Desdemona Despair

Blogging the End of the World™

World Bank chief urges action to save wild tigers

  By Lesley Wroughton, editing by Chris WilsonWASHINGTONWed Apr 21, 2010 10:09pm EDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) – World Bank President Robert Zoellick called on Wednesday for joint action among countries and organizations to save the dwindling numbers of wild tigers from extinction. There are barely 3,500 tigers left in the wild. Their declining numbers are blamed […]

Ocean salinities show intensified water cycle

By Staff WritersCanberra, Australia (SPX) Apr 22, 2010 Evidence that the world’s water cycle has already intensified is contained in new research to be published in the American Journal of Climate. The stronger water cycle means arid regions have become drier and high rainfall regions wetter as atmospheric temperature increases. The study, co-authored by CSIRO […]

Global biofuel drive raises risk of eviction for African farmers

ScienceDaily (Apr. 22, 2010) — African farmers risk being forced from their lands by investors or government projects as global demand for biofuels encourages changes in crop cultivation. Research from the University of Edinburgh has found that livelihoods may be put at risk if African farmland is turned over to growing crops for biofuel. With […]

World failing on every environmental issue: an op-ed for Earth Day

By Jeremy Hance, www.mongabay.com April 22, 201 The biodiversity crisis, the climate crisis, the deforestation crisis: we are living in an age when environmental issues have moved from regional problems to global ones. A generation or two before ours and one might speak of saving the beauty of Northern California; conserving a single species—say the […]

Katrina storm surge caused over 200 onshore releases of petroleum and hazardous materials, rivaling Exxon Valdez oil spill

ScienceDaily (Apr. 21, 2010) — Scientists call for more risk-based facility design and improved prevention, response planning Hurricane Katrina was the cause of more than 200 onshore releases of petroleum and other hazardous materials, a new study funded by the National Science Foundation has found. According to comprehensive research using government incident databases, about 8 […]

Antarctica ice sheets: ‘Our models may be dramatically underestimating how much worse it's going to get’

By Clay Farris Naff   April 19, 2010 ERICE, Italy—If you think of Earth’s poles as fraternal twins, the Arctic has been the wild one in recent years, while the Antarctic has been a steady plodder. Withered by summer heat, Arctic sea ice has shrunk to record low coverage several times since 2005, only to rebound […]

Food supply chains at risk in changing south-east Asian climate

By Zara Maungguardian.co.uk, Monday 19 April 2010 12.35 BST A report co-written by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and HSBC Climate Change Centre of Excellence claims that food supply chains in India and south-east Asia are under serious threat from changing climatic conditions. Aquaculture in the region, including farmed Thai shrimps and Vietnamese catfish are […]

UK water use ‘worsening global crisis’

By Richard BlackEnvironment correspondent, BBC NewsMonday, 19 April 2010 01:12 UK The amount of water used to produce food and goods imported by developed countries is worsening water shortages in the developing world, a report says. The report, focusing on the UK, says two-thirds of the water used to make UK imports is used outside […]

Hoover Dam turbines adapted to cope with historic drought

By James Cartledge The US Bureau of Reclamation has awarded a $3.4 million contract to Andritz Hydro Corporation to upgrade generating facilities at the Hoover Dam. Andritz Hydro, which is based in Charlotte, North Carolina, will design and manufacture a new “wide head” turbine runner for the Number Eight generating unit at the power plant […]

Australia coal plant still polluting river beyond guidelines

By BEN CUBBY, ENVIRONMENT EDITORApril 20, 2010 THE NSW government has tightened the pollution licence of a coal-fired power plant near Lithgow that is releasing toxic metals into a river that feeds Sydney’s drinking water supply. Delta Electricity, the owner of Wallerawang power plant, must now monitor heavy metals and pollutants such as arsenic flowing […]

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