Archive for the 'Environment' Category
Mississippi River Nears Historic Lows, Shipping at Risk
January 3rd, 2013Via: Reuters: The drought-drained Mississippi River will rise slightly later this week between St. Louis and Cairo, Illinois, but later continue its decline toward historic lows, according to a National Weather Service forecast. Low water, due to the worst U.S. drought since 1956, has already impeded the flow of billions of dollars worth of grain, […]
U.S. Sailors Sue Japan Over Fukushima Lies
December 30th, 2012Well, unless we’re expected to assume that a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier isn’t equipped to measure radiation levels (which would be a totally absurd assumption), the plaintiffs should name the U.S. Navy in the lawsuit as well. Hint: Good luck. Via: Courthouse News Service: The Fukushima nuclear disaster exposed Navy rescue workers to dangerous levels […]
Anonymous Drone Photos Lead to Indictment for Texas Polluters
December 29th, 2012Via: Slashdot: In January of this year, we posted news of a major pollution site in Texas that was the subject of some anonymous amateur sleuths with drones, who used their UAVs to document the release of a “river of blood” (pig blood, that is) into the Trinity River as it flows through Dallas. Now, […]
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 […]
