Sudden climate change from volcanic eruptions wiped out Neanderthals: study

ScienceDaily (Oct. 7, 2010) — New research suggests that climate change following massive volcanic eruptions drove Neanderthals to extinction and cleared the way for modern humans to thrive in Europe and Asia. The research, led by Liubov Vitaliena Golovanova and Vladimir Borisovich Doronichev of the ANO Laboratory of Prehistory in St. Petersburg, Russia, is reported […]

Turtle, dugongs ‘at risk under climate change’

ScienceDaily (Oct. 8, 2010) — The “turtle and dugong capital of the world”, the northern Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait region, faces increased pressure under climate change from human actions such as fishing, hunting, onshore development and pollution. “Depletion of turtle and dugong numbers increases their vulnerability to other threats and lowers their ability […]

Failing U.S. transportation system will imperil prosperity, report finds

By Ashley Halsey III, Washington Post Staff WriterMonday, October 4, 2010; 6:20 PM The United States is saddled with a rapidly decaying and woefully underfunded transportation system that will undermine its status in the global economy unless Congress and the public embrace innovative reforms, a bipartisan panel of experts concludes in a report released Monday. […]

Scientists and soldiers solve mystery of bee colony collapse

[Update: What a scientist didn’t tell the New York Times about his study on bee deaths. h/t Gail.] By KIRK JOHNSONPublished: October 6, 2010 DENVER — It has been one of the great murder mysteries of the garden: what is killing off the honeybees? Since 2006, 20 to 40 percent of the bee colonies in […]

Invasive tallowtree spreading rapidly across Gulf coast

ScienceDaily (Oct. 6, 2010) — A study by a USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station scientist shows the numbers of nonnative Chinese tallowtree in Louisiana, Mississippi and east Texas grew by about 370 percent over a 16-year period. The spread of the invasive plant may create problems for plants and wildlife along the Gulf coast. […]

Photo gallery: Arctic sea ice decline, Summer 2010

According to the The National Snow and Ice Data Centre (NSIDC), satellite data taken from September this year indicates that Arctic sea ice is continuing a long-term decline. The report, published this week, shows how sea ice coverage was recorded at a summer low of 1.84 million square miles, indicating a continuing trend of decreasing […]

Environmental destruction undercuts global economy to the tune of $6.6 trillion

By Jeremy Hance, www.mongabay.com October 06, 2010 The cost of environmental damage to the global economy hit 6.6 trillion US dollars—11 percent of the global GDP—in 2008, according to a new study [executive summary pdf] by the Principles for Responsible (PRI) and UNEP Finance Initiative. If business continues as usual, the study predicts that environmental […]

Australia oil spills are ‘inevitable,’ report on coal ship grounding says

By James PatonOct 5, 2010 8:16 PM PT Future oil spills off the coast of Australia’s Queensland state are “inevitable” as ship traffic increases, according to a report analyzing the April grounding of a Chinese coal carrier on the Great Barrier Reef. The incident involving the vessel Shen Neng 1 “highlights the vulnerability of Queensland’s […]

Postcards from the future: Illustrators imagine how London could be affected by climate change

A display of photomontages imagining how London could be affected by climate change is on display at the Museum of London from 1 October 2010 to 6 March 2011. The display and events form part of the Mayor’s Story of London festival and the events are funded by Renaissance London. Like postcards from the future, […]

Joint initiative lays out physical effects of climate change on Canada

Contact: Brian Laghi, laghib@nrtee-trnee.ca October 5, 2010 The physical effects of climate change on Canada in the next century could touch everything from human health and community infrastructure to water resources and even tourism and recreation activities, according to a newly-compiled presentation of scientific research published today. Called Degrees of Change, the diagram is the […]

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