Deep sea coral latest victim of acidic ocean

Since the wide-spread burning of fossil fuels began, our global oceans have become nearly a third more acidic and it is killing one of the most unusual ecosystems we have – deep sea coral. An international symposium is underway right now in Wellington, bringing researchers from all around the world together to discuss the problem. […]

Pervasive chemicals damaging viability of all vertebrates

Link to report (pdf): Effects of Pollutants on the Reproductive Health of Male Vertebrate Wildlife – Males Under Threat Evolution is being distorted by pollution, which damages genitals and the ability to father offspring, says new study. by Geoffrey Lean The male gender is in danger, with incalculable consequences for both humans and wildlife, startling […]

UN: Cheetah and dolphin among new species in danger of extinction

AFP – Twenty-one animal species, including the cheetah, three dolphin families and an Egyptian vulture, were added to the list of those in danger of extinction by a UN conference that ended Friday. … A spokesman for the Whale and Dolphin Society welcomed measures on increased protection for marine species, but said governments had not […]

Lake Mead could dry up by 2021 amid Western water shortages

SALT LAKE CITY – Seven Western states will face more water shortages in the years ahead as climate change exacerbates the strains drought and a growing population have put on the Colorado River, scientists say. "Clearly we’re on a collision course between supply and demand," said Brad Udall, director of the Western Water Assessment at […]

Amazon rainforest destruction viewed from space

1992: 2006: Dense green vegetation gives way to pale fields in these newly released satellite images of deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest. The first image, from the Landsat Thematic Mapper in 1992, shows the beginning of agricultural development in a region of the southwestern state of Mato Grosso. It dissolves into a recently released image […]

Climate change widget

Watch the countdown to the End of the World™ on your desktop. Don’t forget about your imminent doom for even a second! Keep track of the latest climate change data on your desktop. Available for Mac OS X Dashboard, Yahoo! Widgets and Windows Vista. Vital Signs Widget Technorati Tags: vital signs,global warming,ozone,sea level,Arctic

Harbour seals' decline 'alarming'

By James Morgan, Science reporter, BBC News Harbour seals, or common seals, are familiar faces along coastlines across the northern hemisphere. But they are now vanishing in the UK at an alarming rate, warn scientists from St Andrews University. Numbers have halved in the hardest hit area, the Orkney Islands, since 2001 – falling almost […]

Climate change threatens Florida's $5.5 billion reef economy

SARASOTA, Florida, December 3, 2008 (ENS) – A new analysis of economic activity generated by Florida’s coral reefs finds that some 70,000 jobs and more than $5.5 billion in business in the state could disappear if climate change destroys the reefs. "A business-as-usual approach to climate change could mean a lot less business for Florida," […]

Invasive ant species marching across Europe

An ant species that forms huge supercolonies and infests gardens and parks is marching rapidly across Europe and will soon invade the UK, according to entomologists who are monitoring its spread. The colonies can swell to 10 or 100 times the size of those of common garden ants and scientists warn that they can cause […]

White possum first mammal extinction due to global warming

By Peter Michael SCIENTISTS say a white possum native to Queensland’s Daintree forest has become the first mammal to become extinct due to man-made global warming. The white lemuroid possum, a rare creature found only above 1000m in the mountain forests of far north Queensland, has not been seen for three years. Experts fear climate […]

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