Rate of tree die-off in Amazon higher than previous estimates – ‘These climate-change signals will start popping out of the noise faster and faster as the years go on’

1 February 2013 (mongabay.com) – The rate of tree mortality in the Amazon rainforest due to storm damage and drought is 9-17 percent higher than conventionally believed, reports a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Comparing Landsat satellite images with on-the-ground observations, researchers from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, […]

China gives green-light to new era of mega-dams – ‘I’m still shocked by the lack of transparency in the decision-making process’

By Beth Walker1 February 2013 (China Dialog) – China has confirmed it will resurrect a series of controversial hydropower dams in south-west China on rivers originating on the Tibetan Plateau, causing ripples of consternation from India and other downstream neighbours. The 2011-15 energy sector blueprint, released by China’s State Council last week, confirmed  plans to […]

Collapse of New England cod fishery forces historic fishing cuts in catch rates – ‘We’re doomed, as they say’

By David Ariosto, CNN31 January 2013 (CNN) – An old wooden carving known as “the Sacred Cod” hangs in the Massachusetts State House. That figurine has stared down at lawmakers for more than two centuries as a reminder of how important cod fishing has been to New England, where generations have made a living by […]

Shell not liable for most Nigeria oil spill claims, Dutch court rules – ‘We’re flabbergasted and the people have not seen justice’

By Fred Pals30 January 2013 (Bloomberg) – Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA), Europe’s biggest oil company, isn’t liable in four out of five claims bought by Nigerian farmers for pollution, a Dutch court ruled. The company’s local venture must pay compensation in one case. “Shell Nigeria has been sentenced to pay damages in one of […]

NASA data registers strong deforestation signals in Sumatra, Borneo, Brazil, Gabon

29 January 2013 (mongabay.com) – NASA satellites picked up signals of extensive potential deforestation in Sumatra, Borneo, Central Africa, the Brazilian and Peruvian Amazon, the Chocó in Colombia and Ecuador, and the Chaco region of Paraguay between October 1 and December 31, 2012, according to the latest update on Mongabay.com’s Global Forest Disturbance Alert System […]

Koalas become ‘urban refugees’ as global warming causes record fires across Australia – Deforestation, dogs, and traffic increase peril

By Jeremy Hance28 January 2013 (mongabay.com) – According to Susan Kelly, koalas have become “urban refugees,” under siege by expanding cities that bring with them deforestation, dogs, traffic, and other ills for native wildlife. Director of Global Briefing, and writer, producer and director of the new documentary Koala Hospital, Kelly has spent 3 years working […]

U.K. authorizes guns for Madagascar despite threat of lemur extinctions – ‘Illegal hunting of protected species is becoming a major conservation issue’

27 January 2013 (mongabay.com) – Britain has authorized the export of thousands of guns to Madagascar, according to TanaNews.com, sparking concerns that the firearms could be used for hunting endangered lemurs. Data from the UK government’s Strategic Export Controls website shows that licenses for the export of 3,174 guns to Madagascar were granted between August […]

Insecticide ‘unacceptable’ danger to bees, European Food Safety Authority finds

By Damian Carrington 16 January 2013 (The Guardian) – The world’s most widely used insecticide has for the first time been officially labelled an “unacceptable” danger to bees feeding on flowering crops. Environmental campaigners say the conclusion, by Europe’s leading food safety authority, sounds the “death knell” for the insect nerve agent. The chemical’s manufacturer, […]

Extremely high levels of radioactive cesium found in fish near Fukushima nuclear plant

By arevamirpal::laprimavera21 January 2013 The statement is not really true that the radiation level inside the harbor right at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant is no different than those outside, further away from the plant, say 10, 20 kilometer radius, as far as the contamination in fish goes. The data that TEPCO released on 18 […]

Typhoon Bopha decimated coral reefs in the Philippines – ‘It is incredible to see the damages’

By Jeremy Hance24 January 2013 (mongabay.com) – When Typhoon Bopha, also known as Pablo, ran ashore on Mindanao, it was the largest tropical storm ever to hit the Philippine island. In its wake, the massive superstorm left over 1,000 people dead and 6.2 million affected, with officials saying illegal logging and mining worsened the scale […]

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