Blogging the End of the World™
By Phil Plait 28 May 2013 (Slate) – It’s no surprise to regular readers I am quite concerned about climate change. My concern on this issue is two-fold: one consists of the actual global consequences of the reality of global warming, and the other is the blatant manipulation of that reality by those who would […]
By Fiona Harvey, environment correspondent 24 May 2013 (The Guardian) – The majority of the 9 billion people on Earth will live with severe pressure on fresh water within the space of two generations as climate change, pollution and over-use of resources take their toll, 500 scientists have warned. The world’s water systems would soon […]
By Lacey Avery 28 May 2013 (mongabay.com) – The Madre de Dios region in Peru is recognized for its lush Amazon rainforests, meandering rivers and rich wildlife. But the region is also known for its artisanal gold mining, which employs the use of a harmful neurotoxin. Mercury is burned to extract the pure gold from […]
[More info on that horrible blast-fishing incident in Chile.] 17 May 2013 (Reuters) – Residents in Chile discover around 600 dead animals washed up on the shore in Punta Choros, on the country’s northern coast. Officials fear the deaths were caused by blast fishing, explosions used by fishermen to rid the water of sea lions […]
By Alex Altman22 May 2013 (TIME) – Many politicians complain about wasteful spending until they’re on the receiving end. Not Tom Coburn. Throughout his career, the Republican Senator from Oklahoma has consistently argued that disaster-relief funds must be offset by matching spending cuts, even when his home state is the one afflicted by tragedy. Coburn […]
By CLIVE HAMILTON26 May 2013 CANBERRA, Australia (The New York Times) – The concentration of carbon dioxide in the earth’s atmosphere recently surpassed 400 parts per million for the first time in three million years. If you are not frightened by this fact, then you are ignoring or denying science. Relentlessly rising greenhouse-gas emissions, and […]
By Allison Linn26 May 2013 (TODAY) – The amount of money spent per public school student fell in 2011 for the first time since the Census Bureau began keeping records more than three decades earlier, as economic woes finally caught up with educational realities. “This is clearly the fallout from the Great Recession,” said Michael […]
By Matt Siegel24 May 2013 (National Geographic News) – In early 2012 once-in-a-century floods submerged swaths of Great Britain and Ireland, causing some $1.52 billion in damages. Then in June record-high temperatures in Russia sparked wildfires that consumed 74 million acres of pristine Siberian taiga. Months after that, Hurricane Sandy pummeled seven countries, killing hundreds […]
GENEVA, 13 MAY 2013 (IDMC) – In 2012, the Philippines had its highest level of disaster-induced displacement in five years. Some 3.9 million people were displaced. The Philippines is highly prone to frequent disasters and has recently had high levels of new displacement of at least one million people per annum. These high levels of […]
By Steve Connor, Science Editor 14 May 2013 (The Independent) – There is significant risk of London being hit by a devastating storm surge in the Thames estuary by 2100 that could breach existing flood defences and cause immense damage to the capital, a study of global sea-level rise has found. Melting of polar ice […]
