Desdemona Despair

Blogging the End of the World™

Video: Raw footage of Japan whale poaching fleet ramming Sea Shepherd ship

2 February 2014 (SSCS) – At approximately 0650 AEDT today, the Bob Barker was hit by the Japanese whaling fleet’s harpoon vessel, the Yushin Maru No. 2, as the harpoon vessel crossed in front of the bow of the Sea Shepherd ship at 67° 29′ S 164° 01′ W. The incident is a part of […]

Big Coal’s war on water

By Peter Sinclair13 January 2014 (Climate Crocks) – They need the water. Your baby will have to look elsewhere. STFU. LATimes: “I believe we’re at a point where we see light at the end of the tunnel,” Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin said. Water samples had shown positive signs that traces of a coal-cleaning chemical were […]

Toxic mercury pollution rising with Arctic meltdown

16 January 2014By Christa Marshall (Scientific American) – Cracks in sea ice are funneling additional mercury to the Arctic surface, raising concerns about the toxic element seeping into the food chain of the delicate ecosystem, according to a new study. The research, published yesterday in Nature, finds that channels of open water in Arctic ice, […]

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick unveils climate change prep plan

BOSTON, 14 January 2014  (Associated Press) – Gov. Deval Patrick took the wraps off a $50 million plan Tuesday that he says will help prepare Massachusetts for the challenges posed by climate change on public health, energy, transportation and basic infrastructure. The initiatives, unveiled by the governor at the New England Aquarium, include a $40 […]

More people in U.S. joining ranks of longterm unemployed

By Jayne Keedle  23 January 2014 (UNH) – Thirty-nine percent of unemployed Americans are experiencing long-term unemployment in the wake of the 2008 recession, which is more than double the percent unemployed more than six months but actively seeking work in 2007, according to new research about trends in long-term unemployment since the recession from […]

Accidents surge as oil industry takes the train – Since March 2013, no fewer than 10 large crude spills in the U.S. and Canada because of rail accidents

By CLIFFORD KRAUSS and JAD MOUAWAD25 January 2014 CASSELTON, N.D. (The New York Times) – Kerry’s Kitchen is where Casselton residents gather for gossip and comfort food, especially the caramel rolls baked fresh every morning. But a fiery rail accident last month only a half mile down the tracks, which prompted residents to evacuate the […]

West Coast sardine crash could radiate throughout ecosystem

By Tony Barboza 5 January 2014 (Los Angeles Times) – The sardine fishing boat Eileen motored slowly through moonlit waters from San Pedro to Santa Catalina Island, its weary-eyed captain growing more desperate as the night wore on. After 12 hours and $1,000 worth of fuel, Corbin Hanson and his crew returned to port without […]

Thousands of fish dead in Nevada marina mystery – ‘For all intents and purposes, the fishery doesn’t exist anymore’

By Scott Sonner16 January 2014 SPARKS, Nevada (Associated Press) – State wildlife officials are trying to figure out why all the fish have died in a northern Nevada marina where the stocked fishery has flourished since the man-made lake was created nearly 15 years ago. An estimated 100,000 trout, bass and catfish have died over […]

Signs of spring appear early across UK after mild winter – ‘It is exceptional that this has become the norm because of climate change’

By Adam Vaughan    15 January 2014 (The Guardian) – An extremely mild winter has led to signs of an early spring sprouting across the UK, from snowdrops and hazel flowering to sightings of ladybirds and butterflies. The Woodland Trust’s network of nature watchers recorded snowdrops appearing as early as December, and have spotted budburst on […]

UK faces food security catastrophe as honeybee numbers fall, scientists warn – Crop pollination via honeybees sinks to second lowest in Europe as study calls for greater protection of wild pollinators

By Damian Carrington8 January 2014 (theguardian.com) – The UK faces a food security catastrophe because of its very low numbers of honeybee colonies, which provide an essential service in pollinating many crops, scientists warned on Wednesday. New research reveals that honeybees provide just a quarter of the pollination needed in the UK, the second lowest […]

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