Maryland's Public System of Higher Education

Week of May 6, 2013

News from Across the USM Campuses

Researchers think industrious oysters could clean up Chesapeake (By Darryl Fears, The Washington Post, 5/5/13) [Article quotes Jeff Cornwell, researcher at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science]

County receives positive watershed quality report (By Katie Fitzpatrick, Southern Maryland News, 5/3/13) [Article quotes Walter Boynton of the UMCES's Chesapeake Biological Laboratory]

SGA vote condemns ‘Why I Ride' contest (By Laura Blasey and Bradley Chance, The Diamondback Online, 5/2/13 updated 5/3/13)

Board of Public Works Approves Funding for Clean Water and the Chesapeake Bay: Grants and Loans Will Reduce Nutrient Pollution, Improve infrastructure (Maryland Department of the Environment, Press Release, 5/2/13)

Governor O'Malley Signs Landmark Forest Legislation (Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Press Release, 5/2/13)

Department of the Environment Clean Air Progress Report 2013 Update: Preliminary results of 2012 monitoring show continued improvements in air quality across Maryland (Maryland Department of the Environment, Social Media News Release, 5/1/13)

USM Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change Initiative

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• Presentations
• Climate Change Definitions
• Facilities Master Planning
• Statewide Sustainability Efforts
• ACUPCC National Benchmarking
• Useful Links and References

National and International News

Climate Change's 'Evil Twin': Ocean Acidification: New comprehensive study outlines rapidly acidifying Arctic Ocean caused by CO2 emissions (By Andrea Germanos, CommonDreams.org, 5/6/13)

Honey Bees Are Dying Putting America At Risk Of A Food Disaster (By Todd Woody, The Huffington Post- Business Blog, 5/6/13)

Study: When Republicans understand climate science, they support climate action (By John Upton, Grist.org, 5/3/13)

White House warned on imminent Arctic ice death spiral: National security officials worried by rapid loss of Arctic summer sea ice overlook threat of permanent global food shortages (By Nafeez Ahmed, The [UK] Guardian - Earth Insight Blog, 5/2/13)

UN Warns of 'Worrisome' and 'Disturbing' Signs of Climate Change: WMO Statement on the Status of the Global Climate highlights extreme events in 2012, the 9th warmest in on record (By Andrea Germanos, CommonDreams.org, 5/2/13)

US rejects EU claim of insecticide as prime reason for bee colony collapse: Government study points to a combination of factors for decline in population, breaking away from singling out pesticides (By Suzanne Goldenberg, The [UK] Guardian - Environment Blog, 5/2/13)

The Downwinders: Fracking Ourselves to Death in America - In Pennsylvania and elsewhere, big energy equals big pollution (By Ellen Cantarow, TomDispatch.com as reported by CommonDreams.org, 5/2/13)

Growing Majority Say U.S. Weather Is Getting Worse, Nearly 6 In 10 Say Global Warming Is Affecting Our Weather (By Joe Romm, ThinkProgress.org - Climate Progress Blog, 5/1/13)