Archive for the 'Environment' Category
When the Rivers Run Black
March 20th, 2014Via: Medium: The most toxic byproduct of coal-fired power isn’t carbon dioxide. It’s the residue that’s left over. When coal is burned in a plant, just like in a home, it produces two kinds of ash: fly ash, which rises, and bottom ash, which sinks to the floor of the furnace. Together, they comprise coal […]
Voracious Worm Evolves to Eat Biotech Corn Engineered to Kill It
March 18th, 2014Via: Wired: One of agricultural biotechnology’s great success stories may become a cautionary tale of how short-sighted mismanagement can squander the benefits of genetic modification. After years of predicting it would happen — and after years of having their suggestions largely ignored by companies, farmers and regulators — scientists have documented the rapid evolution of […]
Forests Around Chernobyl Aren’t Decaying Properly
March 15th, 2014Via: Smithsonian: Nearly 30 years have passed since the Chernobyl plant exploded and caused an unprecedented nuclear disaster. The effects of that catastrophe, however, are still felt today. Although no people live in the extensive exclusion zones around the epicenter, animals and plants still show signs of radiation poisoning. Birds around Chernobyl have significantly smaller […]
Cyclone Lusi
March 13th, 2014A cyclone is going to cause havoc in my part of the world over the next day or so. My ISP already sent out an email pretty much telling everyone to prepare to lose Internet access. Never mind that the power goes out here at the drop of a hat. So, if I’m not posting, […]
The E-Waste Disaster in Ghana
March 7th, 2014Via: Kevin McElvaney:
Dismantling Fukushima Will Require Robotic Technology That Has Not Been Invented Yet
March 2nd, 2014Via: IEEE: “At Fukushima you have wrecked infrastructure, three melted cores, and you have some core on the floor, ex-vessel,” Barrett says. Nothing like Fukushima, he declares, has ever happened before.
Gallery: “China’s Apocalyptic Hellscape”
March 1st, 2014Via: Time: The smog in Beijing and parts of northern China has grown so bad that some have likened conditions to living through a “nuclear winter.”
Exxon CEO Tries to Stop Fracking Near His Land
February 26th, 2014Via: Globe and Mail: Rex Tillerson’s company may be a big player in fracking, but the chief executive of Exxon Mobil Corp. has a problem with what the related issues could mean to the value of his ranch. The chief executive officer of Exxon Mobil Corp., a major player where the controversial technique is concerned, […]
Chevron Gives Residents Near Fracking Explosion Free Pizza
February 21st, 2014Via: Newsweek: After a Chevron hydraulic fracturing well exploded in rural Dunkard Township, Pennsylvania, last Tuesday, and burned for four days straight, the energy company knew just the way to soothe nearby residents: free pizza.
Symphony of the Soil
February 16th, 2014Via: Symphony of the Soil: Drawing from ancient knowledge and cutting edge science, Symphony of the Soil is an artistic exploration of the miraculous substance soil. By understanding the elaborate relationships and mutuality between soil, water, the atmosphere, plants and animals, we come to appreciate the complex and dynamic nature of this precious resource. The […]
