Photo gallery: The Canada oil sand mines refused us access, so we rented this plane to see what they were up to

By Robert Johnson18 May 2012 When reaching out to Alberta oil sands companies before a trip to Canada last month, I thought all of them mined oil the same way — they don’t. The open mining most people think of when they picture the oil sands is just one way of extracting crude from the […]

Heartland Institute’s annual conference against climate science much diminished this year

By Suzanne Goldenberg in Chicago, www.guardian.co.uk22 May 2012 It was an odd choice of icon for the ultra-conservative Heartland Institute. But there he was in round glasses, beard, and halo of curls staring out from T-shirts and coffee mugs at their gathering of climate change contrarians this week, the scientist whose internet sting set Heartland […]

Citizens of Kitakyushu City protest incineration of radioactive debris from Fukushima nuclear disaster

By arevamirpal::laprimavera 23 May 2012 First, young mothers with small children (photo from @mama_jp). The sign says, “Adults should protect the future of children. We’re against disaster debris burning. Protect Kyushu for Japan.” Professor Yukio Hayakawa’s tweet was: “Mothers in Kitakyushu, have they all gone nuts?” On his May 23 blog, he proclaimed, “This day […]

Global warming boosts mercury levels in Arctic – ‘The mercury is going straight into the ocean’

By Bob Berwyn, Summit Voice22 May 2012 SUMMIT COUNTY – Widespread mercury pollution from wind-carried smokestack emissions has widely been recognized as a huge environmental problem, with concentrations of the toxic heavy metal building up in the food chain around the world. The pollutant has been especially prevalent in the Arctic, and now researchers think […]

Worse than Keystone: Coal companies plan six coal export terminals in the Pacific Northwest

By Alyssa Battistoni18 May 2012 Coal is without question our dirtiest fuel source: When burned, it dumps toxins like mercury and nitrogen oxides into the air and packs an outsize punch when it comes to carbon emissions. Since America has a lot of it, though, we’ve tended to use a lot: Historically, around half our […]

Image of the Day: Radiation monitor for children in Japan

By arevamirpal::laprimavera 18 May 2012 Getting surreal by the day. The stick-like product is called “Air Counter“, and it is a simplified radiation survey meter made by S.T. Corporation. You can buy it at drug stores and convenience stores nationwide for 7,900 yen (suggested retail price). In this ad, the “Air Counter” is being sold […]

The age of extreme oil: ‘This used to be a forest?'

By Arno Kopecky 19 May 2012 One grey Thursday at the end of April, a plane touched down in Fort McMurray, Alta., carrying four Achuar Indians from the Peruvian Amazon. They had flown 8,000 kilometres from the rain forest to beseech Talisman Energy Inc., the Calgary-based oil and gas conglomerate, to stop drilling in their […]

Graph of the Day: Nuclear Reactors Under Construction, End of 2011

The nearly 440 nuclear reactors in operation across the world remained virtually constant over the last decade, with 32 reactors shut down and the same number connected to the grid. Overall, nuclear capacity increased by more than 6%, due to installation of larger reactors and power uprates in existing reactors. In 2010, nuclear energy was […]

Debris from Japanese tsunami floating up Strait of Juan de Fuca

By Arwyn Rice, Peninsula Daily News14 May 2012 DUNGENESS – Debris apparently from the March 2011 Japanese tsunami is now riding the tides up the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The biggest collection of fishing floats — many bearing Asian writing and logos — has been found on Dungeness Spit, which juts into the Strait […]

Japan grapples with post-tsunami suicides

By Arata Yamamoto, NBC News Producer13 May 2012 TOKYO, Japan – More than 60 people have committed suicides related to last year’s 9.0 quake and tsunami, which triggered meltdowns at a nuclear plant in Fukushima, the Japanese government says. The data comes as a family prepares to file the first lawsuit against the Tokyo Electric […]

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