Desdemona Despair

Blogging the End of the World™

Mercury in Mackenzie River delta dramatically higher than previously believed

Edmonton—University of Alberta researchers conducting a water study in the Mackenzie River Delta have found a dramatically higher delivery of mercury from the Mackenzie River to the Arctic Ocean than determined in previous studies. Researcher Jennifer Graydon analyzed water in the Mackenzie River as it flowed north into the Beaufort Sea. She collected samples for […]

Definancialisation, deglobalisation, relocalisation

Dmitry Orlov brings his A-game: This talk was presented at The New Emergency Conference in Dublin, on June 11, 2009. Good morning. The title of this talk is a bit of a mouthful, but what I want to say can be summed up in simpler words: we all have to prepare for life without much […]

As Iraq runs dry, a plague of snakes is unleashed

An unprecedented fall in the water levels of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers has left the rural population at the mercy of heat, drought – and displaced wildlife. Patrick Cockburn reports Swarms of snakes are attacking people and cattle in southern Iraq as the Euphrates and Tigris rivers dry up and the reptiles lose their […]

Graph of the Day: Capacity Utilization, 1967-2009

From Calculated Risk: This graph shows Capacity Utilization. This series is at another record low (the series starts in 1967). In addition to the weakness in industrial production, there is little reason for investment in new production facilities until capacity utilization recovers. … Industrial Production Declines, Capacity Utilization at Record Low Technorati Tags: financial collapse

Asian firefly populations drop 70 percent in three years

By Linda Lombardi, Associated Press In parts of the world where firefly populations have been monitored for a long time, such as Japan, their numbers are down. And scientists think the same might be true in the United States. “You hear people saying, growing up I saw fireflies all the time, now I don’t see […]

Lifestyle melts away with Uganda peak snow cap

By Ben Simon BUNDIBUGYO, Uganda (AFP) — In 1906, Mount Speke, one the highest peaks of Uganda’s Rwenzori Mountains was covered with 217 hectares (536 acres) of ice, according to the Climate Change Unit at Uganda?s ministry of water and environment. In 2006, only 18.5 hectares remained. Satellite images taken in 1987 and again in […]

Acid ocean killing Pacific oyster larvae by the billions

Oyster larvae have been dying by the billions. Scientists suspect it’s a sign that carbon dioxide is dramatically affecting the ocean. By Craig Welch, Seattle Times environment reporter WILLAPA BAY, Pacific County — The collapse began rather unspectacularly. In 2005, when most of the millions of Pacific oysters in this tree-lined estuary failed to reproduce, […]

The End of the Line is getting good reviews

People are calling it the Inconvenient Truth of ocean overfishing. Rotten Tomatoes currently has it at 88%. Synopsis: The End of the Line is the first feature length doc to explore the dire state of overfishing which, if not severely curtailed, will mean the end of most seafood as an eating consideration within forty years. […]

Chemical contaminants ‘ubiquitous in the environment’

By JEFF DONN — Video Pollution experts on Tuesday pressed a congressional panel for stronger action to keep pharmaceuticals and other contaminants out of the water, saying they are hurting fish and may threaten human health. Thomas P. Fote, a New Jersey conservationist who sits on the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, said the pollutants […]

EPA finds high levels of lead in Raritan Bay

EPA finds high levels of lead at Raritan Bay sites by Aliyah Shahid/For The Star-Ledger OLD BRIDGE — Tests on mussels, clams and foraging fish near the Laurence Harbor Sea Wall in Old Bridge, have revealed high levels of lead, the Environmental Protection Agency reported today. The amount of lead found in ribbed mussels ranged […]

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