Climate change, ecology, nature, environment, eco-friendly politics, non-profit projects, human rights, preservation, wildlife... all that we care about.
Oceans cover over 70% of the Earth’s surface. They contain the greatest diversity and abundance of life on this planet and absorb 80% of climate change heat. So, it’s really a wonder to learn that less than 1% of that great blue ecosystem is protected.
Conservation International is doing something about that. This awesome group has [...]
Earlier today, a helicopter spotted another oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico. The 13 people on board did escape, though one was injured. Now, there’s a mile-long oil slick and it’s still growing.
The oil slick is at least 100 feet wide and was spotted near the rig, which is owned by Houston-based Mariner [...]
Many companies are trying to do something to help the environment these days. Maybe their factories are all solar powered. Maybe their workers help to restore wildlife habitat. Or maybe their delivery trucks are making the switch to EV. Whatever the case may be, it’s a growing phenomenon (and hopefully not the latest passing trend).
Jumping [...]
The 50 or so seals that have been found dead in England and Scotland, marked by strange corkscrew wounds, are thought to have been killed by boat propellers.
Researchers examined bodies of 12 dead seals recently found in Norfolk, England and found that the seals were probably killed by a certain type of boat propeller called [...]
Last night marked the premier of an awesome new series on Animal Planet, starring none other than Ric O’Barry and his son, Lincoln. Sound familiar? Well, they should. O’Barry was the lead activist in the award-winning film, The Cove, and he and his son are continuing their mission to save the dolphins.
The new three-part series, [...]
Environmental activists have been fighting to save Russia’s Khimki forest from plans to build a federal highway through it.
On Sunday a rock concert in protest of the highway plans was held in Moscow, attracting some 2,000 people. Police prevented sound equipment from entering the concert area, but well-known Russian rock singer and political critic Yuri [...]
The proposal by mining company Vedanta Resources to establish a bauxite mine on sacred indigenous land in India’s Orissa state has been rejected by the Indian Government.
The Dongria Kondh tribe live harmoniously with nature and are ecologically dependent on the Niyamgiri Hills in Orissa, where Vedanta – an Indian and British firm – have been [...]
The British animal welfare charity, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), has published a highly critical report on the treatment of elephants in UK animal parks.
The RSPCA report – written by scientists at Bristol University in England – found that elephants at British zoos suffer from a host of health [...]
After the mass stranding in New Zealand, which resulted in the deaths of nearly 60 whales on a beach on the country’s North Island, the annual mass slaughter of pilot whales is taking place in the autonomous province of the Faroe Islands, part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
It seems that pilot whales – which like [...]
According to a report in the Independent, at least 11 of the 58 whales that beached themselves on Karikari Beach in Northern New Zealand on Thursday night have been successfully refloated.
The reports differ about the number of saved pilot whales – the Associated Press reports that only 9 survived and 4 were euthanized:
The survivors had [...]
To Canadian disappointment, a ban on the importation of seal products into the European Union was enacted yesterday. However, the European Commission stated that the ban does not apply to groups that have already filed court appeals, including 16 Inuit groups from Canada.
According to a report by the Associated Press, indigenous peoples of Greenland and [...]
Rescue volunteers in New Zealand are attempting to save 15 pilot whales that washed up on the remote Karikari Beach on the northern tip of the country’s North Island.
A total of 73 whales were stranded and so far 58 of them have died. A member of New Zealand’s Department of Conservation stated that the pilot [...]
Plans to reopen an abandoned goldmine and build a processing plant in Scotland’s Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park have been rejected.
Opposition from conservationists, countryside groups and the park’s own director of planning has won out against Scotgold Resources argument for jobs and economic gain.
The convener of Scotland’s National Park authority acknowledged that there [...]
A study by the University of Worcester in England and Britain’s National Trust has found the bees that live in towns and cities eat a more varied diet than those living in rural locations.
Country bees rely mostly on monocrop farms, while urban and suburban bees have a wider range of flowers to feed on.
From a [...]
Dozens of dead seals marked by strange corkscrew wounds have washed up on beaches in Norfolk, England and Fife, Scotland this year.
The cause of the mysterious injuries is as of yet unknown, but they look as if they were caused by some kind of mechanical blades rather than attacks by larger bull seals.
From a report [...]
Record summer temperatures and drought have caused around 800 wildfires, which in turn covered Moscow in a cloud of poisonous smoke.
Now some 28 fires have reached parts of the Bryansk region of Russia, which is located near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Ukraine – site of the worst nuclear accident in history in [...]
All that glitters isn’t… well, you know. Some of it is babbling brooks and lush rolling hills adorned with blossoming heather; or sparkling lakes populated by picturesque islands of greenery. Can’t you just hear the bagpipes’ mournful drone?
Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park is located on the boundary between the Scottish Highlands and the [...]
This week’s Creature Feature is about an animal that people will love, hate, or fear. It’s the only mammal endemic to the Azores islands and is an endangered species.
The Azores Noctule is a type of bat (and also known as the Azorean Bat). It can be found on most of the Azores islands, though it [...]
As Russia’s crops wither and burn in record heat and wildfires, the oldest and first seed bank in the world is under threat.
Russia’s Pavlovsk agricultural station, located outside of St. Petersburg, was established in 1926 with the purpose of preserving plant diversity and breeding new crops in response to potential food crises.
During World War II’s [...]
Good news for tigers: the world’s largest tiger sanctuary is now open in Myanmar!
The Hukaung Valley Tiger Reserve is actually more than tripling the size of a tiger sanctuary already in place, and is now believed to take up the entire Hukaung Valley, which covers almost 8,450 square miles (21,970 square km). A sanctuary this [...]
This summer has been pretty crazy for the south, dealing with the oil spill clean up, the seafood industry, and threatening storms in the area. Sounds like a great way to spend a summer vacation, right?
Fortunately, the end to the whole fiasco is drawing nearer (hopefully), but before I go into that, let’s check [...]
A recent court ruling restored the protection of the Gray Wolf (or Timber Wolf) under the Endangered Species Act. Unfortunately, their victory may be short-lived.
Idaho game officials plan to gain federal approval to kill hundreds of these wolves, despite their restored protection status. The plan they are so hellbent to put into action would mean [...]
This week’s Creature Feature takes us to Lord Howe Island, located approximately 370 miles (660 km) off the eastern coast of Australia. This particular creature is special because it’s been referred to as the “rarest insect in the world”.
The Lord Howe Island Stick Insect (also known as the Land Lobster or the Lord Howe Island [...]
Tony Oposa is an environmental lawyer who campaigns to protect the seas around Bantayan Island in the province of Cebu, Philippines. He is also on the board of trustees at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) in Washington, DC.
Oposa is fighting illegal fishing such as fishing using dynamite, which threatens the marine ecology of [...]
This week’s Creature Feature takes us to Africa and the Middle East, where you’ll find a rather odd member of the Ibis family.
The Northern Bald Ibis (aka the Hermit Ibis or Waldrapp) is a decent sized member of the Ibis family (about 28-31 inches or 70-80 cm). Once found across northern Africa, southern Europe, and [...]
Mining giant Vedanta Resources will be having its annual shareholders meeting on Wednesday in London, where the company is headquartered. But this year, shareholders will be met by a well-publicized protest.
Activist groups including Amnesty International have consistently criticized Vedanta for human rights violations and poor environmental practices, particularly in the Indian state of Orissa.
From an [...]
As gold prices climb, the poor of Peru flock to the country’s rainforest in search of wealth.
Check out the below video report from Al Jazeera English on Peru’s illegal gold mining and how it is impacting both the rainforest and the poor of this South American nation.
Along with the unregulated digging comes a trail of [...]
Much of the feed for British livestock comes from soybeans imported from South America – mainly Brazil and Argentina. According to an article in the Telegraph, 350,000 hectares of rainforest is being cut down to grow soy for UK animal feed.
Environmental group Friends of the Earth (FoE) has published a report entitled ‘Pastures New’ detailing [...]
This week’s Creature Feature takes us to the shallow oceans of the Indo-Pacific region.
The Freshwater Sawfish (also known as the Largetooth Sawfish or Leichhardt’s Sawfish) is a critically endangered species that can be found between latitudes 11 N and 39 S in the Indo-West Pacific oceans. It grows up to 23 ft (approx. 7 m) [...]
The Economist recently featured an interview with ‘green economist’ Pavan Sukhdev on their regular segment ‘Tea with The Economist’.
Pavan Sukhdev is a study leader for The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity study (TEEB), a report commissioned by the G8+5 and funded by the European Union. He is special advisor and head of the UN Environment [...]
