Third of freshwater fish threatened with extinction

By Richard Gray, Science Correspondent30 July 2011 Freshwater fish are the most endangered group of animals on the planet, with more than a third threatened with extinction, according to a report being compiled by British scientists. Among those at the greatest risk of dying out are several species from UK rivers and lakes including the […]

Record-breaking Arctic fire in 2007 accelerated climate change

By Richard Black Environment correspondent, BBC News28 July 2011 An exceptional wildfire in northern Alaska in 2007 put as much carbon into the air as the entire Arctic tundra absorbs in a year, scientists say. The Anaktuvuk River fire burned across more than 1,000 sq km (400 sq miles), doubling the extent of Alaskan tundra […]

Alarming ‘dead zone’ grows in Chesapeake Bay, on track to be largest ever

By Darryl Fears24 July 2011 A giant underwater “dead zone” in the Chesapeake Bay is growing at an alarming rate because of unusually high nutrient pollution levels this year, according to Virginia and Maryland officials. They said the expanding area of oxygen-starved water is on track to become the bay’s largest ever. This year’s Chesapeake […]

Kansas drought devastating to wildlife – ‘Everything is affected’

WICHITA, July 23 (AP)  — The drought that has hit sections of Kansas this year has also affected wildlife that relies on rivers, streams and rain to survive. “It’s too dry for everything from the little things to the big things, which eat the little things,” said Don Distler, a biologist who manages Wichita State University’s […]

Island off Alabama coast bursting with birds after oil spill, fishing ban credited

By Verna Gates; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Ellen Wulfhorst10 July 2011 BIRMINGHAM, Ala (Reuters) – Thousands of baby pelicans grunt and hiss at their parents in tightly packed nests on Gaillard Island, a feathered paradise situated off the coast of Alabama. The 1,300-acre, man-made island is hosting more than 50,000 birds this summer as […]

Our extreme future: Predicting and coping with the effects of a changing climate

By John Carey  30 June 2011 Editor’s note: This article is the last of a three-part series by John Carey. Part 1, “Storm Warning: Extreme Weather Is a Product of Climate Change,” was posted on June 28. Part 2, “Global Warming and the Science of Extreme Weather,” was posted on June 29. Extreme weather events […]

Britain’s rivers ‘being ruined by demands of water companies’

By Jane Merrick, Political Editor3 July 2011 Water companies are draining the nation’s most at-risk rivers dry, causing environmental damage, death to wildlife and the build-up of chemicals that upset fragile aquatic ecosystems, all of which could result in ever-higher bills for consumers, a damning report will say tomorrow. Current abstraction by firms from rivers […]

Black Tide: Voices From the Gulf

On July 28, Animal Planet will debut Black Tide: Voices From the Gulf, a two-hour doc from award-winning filmmaker Joe Berlinger (Crude) on the impact of the Gulf oil spill on Louisianians. The Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion on April 20, 2010 was the largest offshore oil spill in American history. The two-hour special explores […]

U.K. drought ‘may hit at-risk wildlife’

By Emily Beament, PA5 June 2011 Threatened wildlife such as water voles could be hit by the continuing dry weather across parts of the country, the Wildlife Trusts warned today. This year has seen an unusually dry spring, and despite some recent rainfall the dry weather is set to continue across much of the country […]

Indonesia deforestation moratorium gutted by plantation industry

Writing by Neil Chatterjee; Editing by Ramthan Hussain; Additional reporting by Niluksi Koswanage in KUALA LUMPUR, David Fogarty in SINGAPORE and Alister Doyle in OSLO20 May 2011 JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia revealed a long list of exemptions on Friday to a two-year moratorium on new permits to clear forest, a concession to the hard-lobbying plantation […]

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