Desdemona Despair

Blogging the End of the World™

Giant jellyfish bloom hits Sea of Japan

Japan has been hit by an invasion of giant Nomura’s jellyfish which are stifling the fishing industry and posing a danger to swimmers.  By Aislinn Simpson The massive sea creatures, called Echizen kurage in Japanese, measure up to six feet (1.83 meters) in diameter and weigh more than 450 pounds (204 kilos). For the past […]

China desert advances 1,300 square miles per year; dust circles the globe in two weeks

 Growing Deserts, Growing Dust Storms Carbon dioxide emitted in China raises carbon dioxide levels everywhere. Dust and particulate pollution tends to have its greatest impacts locally, but it can cast a wide net too. New research on a massive 2007 dust storm that began in the Taklimakan desert of Xinjiang, reveals a cloud of dust […]

Gulf waters imperil tribes' way of life in Louisiana bayous

As Wetlands Shrink, Oil and Gas Jobs Replace Farming, Fishing and Trapping By Kari Lydersen, Washington Post Staff Writer GOLDEN MEADOW, La. “Every morning is like Christmas morning” during shrimping season, says Whitney Dardar, 73, a Houma Indian who loves fishing in the bayous of southwestern Louisiana as his forebears have done for two centuries. […]

Ganges River Dolphin population falls below 300

The Ganges River Dolphin faces a high risk of extinction in India’s Brahmaputra river system unless critical habitat is protected, report conservationists. Once abundant in the Ganges and Brahmaputra river systems in India and Bangladesh, the population of the Ganges River Dolphins has fallen sharply over the past century due to accidental bycatch by fishermen, […]

Graph of the Day: Global Mean Temperature Projections to 2100

This graph shows projected global warming under business-as-usual and reduced-emissions scenarios. World starts to act on climate change Technorati Tags: global warming,climate change,carbon dioxide,carbon reduction

Thousands flee western Canadian wildfires

  VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) – Emergency crews made slow progress Sunday to contain wildfires that have forced thousands of residents of a western Canadian community to flee their homes. … Wind and dry conditions were fueling the large blazes that broke out Saturday in the rugged hills along Okanagan Lake west of the city […]

Graph of the Day: California Warehouse Vacancy Rates

…Nearly 16% of office space in Los Angeles County is sitting vacant as tenants close up shop or move out of expensive properties. Nearly a third of the space around up-market Playa Vista sits empty; office buildings in the Inland Empire and parts of Orange County are completely vacant. … Commercial brokers are swimming in […]

Neurotoxin pervades food supply

By Brandon Keim One of the most comprehensive analyses yet of human exposure to PBDEs, or polybrominated diphenyl ethers, shows that the chemical — long used in everything from computers to sleeping bags — enters humans through their diets, not just their household. “The more you eat, the more PBDEs you have in your serum,” […]

Graph of the Day: SE Michigan Building Permits and Demolitions, 1989-2009

Southeast Mich. construction permits in ’08 see sharpest decline in 50 years Christina Stolarz / The Detroit News It’s no surprise that the region’s housing market has taken a hit. But for the first time since 1981, the permits for new home construction were outstripped by the number of units torn down. On top of […]

Global oil, gas projects delayed in 2009

July 16 (Reuters) – Following is a list of some of the oil and gas projects and oil refinery expansion plans that have been delayed or cancelled so far in 2009. The global financial crisis, falling oil demand, a slide in prices and poor general market conditions have prompted many in the industry to scale […]

Social media & sharing icons powered by UltimatelySocial