Desdemona Despair

Blogging the End of the World™

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 […]

US cities may have to be bulldozed in order to survive

Dozens of US cities may have entire neighbourhoods bulldozed as part of drastic “shrink to survive” proposals being considered by the Obama administration to tackle economic decline. By Tom Leonard in Flint, Michigan The government looking at expanding a pioneering scheme in Flint, one of the poorest US cities, which involves razing entire districts and […]

U.N. warns of catastrophe as hungry people top one billion

By Silvia Aloisi ROME (Reuters) – High food prices have pushed another 105 million people into hunger in the first half of 2009, the head of the U.N. World Food Programme said on Friday, raising the total number of hungry people to over 1 billion. Urging rich nations at a meeting of G8 development ministers […]

Record 6.8 million continued unemployment claims

From Calculated Risk:   This graph shows weekly claims and continued claims since 1971. Continued claims increased to 6.82 million. This is 5.1% of covered employment. … Unemployment Claims: Record 6.8 Million Continued Claims Technorati Tags: financial collapse

Police fire tear gas in Peru protests

  By CARLA SALAZAR LIMA, Peru (AP) — Riot police used tear gas to turn student protesters away from Peru’s Congress on Thursday as thousands marched to back Amazon Indians resisting oil and natural gas exploration on their land. At least 20,000 students, labor union members and indigenous Peruvians from the country’s Andean highlands to […]

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