Archive for the 'Environment' Category
And Now: ‘The Gates Foundation Uses Genetic Modification For Good’
October 24th, 2011Wow. Just… Wow. Breathtaking. Via: FastCompany: It’s easy to demonize genetically modified crops. After all, we don’t exactly know what their long-term health effects are, and they have the nasty habit of cross-pollinating with non-GMO crops. When new stories come out about advances in the field, many people react with anger and fear. But the […]
BP Gets Approval to Resume Drilling in Gulf of Mexico
October 22nd, 2011Via: BBC: BP has won approval to resume drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, 18 months after a well blowout killed 11 workers and caused an environmental disaster. Regulators approved plans for drilling to depths of up to 6,000ft about 200 miles off the coast of New Orleans. US officials said in a statement: “Our […]
Japanese Communities Record Chernobyl-Level Radiation
October 20th, 2011Some of the Geiger counters shown in the video max out. Via: ABC Lateline: Seven months on from Japan’s nuclear meltdown, thousands of people are still unable to return to their homes around the Fukushima nuclear power plant. And for many of them, the terrible realisation is sinking in that they may never go back. […]
Organic Farming vs. Conventional Farming: Results of a 30 Year Study
October 17th, 2011Via: Rodale Institute: Organic yields match conventional yields. Organic outperforms conventional in years of drought. Organic farming systems build rather than deplete soil organic matter, making it a more sustainable system. Organic farming uses 45% less energy and is more efficient. Conventional systems produce 40% more greenhouse gases. Organic farming systems are more profitable than […]
Elevated Radiation Reports in Tokyo
October 13th, 2011Via: Kyodo: High radiation doses were reported Thursday in spots in Tokyo and neighboring Chiba Prefecture, both over 200 kilometers away from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, with their readings found to exceed current dose levels in some evacuation zones around the plant. Airborne radiation of up to 3.35 microsieverts per hour was recorded […]
With Ongoing Nuclear Disaster Hurting Tourism, Japan Will Offer 10,000 Foreigners Free Airfares to Visit the Country
October 11th, 2011Via: Telegraph: The Japan Tourism Agency plans to ask would-be travellers to submit online applications for the free flights, detailing which areas of the country they would like to visit, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper said. The agency will select the successful entrants and ask them to write a report about their trip which will be […]
Japan: Plutonium Discovered 28 Miles from Damaged Fukushima Nuclear Plant
October 11th, 2011Via: Wall Street Journal: Trace amounts of plutonium were found as far as 28 miles from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear-power plant, the first time that the dangerous element released from the accident was found outside of the immediate area of the plant. The science ministry report issued Friday comes just as the government lifted […]
Japan: Food Radiation Checker
October 7th, 2011Send the bill to Tepco? *groan* Via: Cnet: For many Japanese, food safety is an urgent concern in light of the ongoing crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, from which radiation has entered the food supply. Kyoto-based scientific equipment maker Horiba is trying to help with a radiation detector kit that can tell users […]
Japan to Remove Some Restrictions on Fukushima Evacuation Zone
October 4th, 2011Via: Bloomberg: Japan’s government may lift restrictions this week on some areas outside the exclusion zone around the crippled Fukushima nuclear where residents had been told to prepare for evacuation. The so-called Emergency Evacuation Preparation Zone was set up in April for areas 10 kilometers beyond the 20 kilometer (12.6 mile) no-go zone. The area […]
Millions of Bees Mysteriously Die in Florida
October 2nd, 2011Via: CBS: Florida officials are abuzz as to how millions of honey bees were killed in Brevard County. Several beekeepers in the county have reported lost colonies this week. Charles Smith of Smith Family Honey Company told Stuart News Thursday he lost 400 beehives. He says the bees appeared to have been poisoned.
