The numbers of ships using the Northwest Passage and Northern Sea Route, to the north of Canada, the U.S., Norway and Russia, is increasing each year. The Arctic in particular is expected to experience a…
Biodiversity
“There is no question global ecological systems are collapsing, as important planetary ecological boundaries have been—and continue to be—crossed. The human system’s fantastical growth, based upon liquidating nature…
Many of the world’s fisheries are in trouble. Eighty-five percent of global fish stocks are fished to the threshold of or past sustainability. By one estimate, 80 to 90 percent of the world’s big fish have been fished out. At least 40 percent of marine life caught is either unused or unmanaged…
A Look Back Suggests More Catastrophic Fires ahead for Western U.S.
Northern Arizona University
02-24-2012
While grazing and fire suppression have kept incidents of wildfires unusually low for most of the last century, the amounts of combustible biomass, temperatures and drought are all rising. The result, Anderson said, is a “fire deficit”…
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission rejected a preliminary permit application by Wyco Power and Water, Inc. to construct a 500-mile water pipeline that would pump more than 250,000 acre-feet of water annually from Flaming Gorge Reservoir to Colorado’s Front Range…
The benefits derived from urban trees provide a return three times greater than tree care costs, as much as $2,500 in environmental services such as reduced heating and cooling costs during a tree’s lifetime….
Just this week, the President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) stated that she was “scared to death” by the anti-science movement …spreading, uncontrolled, across the U.S. and…
“Dow’s ‘Agent Orange’ corn will trigger a large increase in 2,4-D use—and our exposure to this toxic herbicide—yet USDA has not assessed how much, nor analyzed the serious harm to human health, the environment…
“If the Pebble mine is constructed and results in substantial damage to the people and ecosystems of Bristol Bay, it will cast a cloud over all mining projects—even safe and responsible ones—increasing costs…
60,000+ People Urge Chief Pesticide Regulator to Ban Methyl Iodide
Pesticide Action Network
02-22-2012
California leads the country in organic farming with more than 430,000 acres in production and average annual growth of 15 percent. In his new role, Director Leahy has a significant opportunity to work with growers…
Oregon Legislature Approves State’s First Network of Marine Reserves
Pew Environment Group
02-22-2012
Once the new law is signed by Gov. John Kitzhaber and enacted, these designations will serve as “ecological savings accounts” and provide places for plants and animals to spawn and thrive…
710 Miles of Critical Habitat Protected for Two Endangered Fish
Center for Biological Diversity
02-22-2012
“Saving endangered species means protecting the places they live,” said Greenwald. “Critical habitat will let these two small fish survive, yes, but it’ll also benefit the people of the Southwest, who will still have the chance to see living rivers…
Polar bears—like other Arctic species including beluga whales, narwhals and walruses—are already under severe pressure in the Arctic from climate change. In just 30 years, the Arctic has lost 75 percent of its sea ice, and temperatures in the Arctic are rising faster than anywhere else on Earth…
Groups Challenge EPA’s Air Pollution Discharge Permits for Shell’s Arctic Drillships
Earthjustice
02-21-2012
“The EPA approved these permits without ensuring that all air quality standards are met, and as such our only option is to challenge them in court. Although the Clean Air Act requires modern pollution controls that…
The property, known as the Osceola Plantation, features one of the largest natural lakes in the coastal region. The tract’s unique and diverse habitat features coastal prairie, river bottom forests, freshwater wetland and open water…
Smart Green Infrastructure Takes Center Stage at Malaysia Tiger Forum
World Wildlife Fund Global
02-21-2012
The pressures on the pockets of habitat where tigers are still holding on will only increase as the growth boom in Asia continues push outward, reaching formerly pristine tiger and wildlife habitat. As wildlife and park authorities…
Babies born in warm months were more likely to have higher levels, which, when coupled with the methymercury findings, suggest that fish consumption is the culprit. Mercury can easily pass from a mother…
Japanese Whaler’s Injunction Against Sea Shepherd Denied in U.S. District Court
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
02-20-2012
The court also expressed displeasure with the Japanese whalers for filing an injunction against Sea Shepherd while appearing to be themselves in violation of an injunction issued by the Australian Federal Court. This injunction prohibits the whalers from hunting whales in the Australian Whale Sanctuary…
There are now thought to be less than 10 spotted owls in the wild in British Columbia (BC). Both the BC and federal governments have pledged to bring the Canadian population of spotted owls back from the brink of elimination…
The funding issue is a scam. Even the most generous revenue estimates from this reckless expansion of drilling will not be enough to fund proposed transportation projects in the bill. In addition, what small amounts of…
After pork producers contacted his supervisors, a U.S. Department of Agriculture microbiologist was prevented from publishing research showing that emissions from industrial hog farms contained antibiotic-resistant bacteria…
Brazil President Sacrifices Protected Areas to Accelerate Dam Construction
International Rivers
02-17-2012
“The Provisional Measure signed by President Rousseff signals a growing tendency within the federal government, already visible with the Belo Monte Dam, to blatantly disregard human rights and environmental legislation…
“We’ve been watching and we’ve seen property owners mistreated. We’ve seen the failure to disclose how dangerously close this pipeline runs to an elementary school. What we have not seen is the thorough review of this project’s…
In our current growth-based economic system, rising affluence and population growth mean increased consumption, environmental destruction, and waste production. This western model of development is failing…
If passed, Amendment 133 would prevent the protection of the Grand Canyon, flanking the park with new roads, mines, exploration drilling, power lines and truck traffic. This activity would damage wildlife habitat and…
The world’s largest jewelry retailers, including Walmart, Sterling, Zale’s, Tiffany & Co., QVC, Target, Sears/Kmart and JCPenney have all committed to study their metals’ supply chains, revise their supplier sourcing criteria…
Asia Pulp & Paper Certifiers Distance Themselves from Sustainability Claims
World Wildlife Fund Global
02-15-2012
Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) claims of independent sustainability certification for its operations aren’t supported by the certification schemes and assessors it has nominated, a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) survey has found…
“The fact is—clean energy and responsible environmental policy make good economic policy as well because they create jobs, while cutting energy and medical bills for American families…
Counties could require landowners to poison prairie dogs. Counties would also have the authority to enter private land without permission to search for and poison prairie dogs, and then charge the landowner for the costs of extermination…
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has listed two freshwater mussels—the rayed bean and the snuffbox—as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). The two mussels are found in river systems…
