Desdemona Despair

Blogging the End of the World™

Polar bears 20% thinner, resorting to cannibalism

by Pierre-Henry Deshayes TROMSOE, Norway (AFP) – Potentially fatal to the polar bear, global warming has already left its mark on the species with smaller, less robust bears that are increasingly showing cannibalistic tendencies. Top experts who gathered this week in Tromsoe in northern Norway to discuss ways of protecting the species sounded alarm bells […]

Most native Hawaii birds near extinction

By AUDREY McAVOY, Associated Press Writer ETHONOLULU – Hawaii’s native avian population is in peril, with nearly all the state’s birds in danger of becoming extinct, a federal report says. One-third of the nation’s endangered birds are in Hawaii, said the report issued Thursday by the Interior Department. Thirty-one Hawaiian bird species are listed as […]

Graph of the Day: US Vehicle Miles, 1972-2009

From Calculated Risk: The Dept of Transportation reports on U.S. Traffic Volume Trends: [T]ravel during January 2009 on all roads and streets in the nation changed by -3.1 percent (-7.0 billion vehicle miles) resulting in estimated travel for the month at 222.4 billion vehicle-miles. The graph shows the annual change in the rolling 12 month […]

UK’s chief scientist warns of “perfect storm” for resource shortages by 2030

by James Murray, BusinessGreen Food, energy and water supplies all under threat from combination of climate change and growing population The UK’s chief scientist will today warn that political and business leaders have just 20 years to prepare for a "perfect storm" of climate change-related impacts on food, water and energy supplies or risk public […]

Deep-sea trophic cascade caused by acidification

By Dan Berrett An East Stroudsburg University professor has studied a delicate sea creature off Japan’s coast, and shed new light on how climate change is disrupting the ocean’s food chain. "This is the first clear link between an animal we know is threatened by ocean acidification and a variety of deep-sea species," said Jay […]

Graph of the Day: World Oil Production, 2002-2012

From The Oil Drum: World oil production peaked in 2008 at 81.73 million barrels/day (mbd) shown in the chart below. This oil definition includes crude oil, lease condensate, oil sands and natural gas plant liquids. If natural gas plant liquids are excluded, then the production peak remains in 2008 but at 73.79 mbd. However, if […]

Fungus devastates 'chicken' frog

Montserrat’s "mountain chicken" frog is the latest victim of the lethal chytrid fungus sweeping the world. UK researchers say that only two small pockets of the animals on the tiny Caribbean island remain disease-free. The mountain chicken (Leptodactylus fallax) is one of the world’s largest frogs, and appears on the coat of arms of neighbouring […]

Chernobyl 'shows insect decline'

Scientists find the signal of a decline in the numbers of insects in Chernobyl’s exclusion zone, 20 years after the nuclear accident.   Two decades after the explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, radiation is still causing a reduction in the numbers of insects and spiders. According to researchers working in the exclusion zone […]

1.5% decline of endangered Iberian Lynx in one day

  When dealing with the world’s most endangered feline species, the Iberian Lynx (estimated population, 200) every death matters. So when a pregnant Iberian Lynx was found dead in Doñana National Park it’s worth passing on the news. The cat in question was pregnant with two cubs and had been run over by a vehicle […]

Blogger writes about bee Colony Collapse Disorder in his backyard

Danny Jensen, a blogger at Takepart, blogged about what seems to be a bee colony collapse that happened right in his backyard. He has posted many photos and a video showing dead bees everywhere. Read on for more details on colony collapse disorder. … Blogger Writes About Bee Colony Collapse Disorder in his Backyard Technorati […]

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