nevada Water Authority, to shut off water use for single-family residences that use more than half an acre-foot of water, roughly 163,000 gallons, each year. Representatives from the water agency, which serves the Las Vegas metropolitan area, told state lawmakers this week that the measure would only impact the top 20% of Las Vegas water users. The average customer in the Las Vegas Valley uses 130,000 gallons per year. The water agency would not impose residential restrictions right away but rather if drought conditions and water shortages at the Colorado River continued to get worse. "It does address these top 20% of customers who are using more water and have not made the changes necessary to protect our communities' water supplies," Southern Nevada Water Authority public service director Andy Bellanger told the Assembly Natural Resource Committee on Monday.

☆ California has been hammered with rain. It may not be enough to reverse its drought.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Evan Bush | Evan Bush Is A Science Reporter For Nbc News. He Can Be Reached At Evan.Bush Nbcuni.Com. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

California counts on a system of about 1,400 human-made surface reservoirs and thousands upon thousands of miles of levees to manage surface water. During the recent storms, extreme drought has buffered some impacts of intense rainfall with plenty of space in the state’s largest reservoirs, which have withered under drought. Before the series of atmospheric rivers, it was storing less than 1 million acre-feet of water. In the Central Valley, Californians extract about 2 million acre-feet more than what returns to the ground, on average, every year, Lund said. California legislators in 2014 passed the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, which requires local agencies to reach groundwater sustainability by 2042.

The promise of job security and work-life balance drew Fernando Gonzalez to become a water operator. But this is the reality of what we have to do in order to conserve water." In 2017, Gonzalez enrolled in community college, took six courses and got certified by the California State Water Resource Control Board to work as a water operator. "I found out the water comes from Northern California, and we don't actually store any water here in the south. Fernando Gonzalez says job security, work-life balance and the ability to work outdoors drew him to becoming a water operator.

☆ Hurricane Fiona slams Dominican Republic after pounding Puerto Rico
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

A man on a motorcycle rides past fallen power lines in the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona in Higuey, Dominican Republic, September 19, 2022. Ricardo Rojas | ReutersHurricane Fiona roared over the Dominican Republic on Monday after knocking out power across all of Puerto Rico, causing damage the governor said was "catastrophic." Flooded roads triggered a blackoutHurricane Fiona flooded roads and triggered a general black out as it touched Puerto Rico. Members of National Guard rescue a womanMembers of the Puerto Rico National Guard rescue a woman stranded in her house in the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona in Salinas, Puerto Rico September 19, 2022. People clear a road from a fallen treePeople clear a road from a fallen tree after Hurricane Fiona affected the area in Yauco, Puerto Rico September 18, 2022.

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