Fresh water demand driving sea-level rise faster than glacier melt

[But see What makes sea-level rise?] By Damian Carrington, www.guardian.co.uk 20 May 2012 Humanity’s unquenchable thirst for fresh water is driving up sea levels even faster than melting glaciers, according to new research. The massive impact of the global population’s growing need for water on rising sea levels is revealed in a comprehensive assessment of […]

Unsustainable water use threatens agriculture, business, and populations in China, India, Pakistan, South Africa, and U.S.: global study

Contact: Jason McGeownHead of Media RelationsTel: +44 (0)1225 420000      jason.mcgeown@maplecroft.com 10 May 2012 (Maplecroft) – The viability of water supplies throughout key regions of China, India, Pakistan, South Africa and the US are under threat from unsustainable domestic, agricultural, and industrial demands, according to a new study that maps water use down to 10km² worldwide.  […]

Environment getting worse, not better, 20 years after the Rio Earth summit

[Not a surprise to Desdemona readers.] By Erin Hale, www.guardian.co.uk15 May 2012 Twenty years on from the Rio Earth summit, the environment of the planet is getting worse not better, according to a report from WWF. Swelling population, mass migration to cities, increasing energy use and soaring carbon dioxide emissions mean humanity is putting a […]

Bangkok heatwave stokes debate over mega-city planning as climate warms

By Amy Sawitta Lefevre, with additional reporting by Enrico Dela Cruz and Manuel Mogato in Manila, David Fogarty in Singapore and Stuart Grudgings in Kuala Lumpur; Editing by Alan Raybould and Jeremy Laurence4 May 2012 BANGKOK (Reuters) – Five months after the worst floods in half a century, the Thai capital is facing a heat […]

Just say no: No science, no sex, no gay people in Tennessee

[Looks like some parts of the U.S. have passed Peak Education.] By ANDREW ROSENTHAL1 May 2012 Wishing doesn’t make it so, but don’t tell that to the Tennessee Legislature. It seems determined to lead the nation in yearning for an era when Genesis was the last word on science, when there were no gay people, […]

Photo gallery: Images from space track relentless spread of humanity

Produced by Mairi Mackay, CNN and George Webster, for CNN, Built by Matt Barringer, CNN The past century has been defined by an epic migration of people from rural areas to the city. In 2008, for the first time in history, more of the Earth’s population was living in cities than in the countryside. The […]

100,000 endangered species condoms to be given away for Earth Day

Contact: Amy Harwood, (520) 260-717219 April 2012 Condoms Highlighting Human Overpopulation to Be Given Away in All 50 States, 80 College Campuses TUCSON, Arizona – The Center for Biological Diversity is marking Earth Day this Sunday by giving away 100,000 free Endangered Species Condoms around the country. The condoms arrived this week in the mailboxes […]

Image of the Day: Satellite View of Receding Dead Sea, 1972, 1989, and 2011

Caption by Aries Keck and Mike Carlowicz6 April 2012 The Dead Sea is so named because its high salinity discourages the growth of fish, plants, and other wildlife. This salt lake resides in a depression in the Earth’s crust, where the continents of Africa and Asia are pulling away from each other. It has pulled […]

Human destruction of Dead Sea ‘mimics a severe dry period’

Tel Aviv, Israel, 13 Apr 2012 (SPX) – Rapidly dropping water levels of the Dead Sea, the lowest point on the earth’s surface heralded for its medicinal properties, has been a source of ecological concern for years. Now a drilling project led by researchers from Tel Aviv University and Hebrew University reveals that water levels […]

Environmental, population, and climate factors in the Arab awakening

By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN7 April 2012 ISN’T it interesting that the Arab awakening began in Tunisia with a fruit vendor who was harassed by police for not having a permit to sell food — just at the moment when world food prices hit record highs? And that it began in Syria with farmers in the […]

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