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 […]

China ‘will not accept’ EU measures on emissions

By Wang Wen and Zheng Xin 18 May 2013 (China Daily) – A senior official from the Civil Aviation Administration of China said on Friday that the country disapproved and “will not accept any unilateral and compulsory market measures”, after the European Union threatened Chinese carriers with fines for non-compliance with its Emissions Trading System, […]

Marine who dumped carcinogenic chemical trichloroethylene felt illness was payback – ‘We used to go through 55 gallons in less than a month’

By Allen G. Breed, with additional contributions by Martha Waggoner in Raleigh, N.C. 18 May 2013 CAMP LEJEUNE, North Carolina (AP) – Ron Poirier couldn’t escape the feeling that his cancer was somehow a punishment. As a young Marine electronics technician at Camp Lejeune in the mid-1970s, the Massachusetts man figured he’d dumped hundreds of […]

A black 3-story pile of Canada oil waste is rising over Detroit – ‘The dirtiest residue from the dirtiest oil on earth’

By IAN AUSTEN17 May 2013 WINDSOR, Ontario (The New York Times) – Assumption Park gives residents of this city lovely views of the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit skyline. Lately they’ve been treated to another sight: a three-story pile of petroleum coke covering an entire city block on the other side of the Detroit River. […]

Decline of Arctic foxes linked to mercury exposure

By Roberta Kwok8 May 2013 (The Guardian) – In the 1970s, a population of Arctic foxes on an island in the Bering Sea began to mysteriously decline. The animals were thin and mangy, and nearly all the cubs died. Today, only about 100 foxes remain. The animals were not felled by an infectious disease, a […]

Study finds use of dispersants can increase oil penetration into sandy marine sediments

By Keith Bromery 16 May 2013 (FSU) – A Florida State University researcher working as part of the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) investigated the effects of dispersants on the movement of crude oil through water-saturated marine sand and found that dispersants potentially facilitate penetration of oil components into the seabed, where oxygen concentrations […]

Leaked papers show UK government will backtrack on tar sands extraction being classified as highly polluting

By Lorna Howarth17 May 2013 (The Ecologist) – The UK government has come under fire this week from both NGOs and scientists for rejecting an EU proposal to classify tar sands under the European Fuel Quality Directive (FQD) as ‘highly polluting’ – despite the fact research has shown that oil produced from the Canadian tar […]

Scientists: Ubiquitous household chemical could be killing cats – ‘Significant association’ between hyperthyroidsim and brominated flame retardants

By Jeff Burnside8 May 2013 SEATTLE (KOMO News) – A chemical threat lies hidden in millions of American homes, and top government scientists believe it could be killing cats. Right now in the special session of the state legislature, lawmakers are fighting powerful interests to ban versions of the chemical. Dr. Dennis Wackerbarth is a […]

Rising temperatures increase health risks – Study finds hot days yield more respiratory ills for elderly

By Timothy B. Wheeler10 May 2013 (The Baltimore Sun) – Summer is almost here, and with it likely some blistering hot days. A recent study suggests the elderly should beware when the temperature spikes, because they face an increased risk of winding up in the emergency room short of breath on those days. And that’s […]

When science goes silent: With the muzzling of scientists in Canada, Harper’s obsession with controlling the message verges on the Orwellian

By Jonathon Gatehouse3 May 2013 (Maclean’s) – As far as the government scientist was concerned, it was a bit of fluff: an early morning interview about great white sharks last summer with Canada AM, the kind of innocuous and totally apolitical media commentary the man used to deliver 30 times or more each year as […]

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