Where the Millennium Development Goals fell short: valuing Nature

Dr. Fred Boltz 29 May 2013 (Conservation International) – This week in New York City, the 27 members of the high-level panel of eminent persons appointed by the U.N. Secretary General will deliver a report providing recommendations on the post-2015 development agenda. This is a critical opportunity to address the inadequacies of the Millennium Development […]

170 indigenous people from the Xingu river region again occupy Belo Monte dam construction site – Forceful eviction authorized by local judge

[Petition: Peace and Respect in the Amazon] By Gabriel Elizondo30 May 2013 Sao Paulo, Brazil (Al Jazeera) – It’s another standoff in the Amazon, and it could get very ugly very fast. On Monday, 170 indigenous people armed with bows and arrows from the Xingu river region again occupied a work site at the controversial […]

Loss of big fruit-eating birds impacting trees in endangered rainforests –‘Habitat loss and species extinction is causing drastic changes in the composition and structure of ecosystems’

31 May 2013 (mongabay.com) – The extinction of large, fruit-eating birds in fragments of Brazil’s Atlantic rainforest has caused palm trees to produce smaller seeds over the past century, impacting forest ecology, finds a study published in the journal Science. The researchers — led by Mauro Galetti from Brazil’s Universidade Estadual Paulista — looked at […]

‘Absolutely every one’ – Bluefin tuna tested in California waters contaminated with Fukushima radiation

29 May 2012 (WashingtonsBlog) – We noted more than a year ago: The ocean currents head from Japan to the West Coast of the U.S. *** Of course, fish don’t necessarily stay still, either. For example, the Telegraph notes that scientists tagged a bluefin tuna and found that it crossed between Japan and the West […]

The Arctic sea ice ‘death spiral’ – ‘The ice is dwindling away. That is a fact.’

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 […]

Scientists discover high mercury levels in Peruvian Amazon residents, gold-mining to blame

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 […]

Study finds alarming declines in U.S. amphibians, even in protected areas – Many species will disappear from half of habitats in 20 years

By Timothy B. Wheeler22 May 2013 (The Baltimore Sun) – Some of springtime’s more notable heralds appear to be fading away, as a new study finds frogs, toads and salamanders disappearing at an alarming rate across the United States. In what they say is the first analysis of its kind, scientists with the U.S. Geological […]

Graph of the Day: Observed and modeled September Arctic sea ice extent, 1900-2100

ABSTRACT: The observed rapid loss of thick, multi-year sea ice over the last seven years and September 2012 Arctic sea ice extent reduction of 49% relative to the 1979-2000 climatology are inconsistent with projections of a nearly sea ice free summer Arctic from model estimates of 2070 and beyond made just a few years ago. […]

Image of the Day: Satellite view of dust plumes off Argentina

By Michon Scott 12 May 2013 (NASA) – Dust plumes blew out of southern Argentina and over the Atlantic Ocean in early May 2013. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this natural-color image on May 12. The dust blew out of the Patagonian Desert, and many of the plumes arose […]

More than 600 dead sea lions, cormorants, and penguins found on Chile beach, victims of Illegal blast fishing

By Jordan Greene16 May 2013 (Santiago Times) – Chilean Navy discovers more than 600 dead animals in Punta de Choros, a small fishing  town north of La Serena. The bodies of sea lions, cormorants and penguins littered a seven mile stretch of beach in Punta de Choros, northern Chile on Sunday. The crime scene is […]

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