Rethos.com - bleuphox's News Feed

Go see Sharkwater!!!

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:41:01 -0400

(from the Sharkwater website)

"An eye-opening film...visually stunning... this movie will change the way you see our oceans."
- Bonnie Laufer, Tribute Magazine

For filmmaker Rob Stewart, exploring sharks began as an underwater adventure. What it turned into was a beautiful and dangerous life journey into the balance of life on earth.

Driven by passion fed from a lifelong fascination with sharks, Stewart debunks historical stereotypes and media depictions of sharks as bl...

Some Shark Populations Collapsing

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:38:04 -0400

By ANDREW C. REVKIN

Some shark populations in the Mediterranean Sea have completely collapsed, according to a new study, with numbers of five species declining by more than 96 percent over the past two centuries.

“This loss of top predators could hold serious implications for the entire marine ecosystem, greatly affe...

The Mystery of Global Warming's Missing Heat

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 11:12:14 -0400

Morning Edition, March 19, 2008 · Some 3,000 scientific robots that are plying the ocean have sent home a puzzling message. These diving instruments suggest that the oceans have not warmed up at all over the past four or five years. That could mean global warming has taken a breather. Or it could mean scientists aren't quite understanding what their robots are telling them.

This is puzzling in part because here on the surface of the Earth, the years since 2003 have been some of the hottest on record. But Josh Willis at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory says the oceans...

Scientists Give Birth to the Encyclopedia of Life

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 15:53:56 -0500

MONTEREY, California, February 26, 2008 (ENS) - The initial 30,000 pages of a new online Encyclopedia of Life were revealed today as scientists assemble for the Technology, Entertainment and Design Conference in Monterey, California, where the project was initiated last year.

Feedback on these first pages will shape the ultimate design and functionality of all 1.8 million pages of the encyclopedia, scheduled for completion by 2017. It will also help inform priorities for content development.

"It is exciting to anticipate the scientific chords we might hear on...

Butterfly Fish 'May Face Extinction

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 11:03:57 -0500

ScienceDaily (Feb. 25, 2008) â€” A beautiful black, white and yellow butterflyfish, much admired by eco-tourists, divers and aquarium keepers alike, may be at risk of extinction, scientists have warned. The case of the Chevroned Butterflyfish is a stark example of how human pressure on the worldâ€™s coral reefs is confronting certain species with â€˜blind alleysâ€™ from which they may be unable to escape, says Dr Morgan Pratchett of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and James Cook University. In a study published in the journal Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology Dr...

Map Reveals Extensive Damage to World's Oceans

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 09:58:17 -0500

GO LISTEN NOW!!! Talk of the Nation, February 15, 2008 · Researchers have published a new map highlighting the human impact on oceans worldwide. Their findings show oceans are in serious trouble, with declining fish stocks, disappearing coral reefs and changing water chemistry. "Our results show that when these and other individual impacts are summed up, the big picture looks much worse than I imagine most people expected," says Ben Halpern, lead author of the paper published in the journal Science. In a special live broadcast from Boston, Mass. — site of the American Ass...

Fishing Pressure Pushing Sharks Towards Extinction

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 09:54:12 -0500

BOSTON, Massachusetts, February 19, 2008 (ENS) - Once plentiful sharks are vanishing from the world's oceans, and some species are even at risk of extinction a shark expert told fellow scientists at the annual conference of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, which concluded on Monday.

The global status of large sharks has been assessed by the IUCN-World Conservation Union, which maintains the Red List of Threatened Species.

The assessment finds that many large shark species have declined by more than half due to increased demand for sha...

Clothes Off Our Back

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 10:31:26 -0500

BID NOW ON CELEBRITY ITEMS TO RAISE MONEY FOR CHILDREN'S CHARITIES!

The Clothes Off Our Back Foundation is a 501c3 organization that hosts charity auctions showcasing today's hottest celebrity attire. Items are put up for bid to the public with proceeds going to benefit children's charities. Clothes Off Our Back was founded by actors and philanthropists Jane Kaczmarek ("Malcolm In The Middle") and Bradley Whitford (â€œThe West Wing,â€ â€œStudio 60 on the Sunset Stripâ€) whose efforts, along with their celebrity and designer friends have helped improve the lives of children ac...

Pull the plug on idle electronics!

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 09:25:26 -0500

Did you know?â€¦ idle electronics â€“ TVs, VCRs, DVD and CD players, and microwaves â€“ use energy even when switched off? Nationally, these energy â€œvampiresâ€ use 5 percent of our domestic energy and cost consumers more than $3 billion annually. Save yourself some money and our environment by turning off power strips and pulling the plug on idle electronics! And, just for your peace of mind, surge suppressors still protect against power spikes when plugged in, even if switched off. =)

Earth Hour 2008

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 09:36:11 -0500

Originating in Sydney in 2007, the Earth Hour campaign has now gained global attention. As a result, on March 29, 2008 at 8pm, millions of people in some of the worldâ€™s major capital cities will unite and switch off for Earth Hour. TAKE ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE and help turn a symbolic event into a global movement! Be part of making Earth Hour 2008 a huge, global success by telling your friends and family. Remember, every single light makes a statement and makes a difference. You can register as either an individual, organization, school or business: http://www.earthhour.org/sign-...

UN: Mangrove Forests Vanishing at an "Alarming" Rate

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 11:19:52 -0500

ROME, Italy, February 3, 2008 (ENS) - The world has lost about 20 percent of its wetland mangrove forests since 1980, the United Nations said Thursday in a new report to mark World Wetlands Day, February 2. Mangroves are salt tolerant evergreen forests found along coastlines, lagoons, rivers or deltas in 124 tropical and subtropical countries and areas. Environmental and economic damages caused by the "alarming" loss of mangroves in many countries should be urgently addressed, said the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO, calling for better mangrove protection and management progr...

Help here.

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 13:26:01 -0500

How do you transform something mundane and costly into an addictive and free, yet philanthropic, activity? You think outside the box a bit. The guys at the UNâ€™s World Food Programme have done just that, allowing internet users to test their vocabularly while donating food to some of the worldâ€™s poorest countries. Freerice.com converts correct answers to questions about the meaning of everyday words into rice donations that are then shipped around the world. If every school child used this instead of the standard procedure, maybe, just maybe, things may improve a bit!

Also, ...

World Leaders Fortify Commitments to Environment

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 10:22:54 -0500

DAVOS, Switzerland, January 25, 2008 (ENS) – Economic, scientific, and political leaders and entertainers pledged hundreds of millions of dollars and moral support to environmental causes ranging from clean water and climate change to a modern green farming revolution as the World Economic Forum wound up its annual meeting in Davos today.

More than 2,500 participants from 88 countries attended this year’s annual forum, including 27 heads of state or government. Around 60 percent of the participants are business leaders drawn from the Forum&...

USA Slips Behind Ecuador in Environmental Ranking

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 11:40:59 -0500

DAVOS, Switzerland, January 23, 2008 (ENS) – A ranking of 149 countries based on indicators of pollution control and natural resource management released today at the World Economic Forum puts the United States in 39th place, behind Ecuador and Albania.

Compiled every two years since 2002 by the Yale University Center for Environmental Law and Policy and the Earth Institute at Columbia University, the 2008 Environmental Performance Index is based on 25 indicators.

These indicators are grouped into six categories – environmental he...

2008â€™s most desirable eco-gadgets

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 11:37:42 -0500

Posted in Eco Technology by Tracy Stokes

My very first green gadget was a SavaPlug that I wired to an old freezer that was used to store my allotment produce. The old freezer saw its demise a few years ago and has been replaced with a super-efficient model, but it was the start of my love affair with green gadgetry. Wow, havenâ€™t things moved on? Be warned, Iâ€™m no ecogeek, so donâ€™t go expecting technical specifications and other techno-bafflement. This is my pick of green gadgets for the masses.

1. Freeplay Energy compact DAB wind up rad...

27 electric cars companies ready to take over the road

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 12:21:57 -0500

Itâ€™s official: Green car madness has taken over. After seeing more electric and hybrid vehicle startups than we could keep track of, we finally decided to start keeping count.

Weâ€™ve compiled a list, below, of 27 startups, listed according to their release date, with additional information on fuel type, range, top speed and price. Most havenâ€™t yet taken venture funding, but where applicable, weâ€™ve listed financial backing.

While weâ€™ve got some overall favorites (Miles, Tesla, Think) and a few favorite oddballs (Aptera, Commuter Cars, Eliica), weâ€™ve for the ...

Humans Have Caused Profound Changes In Caribbean Coral Reefs

Wed, 09 Jan 2008 13:42:57 -0500

ScienceDaily (Jan. 9, 2008) â€” Coral reefs in the Caribbean have suffered significant changes due to the proximal effects of a growing human population, reports a new study.

“It is well acknowledged that coral reefs are declining worldwide but the driving forces remain hotly debated,” said author Camilo Mora at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada. “In the Caribbean alone, these losses are endangering a large number of species, from corals to sharks, and jeopardizing over 4 billion dollars in services worth from fisheries, tourism and coastal protection,R...

Park(ing) Space

Tue, 08 Jan 2008 10:58:36 -0500

Rebar is a San Francisco-based art collective making an intelligent demonstration by thinking laterally about the ongoing issue of inner-city parking. On the premise that a metered parking spot is an inexpensive short-term lease for a 10×20 plot of land, the team transforms space dedicated to private vehicle storage into a park. As Rebar states: ‘More than 70% of most cities’ outdoor space is dedicated to the private vehicle while only a fraction of that land is allocated to open space for people. Around the nation, inexpensive curbside parking results in increased traff...

Artist's Against the War

Mon, 07 Jan 2008 12:22:10 -0500

Make art not war.

Artists Against The War: The Society of Illustrators

Check out the slideshow at: http://societyillustrators.org/popups/484.cms

The Lunchbox Auction

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 11:40:25 -0500

Entertainment, food, and fashion celebrities have customized and crafted one-of-a-kind, signed lunchboxes for auction, with proceeds going to hunger relief organizations Food Bank For New York City and The Lunchbox Fund of South Africa. It’s clear that some of these stars are great at what they do professionally and should be glad they made the right career choice in avoiding crafts, but hey, it’s for a good cause right? Many Lunchbox Auction lunchboxes, like Natalie Portman’s creations up there on the left, are straight-up decorated at will, while others, like Mark Ron...

CBS Evening News Asks the Candidates about Global Warming

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 14:57:11 -0500

The presidential candidates speak about global warming on CBS Evening News with Katie Couric. Below is the full transcript. I was wondering… what about RON PAUL???

_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~~_~

The Candidates On Climate Change

Next In The Series Primary Questions: Is The Global Warming Threat Overblown?

CBS News anchor Katie Couric asked the 10 leading p...

World Bank Fund Will Pay to Leave Forests Standing

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 14:29:38 -0500

NUSA DUA, Bali, Indonesia, December 11, 2007 (ENS) – A new multi-million dollar fund to compensate developing countries for the value of their living forests was launched today by the World Bank at the United Nations climate conference in Bali.

The Forest Carbon Partnership Facility was developed because forests are more important left standing than cut down, said World Bank Group President Robert Zoellick, introducing the new facility. As a natural function, trees absorb carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas.

“This initiative i...

Bendito Machine

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 15:50:34 -0500

AWESOME! The danger of industrialization and/or capitalism. Check out the cool Flash animation called Bendito Machine by Jossie Malis of Zumbakamera.

Human Rights Day

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 15:16:22 -0500

Today is Human Rights Day and the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The Declaration, adopted by the United Nations in 1948, set out a list of 30 Articles describing fundamendal human rights and freedoms for everyone.

The goals are noble, but reading the text, I have a distinct feeling that it was written by a committee which never used just one word where several would suffice:

Article 1 All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another i...

Funky Forest

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 11:41:29 -0500

Funky Forest is a digital interactive ecosystem created by visual and motion graphics designer Emily Gobeille and interactive artist and designer Theodore Watson. Created for the Cinekid Festival in Amsterdam, the installation is a simulated experience where visitors manage the resources to influence the environment around you.

By diverting streams of water flowing on the floor different parts of the forest grow. If a tree doesn’t get enough water it withers away, but standing against a wall and pressing your body into the forest creates new trees based on your shape and ...

Oil Developers Permitted to Penetrate Pristine Upper Amazon

Wed, 05 Dec 2007 14:06:25 -0500

WASHINGTON, DC, December 4, 2007 (ENS) – One of the most intact and biodiverse rainforest regions on Earth, located in the Upper Amazon Basin on the Ecuadorian-Peruvian border, is now threatened by imminent oil development, warns a conservation organization based in Washington with close ties to its counterpart groups in South America.

Known as the Napo Moist Forest ecosystem, this region is renowned for its record-breaking diversity of life and is so remote that it is home to several uncontacted indigenous groups living in voluntary isolation.

DRC's New Rainforest Reserve for the Endangered Bonobo

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 09:56:40 -0500

WASHINGTON, DC, November 29, 2007 (ENS) – A vast rainforest nature reserve has been newly set aside by the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, to encourage improved protection for the endangered bonobo, a great ape species that few people even know exists.

Found only in the DRC, bonobos inhabit the heart of the Congo Basin, Africa’s largest rainforest, now threatened by industrial logging.

DRC Minister of the Environment Didace Pembe Bokiaga officially de...

U.S. Endangered Species Program Burdened by Political Meddling

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 09:54:14 -0500

By J.R. Pegg

WASHINGTON, DC, November 29, 2007 (ENS) – A top Bush administration appointee at the U.S. Interior Department could have benefitted financially from a decision she was involved with to remove a California fish from the federal endangered species list, according to a new report by the agency’s inspector general.

The report on the actions of Julie MacDonald, former Interior deputy assistant secretary for fish, wildlife, and parks, comes on the heels of a decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to revise seven End...

Toxin From Coral-reef Bacteria Could Become Next-generation Cancer Drug

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 11:01:57 -0500

ScienceDaily (Nov. 29, 2007) â€” University of Michigan (U-M) and Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego researchers have acquired a new molecular tool that could help them transform a toxin from coral-reef bacteria into a next-generation cancer drug.

U-M Life Sciences Institute researchers David Sherman and Janet Smith led a cross-disciplinary team that uncovered new functions for an ancient, well-known family of proteins found in many organisms, from microbes to humans.

The discovery of new roles for the GNAT family of proteins...

Superman and Global Warming

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 10:32:00 -0500

Hereâ€™s a sly comic from Bizarro about Superman and global warming â€¦

For more Bizarro, visit Dan Piraroâ€™s website:http://www.bizarro.com/

New York City to Cut Greenhouse Gases 30% by 2030

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 09:45:50 -0500

NEW YORK, New York, November 28, 2007 (ENS) – New York City Council today unanimously passed legislation to require the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions throughout the five boroughs.

The Climate Protection Act is intended to strengthen PlaNYC 2030, Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s plan to green New York, by putting the force of law behind its goal to reduce the cityâ€™s emission of greenhouse gases.

Emitted by the burning of coal, oil and gas, greenhouse gases trap the Sun’s heat close to the Earth, raising the planetary tempe...

One-Quarter of All U.S. Bird Species at Risk

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 09:43:23 -0500

WASHINGTON, DC, November 28, 2007 (ENS) – One in every four bird species in the United States is imperiled and needs conservation help to survive, finds a new assessment released today by two bird-centered organizations – the Audubon Society and American Bird Conservancy.

Their report WatchList 2007 is an analysis of population size and trends, distribution, and threats for the 683 bird species that regularly breed in the United States.

It shows that 178 species across the continental United States as well as 39 birds in Hawaii ar...

Shipwrecks in Kerch Strait Spill Oil, Sulfur Into the Sea

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 17:06:56 -0500

MOSCOW, Russia, November 11, 2007 (ENS) – Stormy seas and gale-force winds in the narrow Kerch Strait between Russia and Ukraine have smashed a Russian oil tanker in half, spilling at least 2,000 metric tonnes of fuel oil, the Russian Ministry for Emergencies said Sunday. Environmentalists and Russian officials are calling it the worst oil spill in the region for decades and “an ecological catastrophe.”

The Kerch Strait divides Russia to the east from Ukraine to the west and also separates the shallow Sea of Azov to the north from the...

Parrotfish Critical To Coral Reefs: Permanent Damage Likely Unless Urgent Action Taken, Scientists Warn

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 17:14:48 -0500

ScienceDaily (Nov. 5, 2007) â€” Coral reefs could be damaged beyond repair, unless we change the way we manage the marine environment. New research by the Universities of Exeter and California Davis, published November 1, 2007 in Nature, shows how damaged Caribbean reefs will continue to decline over the next 50 years.

Coral reefs conjure up images of rich, colourful ecosystems yet an increasing number of reefs are becoming unhealthy and overrun by seaweed. The research team wanted to test whether reefs that are overgrown with algae could return to good health if the original c...

Why Do So Many Species Live In Tropical Forests And Coral Reefs?

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 17:11:39 -0500

ScienceDaily (Nov. 6, 2007) â€” The latest development in a major debate over a controversial hypothesis of biodiversity and species abundance is the subject of a paper to be published in the 1 November 2007 issue of the journal Nature. The authors report good agreement between the species richness of two of the world’s most vulnerable ecosystems ~~- tropical forests and coral reefs -~~ and a simple mathematical model building on the so-called “neutral theory of biodiversity.”

“We’re helping to refine and improve this theory because it might...

Shocking: 18 Years on and Exxon Still Won't Pay $2.5 Billion for Valdez Oil Spill

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 12:43:35 -0500

The Supreme Court’s recent decision to hear ExxonMobil’s reasons to void the $2.5 billion punitive award in the Exxon Valdez case hit the town of Cordova, Alaska, hard. This small coastal fishing community ~~- my hometown -~~ along with the Alaska Native villages in Prince William Sound have borne the brunt of the largest crude oil spill in America’s waters; a spill that took place more than 18 years ago, but one that continues to hold the region hostage.

The second painful blow was the high court’s decision to not even hear our reasons why the aw...

Pacific 'rubbish superhighway' going unnoticed

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 10:17:19 -0500

A vast rubbish dump, which covers an area bigger than Australia, is floating in the Pacific Ocean and research shows it is growing bigger.

The rubbish collects in one area because of a clockwise trade wind that circulates around the Pacific rim.

In his Tasmanian-built research vessel, Captain Charles Moore has just returned from a trip through the plastic stew floating between Hawaii and San Francisco.

“Toothbrushes are quite common, plastic bags are quite common, soap bottles are quite common, we’ve been finding a good many umbrella handles, min...

U.S. Mayors Seek Federal Help to Protect Climate

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 10:14:25 -0500

SEATTLE, Washington, November 5, 2007 (ENS) – Mayors of the nation’s largest cities are leading a climate protection movement that seeks to cut greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050 but say they cannot do it alone.

At the Seattle Climate Protection Summit Friday, more than 100 mayors stressed the importance of forming a federal partnership to boost energy independence and avert the worst impacts of global warming.

“We are showing what is possible in light of climate change at the local level, but to reach our goal of 8...

Genius.

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 14:06:08 -0400

SO TRUE…

NOFX “Idiots Are Taking Over” (from the album: War on Errorism)

It’s not the right time to be sober now the idiots have taken over spreading like a social cancer, is there an answer?

Mensa membership conceding tell me why and how are all the stupid people breeding Watson, it’s really elementary the industrial revolution has flipped the bitch on evolution the benevolent and wise are being thwarted, ostracized, what a bummer the world keeps getting dumber insen...

Clean Water Act 35th Anniversary Finds More Work Needed

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 13:43:07 -0400

WASHINGTON, DC, October 23, 2007 (ENS) – The U.S. Senate on Thursday enjoyed a rare moment of unanimity. By unanimous consent the senators adopted a resolution commemorating the 35th anniversary of the Clean Water Act.

The resolution was sponsored by Senators Frank Lautenberg, a New Jersey Democrat, and David Vitter, a Louisiana Republican, chairman and ranking member of the Subcommittee on Transportation Safety, Infrastructure Security and Water Quality, as well as Senator Barbara Boxer, a California Democrat, chairman of the Senate Environment ...

U.N. Warns of Environmental Threats

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 13:36:40 -0400

PARIS, Oct. 25 â€” The human population is living far beyond its means and inflicting damage to the environment that could pass points of no return, according to a major report being issued today by the United Nations.

Climate change, the rate of extinction of species, and the challenge of feeding a growing population are among the threats putting humanity at risk, according to the United Nations Environment Program in its fourth Global Environmental Outlook since 1997.

â€œThe human population is now so large that the amount of resources need...

The Wrong Way to Save Right Whales?

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 12:03:36 -0400

Plan to Slow Ship Speeds in East Coast Waters Stalls as Agencies Fight Over One of World’s Most Endangered Mammals

By Juliet Eilperin Washington Post Staff Writer Sunday, October 21, 2007; Page A03

Sixteen months ago, a federal agency proposed slowing ships in certain East Coast waters to 10 knots or less during parts of the year to save the North Atlantic right whale, one of the world’s most endangered marine mammals, from extinction.

Nine months later, officials at the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administra...

Coastal Habitats Are The Biosphere's Most Imperiled Ecosystems

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 11:13:45 -0400

ScienceDaily (Oct. 21, 2007) â€” The BBVA Foundationâ€™s Third Debate on Conservation Biology allowed leading international experts to present findings of their latest research into the scale, causes and consequences of global loss of coastal habitats. The disappearance of these ecosystems, which include coral reefs, mangrove forests, wetlands and seagrass meadows, has serious consequences like loss of biodiversity, depletion of exploitable living resources, impaired capacity of the oceans to sequester CO2 and loss of the leisure value ...

Coral Reefs On Brink Of Disaster, Scientists Urge Action Now

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 11:10:27 -0400

ScienceDaily (Oct. 22, 2007) â€” The world has a narrow window of opportunity to save coral reefs from the destruction caused by extreme climate change, according to a unanimous statement issued today by leading Australian scientists. The call for action is the outcome of a National Forum on Coral Reef Futures, held at the Australian Academy of Sciences, in Canberra.

â€œLocal action can help to re-build the resilience of reefs, and promote their recovery. It is critically important to prevent the replacement of corals by algal blooms, by reducing runoff from land and by protect...

America's Greenest States

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 13:26:43 -0400

Washington, D.C. – When you think “green,” you think New Jersey, right? OK, maybe not. But perhaps you should.

The Garden State ranked seventh in our first-ever list of America’s Greenest States, a surprise winner amid places synonymous with environmentalism like Vermont, Oregon and Washington. More startling: The congested East Coast is a lot more environmentally friendly than you thought.

Sure the Western U.S., with its big skies and open spaces feels green—but when you look at broader measurements of humans’ impact on the environ...

World Food Day 2007: Food as a Human Right

Wed, 17 Oct 2007 10:56:06 -0400

ROME, Italy, October 16, 2007 (ENS) – “If our planet produces enough food to feed its entire population, why do 854 million people still go to sleep on an empty stomach?” demanded Dr. Jacques Diouf today. Speaking at the World Food Day ceremony on this year’s theme The Right to Food, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization director-general said, “A right is not a right if it cannot be claimed.”

Although enough food is produced globally to satisfy all the hungry people, food supplies are under greater pressure today ...

Red Lipstick Spreads the Lead

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 16:23:26 -0400

WASHINGTON, DC, October 15, 2007 (ENS) – Some of the red lipsticks manufactured in the United States and used daily by millions of women contain high levels of lead, according to new product tests commissioned by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a nonprofit coalition.

The tests for lead in lipstick were conducted by an independent laboratory over the month of September on red lipsticks bought in Boston, Hartford, Connecticut, San Francisco and Minneapolis.

Twenty of 33 brand-name lipsticks tested contained detectable levels of lead, wit...

Fishing Ban Protects Largest Coral Reef In The Philippines

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 16:12:54 -0400

Science Daily â€” Reef fish and other marine species can breathe easier with the introduction of a fishing ban around Apo Reef, the largest coral reef in the Philippines and the second largest contiguous reef in the world after the Great Barrier Reef.

Under the ban, all extractive activities, such as fishing, and coral collection and harvesting, will be completely forbidden.

â€œThis â€˜no-takeâ€™ zone will allow the reef and its residents ample time to recover from years of fishing,â€ stressed John Manul of WWF-Philippines.

The 27,...

Stop your Sobbing

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 10:55:09 -0400

Doomsayers like Al Gore and Jared Diamond aren’t doing the environment much good. To save the earth, we need to stop blaming and start celebrating ourselves.

By Ted Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberger

Rachel Carson opened “Silent Spring,” her 1962 polemic against chemical pesticides in general and DDT in particular, with a terrible prophecy: “Man has lost the capacity to foresee and to forestall. He will end by destroying the earth.”

“Silent Spring” set the template for nearly a half century ...

The Skeptical Environmentalist's Plan for Global Warming

Tue, 09 Oct 2007 11:18:50 -0400

Bjorn Lomborg, the author of The Skeptical Environmentalist (2001), offers his thoughts on what are the cost-effective things to do about man-made global warming in an op/ed in the Washington Post. He points out that reducing the ability of people to create wealth blunts their ability to meet the challenges of future climate change. Unfortunately, the Kyoto Protocol turns out to be pretty effective at reducing wealth creation and not so effective at lowering global temperatures. To wit:

We shouldn’t ignore climate change or the policies that could attack it. But we should...

Cell Phone Seafood Help

Tue, 09 Oct 2007 10:16:14 -0400

Still not sure which is more eco-savvy, farmed or wild salmon? Snd a txt msg.

The marine conservation group Blue Ocean Institute has launched a cell phone-based service to send you text messages with the information you need to make smart seafood choices.

Next time you’re at the seafood counter or in a restaurant and can’t recall whether farmed catfish is managed in an environmentally sustainable fashion, send a text message and within seconds you’ll have the Institute’s take on it.

The group also is launching FishPhone ( http://fishp...

Marine Mammals Fewer Than Outdated Statistics Show

Tue, 09 Oct 2007 10:09:46 -0400

SAN FRANCISCO, California, October 8, 2007 (ENS) – Marine mammals are being managed based on outdated population figures that show more animals than actually exist. Conservationists warn that this failure to provide accurate counts puts shrinking populations of polar bears, walrus, sea otters, and manatees in harms way.

Two conservation organizations have filed a lawsuit against Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne for failing to take into account the latest information on global warming and population numbers in management decisions concerning pro...

Fires Burning Across Brazil Put Biodiversity at Risk

Mon, 08 Oct 2007 12:24:34 -0400

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, October 8, 2007 (ENS) – Severe drought has been identified as the main cause of the fire that consumed three hectares of the MaciÃ§o da Pedra Branca forest in Rio de Janeiro state in one September day.

In that same week, 170 other fire points were seen along the forests and conservation parks of the state of Rio de Janeiro. Fire officials said lack of environmental responsibility is to blame for these fires, many of them caused by human beings.

Local plant and animal biodiversity have been damaged, although no hu...

Community Meets Conservation with Seacology

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 16:59:48 -0400

by Liam Gladstone

Disturb nothing. Take only pictures. Leave everything the way it is.

As kids, we heard our parents remind us in an especially non-negotiable way that anything foreign in the trunk of the car by vacationâ€™s end would mean big trouble. These days, with the explosive international growth of ecotourism and climate issues at the forefront of public awareness, Mom and Dadâ€™s car has assumed global proportions.

Within the last decade or so, the stereotypical image of the world traveler has changed. The Acapulco shirts, broad-rimmed straw hats an...

Pennsylvania County First to Power All Buildings with Wind

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 16:10:01 -0400

NORRISTOWN, Pennsylvania, September 28, 2007 (ENS) – Montgomery County in Pennsylvania Thursday became the first 100 percent wind powered county in the United States.

Montgomery County, the utility PECO and Community Energy officials today announced a 29 million kilowatt hour wind energy purchase that will power all county facilities.

Equal to the electric consumption of 2,700 typical homes, the purchase ranks among the top 10 largest green power commitments by a U.S. governmental body.

Commissioner J...

Coral Health Depends on Ridge to Reef Ecosystem Management

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 14:11:32 -0400

HONOLULU, Hawaii, October 4, 2007 (ENS) – Coral reefs suffer when the lands above them are disturbed, finds new research by scientists from Hawaii to Australia. Clearcut logging, farming and development lead to erosion and runoff that kills corals, making it just as important to manage the land above reefs as it is to protect them from overfishing, the scientists confirmed.

Over six years, the researchers studied the connection between watersheds and adjacent coral reefs on three Micronesian islands – Palau, Guam and Pohnpei. The “Wat...

Help Permanently Protect the Arctic Refuge

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 09:51:53 -0400

On January 4, 2007, Representatives Ed Markey (D-MA) and Jim Ramstad (R-MN) introduced HR 39, a bill that would permanently protect the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. While this bill has been introduced in previous congressional sessions, the pro-conservation 110th Congress represents the best opportunity in years to build momentum towards passage of an Arctic Wilderness bill.

The largely cynical debate over oil drilling in the Arctic Refuge has lasted more than 25 years. While threatening a wide array of wildlife and an indige...

Help Protect The World's Forests, Buy Virgin Paper

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 09:43:49 -0400

ALPHARETTA, GA. You can buy virgin paper and still support responsible forest management. That’s the takeaway from Neenah Paper’s latest environmental certification.

The company’s flagship STARWHITE Brand is now the first paper in North America to meet the requirements for labeling as FSC Pure. The FSC Pure label means the paper is made only with virgin fiber that comes from a forest certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

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Vast African Dump Poisons Children: U.N

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 09:37:23 -0400

NAIROBI (Reuters) – Willis Ochieng, 10, scavenges through smoking refuse piled as high as a house at one of Africa’s biggest rubbish mountains, his friends sitting nearby sucking on dirty plastic bottles of noxious yellow glue.

Located near slums in the east of the Kenyan capital Nairobi, the open dump receives some 2,000 tons of garbage daily. A U.N. study published on Friday says it is seriously harming the health of children and polluting the city.

“I have been coming here with my friends since I...

Reader's Digest Study Says Finland Best For Living

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 09:31:27 -0400

HELSINKI (Reuters) – The Nordic countries are the world’s greenest and, despite the cold winters, Finland is the best country to live in, according to a Reader’s Digest study released on Friday.

Finland was followed by Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Austria.

“Finland wins high marks for air and water quality, a low incidence of infant disease and how well it protects citizens from water pollution and natural disasters,” the study said.

The United States was 23rd on the list of 141 countries, Britain was 25...

Indonesia to Plant 79 Million Trees in One Day

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 10:27:06 -0400

JAKARTA – Indonesia, which has destroyed vast tracts of forest, will plant 79 million trees in a single day ahead of the U.N. climate change summit in Bali in December, an official said on Thursday.

The event, scheduled for November 28, is part of a global campaign to plant one billion trees launched at U.N. climate change talks in Nairobi last year, said Ahmad Fauzi Masud, spokesman for the forestry ministry.

“Everybody, residents and officials from the lowest unit of the government to the president, will take part in this moveme...

Scientists observe major climate changes in Arctic

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 10:24:35 -0400

St. Petersburg, Oct 4 (RIA Novosti) Scientists have reported substantial changes in the climate of the Arctic Region, a senior official at the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI) said Thursday.

‘We have observed global climate changes in the Polar Ocean,’ said Igor Ashik, acting head of the AARI ocean science department.

He said the ocean was clearing itself of drifting ice ‘for the first time in decades of Polar research’.

The researcher said temperatures on the ocean surface had also increased by...

New Amazon rain forest risk is revealed

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 10:15:07 -0400

WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 (UPI)—Conservation International scientists are warning a plan to link South America’s economies might destroy much of the remaining Amazon rain forest.

The plan would link South America’s economies through new transportation, energy and telecommunications projects, said Tim Killeen of the Washington-based organization. But he said a rain forest disaster could be avoided if steps are taken to reconcile the legitimate desires for development with the globally important need to conserve the Amazon ecosystem.

Energy Department funds bioenergy centers

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 10:11:33 -0400

WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 (UPI)—The U.S. Department of Energy will invest nearly $30 million in end of fiscal year funds to accelerate the start-up of three Bioenergy Research Centers.

The three centers ~~- located at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee; the University of Wisconsin and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California -~~ are designed to advance research in making the production of cellulosic ethanol and other biofuels commercially viable on a national scale.

The funding is in addition to the $375 milli...

Indo-Pacific coral reefs are disappearing

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 09:56:03 -0400

CHAPEL HILL, N.C., Aug. 9 (UPI)—U.S. marine scientists have discovered coral reefs in the central and western Pacific Ocean are dying faster than previously thought.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers said they have determined nearly 600 square miles of reef have disappeared annually since the late 1960s—twice the rate of rain forest loss.

The study found the reefs are disappearing at a rate of 1 percent per year in a decline that began decades earlier than expected. Historically, coral cover ~~- a meas...~~