Desdemona Despair

Blogging the End of the World™

Wetter and wilder: the signs of warming everywhere

In the third part of our series on the eve of the Poznan conference, we look at how climate change is already changing ordinary people’s lives from Australia to Brazil John Vidal in Immaculada, Brazil The Guardian, Wednesday 10 December 2008  Joao da Antonio’s eyes are full of tears. If good rains do not come, […]

2008 one of worst years for disaster losses: insurer

POZNAN, Poland (Reuters) – Weather-related disasters and earthquakes are likely to make 2008 the second most costly year for insurers after 2005, when Hurricane Katrina struck the United States, a leading insurer said on Wednesday. Losses in 2008 are around $160 billion so far, Thomas Loster, chair of Munich Re Foundation, told Reuters on the […]

Dolphin population stunted by overfishing

Despite successes in reducing dolphin bycatch fishing found to negatively affect reproduction By Mario Aguilera, Scripps Institution of Oceanography/UC San Diego Despite broad “dolphin safe” practices, fishing activities have continued to restrict the growth of at least one Pacific Ocean dolphin population, a new report led by a researcher at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at […]

Fifth of world's corals already dead, say experts

POZNAN, Poland (AFP) – Almost a fifth of the planet’s coral reefs have died and carbon emissions are largely to blame, according to an NGO study released Wednesday. The report, released by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network, warned that on current trends, growing levels of greenhouse gases will destroy many of the remaining reefs […]

Deep sea coral latest victim of acidic ocean

Since the wide-spread burning of fossil fuels began, our global oceans have become nearly a third more acidic and it is killing one of the most unusual ecosystems we have – deep sea coral. An international symposium is underway right now in Wellington, bringing researchers from all around the world together to discuss the problem. […]

Pervasive chemicals damaging viability of all vertebrates

Link to report (pdf): Effects of Pollutants on the Reproductive Health of Male Vertebrate Wildlife – Males Under Threat Evolution is being distorted by pollution, which damages genitals and the ability to father offspring, says new study. by Geoffrey Lean The male gender is in danger, with incalculable consequences for both humans and wildlife, startling […]

UN: Cheetah and dolphin among new species in danger of extinction

AFP – Twenty-one animal species, including the cheetah, three dolphin families and an Egyptian vulture, were added to the list of those in danger of extinction by a UN conference that ended Friday. … A spokesman for the Whale and Dolphin Society welcomed measures on increased protection for marine species, but said governments had not […]

Lake Mead could dry up by 2021 amid Western water shortages

SALT LAKE CITY – Seven Western states will face more water shortages in the years ahead as climate change exacerbates the strains drought and a growing population have put on the Colorado River, scientists say. "Clearly we’re on a collision course between supply and demand," said Brad Udall, director of the Western Water Assessment at […]

Amazon rainforest destruction viewed from space

1992: 2006: Dense green vegetation gives way to pale fields in these newly released satellite images of deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest. The first image, from the Landsat Thematic Mapper in 1992, shows the beginning of agricultural development in a region of the southwestern state of Mato Grosso. It dissolves into a recently released image […]

Climate change widget

Watch the countdown to the End of the World™ on your desktop. Don’t forget about your imminent doom for even a second! Keep track of the latest climate change data on your desktop. Available for Mac OS X Dashboard, Yahoo! Widgets and Windows Vista. Vital Signs Widget Technorati Tags: vital signs,global warming,ozone,sea level,Arctic

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