Thursday Linkage: Get the Duck out of this Semester

18 April 2014, 0119 EDT

With the tale end of this semester bearing down on me, this Duck is barely keeping his head above water. Fortunately, time has stopped and nothing has happened in the world. Ukraine is fine (no more Russian incursions). The global environment has put the threat of major disruption from climate change on pause. It’s clear skies in Beijing. All the poachers of wildlife around the world have dropped dead. I wish. Read on for what’s really happening.

Ukraine/Russia

  • Russia-sympathetic protesters in eastern Ukraine occupy government installations, encouraging a response from the Ukrainian government, with violence, and Russian reprisals a real possibility
  • The West brokers deal to provide eastern autonomy in exchange for an end to violent provocations
  • For what the West ought to do, read the exchange on the Duck between Jeffrey Stacey and Sean Kay in the comments
  • Snowden asks Putin a question on surveillance and then defends himself in The Guardian

Climate Change

  • IPCC issues full report from Working Group III on mitigation
  • The Economist dumps on the anondyne summary for policymakers, considering it pretty neutered by policymakers and useless
  • New reports that fugitive emissions on methane might be higher around natural gas drilling sites
  • EPA considering new rules on methane leakage

China’s Air

  • China gets serious on shale gas, but safety concerns abound
  • A DIY solution to filtering air in China: put a filter on a fan
  • USG monitors record pretty different values for Beijing’s air quality compared to the Chinese government’s records

Poaching and Conservation

  • Amazing and awful story of tiger farms in Asia
  • Ecuador may have referendum on whether or not to drill for oil in Yasuni National Park
  • Asshole meth-heads cut burls off redwoods to sell for drugs, f–k you a–hole poachers

Your Moment of Zen