http://forests.org/ Vast Rainforest, Forest and Biodiversity Conservation News and Information -- http://forests.org/ Forests.org a project of Ecological Internet, Inc. info@ecologicalinternet.org (Dr. Glen Barry) http://forests.org/news/forestsnewsfeed.gif http://forests.org/ Physorg: Thanks for killing the planet, dog owners. Well, that's a rough paraphrase of a New Zealand study that claims a medium-size dog leaves a larger ecological footprint than an SUV. In "Time to Eat the Dog? The Real Guide to Sustainable Living," authors Robert and Brenda Vale argue that resources required to feed a dog -- including the amount of land needed to feed the animals that go into its food -- give it about twice the eco-footprint of, say, building and fueling a Toyota Land ... http://www.physorg.com/news176582720.html http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=141644 06 Nov 2009 11:00:00 PST carbon footprint dogs | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Physorg: none given) Physorg: In the Mojave Desert winds howl across this hottest place in North America, blowing sands across Death Valley and through empty ghost towns, swirling across treeless land for hundreds of miles. But even in the otherworldly Mojave, life thrives. The Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia), an indicator species for this desert, defines the Mojave's boundaries. In spring when the rains come, brightly colored flowers bloom in profusion--nature's paintbrush on an otherwise monotone landscape. Now ... http://www.physorg.com/news176660557.html http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=141637 06 Nov 2009 11:00:00 PST climate desert nitrogen | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Physorg: none given) Fairbanks Daily News-Miners: Alaska will probably see most of its surface permafrost vanish by the end of this century, but researchers believe vast areas of frozen soil will remain deeper underground even as air temperatures increase. The future of Alaska's permafrost is being closely watched by scientists because of the implications it may have on the climate as a whole. Vladimir Romanovsky, a professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, discussed evolving permafrost research this week ... http://newsminer.com/bookmark/4354319 http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=141631 06 Nov 2009 11:00:00 PST climate land permafrost | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Fairbanks Daily News-Miners: none given) Associated Press: Airborne nitrogen pollution from vehicle exhaust and farm fertilizer is turning algae in the alpine lakes of Rocky Mountain National Park into junk food for fish, a study says. A similar phenomenon is occurring in Sweden and Norway, according to the study of about 90 high-elevation lakes set to be published in the journal Science on Friday. Arizona State University professor James Elser, the study's lead author, said the effect of airborne nitrogen on once-pristine lakes is ... http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091105/ap_on_bi_ge/us_rocky_mountain_park_pollution http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=141613 05 Nov 2009 11:00:00 PST lake pollution nitrogen | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Associated Press: Judith Kohler) Mongabay: A new image from NASA shows the severity of the drought in East Africa, which impacted Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia. Three failed rains in a row brought the region to its knees: four million people were reported to be going hungry in Kenya alone; lakes and rivers dried up entirely; withered crops drove farmers into slums; wildlife, from elephants to hippos, perished; there were even reports of camels dying. Northwest Kenya, as shown in the image, was hit the hardest. ... http://news.mongabay.com/2009/1105-hance_drought.html http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=141607 05 Nov 2009 11:00:00 PST climate drought East Africa | Africa | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Mongabay: Jeremy Hance) Reuters: Canada will launch an investigation into why far fewer sockeye salmon than scientists had predicted returned to the Fraser River on the Pacific Coast this summer. Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced the judicial inquiry on Thursday, saying the federal government was concerned about the declining sockeye population. Federal government scientists had predicted that as many as 13 million sockeye salmon would return to the river this year to breed, but it is now estimated that ... http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE5A46CE20091106?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=141594 06 Nov 2009 11:00:00 PST fisheries salmon Pacific disappear | North America | Canada info@ecologicalinternet.org (Reuters: none given) New York Times: As many as 25 percent of the American farmers growing genetically engineered corn are no longer complying with federal rules intended to maintain the resistance of the crops to damage from insects, according to a report Thursday from an advocacy group. The increase in farmers skirting the rules, from fewer than 10 percent a few years ago, raises the risk that insects will develop resistance to the toxins in the corn that are meant to kill them, the report says. And it raises questions ... http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/06/business/06corn.html?_r=5&partner=rss&emc=rss http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=141533 06 Nov 2009 11:00:00 PST farmers crops genetically modified | | info@ecologicalinternet.org (New York Times: Andrew Pollack) Carbon Positive: Europe is leading rapid growth in the wood biomass energy sector with demand for wood pellets seen growing at 8 to 10 per cent annually in coming years, according to Wood Resources Quarterly. Wood pellets are made mainly from wood waste – bark, sawdust and wood chips – from forestry operations. Compressing wood waste into pellets creates a more efficient-burning fuel than wood chips. Wood biomass fuel is seen as a valuable source of renewable energy and, if produced sustainably, ... http://www.carbonpositive.net/viewarticle.aspx?articleID=1716 http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=141521 05 Nov 2009 11:00:00 PST biomass wood energy pellets | Europe | United Kingdom info@ecologicalinternet.org (Carbon Positive: none given) New York Times: California lawmakers on Wednesday approved a series of bills that would vastly overhaul the state's troubled water system. The water package is the most comprehensive to emerge from the state since the 1960s, when California last upgraded its system for what was a far smaller population of users. Prompted by a protracted drought – which has reduced water supply, harmed the fishing industry and contributed to crop loss – environmentalists and agricultural interests have agreed to broad ... http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/05/us/05water.html?_r=5&partner=rss&emc=rss http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=141512 05 Nov 2009 11:00:00 PST | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (New York Times: Jennifer Steinhauer) Greenwire: Backers of algae-based biofuels tout the simplicity of their feedstock. Sunlight and water are all that's needed to convert carbon dioxide into fuel. Now, some scientists are testing the notion that sunlight might be optional. Researchers at the Missouri University of Science and Technology are planning to grow algae for fuel in abandoned mines using light-emitting diodes, or LEDs. "About this time in the conversation, someone usually raises their hand and says, 'But ... http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=underground-algae-growth-light-emitting-diodes http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=141507 04 Nov 2009 11:00:00 PST biofuel algae | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Greenwire: Katie Howell) Times (UK): English farmers have been given a last chance to adopt greener practices that benefit wildlife and help to combat climate change or face deductions from their state hand-outs of cash. The Government has set a tough new target which requires that the area of arable fields covered by environmental schemes should double within three years. Every farmer has also been told that he or she should fund some environmental improvements on their land without any financial support from ... http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6903606.ece#cid=OTC-RSS&attr=3392178 http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=141502 04 Nov 2009 11:00:00 PST environment farmers finance | Europe | United Kingdom info@ecologicalinternet.org (Times (UK): Valerie Elliott) Daily Star: THE European Union (EU) parliamentary delegation's commitment that the EU will be on Bangladesh's side in spite of the outcome of the upcoming climate change conference in Copenhagen is a hope giving one. Especially, we are reassured at the concern and empathy it expressed for us in the event of any catastrophe befalling the country, for example, in the form of triggering an exodus of climate refugees. As a frontline state in the fight for survival against the impact of global ... http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=112668 http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=141463 04 Nov 2009 11:00:00 PST climate impacts aid | South Asia | Bangladesh info@ecologicalinternet.org (Daily Star: Editorial) Guardian: Some talk of hoisting mirrors into space to reflect sunlight, while others want to cloud the high atmosphere with millions of tonnes of shiny sulphur dust. Now, scientists could have dreamed up the most ambitious geoengineering plan to deal with climate change yet: converting the parched Sahara desert to a lush forest. The scale of the ambition is matched only by the promised rewards – the scientists behind the plan say it could "end global warming". The scheme has been thought up by ... http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/nov/04/forests-desert-answer-climate-change http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=141460 04 Nov 2009 11:00:00 PST forest tree geoengineering | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Guardian: David Adam) BBC: Property insurance could become more expensive and harder to obtain as a result of climate change, an insurance body has said. The Association of British Insurers said the cost of flood and windstorm damage would rise for insurers as global temperatures increased. This would lead to higher premiums for consumers and a restriction of cover as insurers would need more reserves. Wales and the south-west of England would be worst hit, the report said. Financial ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8342120.stm http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=141396 04 Nov 2009 11:00:00 PST climate energy raise bills | Europe | United Kingdom info@ecologicalinternet.org (BBC: none given) Guardian: Mark Twain called it a good walk spoiled. But the game of golf is often accused of wrecking more than the mood of its participants. With heavily watered fairways and greens saturated with weed-killing chemicals, the sport has become a symbol of environmental wastefulness and an apparent conservation disaster. Now, the RSPB aims to change that view and wants to recruit Britain's 2,600 golf courses to the fight to save rare species. The rough and out-of-bounds areas of golf courses can ... http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/nov/02/rspb-bird-golf-course http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=141285 02 Nov 2009 11:00:00 PST land wildlife golf course | Europe | United Kingdom info@ecologicalinternet.org (Guardian: Rough and out-of-bounds Areas Of Golf Courses Can Offer Unexpected Sanctuary To ) Guardian: Aggressive moves by China, South Korea and Gulf states to buy vast tracts of agricultural land in sub-Saharan Africa could soon be limited by a new global international protocol. A scramble for African farmland has in recent years seen the equivalent of Italy's entire arable land hoovered up by businesses from emerging economies. The Food and Agriculture Organisation, the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the World Bank are now discussing a new code of conduct ... http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/nov/02/global-protocol-subsahara-land-grab http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=141284 03 Nov 2009 11:00:00 PST land conflict Sub-Saharan | Africa | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Guardian: Nick Mathiason) Reuters: Many Chinese wheat-growing provinces in the north seeded clouds over the weekend to help end a persistent drought and encourage the growth of winter wheat. In Shandong, one of the country's major wheat-growing areas, jets and rockets were used to bring rain and ease the drought that had hit 800,000 hectares of farmland by the end of October, the China Meteorological Administration said. Cloud seeding brought Anhui province as much as 40 mm of rain over the weekend, easing ... http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE5A10J920091102?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=141259 01 Nov 2009 11:00:00 PST climate drought wheat | East/South-East Asia | China info@ecologicalinternet.org (Reuters: none given) Associated Press: When 64-year-old Jimale Irobe was a young man, he guided his herds of cows and camels through knee-high grass. These days the scrubby blades barely reach his ankles even in the rainy season, and there is never enough grass to go around. The cattle cannot feed, and the nomadic families that depend on them for milk and meat cannot survive. So Irobe scrapes out a living by selling charcoal made from burning the trees in the fields where his father's herds once grazed. "Now ... http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Devastating-drought-alters-apf-351867771.html?x=0&.v=2 http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=141247 01 Nov 2009 11:00:00 PST climate drought nomads | Africa | Kenya info@ecologicalinternet.org (Associated Press: Katharine Houreld) Associated Press: Global warming would be bad news for all those amber waves of grain, and for the corn and soybeans that are plentiful throughout the Midwest. "The grain-filling period" - the time when the seed grows and matures - "of wheat and other small grains shortens dramatically with rising temperatures. Analysis of crop responses suggests that even moderate increases in temperature will decrease yields of corn, wheat, sorghum, bean, rice, cotton and peanut crops," according to "Global Climate ... http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation/AP/story/1311374.html http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=141244 04 Nov 2009 11:00:00 PST climate crops higher temperatures | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Associated Press: Renee Schoof and David Goldstein) Independent (UK): The snows of Mount Kilimanjaro -- the highest mountain in Africa -- may soon be falling on bare ground following a study showing that its ice cap is destined to disappear entirely within 20 years, due largely to climate change. The vast ice fields of Kilimanjaro in Tanzania are melting at a faster pace than at any time over the past 100 years and at this rate they will be gone completely within two decades or even earlier according to one of the world's leading glaciologists. A ... http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/climate-change-will-melt-snows-of-kilimanjaro-within-20-years-1813631.html http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=141243 03 Nov 2009 11:00:00 PST climate snow Kilimanjaro | Africa | Kenya info@ecologicalinternet.org (Independent (UK): none given) Inter Press Service: As the world focuses on the impact of climate change, little attention is being paid to yet another environmental bane: increasing contamination of air, water and soil. The combined effects of this environmental scourge have contributed to global epidemics of cancers, lung and other degenerative diseases, and costing health systems across the world millions of dollars, experts say. Forty-two years after she was exposed to asbestos in the Pambula beach hamlet, 470 kilometres ... http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=49102 http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=141224 02 Nov 2009 11:00:00 PST toxic contaminants | Pacific/Oceania | Australia info@ecologicalinternet.org (Inter Press Service: Neena Bhandari) Times (UK): Going low-carbon at the table to save the planet need not be so very painful. The climate change guru Lord Stern of Brentford called yesterday for Times readers to turn vegetarian to slow global warming. But most authorities -- including the head of the United Nations climate change programme -- agree that we could make a good start merely by dropping meat one day a week. This is what the citizens of the Belgian city of Ghent have been doing, voluntarily, all this year, without noticeable ... http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6892640.ece http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=141135 28 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST environment meat | Europe | United Kingdom info@ecologicalinternet.org (Times (UK): none given) Metro: Britain is basking in a late autumn heatwave that will send temperatures soaring 10ºC (18ºF) above average this week. The half-term heat haze, sparked by warm winds from the Mediterranean, could break records for this time of year and make it feel more like the start of summer than the beginning of the cold season. As holidaymakers lap up the unseasonal sunshine on beaches and in parks, tourism officials in Blackpool are hoping for a busy week late in the season. 'This ... http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?Britain_heading_for_record_70%B0F_balmy_autumn&in_article_id=758146&in_page_id=34 http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=141130 27 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST climate record heat autumn | Europe | United Kingdom info@ecologicalinternet.org (Metro: Miles Erwin) Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/gallery/2009/oct/28/britain-rare-birds-thriving http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=141058 28 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST rare birds thrive | Europe | United Kingdom info@ecologicalinternet.org (Guardian: none given) BBC: Rare birds in the UK have been faring far better than their more common counterparts over the last decade, according to a new assessment. The research shows almost 60% of the 63 rare birds that breed in the UK have increased over the last 10 years. By contrast, only about one third of common species have increased over the same period. Just 28% of rare birds have decreased over the same period, compared with four out of every 10 common birds. The rare birds ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8328758.stm http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=141038 27 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST birds rare | Europe | United Kingdom info@ecologicalinternet.org (BBC: none given) New York Times: Bowing to intense public pressure, the Chesapeake Energy Corporation says it will not drill for natural gas within the upstate New York watershed, an environmentally sensitive region that supplies unfiltered water to nine million people. The reversal seems to signal a more conciliatory tone from the gas industry, which is facing mounting opposition in New York to its drilling practices. The decision also increases the pressure on state regulators to reverse their decision to allow ... http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/28/business/energy-environment/28drill.html?_r=5&partner=rss&emc=rss http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=141036 28 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST natural gas drill watershed | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (New York Times: Jad Mouawad and Clifford Krauss) Independent (UK): Australia's love affair with the beach is in danger of being rudely terminated. A parliamentary report released yesterday suggests that the government may have to force people to abandon prime oceanfront homes along thousands of miles of coastline vulnerable to rising sea levels. The report, published in the run-up to the Copenhagen summit on climate change in December, sent a shiver through a country where 80 per cent of the population lives on the coast. With more than 700,000 homes ... http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/coastal-homes-in-australia-at-risk-from-rising-sea-levels-1810518.html http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=141025 28 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST climate rising seas coastal homes | Pacific/Oceania | Australia info@ecologicalinternet.org (Independent (UK): Kathy Marks) Independent (UK): Tigers will become extinct unless the international community unites urgently to find new strategies to ensure their survival, campaigners and scientists in Nepal said Tuesday. Nepalese Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal told the opening of a conference of 200 delegates from 20 countries that action by individual countries would not succeed. "Global and regional solidarity and collective strategies armed with concrete actions are more necessary now than ever," he said, adding ... http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/experts-plea-for-global-action-to-save-tigers-1810584.html http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=141024 27 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST tigers extinction | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Independent (UK): none given) BBC: Geologist Bakutbek Ermenbaev points up through the pine trees at the glacier above us in Kyrgyzstan's Alatau mountains. "That one - called Adigene - has decreased in size by about 20% over the last 50 years," he says. He adds that a neighbouring glacier, Aksai, has disappeared completely. Mr Ermenbaev, who works for the government's hydrogeology agency, says global warming is to blame. And he warns that unless action is taken to reduce this warming, all of ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8326594.stm http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=141021 28 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST climate glaciers melt | Middle East | Kyrgyzstan info@ecologicalinternet.org (BBC: Martin Vennard) Times (UK): Farmers and meat companies across Britain reacted with a mixture of anger and exasperation yesterday after one of the world's leading climate change campaigners urged people to become vegetarian to help to fight global warming. The offensive by Lord Stern of Brentford in The Times was especially timely as about 100 leading meat and farm industry figures sat down to breakfast in the elegant Cholmondeley Room in the House of Lords to celebrate champions in the pig industry. The ... http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6893037.ece#cid=OTC-RSS&attr=3392178 http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=141019 28 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST climate meat vegetarian | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Times (UK): none given) Times (UK): Australia's fabled beachside life of sea, surf and sundowners overlooking the ocean is under threat from rising sea levels. Those living in coastal areas most at risk could be ordered out of their homes for their own safety, while construction in other sensitive seaside areas may be banned. A government report on climate change says that urgent action is needed to protect thousands of miles of coastline and to maintain an Australian way of life. The issue is already coming to a ... http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6891521.ece#cid=OTC-RSS&attr=3392178 http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=141017 28 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST climate coastal searise | Pacific/Oceania | Australia info@ecologicalinternet.org (Times (UK): Anne Barrowclough) Age: IT WAS a grand plan that would have transformed a small Victorian coastal town. The $200 million resort development known as Great Ocean Green would have spanned 165 hectares, expanded Apollo Bay by 500 blocks and added an 18-hole, championship golf course for good measure. The development was to be built on the Barham River flood plain between Marengo and Apollo Bay and became a hot issue in the local community. Three local councillors were sacked by Local Government Minister ... http://www.theage.com.au/national/against-the-tide-20091027-hj28.html?autostart=1 http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=141015 28 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST climate change cataclysmic | Pacific/Oceania | Australia info@ecologicalinternet.org (Age: Ason Dowling, Peter Ker AND Adam Morton) National Public Radio: STEVE INSKEEP, host: Many of Colorado's aspen trees are dying. The die-off is troubling not just for environmentalists, but also for businesses that depend on tourists. With its distinctive white bark and golden fall leaves, the aspen tree is emblematic of the American West. Kirk Siegler of member station KUNC reports. KIRK SIEGLER: Scenery is everything for Jen Stanisick's(ph) business. Her Crystal Valley Manor Hotel is nestled deep in a canyon in the western Colorado hamlet ... http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=114195038&ft=1&f=1025 http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=141001 27 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST aspen tree die | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (National Public Radio: Kirk Siegler) BBC: Australians may have to leave coastal areas as rising sea levels threaten homes, according to a new report. The parliamentary committee report says urgent action is needed, as seas are expected to rise by 80cm (31 inches). About 80% of Australians live in coastal areas, and the report recommends new laws banning further development in coastal regions. Correspondents say the authorities are divided over whether to retreat from rising seas or defend the ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8327224.stm http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=141000 27 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST climate ocean coastal | Pacific/Oceania | Australia info@ecologicalinternet.org (BBC: none given) Business Green: The potential rollout of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology should not be used to justify the continued expansion of Canada's controversial tar sands industry, according to a major investor-backed report released yesterday. The report, from Co-operative Financial Services and WWF-UK, challenges oil industry and Canadian government claims that fitting emerging CCS technologies to the plants used to extract and refine oil from tar sands will sufficiently limit the emissions ... http://www.businessgreen.com/business-green/news/2252067/report-ccs-making-tar-sand http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140999 27 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST tar sands carbon | North America | Canada info@ecologicalinternet.org (Business Green: Tom Young) Agence France-Presse: Climate change is already threatening more than a quarter of Switzerland's farmland with frequent and lengthy water shortages, according to official research published Tuesday. The Swiss federal agricultural research station Agroscope said about 10 times more land would need to be irrigated to avoid lost harvests, some 400,000 hectares (988,000 acres) instead of the 38,000 hectares that currently receive regular irrigation. But researcher Jurg Fuhrer told AFP that such huge ... http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091027/sc_afp/switzerlandclimatewarmingfarm http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140995 27 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST climate farmland threaten | Europe | Switzerland info@ecologicalinternet.org (Agence France-Presse: none given) Associated Press: The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection is seeking comment on its preliminary decision to issue an air pollution permit for a planned coal-to-gasoline plant in the southern coalfields. New York-based TransGas Development LLC announced in December it planned to build the plant in Mingo County near Wharncliffe. The facility is expected to turn 3 million tons of coal a year into methanol that would then be converted into as much as 756,000 gallons of gasoline a ... http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091027/ap_on_bi_ge/us_coal_to_gasoline_west_virginia http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140991 27 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST coal gas permit | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Associated Press: none given) Guardian: Beach culture is as much part of the Australian identity as the bush and barbecues, but that could have to change according to a government report that raises the unsettling prospect of banning its citizens from coastal regions at risk of rising seas. The report, from a parliamentary climate change committee, said that AUS$150bn (£84bn) worth of property was at risk from rising sea levels and more frequent storms. With 80% of Australians living along the coastline, the report warns ... http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/oct/27/rising-sea-levels-australia-beaches http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140959 27 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST climate sea rise coastal | Pacific/Oceania | Australia info@ecologicalinternet.org (Guardian: Toni O'Loughlin) Associate Press: Ecuador's president is in London this week to promote a unique proposal: pay his country $3 billion not to drill for oil in a pristine Amazon reserve. Germany and Spain have expressed interest in President Rafael Correa's idea, which environmentalists say could set a precedent in the fight against global warming by lowering the high cost to poor countries of going green. "This is the first time the government of a major oil-producing country has voluntarily offered to forego ... http://www.seattlepi.com/national/1102ap_lt_ecuador_amazon_oil.html http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140944 27 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST drill Amazon politic | South/Central America/Caribbean | Ecuador info@ecologicalinternet.org (Associate Press: Gonzalo Solano) New Scientist: Capturing and storing some of the carbon that would be released in the processing of Canada's tar sands may not clean the industry up. To turn the vast but dirty resource into useable oil, Canada will have to spew vast amounts of greenhouse gases. That's the conclusion of a new study on the potential of so-called carbon capture and storage technology to reduce carbon emissions from tar sands operations. The Athabasca tar sands of north-eastern Alberta, Canada, hold more than ... http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18044-canadas-tar-sands-may-to-be-just-too-dirty.html http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140939 26 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST tar sands dirty | North America | Canada info@ecologicalinternet.org (New Scientist: Bob Holmes) Associated Press: Defense lawyers for a college student who disrupted the auction of oil and gas drilling leases on land around some of Utah's national parks outlined in court papers Monday a plan to put global warming on trial instead of their client. The lawyers for Tim DeChristopher want to call some of the nation's pre-eminent climate scientists to testify about what they said are the dangers that heat-trapping gases have in store for the planet. Prosecutors have objected to widening the scope of ... http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091027/ap_on_bi_ge/us_national_parks_drilling http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140920 26 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST oil industry illegal | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Associated Press: none given) Washington Post: Climate change will make Americans more vulnerable to diseases, disasters and heat waves, but governments have done little to plan for the added burden on the health system, according to a new study by a nonprofit group. The study, released Monday by the Trust for America's Health, an advocacy group focused on disease prevention, examines the public-health implications of climate change. In addition to pushing up sea levels and shrinking Arctic ice, the report says, a warming planet ... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/26/AR2009102602402.html http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140917 27 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST climate ecology human health | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Washington Post: David A. Fahrenthold) Australian Broadcasting Corporation: TONY EASTLEY: Australians love their coastline, and over the years the push for people to move closer to the ocean has been labelled a "sea change". But Australians may have to rethink their ideas. A federal parliamentary report has raised the possibility of banning people living in areas of Australia's coastline which are threatened by rising sea levels. The Lower House Environment Committee has spent 18 months examining the effect the changing climate will have on coastal ... http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2009/s2724986.htm http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140915 27 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST climate coastal building ban | Pacific/Oceania | Australia info@ecologicalinternet.org (Australian Broadcasting Corporation: Naomi Woodley) BBC: Old wolves lose their bite, say researchers who have found that getting old affects wolves' ability to hunt and moderates their impact on prey. The discovery helps answer a tantalising question: does getting old impact the athletic abilities of animals just as it does people? While it might seem obvious that it would, many eminent biologists and researchers have assumed otherwise. They have argued that most animals tend to die before age wearies them. Researchers ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8325000/8325800.stm http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140895 26 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST wildlife ageing | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (BBC: Jody Bourton) BBC: Red squirrels have found their way across the Menai Strait from Anglesey to Gwynedd, conservationists believe. Two squirrels were found at Treborth and on the Faenol estate near Bangor - the first time a member of the species had been found in the area for decades. Scientists are now waiting for the results of DNA testing to establish if they came from the Anglesey colonies. Over 300 red squirrels live on Anglesey following 10 years of efforts to clear grey squirrels ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/8325967.stm http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140854 26 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST wildlife red squirrel | Europe | info@ecologicalinternet.org (BBC: none given) Independent (UK): Young Japanese are fleeing the urban jungle for the half-abandoned countryside on a mission to make farming cool again and cut Japan's frightening food deficit in the process. Organic farming converts, rice-growing Tokyo fashionistas and other young greenfingers have trickled back into rural Japan where many farm towns have been slowly dying amid fast-greying Japan's demographic crunch. Japan, the world's second-largest economy, now imports 60 percent of its food, and many ... http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/japans-hip-young-farmers-dig-in-to-avert-food-crunch-1809725.html http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140851 26 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST food farming cool | East/South-East Asia | Japan info@ecologicalinternet.org (Independent (UK): none given) Reuters: Germany's incoming government drew mixed responses on Monday to its cautiously-favorable policy toward genetically-modified organisms (GMOs). The incoming coalition between the conservative and pro-business liberal parties which won Germany's parliamentary elections in September announced its core policies over the weekend which included a statement in overall favor of GMO crops if they are found to be safe. Germany's ban on commercial production of GMO maize of type MON 810 ... http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE59P2IK20091026?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140848 26 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST food GMO politics | Europe | Germany info@ecologicalinternet.org (Reuters: none given) Canwest News Service: It's 8:30 a.m. and farmer Greg Appleyard is busy working the phones and shaking hands at his massive agricultural enterprise just north of Strathmore. From an office in the bungalow-sized headquarters, he oversees a mind-boggling 8,100 hectares of farmland and a 25,000-head feedlot, one of the largest in Alberta. Cattle pens stretch as far as the eye can see; the stench of manure fills the air. Appleyard steals a few minutes out of a whirlwind day to receive a special delivery ... http://www.edmontonjournal.com/technology/Cashing%20climate%20change/2142809/story.html http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140836 25 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST climate change farming practices | North America | Canada info@ecologicalinternet.org (Canwest News Service: Jason Fekete) Associated Press: A new study suggests warming temperatures predicted over the next century could boost tree growth on Northwest forests, but less so at lower elevations where most of the timber is and temperatures are already warm. Researchers from Oregon State University and the U.S. Forest Service calculated an increase in forest growth rates in Oregon and Washington of between 2 percent and 12 percent by the end of the century, when climate models predict temperatures to be between 0.9 degrees and ... http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010135254_aporclimateforests1stldwritethru.html http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140833 26 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST climate forests warming less timber | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Associated Press: Jeff Barnard) Reuters: Public finance could help stimulate private investment in climate change solutions in developing countries, a report commissioned by the United Nations' Environment Programme showed on Monday. World leaders are grappling with how much funding should be provided for poor countries as part of a deal to tackle climate change which they hope to clinch in Copenhagen in December. "Today's report underlines a range of public policy options that reflect the varying circumstances ... http://in.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idINIndia-43425220091026 http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140831 26 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST climate investment public finance | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Reuters: Nina Chestney) Xinhua: General Manager of China Three Gorges Corporation Li Yong'an said here Saturday the company has slowed down the pace to raise the water level in the gigantic reservoir to help relieve drought in the downstream areas. The Three Gorges reservoir's water level was expected to reach its peak at 175 meters for the first time in early November according to the current progress, Li said. The water level at the reservoir had been scheduled to peak at the end of October and the original ... http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90882/6792917.html http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140799 25 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST climate drought Three Gorges | East/South-East Asia | China info@ecologicalinternet.org (Xinhua: none given) LA Times: For centuries, Adam Abdi Ibrahim's ancestors herded cattle and goats across an unforgiving landscape in southern Somalia where few others were hardy enough to survive. This year, Ibrahim became the first in his clan to throw in the towel, abandoning his land and walking for a week to bring his family to this overcrowded refugee camp in Kenya. He's not fleeing warlords, Islamist insurgents or Somalia's 18-year civil war. He's fleeing the weather. "I give up," said the ... http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-climate-refugees25-2009oct25,0,4396751.story?track=rss http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140798 25 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST climate drought |refugees fleeing Horn Africa | Africa | info@ecologicalinternet.org (LA Times: Edmund Sanders) New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/10/19/world/20091006SWEDEN_index.html http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140767 25 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST emissions food cutting | Europe | Sweden info@ecologicalinternet.org (New York Times: none given) Star-Ledger: Years ago, it would have been hard to stir up an argument over the need for solar panels or windmills to boost the state`s production of clean energy. These days they can be a contentious issue, dividing many of the region`s most active environmental groups. The Sierra Club, the New Jersey Environmental Federation and Environment New Jersey have long pushed the state for tighter controls on development in coastal areas where, among other creatures, rare and endangered migrating ... http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/10/post_94.html http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140765 25 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST wind farm site | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Star-Ledger: Brian T. Murray) New Scientist: STINKING lagoons of pig manure created by thousands of animals in giant hog farms can pollute rivers, poison groundwater and pump out clouds of methane and carbon dioxide. So finding alternative uses for the slurry - to generate electricity, say - makes a lot of sense. The problem was that no one has been certain which way of doing it makes the most electricity for the least greenhouse gas production. Now a Danish team has analysed the various ways in which firms in that country treat ... http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20427316.300-how-to-turn-pig-poo-into-green-power.html http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140764 25 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST biofuel biomass manure | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (New Scientist: none given) Mother Jones: You've heard the rumors that the Pentagon engineered 9/11. You know about the folks who think Barack Obama wasn't born in America. Last summer you learned every possible synonym for "death panel." But have you heard the one about the cow tax? Unless you're a farmer, probably not. This one goes back to the waning days of the Bush administration, when the EPA, after a long fight from environmentalists, grudgingly released a preliminary notice that outlined how the Clean Air Act could be used ... http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2009/11/betting-farm http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140732 24 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST climate agriculture bill | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Mother Jones: none given) Independent (UK): There's a great inadvertent truth hanging on the wall in the gloomy basement of the river museum in Memphis. A large panel welcomes the visitor to an exhibit titled: "War on the Mississippi". In fact, it's a section devoted to the ironclad gunboats that helped to turn the tide of the civil war in favour of the Union. But it could just as well describe America's fraught relationship with the mighty river that drains half of the continental United States. Long before there was a "war on ... http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/mississippi-turning-a-river-with-a-life-of-its-own-1808420.html http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140722 24 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST river Mississippi life own | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Independent (UK): Daniel Howden) Fresno Bee: A pair of solar farms proposed for the Panoche Hills of western Fresno County and eastern San Benito County could become the biggest installations of their kind in the world. Solargen Energy Inc., based in Cupertino, has submitted an application to Fresno County planners for its Panoche Ranch Solar Farm on 2,600 acres of rangeland near the Little Panoche Reservoir. Solar photovoltaic panels spread across the acreage would produce up to 250 megawatts of electricity. A few miles ... http://www.fresnobee.com/170/story/1684482.html http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140719 24 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST solar power farmers | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Fresno Bee: Robert Rodriguez) Voice of America: Every year erosion and sea level rise are claiming about two meters of shoreline along the Chesapeake Bay on the East Coast of the United States. There have been many efforts to control the loss of land over the years, with mixed results. Now, a new approach for restoration called "living shores" has scientists hopeful. This beach looks healthy and inviting. But until a month ago, none of this was here. All of it was man-made, with an open invitation to every living creature in the ... http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-10-23-voa48.cfm http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140713 24 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST ocean shoreline Chesapeake Bay | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Voice of America: Zulima Palacio) Vancouver Sun: Canada's new ambassador to the United States said Alberta's oil sands are facing a "disproportionate amount" of criticism in the climate-change debate -- arguing North America risks missing "the big picture" on global warming if Canadian oil is singled out as the chief carbon emissions culprit. "One of the concerns that I have is that it represents so little of the emissions in North America. It's getting a disproportionate amount of chatter," Gary Doer said in an interview Sunday ... http://www.vancouversun.com/business/fp/sands%20disproportionate%20reputation%20Gary%20Doer/2117774/story.html http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140712 24 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST oil sands defense | North America | Canada info@ecologicalinternet.org (Vancouver Sun: Gary Doer) Physorg: Thirty million years ago, before Ethiopia's mountainous highlands split and the Great Rift Valley formed, the tropical zone had warmer soil temperatures, higher rainfall and different atmospheric circulation patterns than it does today, according to new research of fossil soils found in the central African nation. Neil J. Tabor, associate professor of Earth Sciences at Southern Methodist University in Dallas and an expert in sedimentology and isotope geochemistry, calculated past ... http://www.physorg.com/news175450458.html http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140700 22 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST climate historic | Africa | Ethiopia info@ecologicalinternet.org (Physorg: none given) Inter Press Service: Look, there's no drama with the borehole in Mokobeng. And that's the way it should be. The village of Mokobeng has just fewer than 3,000 people staying here. Most people in Mokobeng, they are seasonal farmers. They are keeping livestock on the northern part of the village, while fields are to the south. This is to keep the animals from destroying the fields. The fields are fenced with tree branches. Those who have money, they use barbed wire. You will see mud houses with ... http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48985 http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140692 24 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST garden village | Africa | Botswana info@ecologicalinternet.org (Inter Press Service: Nicholas Mokwena Andamp; Terna Gyuse) Reuters: London's Science Museum has waded into the climate change debate with a new exhibition called "Prove It!" that aims to persuade doubters that humans really are behind global warming. With less than 50 days to go before United Nations climate talks in Denmark, the curators hope to give visitors all the information they need to understand how mankind is warming the planet to dangerous levels. Near the multimedia displays about the environment and the Copenhagen summit, lies a ... http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20091023/lf_nm_life/us_exhibition_climate_britain http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140656 23 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST climate skeptic confront | Europe | United Kingdom info@ecologicalinternet.org (Reuters: Peter Griffiths) BBC: An undercover investigation has revealed the continued trade in tiger skins in China. Covert filming by the Environment Investigation Agency shows traders selling skins of tigers and other rare animals such as snow leopards. The skins are sold as luxury items and are used for clothes and home decor. The campaigning group has published its investigation a few days before an international summit on big cat conservation in Kathmandu, Nepal. Buying and selling big cat ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8321000/8321033.stm http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140655 23 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST wildlife tiger skin trade | East/South-East Asia | China info@ecologicalinternet.org (BBC: Jody Bourton) New York Times: Shopping for oatmeal, Helena Bergstrom, 37, admitted that she was flummoxed by the label on the blue box reading, "Climate declared: .87 kg CO2 per kg of product." "Right now, I don't know what this means," said Ms. Bergstrom, a pharmaceutical company employee. But if a new experiment here succeeds, she and millions of other Swedes will soon find out. New labels listing the carbon dioxide emissions associated with the production of foods, from whole wheat pasta to fast food ... http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/23/world/europe/23degrees.html?_r=5 http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140651 23 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST global warming diet | Europe | Sweden info@ecologicalinternet.org (New York Times: Elisabeth Rosenthal) St. Petersburg Times: By the year 2100, much of the Pinellas coastline and parts of Hillsborough will be inundated with water, an estimate that almost doubles researchers' original predictions about the rise in sea levels, scientists in global warming said Thursday. Scientists with the Clean Air-Cool Planet initiative, which aims to find solutions to global warming, unveiled their findings at the Florida Aquarium. It was their first stop on a "Hip Boot Tour" discussing the global effects of the rapid ... http://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/water/rising-seas-could-threaten-gulf-coast-scientific-group-says-during-stop-in/1046077 http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140650 23 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST climate rising seas coast Gufl | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (St. Petersburg Times: Dong-Phuong Nguyen) Oregonian: A slimy foam churning up from the ocean has killed thousands seabirds and washed many others ashore, stripped of their waterproofing and struggling for life. The birds have been clobbered by an unusual algae bloom stretching from the northern Oregon coast to the tip of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state. "This is huge," said Julia Parrish, a marine biologist and professor at the University of Washington who leads a seabird monitoring group. "It's the largest mortality ... http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/10/foam_from_ocean_algae_bloom_ki.html http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140644 23 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST ocean algae birds toxic | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Oregonian: Lynne Terry) Greenwire: Projected oil and natural gas development in the West could significantly reduce greater sage grouse populations, according to a new study that recommends aggressive steps to shift drilling activity away from sensitive habitat areas. The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal PLoS ONE, is one of the few to examine drilling's effects on a specific species, and it comes as the Obama administration nears a February deadline to decide whether the sage grouse should be listed as an ... http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/10/22/22greenwire-oil-and-gas-drilling-plans-must-accommodate-gro-1246.html?pagewanted=all http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140643 22 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST energy drilling wildlife grouse | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Greenwire: Scott Streater) LA Times: In what would be the largest habitat zone ever established in the U.S. to protect a species from extinction, the federal government on Thursday proposed designating 200,541 square miles on the coast of Alaska as critical habitat for polar bears. Officials said the designation was not likely to further slow the pace of oil and gas development, and it would not impose any controls to slow the biggest threat to polar bears: the melting of sea ice as a result of climate ... http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-polar-bears23-2009oct23,0,841777.story http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140641 23 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST climate polar bear habitat | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (LA Times: Kim Murphy) New York Times: Nothing about the Marin Municipal Water District storage yard and the run-down wooden pier protruding into San Francisco Bay give any hint of what they are: the site of what may become one of the fiercest water battles in Northern California in decades. It is, on the surface, a set piece: an emotional struggle over a large planned water project facing strong environmental opposition. But at a more basic level, it is a contest over the ever-volatile issue of growth in Marin ... http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/23/science/earth/23sfdesal.html?_r=5 http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140635 23 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST water desalination | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (New York Times: Susan Sward) Associated Press: An environmental consultant hired by developers of a proposed West Virginia wind farm told a federal judge he believes the project won't harm the endangered Indiana bat. Consultant Russ Romme performed risk assessments for the proposed windfarm. He testified Friday in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, Md., in a bench trial in which opponents are seeking to force developers to obtain permits under the federal Endangered Species Act. Romme testified that his firm's netting ... http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091023/ap_on_bi_ge/us_wind_power_endangered_species http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140623 23 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST wind farm bat | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Associated Press: Philip Elliott) Telegraph: The 0.84 acre land in Sandbanks, Dorset comes with planning permission for two new beachfront properties on "millionaires' row' -- the fourth most expensive real estate area in the world. But experts warn increasingly severe weather conditions and rising sea levels could soon see the spit of land at the entrance to Poole harbour -- parts of which are already two metres below sea level -- swallowed up by the ocean. Dr Edward Coombe, a consultant in geomorphology and former ... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/propertynews/6418256/Sandbanks-acre-to-sell-for-7.5-million-despite-flood-risk.html http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140608 25 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST climate ocean coastal flooding | Europe | United Kingdom info@ecologicalinternet.org (Telegraph: Nick Collins) Reuters: New York City's top environmental official on Friday called the risk that drilling for natural gas in the upstate region that supplies most of the city's drinking water "especially alarming." New York state recently proposed rules allowing drilling in the multistate Marcellus Shale formation. Green groups said the rules were too lax because, for example, reservoirs would not be shielded with buffer zones. New York City has spent decades fighting development near its upstate ... http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE59M5C320091023?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140604 23 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST natural gas drilling water | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Reuters: none given) Reuters: New York City officials and environmental groups on Friday urged a ban on natural gas drilling in the city's watersheds, fearing it could contaminate the city's water supply. Their concern potentially opens a new obstacle for energy companies that extract natural gas from shale formations through a process called hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. Environmentalists say fracking contaminates groundwater but the industry maintains that strict safeguards prevent any danger to ... http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE59M5BW20091023?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140603 23 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST watersheds drilling gas | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Reuters: Edith Honan) Independent (UK): Sea birds are dying and thousands of marine creatures are at risk from a massive oil spill in the Timor Sea, off north-west Australia, warn the first scientists to survey the isolated site. A ruptured drilling rig has been spewing oil, gas and concentrate into the ocean for the past nine weeks, but until yesterday the environmental impact was unclear because of the remoteness of the spot, 155 miles offshore. Now a World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) team has travelled there and returned ... http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/oil-spill-off-australian-coast-poses-major-threat-to-marine-life-1808410.html http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140602 24 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST oil spill ocean marine life | Pacific/Oceania | Australia info@ecologicalinternet.org (Independent (UK): none given) Associated Press: Texas and Alabama get far less money every year from offshore drilling in their state waters than advocates say Florida can expect, the state's environmental chief told a House panel Wednesday. Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Michael Sole said Texas gets about $45 million and Alabama anywhere from $50 million to $300 million. That compares to an estimate by the pro-drilling group Florida Energy Associates that Florida's treasury can expect to rake in $2.25 billion a ... http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091022/ap_on_bi_ge/us_offshore_drilling http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140572 22 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST offshore drilling politics | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Associated Press: Bill Kaczor) Associated Press: With demand growing for ethanol produced from sources other than corn, researchers at Oklahoma State University said Wednesday that state agriculture producers could someday grow sweet sorghum or switchgrass as cash crops. Division scientists and engineers from OSU's Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources spoke during a "biofuels field day" at the university's South Central Research Station in Chickasha about the potential of crops that could be grown by Oklahoma ... http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091022/ap_on_bi_ge/us_biofuels_okla http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140571 22 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST ethanol food crops | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Associated Press: Murray Evans) Mongabay: In December of 2006 it was announced that the Yangtze River dolphin, commonly known as the baiji, had succumbed to extinction. The dolphin had survived on earth for 20 million years, but the species couldn't survive the combined onslaught of pollution, habitat loss, boat traffic, entanglement in fishing hooks, death from illegal electric fishing, and the construction of several massive dams. Now, another flagship species of the Yangtze River appears to have vanished. As reported by ... http://news.mongabay.com/2009/1022-hance_paddlefish.html http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140567 22 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST river fish Yangtze | East/South-East Asia | China info@ecologicalinternet.org (Mongabay: Jeremy Hance) Bloomberg: The state of Alaska filed suit in federal court asking that the U.S. government's designation of the polar bear as a threatened species because of climate change be overturned. The state filed a motion Oct. 20 in a federal district court in Washington, Governor Sean Parnell, a Republican, told reporters yesterday at a press conference in Anchorage. The state opposes the designation because of the potential limits it would cause on resource development and economic activity in the ... http://news.yahoo.com/s/bloomberg/20091022/pl_bloomberg/aetx_dz_emy0 http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140514 22 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST polar climate protection bear | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Bloomberg: Tina Seeley) Reuters: Vast forest fires have hit a large part of central North Korea, sending plumes of smoke over most of the country's central and eastern regions, images provided by NASA show. The fires could deal another blow to the North's broken economy after it was hit by fresh U.N. sanctions for a nuclear test in May and flooding a few months ago that wiped out farmland in a country that already faces chronic food shortages. The U.S. space agency said multiple fires had been burning in the ... http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE59L0YJ20091022?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140511 22 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST climate forest flooding | East/South-East Asia | North Korea info@ecologicalinternet.org (Reuters: none given) Reuters: They're faithful, friendly and furry -- but under their harmless, fluffy exteriors, dogs and cats, the world's most popular house pets, use up more energy resources in a year than driving a car, a new book says. In their book "Time to Eat the Dog: The Real Guide to Sustainable Living," New Zealand-based architects Robert and Brenda Vale say keeping a medium-sized dog has the same ecological impact as driving 10,000 km (6,213 miles) a year in a 4.6 liter Land ... http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE59L23B20091022?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140497 22 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST environment pets | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Reuters: Gillian Murdoch) redOrbit: In a somewhat controversial statement made on Wednesday, England's elite science academy, The Royal Society, said that world must utilize genetically modified crops in order to feed a rapidly growing global population and reduce the environmental damage of large-scale farming. The academy's report referred to the "grand challenge" of feeding an additional 2.3 billion people by 2050--a statement corroborated by a report issued earlier this month by the UN's Food and Agricultural ... http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1773394/are_gm_foods_the_key_to_feeding_the_world/index.html?source=r_science http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140487 22 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST food agriculture genetically modified | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (redOrbit: none given) Washington Post: Workers atop mountain ridges are putting together 389-foot windmills with massive blades that will turn Appalachian breezes into energy. Retiree David Cowan is fighting to stop them. Because of the bats. Cowan, 72, a longtime caving fanatic who grew to love bats as he slithered through tunnels from Maine to Maui, is asking a federal judge in Maryland to halt construction of the Beech Ridge wind farm. The lawsuit pits Chicago-based Invenergy, a company that produces "green" ... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/21/AR2009102101282.html http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140479 22 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST wind turbine environment | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Washington Post: none given) Reuters: Retreating glaciers from the Alps to the Andes are likely to disrupt hydropower generation in coming decades. Following are details of glaciers and the wider impacts of climate change on hydropower, the most widely used form of renewable energy: * WORLDWIDE More than a billion people live in river basins fed by glacier or snow-melt. Climate change will lead to a retreat of glaciers and cause wider disruptions to rain and snowfall patterns from tropical Monsoons to Arctic ... http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-43338920091022?sp=true http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140463 22 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST climate water hydro enengry | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Reuters: none given) Environment Report: American gasoline refineries are expanding to process a dirtier kind of oil. Shawn Allee reports one company's plans hit a snag: http://www.environmentreport.org/story.php?story_id=4710 http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140459 22 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST tar sands politics | North America | Canada info@ecologicalinternet.org (Environment Report: none given) Agence France-Presse: British Foreign Secretary David Miliband unveiled an interactive map Thursday demonstrating the impact of global warming in decades to come, to underline the looming threat. The map, presented at London's Science Museum, shows graphically how climate change could lead to water and food shortages, mass migration and conflict if action is not taken at a landmark summit in Copenhagen in December. "The reason for publishing this map is that for many people, not only in our own ... http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091022/lf_afp/britainenvironmentclimate http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140444 22 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST climate change map landscape | Europe | United Kingdom info@ecologicalinternet.org (Agence France-Presse: none given) Independent (UK): A nightmare in the not-very-distant future: the map below shows the enormous temperature rises which British scientists believe the planet may be experiencing in as a little as 50 years from now if global warming remains unchecked. Released by the Government today, it illustrates a rise in global average temperature of four degrees Centigrade by 2060, and as such represents a dramatic acceleration of previous forecasts made as recently as 2007 by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on ... http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/government-launches-map-to-highlight-global-warming-threat-1807237.html http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140443 22 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST global warming threat map | Europe | United Kingdom info@ecologicalinternet.org (Independent (UK): Michael McCarthy) Associated Press: The Obama administration is setting aside 200,000 square miles in Alaska and off its coast as "critical habitat" for polar bears, an action that could add restrictions to future offshore drilling for oil and gas. Federal law prohibits agencies from taking actions that may adversely modify critical habitat and interfere with polar bear recovery. Assistant Interior Secretary Tom Strickland called the habitat designation a step in the right direction to help polar bears stave off ... http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=114048770&ft=1&f=1025 http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140428 22 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST polar bear climate critical habitat | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Associated Press: none given) Washington Post: The world's policymakers and scientists have made a critical error in how they count biofuels' contribution to human-generated greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new paper published Thursday in the journal Science. While the article addresses a wonkish subject -- how to measure the environmental impact of energy sources such as ethanol and wood chips, which absorb carbon as they grow but release it back into the atmosphere when they're burned -- it has broad implications. The ... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/22/AR2009102202889.html http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140424 22 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST crops climate bioenergy | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin) Reuters: As Congress considers curbs on carbon dioxide pollution, a U.S. report on Thursday urged the White House to prepare now for flooding and other natural disasters brought by global warming. Federal agencies, working with Congress, state and local governments, should "develop a national strategic plan that will guide the nation's efforts to adapt to a changing climate," said a report by the Government Accountability Office, an investigative arm of Congress. John Stephenson, ... http://www.reuters.com/article/africaCrisis/idUSN22142154 http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140421 22 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST climate White House prepare | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Reuters: Richard Cowan) Reuters: Poverty and climate hazards make the southeast United States the country's most vulnerable area to climate change impact, Oxfam America said on Wednesday. A report released by the relief organization identified high-risk "hotspots" across 13 southeast states from Arkansas to Virginia where poverty factors combined with high risk of drought, flooding, hurricanes and sea-level rise. "Social factors like income and race do not determine who will be hit by a natural disaster, but ... http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE59K4PR20091021 http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140419 22 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST climate impact southeast | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Reuters: Pascal Fletcher) Inter Press Service: Natural gas, a non-renewable yet plentiful energy source, is being promoted by the gas industry as part of the solution to climate change. But experts say that its contribution to global warming is only slightly less than that of coal and oil. Methane, the main component of natural gas, is a fossil fuel like crude and coal; when burned it produces carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, so called because they trap the heat of the sun's rays in the atmosphere, warming the earth's ... http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48957 http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140402 22 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST Natural Gas eco-friendly | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Inter Press Service: Marcela Valente) Inter Press Service: Scientists and activists say that but for the fact that the 'brinjal', also called 'eggplant' or 'aubergine', is native to India and a favourite on the table, the decision to allow commercial release of its genetically modified (GM) variety may have gone unremarked. But the Oct. 14 recommendations of the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) to allow commercial release of Bt-brinjal -- brinjal spliced with genes toxic to insects and taken from the soil bacterium 'bacillus ... http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48954 http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140400 22 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST Food genetically modified | South Asia | India info@ecologicalinternet.org (Inter Press Service: Ranjit Devraj) Telegraph: In the most comprehensive report on the future of British agriculture in a generation, the Royal Society warned that millions of people face starvation in coming decades because of population growth and climate change. After years of neglect, the national academy of science called on the Government to invest £2 billion in crop research over the next 10 years. Related Articles Britain will starve without GM crops, says major report Climate change could cause more ... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/6387540/GM-crops-must-be-grown-in-Britain-Royal-Society-says.html http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140391 21 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST food genetic crops | Europe | United Kingdom info@ecologicalinternet.org (Telegraph: Louise Gray) Telegraph: :: Traditional techniques: Crop rotation, natural fertilisers and other methods have been used for generations. However there are a number of ways to boost these techniques, for example by experimenting with types of clover to fix nitrogen in the soil or using fertiliser derived from food waste. :: Using nature: Plants that attract predators such as lady birds to eat other insects can be used as insecticide. Plants that inject certain nutrients in the soil can be planted among a crop ... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/6387707/How-will-farmers-feed-the-world-in-the-future.html http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140390 21 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST food science | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Telegraph: Louise Gray) Telegraph: :: Pest resistant plants: Scientists have developed crops that are resistant to pests and disease by adding genes with antibacterial or insecticide qualities. Blight resistant potatoes are the most likely crop to be grown commercially in Britain. :: Self fertilisers: Plants that take nitrogen out of the air and deposit in the soil take away the need to use artificial nitrates that are expensive and bad for the environment. Some plants do this naturally and scientists are working on ... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/6387796/The-super-crops-of-the-future.html http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140389 21 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST crops genetic science | Europe | United Kingdom info@ecologicalinternet.org (Telegraph: Louise Gray) Telegraph: That is welcome for, as Prof James Specht of the University of Nebraska has pointed out, the "hype-to-reality ratio' has at times reached "infinity'. Instead the Royal Society, which has long supported GM crops and foods, backs a mixture of traditional farming techniques and new technology, merely asking that none "should be ruled out".Such an approach, if maintained, should open the door to a much more constructive debate, forcing even the most radical environmentalists to spell arguments ... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/6389319/Geoffrey-Lean-Royal-Society-accepts-GM-is-not-the-only-answer.html http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140388 20 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST food genetic science | Europe | United Kingdom info@ecologicalinternet.org (Telegraph: Geoffrey Lean) Telegraph: As hundreds of events around the country celebrate Apple Day today (Oct 21), Government figures showed that the UK enjoyed a bumper harvest last year, producing 243,000 tonnes of apples. However the country imported 477,000 tonnes, almost twice the amount, as supermarkets continue to favour popular apples from abroad such as royal gala and granny smith over local varieties such as cox or spartan. Mr Benn has set up the Fruit and Vegetables Task Force to get people eating more ... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/6389690/UK-still-eats-twice-as-many-apples-from-abroad-as-homegrown.html http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140387 21 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST food imported | Europe | United Kingdom info@ecologicalinternet.org (Telegraph: Louise Gray) BBC: The UK should plough £2bn ($3.3bn) into crop research to help stave off world hunger, says the Royal Society. It says the world's growing population means food production will have to rise by about 50% in 40 years and the UK can lead the research needed. Approaches it endorses include genetic modification, improved irrigation and systems of growing crops together that reduce the impact of diseases. It says that rising yields have brought "complacency" over food ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8317511.stm http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140382 21 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST food agricutlure future | Europe | United Kingdom info@ecologicalinternet.org (BBC: none given) Reuters: Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd warned the nation Wednesday to brace for a severe bushfire season as fire crews battled intense blazes stoking memories of infernos earlier this year which killed 173 people. With the fire season barely under way, firefighters from two Australian states have been battling huge blazes threatening the northeastern tropical city of Rockhampton and coastal hamlets further south in New South Wales. "I would urge all Australians to make sure they ... http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE59K12K20091021?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=140377 21 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST climate bushfire severe | Pacific/Oceania | Australia info@ecologicalinternet.org (Reuters: Rob Taylor)