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Climate & Change, Science & Technology, Dec 22nd, 2011,
Sometimes, covering climate science feels like playing a neverending game of whack-a-mole, since the same dubious arguments — often put forward by the same people — pop up again and again, only to be repeatedly debunked. Today is no different. Over at the Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang blog, I have a column responding to a press release issued late last week marking the 33rd year of temperature data from the lower atmosphere, as detected by satellites. The release, from John Christy and Roy Spencer at the University of Alabama at Huntsville, made several claims that were misleading at best, including the…
Tags: climate change, climatecentral.org, global warming, man-made climate change, temperature rise
Sustainable living, Weird & Wonderful, Dec 21st, 2011,
When I go shopping for groceries in Portugal I have the choice between two major supermarkets plus several bakeries and fruit and veg places. When I hit the big supermarkets I can either buy flimsy biodegradable bags at one or stand in the exclusive eco queue at the other. Since I’m a dedicated eco-fascist I like the eco queue, which doesn’t provide any cheap plastic bags and only sells large reusable ones. As it is the lines are always short and using it makes me feel smug. Maybe people will start to catch on and it will have a longer…
Tags: cubist, estoril sol, Green, Portugal
Nature, Videos & Documentaries, Weird & Wonderful, Dec 20th, 2011,
On Friday morning in the sky over Birmingham in the U.S. state of Alabama, clouds in the shape of tsunami waves appeared. They have been called a “surfer’s dream” by the locals. Strange? It turns out that what was seen is actually a well known phenomenon to meteorologists. Residents of Birmingham documented the sighting and asked the local meteorological services to explain what it was that they had seen. The waves in the sky are an example of a Kelvin-Helmholtz instability. In the air the phenomenon arises when a strong wind causes an imbalance in the boundary between the layers…
Tags: Alabama, Birmingham, clouds, tsunami waves
Conservation, Wildlife & Flora, ,
On Wednesday United States federal wildlife managers shot and killed one of only around 50 remaining wild Mexican Wolves living in the respective southwest and southeast portions of the US states of New Mexico and Arizona. The female wolf was raised in captivity and had only been released into the wild earlier this year as part of a government effort to reintroduce Mexican wolves into their former habitat. From the Associated Press: Numerous attempts were made to dart the wolf so she could be returned to captivity, but wildlife managers were not able to get close enough, said agency spokesman…
Tags: Arizona, Gray Wolf, killed, Mexican Wolf, Oregon, shot
Pollution, Videos & Documentaries, Dec 19th, 2011,
On Sunday a Russian oil platform capsized between Sakhalin Island and the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Sea of Okhotsk off far eastern Russia. The oil rig, which was manned by 67 people subcontracted by Russian oil giant Gazprom, was being towed during a storm when heavy winds toppled it into the sea. So far Russian authorities have confirmed 16 deaths and a rescue raft with 15 people has been spotted, but it is not known how many on the raft – if any – are alive. According to regional emergency services, the accident poses no environmental threat, since the drilling…
Tags: death, France, fuel, oil, okhotsk, platform, rig, Russia, ship
Nature, ,
He sat by the road in the woods, watching out for people. He looked like a dog who wanted to thumb a lift. But he was actually seeking help for his friend, who was lying in a ditch, hit by a car. Although hungry and emaciated, he never stopped standing guard. Late in the evening in the forest around the village Anastazewo, Poland, a car with Łódź city guards stopped. The guards were coming back home from training. They could only see a black German shepherd’s glowing eyes in the darkness. “I stood aghast, and the dog was approaching nearer…
Tags: dog, friendship, injured dog
Pollution, Science & Technology, Dec 18th, 2011,
In the pools hiding thousands of old, now defunct radioactive fuel rods, white fibres resembling a spider web have been discovered. They “grow” only on the rods, as reported by “Augusta Chronicle”. The nuclear waste landfill, Savannah River, South Carolina, is under constant observation by the Security Council and the Nuclear Defence Facilities. Sent to investigate the substance, experts are surprised, because the first study has given no results. A sample taken from the pool was too small to determine even if it is a living organism. If it is not, scientists still can not identify the source of the…
Tags: discovery, radioactive waste, spider web, substance
Conservation, Nature, Wildlife & Flora, Dec 17th, 2011,
Species: Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis) Status: Endangered (EN) Interesting fact: The Ethiopian wolf is the only species of wolf in Africa. Similar to a coyote in appearance, the Ethiopian wolf is a long-legged species with a long, pointed muzzle. It lives in the mountains of Ethiopia where it forms close-knit territorial packs numbering between 3 and 13 adults. Individual pack members tend to forage alone, hunting for small mammals such as the big-headed mole rat. They skilfully stalk their prey before pouncing or digging them out of their burrows. All the adults gather to patrol and mark the territory at dawn…
Tags: ARKive.org, Canis simensis, Conservation, endangered species, Ethiopian Wolf
Natural disasters, Politics, ,
A million children living in the Sahel countries are at risk of famine or dramatic malnutrition in 2012. This is two times more than today, warned the United Nations Fund for Children. Famine threatens children in Chad, Niger, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Mauritania and Mali and the northern territories of Nigeria and Cameroon, said David Gressly, regional director of UNICEF responsible for the countries in West and Central Africa. In 2011 in the region half a million children suffered from extreme malnutrition. In the Sahel countries, a drought caused lack of water in the tanks, its levels also decreased in the…
Tags: Africa, children, drought, famine, malnutrition, Sahel
Nature, Wildlife & Flora, Dec 16th, 2011,
Over 100 beluga whales, a species of cetacean, are stuck in the two holes located in the ice, which extends as far as the sea in between Russia and Alaska. The only chance of salvation for them is human intervention. The animals are trapped near the Chukchi Peninsula of Russia. “The area surrounding the Bering Straight, just northeast of where the whales are, is a “harsh climate.” It is notorious for severe periodic wind and freezing temperatures. It’s not uncommon for ice to form with gaps in it” – said Senior Meteorologist Jim Andrews from AccuWeather. The whales have enough…
Tags: beluga, beluga whales, Chukchi Peninsula, ice, trapped
Conservation, Politics, Pollution, Sustainable living, ,
Several dozen men ran naked around the University of Manila. They wanted to draw attention to the need for greater environmental protection. Bare runs have become a tradition at this Filipino University. Every year a group of students meet to fight in defense of the environment. The tradition started over 40 years ago. Then, the students were running around in protest against President Ferdinand Marcos. This year, runners fought for purification of the local rivers. Although the message was not clear for all, this year’s event has been watched by hundreds. “Whatever their advocacy was, I think it will definitely…
Tags: Manila University, naked men, Philippines, rivers pollution
green living, Sustainable living, sustainable living, ,
Christmas day and its frenzied build up is certainly not kind on Mother Earth and when you think of all the thousands of tons of plastic, wrapping paper and unwanted gifts it could leave you feeling as white as the snow outside, but does this have to be the case? A new website, EthicalCommunity.com has recently launched which aims, amongst other things, to help us reduce our environmental impact. Eco conscious shoppers can browse from over 7,000 products, learn about the story behind each product and buy directly from the eco-sellers that made them. Christmas is the perfect time for…
Tags: EthicalCommunity.com, Green christmas, green your christmas, real christmas trees
Videos & Documentaries, Wildlife & Flora, ,
We’ve got two silly animal videos today, courtesy of ITN (and neither are about those gay penguins who recently ‘broke up’). First there are the waving bears of the Olympic Game Farm in Washington State, US. These retired Hollywood film bears (read: slave animals) are tame Kodiak bears who, when waved at by gawking tourists, politely wave back. Bit of a gimmick, but at least they no longer have to take orders from Steven Spielberg and can instead lie around waving at caravans of naked apes. Check out the video here: So… from a bit of news about animals who…
Tags: bear, couch, Kodiak, New Zealand, Olympic Game Farm, seal, Washington, waving
Climate & Change, climate change, Wildlife & Flora, Dec 15th, 2011,
When it comes to global warming, humans have certainly felt the effects, and this year more than ever. With one weather disaster after another hammering the globe (there were a dozen in the U.S. alone that topped the billion-dollar mark for damages), there’s no denying that the natural course of the climate has been altered due to the many greenhouse gas emissions we spew into the air courtesy of industry and transport. And the results of our pollution are not only affecting us, but also the many species of wildlife that call this planet home. The question is: how is…
Tags: global warming, NRDC, wildlife
Business, Climate & Change, Politics, Pollution, ,
According to Yale University’s 2010 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) Canada ranked as the 46th greenest country in the world, a shameful and sudden drop from #12 in 2008. Why? Mostly due to Canadian ‘tar sands’ or ‘oil sands’ in the province of Alberta, where huge petroleum reserves lie in the form of bitumen, a heavy black form of crude that is energy intensive, highly polluting and more greenhouse gas intensive than conventional oil extraction. And now Canada has pulled out of the Kyoto Treaty, citing that it would be too expensive. Canadian environment minister Peter Kent claims that it would…
Tags: Africa, Canada, energy, Germany, Solar
Climate & Change, climate change, green living, Science & Technology, Sustainable living, sustainable living, Weird & Wonderful, ,
If you’re interested in staving off climate change without trying too hard, painting your roof white seems like a complete no-brainer. It’s far cheaper than trading in your SUV for a Prius, and it turns the laws of physics to best advantage. Dark roofs absorb sunlight that heats up your house, office tower, or apartment building. That means you’re bound to crank up the energy-intensive air conditioner to keep pace in the summer months — and since electricity in the U.S. comes largely from fossil fuels, the net result is more heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions, and more global warming. But…
Tags: climate central, climate change white roofs, global warming, white roofs global warming, white rooftops
Videos & Documentaries, Weird & Wonderful, Wildlife & Flora, Dec 14th, 2011,
An unusual guest visited the residents of one of the streets in Canadian Vancouver. A bear came along to the suburbs of the city on… a garbage truck! City cleaning professionals say that the little black bear got into the truck probably when digging into leftover food inside one of the litter bins. Quite unconsciously, he treated himself with a ride to Vancouver. After opening the hatch of the vehicle, the bear climbed up to the very top, where he was noticed by two pedestrians. The rescuers were trying to get the one-year old animal down for about an hour….
Tags: black bear, Canada, Vancouver
green living, Sustainable living, ,
As the sport of surfing grows, so does its environmental impact. Surfing equipment made of non-biodegradable materials such as synthetic resin surfboards, neoprene wetsuits and petroleum-based surf wax are just some of the products used by surfers that can have a negative ecological footprint. Environmentally conscious surfing companies such as Envirosurfer are attempting to address some of the ecological issues with surfing products and offer green alternatives. For example, wooden or epoxy boards, as well as surfboards made with bamboo-based resin, last longer, are less wasteful and less toxic than typical polyurethane boards. Other tips include using thinner and more…
Tags: ECO, environment, sunscreen, surf, surfboards, surfing, wax, wetsuits
Green Cars, green living, Science & Technology, Sustainable living, sustainable living, ,
Last Thanksgiving I received a round-trip off of Craiglist from Portland to Seattle for just $25. Yup, that’s right, I traveled to and from Seattle for $10 less than a one-way ticket would have been through Greyhound. Especially now that the Holiday Season has finally “arrived” and travel plans are being arranged, there is no better time to share your first ride. More and more Craigslist rideshares are safe and easy to come by. And while hitch-hiking has gone to the wayside over the last several decades, a new and evolved form let’s call “neo-hitchhiking” has emerged in ridesharing. Once again Americans that…
Tags: Craigslist, Earthgarage.com, eco-friendly travel, ride sharing, rideshares
