![On the back of a Dragonfly [B&W]](http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6194/6128449851_14ec409b56_s.jpg "On the back of a Dragonfly [B&W]")
RECOMMENDED READING
Cost of Water to Dramatically Rise
"The cost of water is likely to rise 50-100 percent in five years, as governments invest more than $30 billion for new supplies. Water Services Association executive director Ross Young said yesterday that higher water prices 'reflect that we have really had to rethink our whole water systems in the face of the impacts of climate change."'[The Australian]
In Ecuador, an Unusual Carbon-Credit Plan to Leave Oil Untapped
"Beneath the tropical jungles of northeastern Ecuador lies a vast pool of oil, representing one-fifth of the small Andean country's petroleum reserves and potentially billions of dollars in revenue. Directly above that pool, the Yasuni National Park is home to a diversity of wildlife that is among the richest on the planet, Ecuadoran and U.S. biologists say. Faced with these two treasures, Ecuador is pursuing an unusual plan to reap the oil profits without actually drilling for oil." [Washington Post]
Desert Solar Power Surge
"Solar power plants in deserts using mirrors to concentrate the sun's rays have the potential to generate up to a quarter of the world's electricity by 2050, a report by pro-solar groups said on Monday." [Reuters]
Natural Gas Politics
"Four years after Vice President Dick Cheney spearheaded a massive energy bill that exempted natural gas drilling from federal clean water laws, Congress is having second thoughts about the environmental dangers posed by the burgeoning industry. With growing evidence that the drilling can damage water supplies, Democratic leaders in Congress are circulating legislation that would repeal the extraordinary exemption and for the first time require companies to disclose all chemicals used in the key drilling process, called hydraulic fracturing. [ProPublica]
Arctic Methane Rise Spurs Worry On Permafrost Thaw
"A rise in concentrations of a powerful greenhouse gas over the Arctic after a decade of stability is stirring worries about a possible thaw of vast stores trapped in permafrost, experts said. Levels of methane in the atmosphere rose 0.6 percent in 2008, according to preliminary data from the Zeppelin station on a remote island in the Norwegian Arctic, after a similar 0.6 percent gain in 2007, Norwegian officials said. The 2007 rise outpaced a global rise in methane of 0.34 percent to a new record high after levels had been stable for about a decade. [Reuters]
