[cf. As the world burns, the rich cruise in luxury through a melting Arctic] By Gwladys Fouche; Editing by Toby Chopra 10 October 2016 SVALBARD, Norway (Reuters) – A surge in Arctic tourism is bringing ever bigger cruise ships to the formerly isolated, ice-bound region, prompting calls for a clamp-down to prevent Titanic-style accidents and […]
Collateral Damage from EIA on Vimeo. LONDON, 20 September 2016 (EIA) – With distinctive markings around its mouth and eyes, the vaquita is one of the world’s most iconic marine mammal species – but with fewer than 60 left, it is doomed to extinction in the very near future unless immediate and meaningful action is […]
30 September 2016 (UN) – The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) urged world leaders to take note of the profound implications of record-high carbon dioxide readings this month and appealed for their increased commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. “It is deeply disturbing to learn that global levels of 400 parts per […]
4 October 2016 (Siberian Times) – A new expedition in the Laptev Sea suggests an increase in the rate of underwater permafrost degradation. The findings come from an expedition now underway led by Professor Igor Semiletov, of Tomsk Polytechnic University, on the research vessel Academic M.A. Lavrentyev which left Tiksi on 24 September 2016 […]
By Dan Joling 5 October 2016 ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Associated Press) – A Texas petroleum drilling company announced Tuesday it has made a large-scale oil discovery off Alaska’s North Slope. Dallas-based Caelus Energy Alaska LLC announced a find of 6 billion barrels of light oil on its state leases in the Arctic Ocean waters of Smith […]
By Ian Johnston5 October 2016 (Independent) – A renowned economist who helped persuade the world to start taking climate change seriously has warned the global economy could “self-destruct” if countries fail to ditch fossil fuels and embrace a clean, green, high-tech future. Professor Lord Nicholas Stern was credited with bringing about a sea change in […]
11 October 2016 (Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory) – Twenty-three million years ago, the Antarctic Ice Sheet began to shrink, going from an expanse larger than today’s to one about half its modern size. Computer models suggested a spike in carbon dioxide levels as the cause, but the evidence was elusive – until now. Ancient fossilized leaves […]
By Ada Carr12 October 2016 (Weather Channel) – A NOAA employee was recently treated to the rare sighting of a ribbon seal on the Long Beach Peninsula in Washington. The ribbon seal was reportedly in good health and was spotted making its way safely back into the water when it was seen in August, Mother […]
[Although this obituary is cleverly written, the GBR’s situation is bad enough, and overstating it isn’t helpful. Nevertheless, this was possibly the GBR’s worst year in its 600,000 year history, with 22 percent of the reef totally bleached. The inexorable trends in acidification and ocean warming suggest that we may still witness the death of […]
By Dr. Barnaby Smith14 September 2016 (CEH) – The State of Nature 2016 UK report is launched by Sir David Attenborough and UK conservation and research organisations at the Royal Society in London this morning (Wednesday, September 14). Following on from the first State of Nature report published in 2013 the report reveals that over […]
