Blogging the End of the World™
As the frozen soil in the Arctic thaws, bacteria will break down organic matter, releasing long-stored carbon into the warming atmosphere. At the same time, plants will proliferate, nurtured by balmier temperatures, more nutrients from decomposing soil and the increasing abundance of the greenhouse gas they depend on for growth. These connected but contrasting changes […]
I interviewed by email Dr. Mark Serreze, recently named director of The National Snow and Ice Data Center. Partly I wanted him to explain his “death spiral” metaphor for Arctic ice (see NSIDC: Arctic melt passes the point of no return, “We hate to say we told you so, but we did”). … CP: […]
Written by Jonathan Tirone / Bloomberg The Maldives, one of the nations most threatened by global warming, is appealing to the United Nations space agency to help the island country plan its defenses against rising sea levels. “Beach erosion is the No. 1 problem for our country right now,” Environment Minister Abdulla Shahid said over […]
By Anna Salleh Giant jelly fish are taking over parts of the world’s oceans due to overfishing and other human activities, say researchers. Dr Anthony Richardson of CSIRO Marine & Atmospheric Research and colleagues, report their findings in the journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution. “We need to take management action to avert the marine […]
By Gideon Long / Santiago First, in late March the bodies of about 1,200 penguins were found on a remote beach in southern Chile. Next came the sardines — millions of them — washed up dead on a nearby stretch of coastline in April, causing a stench so noxious that nearby schools were closed and […]
Interview by Zinta Lundborg June 8 (Bloomberg) — In one photo, flood-plagued Bangladeshis crowd onto a speck of road surrounded by rising water. Another image gives an aerial view of Florida’s Delray Beach, where luxury high-rise buildings cluster on a thin strip of eroding sand. Gary Braasch, an award-winning environmental photojournalist, captured those shots and […]
Brazil moved a step closer to passing a controversial law that would allow landowners who illegally deforested land in the Amazon to get legal title to these holdings. Environmentalists say HB 458 — which now only needs the signature of President Lula, an avid supporter — will legitimize years of illegal colonization and may promote […]
From Calculated Risk: This graph shows the unemployment rate by four level of education. … Note that the unemployment rate has risen sharply for all categories in 2009. For “less than a high school diploma” the rate has increased from 9% in 2009 to almost 16% in May. Education matters! Unemployment Rate and Level of […]
By Marco Aquino TARAPOTO, Peru June 6 (Reuters) – Hundreds of indigenous protesters were holding 38 police hostage early on Saturday in Peru’s Amazon jungle after fights between tribes and police killed up to 33 people in the worst violence of President Alan Garcia’s government. Demonstrators also were threatening to set fire to an oil […]
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 […]
