Archive for the 'Environment' Category
GM Salmon
December 25th, 2012Via: Independent: A GM salmon which grows twice as fast as ordinary fish could become the first genetically-modified animal in the world to be declared officially safe to eat, after America’s powerful food-safety watchdog ruled it posed no major health or environmental risks. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it could not find […]
Tiny Bhutan to Move to 100% Organic Farming Methods; Most Farmers Already Farm Organically
December 13th, 2012Via: NPR: The tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan drew international attention a few years back for saying gross national happiness should trump gross domestic product when measuring a nation’s progress. If you’re going to prioritize happiness, the Bhutanese thinking goes, you’d better include the environment and spiritual and mental well-being in your calculations. (Not everyone […]
China: 700 Mountains to be Levelled to Make Way for New Town
December 9th, 2012Via: Telegraph: Chinese developers are planning to flatten 700 mountains to make way for a new town in the north-west of the country. The nation’s most ambitious “mountain moving” project is slated for a patch of desert the outskirts of Lanzhou in the Gansu province and is estimated to cost £2.2bn, according to the Guardian. […]
And Now… ‘Conservation Drones’
December 8th, 2012Via: Mother Jones: First things first: No, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is not using drones to vaporize poachers. But thanks to a five million dollar grant awarded by Google on Tuesday, the organization is expanding its use of unmanned aerial vehicles to track and deter criminals who illegally hunt endangered animal species around the […]
Between 1989 and 2005 Sperm Count of French Men Fell by One-Third
December 5th, 2012Via: AFP: The sperm count in French men dropped by nearly one-third between 1989 and 2005 and the quality of sperm also declined, a study said Wednesday. The sperm count fell at a rate of about 1.9 percent a year, said the authors of the report covering more than 26,600 men over the 17-year period […]
Photo Gallery: Hurricane Sandy: The Long Recovery
November 18th, 2012Via: The Atlantic: Sixteen days after the landfall of superstorm Sandy, much recovery work remains to be done. After Katrina in 2005, Sandy is the costliest hurricane to ever hit the United States, and New York and New Jersey have suffered most of the estimated $50 billion in damages. Most who lost power have had […]
Malaysia: ‘Smart Village’ Offers World Model for Rural Poverty Relief
November 13th, 2012I was intrigued by their food production methods. They make extensive use of Autopot hydroponic systems. This looks very impressive. Via: Press Release – Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology: An innovative, high-tech “smart village” built in Malaysia provides a potential global template for addressing rural poverty in a sustainable environment, say international experts meeting […]
Finnish Nickel and Zinc Mine Leaking Water with High Levels of Uranium
November 13th, 2012Via: Reuters: Finnish nickel miner Talvivaara said on Friday it was still trying to fix a waste water leak at its mine in Sotkamo, eastern Finland, which resulted in high levels of uranium in nearby waters. Uranium more than 50 times higher than normal levels were found in streams this week near Talvivaara’s nickel and […]
And Now… China Is Building A Huge Eco-City
November 3rd, 2012Will there be room for the Chinese elite’s secret organic gardens? Via: Business Insider: Outside Chengdu, in central China, a 78 million square foot site has been determined for an unconventional sort of construction project. It will be a city built from scratch, for 80,000 people, none of whom will need a car to get […]
Tokelau: 100 Percent Solar-Powered
November 2nd, 2012Via: Wired: Tokelau, a tiny collection of atolls in the South Pacific, is now completely able to support itself with solar energy — the first nation in the world to do so. A one-megawatt solar panel array has been erected across the three atolls to provide its more than 1,400 residents with 150 percent of […]
