Desdemona Despair

Blogging the End of the World™

Ice shelves disappearing on Antarctic Peninsula

Glacier Retreat and Sea Level Rise are Possible Consequences Ice shelves are retreating in the southern section of the Antarctic Peninsula due to climate change. This could result in glacier retreat and sea-level rise if warming continues, threatening coastal communities and low-lying islands worldwide. Research by the U.S. Geological Survey is the first to document […]

Belo Monte Dam: Sacrificing the rainforest for clean energy

By Timon Singh | 02/05/10 – 16:16 Everyone knows that finding a renewable source of energy is crucial to wean the world off fossil fuels and cut carbon emissions, but what are we willing to sacrifice for clean energy? In Brazil, the government has given the green light for the construction of a massive hydroelectric […]

‘We have just discovered these hidden paradises and now they are being lost’

Lost paradise worlds beneath the Earth’s oceans including those around the Britain are being “systemically destroyed” by climate change and over fishing before they can even be properly explored, claim scientists. By Richard Alleyne, Science Correspondent in San DiegoPublished: 1:56PM GMT 18 Feb 2010 The amazingly colourful undersea oases of life, some more than a […]

Penguins in Antarctica to be replaced by jellyfish due to global warming

Rising temperatures in the oceans around Antarctica could lead to the continent’s penguins being replaced by jellyfish, scientists have warned. The results of the largest ever survey of Antarctic marine life reveal melting sea ice is decimating krill populations, which form an integral part of penguins’ diets. The six-inch-long invertebrates, also eaten by other higher […]

Deep-sea trawling is destroying coral reefs and pristine marine habitats

A survey of the world’s reefs and submerged mountains has revealed widespread damage from deep-sea trawling By Ian Sample, San Diegowww.guardian.co.uk, Thursday 18 February 2010 22.00 GMT Deep-sea trawling is devastating corals and pristine marine habitats that have gone untouched since the last ice age, a leading marine biologist has warned. A survey of the […]

Desertification driving mass migrations – up to 700,000 migrate from Mexico drylands every year

By Luc Gnacadja, UNCCD Executive SecretarySpecial for the Herald Climate change, food security, migration, poverty and peace. Nowadays, it seems that not a day goes by without a news report on one or all of these issues. These issues are also a big part of the current international political agenda. The question that almost always […]

Acidified landscape around ocean vents foretells grim future for coral reefs

By Robin McKie, science editorThe Observer, Sunday 21 February 2010 Huge vents covering the sea-floor – among the strangest and most spectacular sights in nature – pour carbon dioxide and other gases into the deep waters of the oceans. Last week, as researchers reported that they had now discovered more than 50,000 underwater volcanic springs, […]

Study says businesses cause $2.2 trillion in environmental damage

Report for the UN into the activities of the world’s 3,000 biggest companies estimates one-third of profits would be lost if firms were forced to pay for use, loss and damage of environment   [UPDATE: Fixed broken link to Stern review – thanks to the good folks at LearnStuff.]  By Juliette Jowitwww.guardian.co.uk, Thursday 18 February […]

Madeira floods kill 40, rescuers hunt for missing — one-day rainfall exceeds monthly average

  Reporting by Andrei Khalip; Editing by Andrew Dobbie FUNCHAL, Portugal (Reuters) – Portuguese rescue workers using bulldozers searched on Sunday for more bodies under debris after violent floods and mudslides killed at least 40 people on the resort island of Madeira. Authorities flew more rescue teams and military engineers from the mainland to help […]

Swimmers undeterred by algae red alert in Murray River

By PETER KERFebruary 22, 2010 Close to 300 kilometres of the Murray River has been declared off limits to humans and animals, as a toxic algal bloom worsened yesterday. As the river between Wodonga and Echuca was elevated to ”red alert” for algal bloom, there were concerns the risks to human health were not being […]

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