Ecotoolbox » General Eco News

A Food Chain Crisis in the World’s Oceans

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 21:51:28 +0000

Spiegel Online reports here: It is the starting point for our oceans’ food chain. But stocks of phytoplankton have decreased by 40 percent since 1950, potentially as a result of global warming. It is an astonishing collapse, say researchers, and may have dramatic consequences for both the oceans and for humans.

Energy Bill, Focusing on Conservation, Can’t Shake Calls for RES

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 13:47:10 +0000

The New York Times reports here: The Senate’s small energy package unveiled last night flirts with Republican opposition and turns its cheek to clean-power Democrats.

Are Coral Islands Really Doomed?

admin — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 12:12:25 +0000

Spiegel Online reports here: The Maldives have become a symbol of the dangers of global warming, amid fears the low-lying nation could disappear as a result of rising sea levels. But one team of scientists believes the truth is more complicated. The Maldives coral islands, they postulate, may be growing with the rising waters.

Coal-fired power stations

admin — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 18:04:44 +0000

Spiegel Online reports here: Coal-fired power stations are a major producer of the greenhouse gas CO2, but there is no alternative to the fuel in the near future. Energy companies are hoping that carbon capture and storage technologies may be the answer, but many local residents don’t want CO2 stored under their backyards.

Mangroves disappearing faster than land-based forests

admin — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 15:00:55 +0000

CNN reports here: The destruction of the world’s mangrove forests is happening up to four times faster than the world’s land-based forests, according to a new United Nations report.

Comparative photos of Mount Everest ‘confirm ice loss’

admin — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:55:17 +0000

BBC News reports here: Photos taken by a mountaineer on Everest from the same spot where similar pictures were taken in 1921 have revealed an “alarming” ice loss.

US fears Gulf seabed oil seepage

admin — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 12:32:10 +0000

BBC News reports here: US officials fear oil may be seeping from the ocean floor near the stricken Gulf of Mexico well, and order BP to submit a plan to lessen wellhead pressure.

NOAA: June, April to June, and Year-to-Date Global Temperatures are Warmest on Record

admin — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 13:13:54 +0000

NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center reports here: Last month’s combined global land and ocean surface temperature made it the warmest June on record and the warmest on record averaged for any April-June and January-June periods, according to NOAA. Worldwide average land surface temperature was the warmest on record for June and the April-June period, and the second warmest on record for the year-to-date (January-June) period, behind 2007.

Oil hits Louisiana’s largest seabird nesting area

admin — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 14:33:37 +0000

AP reports here at Yahoo News: NEW ORLEANS – Biologists say oil has smeared at least 300-400 pelicans and hundreds of terns in the largest seabird nesting area along the Louisiana coast — marking a sharp and sudden escalation in wildlife harmed by BP’s Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Illegal logging of tropical forests in decline: study

admin — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 14:09:15 +0000

AFP reports here at Yahoo News: PARIS – Illegal logging of tropical woodland has fallen sharply, providing welcome news in the fight against climate change and a lifeline for a billion poor people who depend on forests for survival, a report released Thursday said.