Australia temperature records fall and fires burn

By DEBORAH SMITH SCIENCE EDITORNovember 20, 2009 FIVE major fires are burning in NSW as the state swelters in a heatwave that has seen decades-old records fall. The state has experienced both its hottest November day and hottest November night since observations began. The mercury soared to 46.4 degrees at Tibooburra in the north-west of […]

Using fish as livestock feed threatens global fisheries

By Jeremy Hance, www.mongabay.com, November 18, 2009 Fish doesn’t just feed humans. Millions of tons of fish are fed every year to chickens, pigs, and even farmed fish even in the midst of rising concerns over fish stocks collapses around the world. Finding an alternative to fish as livestock feed would go a long way […]

Physicians for Social Responsibility: Coal's Assault on Human Health

Physicians for Social Responsibility has released a groundbreaking medical report, “Coal’s Assault on Human Health,” which takes a new look at the devastating impacts of coal on the human body. Coal combustion releases mercury, particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and dozens of other substances known to be hazardous to human health. This report looks […]

Thailand's rising tide of problems

By Fiona Walker Thailand’s coast is best known to many Scots for its beaches and backpackers. But just round the corner from the sunbathers is a world where the rising sea level has taken their homes. Not just once – some families have had to move 11 times to escape the encroaching water and the […]

Sea level rise eroding island in Scotland

By Fiona Walker When you talk to people in South Uist about climate change, many already know what may be in store for them. They really live the weather, noting down its changes and understanding its impact upon their lives. Where Seumas MacDonald grew up he says people used to plough land that’s now under […]

Plastic chemicals 'feminise boys'

Chemicals in plastics alter the brains of baby boys making them “more feminine” and uninterested in rough games, say researchers. Males exposed to high doses in the womb went on to be less likely to play with boys’ toys like cars or to join in rough and tumble games, they found. The University of Rochester […]

South Australia braces for another catastrophic bushfire day

November 19, 2009 – 11:00AM (AAP) — South Australia faces a second day of catastrophic bushfire danger today. Temperatures are expected to soar into the 40s across the state, with Adelaide also forecast to have a top of 43 degrees. With low humidity, strong winds and the possibility of dry thunderstorms, the conditions prompted authorities […]

Kenya evicts thousands of forest squatters in attempt to save Rift valley

Tourism, tea and energy industries threatened after a quarter of huge Mau forest destroyed in 20 years By Xan Rice in Nairobi, www.guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 18 November 2009 22.48 GMT Several thousand people who had settled illegally in Kenya’s most important forest have left their homes at the beginning of an eviction plan designed to end […]

Graph of the Day: U.S. Food Security, 1998-2009

By Amy GoldsteinWashington Post Staff WriterMonday, November 16, 2009; 3:14 PM The number of Americans who lack dependable access to adequate food shot up last year to 49 million, the largest number since the government has been keeping track, according to a federal report released Monday that shows particularly steep increases in food scarcity among […]

Rising CO2 will cause catastrophic sea level rise finds Antarctic study

Sea levels could rise by up to six metres if the world fails to get pollution under control according to the latest study in the Antarctic.   By Louise Gray, Environment CorrespondentPublished: 1:56PM GMT 18 Nov 2009 The British Antarctic Survey found that during past periods of high carbon dioxide, temperatures in Antarctica were up […]

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