Happy Labor Day: Here's Some Natural Security News

We wanted to note the important natural security news items from the weekend, but this will be our only post today. Happy Labor Day everyone!

• Lithuania has announced guidelines for establishing a natural gas exchange, according to UPI. 
• Also from UPI, a new study from Stanford University has found that more than 80 percent of all new farmland developed in the tropics since 1980 has come from deforestation, a process that contributes to significant amounts of greenhouse gas emissions, second only to the energy sector.
• Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin announced that the country’s ban on grain exports would continue through next year because of continued uncertainty about domestic production since the summer’s devastating wildfires and drought reaped heavy tolls on the agricultural sector, reports The New York Times.
• In the aftermath of the summer’s catastrophic flooding, many Pakistanis are demonstrating some resolve, according to The Washington Post.
• Reuters reports that Germany’s nuclear power sector is being slammed by local utilities and its renewable energy industry.