WASHINGTON, DC, July 29, 2009 (ENS) – Polluted water at American beaches jeopardized the health of swimmers last year and climate change is making conditions worse, according to the 19th annual beachwater quality report released today by the Natural Resources Defense Council. Climate change is expected to further increase the presence of pathogens that cause […]
By Matt Walker, Editor, Earth News Two thirds of all species of freshwater crab maybe at risk of going extinct, with one in six species particularly vulnerable, according to a new survey. That makes freshwater crabs among the most threatened of all groups of animals assessed so far. The study is the first global assessment […]
By Timothy Gardner WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico, an area choked by low oxygen levels that threatens marine life, is smaller than expected this year but more deadly, the government said on Monday. The zone, caused by a runoff of agricultural chemicals from farms along the Mississippi River, measured […]
Britain’s ancient trees, including Newton’s apple tree, are in danger of dying out due to pollution, development and climate change, the National Trust has warned. By Louise Gray, Environment Correspondent The UK has some of the most famous ancient trees in the world around country houses, in historic parkland and castle grounds. However the National […]
By Khaled Yacoub Oweis SHAIZAR CASTLE, Syria (Reuters) – Only a few decades ago, fish were plentiful in the Orontes river which for thousands of years has provided water to the lush Syrian plains, at the crossroads of the ancient world. These days the Orontes’s 12th century norias, enormous water wheels famous for their distinctive […]
By Jennifer Hattam, Istanbul, Turkey “The sea back in the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s was thick with fish and we were the envy of the town. My pockets were always full and I traveled a lot,” says Mustapha Shaalan, 68. Now, like other Lebanese fishermen, he is lucky to make $200 a month, as daily […]
Researchers for the first time have linked air pollution exposure before birth with lower IQ scores in childhood, bolstering evidence that smog may harm the developing brain. CHICAGO – Researchers for the first time have linked air pollution exposure before birth with lower IQ scores in childhood, bolstering evidence that smog may harm the developing […]
Japan has been hit by an invasion of giant Nomura’s jellyfish which are stifling the fishing industry and posing a danger to swimmers. By Aislinn Simpson The massive sea creatures, called Echizen kurage in Japanese, measure up to six feet (1.83 meters) in diameter and weigh more than 450 pounds (204 kilos). For the past […]
Growing Deserts, Growing Dust Storms Carbon dioxide emitted in China raises carbon dioxide levels everywhere. Dust and particulate pollution tends to have its greatest impacts locally, but it can cast a wide net too. New research on a massive 2007 dust storm that began in the Taklimakan desert of Xinjiang, reveals a cloud of dust […]
By Brandon Keim One of the most comprehensive analyses yet of human exposure to PBDEs, or polybrominated diphenyl ethers, shows that the chemical — long used in everything from computers to sleeping bags — enters humans through their diets, not just their household. “The more you eat, the more PBDEs you have in your serum,” […]
