Blogging the End of the World™
At least 30 are dead following a clash between police and Indians protesting oil development in Peru’s Amazon region. The Associated Press (AP) and other sources are reporting the violence broke out when authorities attempted to penetrate a road blockade by some 5,000 Indians in the northern province of Utcubamba. “Protest leaders said police opened […]
From Calculated Risk: From MarketWatch: U.S. consumer debt falls by $15.7 billion Consumer credit fell by $15.7 billion, or 7.4% at an annual rate, to $2.52 trillion. It was the second largest decline in outstanding debt on record, exceeded by March’s $16.6 billion drop. This graph shows the year-over-year change in consumer credit. Consumer credit […]
By Martin Hickman, Consumer Affairs Correspondent Japan’s sprawling Mitsubishi conglomerate has cornered a 40 per cent share of the world market in bluefin tuna, one of the world’s most endangered fish. A corporation within the £170bn Mitsubishi empire is importing thousands of tonnes of the fish from Europe into Tokyo’s premium fish markets, despite stocks […]
By Jeremy van Loon June 4 (Bloomberg) — Germany’s last glacier, located above the Bavarian resort of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, is getting a protective tarpaulin to help shield it from summer melting. Zugspitze, at 2,962 meters (9,700 feet) the highest mountain in Germany on the northern rim of the Alps, is having its ice sheet covered […]
The fish changed colour. New bird species were spotted. Two bridges were wiped out by a once-in-a-lifetime flood that forced villagers to dump sewage into their pristine waters. The locals have a message for city-dwellers: This is what climate change looks like. “Climate change is real,” says Ron Mongeau, the town manager of Pangnirtung, a […]
Indonesia’s decision earlier this year to allow conversion of up to 2 million hectares of peatlands for oil palm plantations is “a monumental mistake” for the country’s long-term economic prosperity and sustainability, argues an editorial published in the June issue of Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. Lian Pin Koh of ETH Zurich, Corey J.A. […]
Exposure to estrogen reduces production of immune-related proteins in fish. This suggests that certain compounds, known as endocrine disruptors, may make fish more susceptible to disease. The research may provide new clues for why intersex fish, fish kills and fish lesions often occur together in the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers. The research may provide new […]
From Calculated Risk: Mark Lomanno, President of Smith Travel Research gave a presentation on hotel performance in New York. Stacey Higgins at HotelNewsNow has some details: NYU: By the numbers When contrasting this downturn with others, one of the most important differences is that as demand has declined at historically low rates, supply is still […]
Some 160 villages in northern Syria were deserted of their residents in 2007 and 2008 because of a drought associated with climate change, with serious implications for peace in the region, according to a study released on Tuesday. The report drawn up by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) warns of potential armed conflict […]
By Jeremy Hance Watch any nature documentary and it’s sure to include pulse-pounding footage of large herbivores migrating across African plains, Asian steppe, or the Arctic tundra. The images have become iconic: wildebeest forging a crocodile-inhabited river, caribou breaking through snow fields, Saiga running over tall grass. Despite such images of plenty, migrations are […]
