Archive for the 'Environment' Category
Thousands of Blackbirds Fell from the Sky Over Arkansas on New Year’s Eve
January 3rd, 2011Update: Now There Are 500 Dead Birds in Louisiana Via: WBRZ: Around 500 dead blackbirds and starlings have been found in Pointe Coupee Parish, according to state wildlife officials. The birds were spotted lying in roads and ditches near Labarre Elementary School. The community is between Morganza and New Roads on Highway 10. Scientists from […]
200,000 Australians Affected by Floods Covering Larger Area than France and Germany Combined
January 1st, 2011Via: Telegraph: Some 200,000 Australians have been affected by flood waters covering an area larger than France and Germany combined. Military aircraft dropped supplies to towns cut off by floods as rising rivers inundated or isolated 22 towns in the state of Queensland. … Officials say half of Queensland’s 715,305 square miles is affected, after […]
Coal Fires Burn in 20 States, Thousands Burn Worldwide
December 30th, 2010This is from February 2010. Via: Christian Science Monitor: The fire burning deep below Centralia, Pa., is just one of numerous coal fires burning in at least 20 states today, with thousands more worldwide. They gobble up resources, spew dangerous emissions, and scar the land. Yet little is known about their impact on climate change […]
Brazil to Replace Oil Rigs with ‘Underwater Cities’
December 30th, 2010When I saw the headline, I had a terrifying Bioshock flashback, but there won’t be any people down there. Via: Telegraph: Traditional oil rigs will be replaced with “underwater cities” within a decade under ambitious plans being drawn up by Petrobras, Brazil’s state-owned energy group. Petrobras plans to turn science fiction into reality to extract […]
Water Pipes Freeze Then Burst in Northern Ireland: Tens of Thousands Left Without Water
December 29th, 2010Via: Washington Post: Frustration and fears of disease mounted in Northern Ireland Wednesday as tens of thousands of people were left without water after much of the supply drained away through broken pipes following a deep freeze and a sudden thaw. In many towns and cities water supplies were cut off as residents turned to […]
Companies That Made And Maintained Blow Out Preventer Have Had Hands-On Access To It
December 24th, 2010Via: AP: A federal board allowed to monitor testing of a key piece of Gulf oil spill evidence — the blowout preventer — demanded Thursday that the analysis stop, saying representatives of the companies that made and maintained the 300-ton device have been getting preferential and sometimes hands-on access to it. The U.S. Chemical Safety […]
EPA Document Shows It Knowingly Allowed Pesticide That Kills Honey Bees
December 15th, 2010Via: Fast Company: The world honey bee population has plunged in recent years, worrying beekeepers and farmers who know how critical bee pollination is for many crops. A number of theories have popped up as to why the North American honey bee population has declined–electromagnetic radiation, malnutrition, and climate change have all been pinpointed. Now […]
U.S. Vulnerable to Rare Earth Shortages
December 15th, 2010Via: New York Times: The United States is too reliant on China for minerals crucial to new clean energy technologies, making the American economy vulnerable to shortages of materials needed for a range of green products — from compact fluorescent light bulbs to electric cars to giant wind turbines. So warns a detailed report to […]
Why Farmers Are Flocking to Manure
December 5th, 2010I’d be extremely careful with manure from industrial livestock operations in the U.S. Most or all of what those animals eat is genetically engineered and they are pumped full of antibiotics and injections containing heavy metals. Animal manures can be wonderful fertilizers that build soil structure and increase beneficial biological activity in the soil. Just […]
Submarine Dive Finds Oil, Dead Sea Life at Bottom of Gulf of Mexico
December 5th, 2010Via: ABC News: A mile below the surface in the Gulf of Mexico, there is little sign of life. “It looks like everything’s dead,” University of Georgia professor Samantha Joye said. In an exclusive trip aboard the U.S. Navy’s deep-ocean research submersible Alvin, ABC News was given the chance to observe the impact of this […]
