The polar bear’s last stand

A final refuge of Arctic summer sea ice may be the last outpost for polar bears.     By Jessica Marshall    Thu Dec 16, 2010 04:05 PM ET As sea ice disappears, a refuge of suitable habitat for polar bears and ringed seals — key polar bear prey — may persist in northeastern Canada and northern […]

Poisoning by farmers wipes out 60 percent of vultures in Kenya wildlife reserve

By Victoria Gill, Science and nature reporter, BBC News 17 December 2010 Vulture populations in one of Africa’s most important wildlife reserves have declined by 60%, say scientists. The researchers suggest that the decline of vultures in Kenya’s Masai Mara is being driven by poisoning. The US-based Peregrine Fund says farmers occasionally lace the bodies […]

Endangered rhinos slaughtered in Zimbabwe sanctuary as China footprint grows in Africa

At least six rhinos have reportedly been killed at the Nyamaneche Game Sanctuary in Zimbabwe. According to local sources, the killing occurred in an area close to Chinese chrome mining operations. The [Zimbabwe Conservation] task force’s chairman Johnny Rodrigues said he believed a Chinese firm was mining chrome in this ecologically pristine area. The three […]

Humans consume increasing share of the biosphere, now up to 25 percent

By James Dacey, contributing editor to www.environmentalresearchweb.orgDec 15, 2010 NASA satellite images have revealed that the biosphere is being placed under increasing strain as rising population on a global scale is accompanied by increased consumption of crops and animals per capita. If population and consumption continue to grow at present rates then by 2050 more […]

Global warming alters reproductive timing of amphibians

By Maggie Fox; editing by Todd EasthamWed Dec 15, 2010 WASHINGTON Dec 14 (Reuters) – Climate change is affecting the breeding cycles of toads and salamanders, researchers reported on Tuesday, in the first published evidence of such changes on amphibians. They documented that two species were breeding later in the autumn than in years past, […]

Regulation is deficient in Canada oil sands: study

By Jeffrey Jones, editing by Peter GallowayWed Dec 15, 4:53 pm ET CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) – Reclamation in Canada’s oil sands is not keeping pace with rapid development and that could leave the public vulnerable to major financial burdens in years to come, a scientific panel said Wednesday. The study by Royal Society of Canada […]

Maps predict sea level rise for Australia cities

Wed Dec 15, 2010 11:57am AEDT (ABC) Rising sea levels are likely to cause serious and regular flooding in Australian coastal cities by the end of the century, according to maps released by the Federal Government today. The maps for low-lying areas in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Newcastle, the New South Wales’ central coast and south-east […]

Graph of the Day: Gross Debt as Percent of GDP of Advanced Economies, 1991-2015

By Gus Lubin Jul. 1, 2010 Legendary investor Jeff Gundlach gave one of the most depressing presentations you’ll ever hear at last week’s Morningstar Investor Conference (via Prag Cap). The bond guru and founder of Doubleline Capital combines debt apocalypse with negative indicators in the current recession, like the looming mortgage crisis, to say America […]

Aging oil rigs, pipelines expose Gulf to accidents

By BEN CASSELMAN14 December 2010 GALLIANO, Louisiana—On June 10, 1947, Stanolind Oil & Gas Co. won an auction for the right to drill for oil on a plot seven miles off the Louisiana coast. The company built a spindly steel platform and drilled a well in shallow waters. It struck oil, and in 1950, Stanolind […]

Animals still covered in oil months after Gulf spill

NEW ORLEANS, Dec. 15, 2010 (AP)  A baby sea turtle escaped from the jaws of a shark, only to get stuck in oil spilled from BP’s well in the Gulf of Mexico. A young dolphin apparently was attacked by his mother, then swam into oil. The animals are among thousands rescued since more than 200 […]

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