skippy the bush kangaroo

for those stories the corporate owned media might not have mentioned this morning...

new jellyfish tells tale of global warming. - a new species of jellyfish found off israel’s coast the summer poses no threat to bathers but should serve warning to the countries bordering the mediterranean sea about the dangers posed by global warming and damage to the environment - media line

can the military go green with jet fuel? the f-15 eagle is the latest jet fighter to receive the alternative fuels treatment, flying october 22 on a 50-50 blend of conventional jet fuel and an alternative—in this case made from specially processed animal fat: beef tallow bio-jet fuel - scientific american

food safety: from mexican farm, to costco, to your plate. - american concerns about food safety in imports have created a whole new ethic among mexican farmers eager to sell in the us - christian science monitor

cholera outbreak in quake-hit haiti claims 200 lives with 2,000 more ill... and it will get worse. - the first cases of cholera have been detected in haiti's capital, port-au-prince, and the epidemic spreading in the region will get worse, according to health experts - london daily mail

water champion. - maude barlow, longtime chairwoman of the council of canadians, is a hero to the left, a tireless campaigner for social justice, environmental causes and globalization issues - edmonton journal

cruise ships cutting fumes. - black smoke trails from the carnival fantasy as the crew fires its diesels to set out of charleston harbor. the smoke and its stink are a focus of neighborhood and environmentalist concerns about pollution from cruise ships - charleston post and courier

apple snails are slowly creeping our way. - dumping specimens from an aquarium, whether it's the apple snail or the northern snakehead, is a reckless act that can have serious consequences - nola picayune

ensure what you buy doesn't harm the lives of others. - british retailers are increasingly aware of the hidden costs of cruel and unsustainable practices in food and clothing industries. conscientious shoppers have driven those changes. the same pressure must be applied to wood and paper products - london guardian

jane goodall on hope, inspiration and oilsands. - we have to find answers to three problems that seem insoluble. one is the sheer growth of human populations. two is crippling poverty where people destroy the environment and cut down trees to grow a bit more food. and thirdly, our unsustainable lifestyle. all of us in this room have more than we need - calgary herald

cop10: a meet to save life on earth? - the next time someone asks you what biodiversity is, try this: "it's about your life, life on this planet, and about what we're doing to this planet with our eyes open." - japan times

conservationist warns next big extinction will be man's fault. - richard leakey, one of the world's most famous paleoanthropologists and a conservationist, will speak in houston on thursday at the progressive forum, to discuss the possibility that human proliferation will cause the next great extinction - houston chronicle

severe drought afflicts brazilian amazon. - the brazilian government has announced $13.5m in emergency aid for amazon regions hit by the worst drought in decades. environmental groups say severe droughts are likely to become more frequent in the amazon as a result of global warming, putting further strain on the rainforest - bbc

what’s eating lake erie? - by surface area, the great lakes comprise the largest body of fresh water in the world. but for the past few years a green toxic algae has been blooming in one of the great lakes - lake erie. scientists now say it's just one of a number of toxic algae threatening the lake - living on earth

altered shoreline raises future risk. - a sea wall to hold back the rising waters of puget sound could be the next major alteration in the long history of olympia’s changing downtown shoreline. - olympia olympian

call for scotland to ditch its 'addiction' to oil and coal. - jonathon porritt, a former high-level government adviser and a star of the environment world, has condemned the scottish government for backing new oil and coal developments which will produce huge amounts of climate pollution - glasgow herald

fears for nuclear safety on clyde as mod emergency centre faces closure. - fears are growing for the future of a nuclear emergency co-ordination centre in scotland that helps deal with the aftermath of submarine accidents such as that off the isle of skye on friday. - glasgow herald

'overpopulation of tehran will cause ecological ruin.' - tehran’s population is several times higher than its ecological capacity, resulting in ailments to residents from pollution, an environmental consultant warned. tehran has an ecological capacity for three million residents but now about ten million people are living in the metropolis, he warned - tehran times

syncrude to pay $3m in penalties for dead ducks. - syncrude canada will have to pay a total of $3 million in penalties for causing the deaths of 1,600 ducks in a tailings pond at its northern alberta oilsands mine - canadian press

cost of drinking water going up. - central 0hio residents will pay more for their cities to remove pollutants from their drinking water. new health standards from the u.s. environmental protection agency that take effect in 2012 and 2013 call for tighter limits on two types of water contaminants that build up in water mains and pipes - columbus dispatch

Labels: canada, climate change, drought, environment, farmers, global warming, haiti, mexico, military, ocean, water

for those pesky little stories that the corporate media wasn't talking about this morning on the bleach blonded bobble headed shows....

the colorado river runs dry. - dams, irrigation and now climate change have drastically reduced the once-mighty river. is it a sign of things to come? the river has been running especially low for the past decade, as drought has gripped the southwest. could climate change reduce the flow another 20%? - smithsonian magazine

amazon drought emergency widens. - brazil has adopted emergency measures to deal with one of the amazon region's worst droughts in decades. a state of emergency has been declared in 25 towns as key waterways and rivers are left completely parched, the amazonas state government said on saturday - al jazeera

asia facing worsening water crisis: adb. - asia is facing a worsening water crisis that threatens to curtail food production while taking an increasingly heavy toll on the region's economies, the asian development bank said tuesday - afp

poison in the water. - bowen in north queensland is still in shock over the destruction of millions of dollars worth of contaminated tomatoes. a single criminal act has raised concerns about food security and higher prices for consumers - australia abc

epa faulted for not disclosing coal ash's recycling risks. - the environmental protection agency's inspector general reported this week that the epa had improperly used an official website to promote ways of recycling the waste that's left over when power plants burn coal, commonly known as coal ash - mcclatchy

synthetic chemicals pose growing threat to global water supply. - synthetic chemicals that damage the human reproductive system are creeping into the world's water supply. scientists say the chemicals, once waterborne, can quickly spread throughout the globe - deutsche welle

big oil u. - it's no secret that big oil wields a lot of power in washington. but oil giants are also spending big on campus, too—to the tune of $880 million. in the past decade, oil companies gave millions to support energy research at ten of the top american universities—producing "potentially compromised" research, the center for american progress argues - mother jones

canada declares bpa toxic. is the us next? - bisphenol-a has become a litmus test for how people view environmental health and the risks of common household chemicals. canada has already banned bpa in baby bottles, and this new listing will likely bring an end to food-related uses for bpa, in bottles and possibly cans as well - time magazine

digital publishing not only saves trees – it impacts a whole chain of unsustainable practices. - 30 million trees are cut down annually for virgin paper used for the production of books sold in the u.s. alone - toronto sun

Labels: books, canada, chemicals, climate change, dc, drought, epa, global warming, oil, pollution, rivers, sustainable, toxins, water

another round of stories that the sunday talking head shows dare not speaketh the name.

environment key to u.s. security: congress briefing. - environmental degradation and waning natural resources threaten u.s. security in the 21st century, in a shift from "kinetic" security threats, defense experts told a capitol hill briefing wednesday - reuters

feds establish downtown bunker to build criminal, civil cases against bp in gulf oil spill. - a team of federal prosecutors have begun to quietly build a complex series of criminal and civil cases stemming from the BP oil spill - nola times picayune

the disturbing truth about cellphones. - u.s. public-health advocate and epidemiologist devra davis takes a close look at the science of cellphones in her new book, disconnect, and discovers that while researchers haven't yet found a definitive answer, there are chilling clues that these ubiquitous devices are far from benign. - toronto globe and mail

gm food battle moves to fish as super-salmon nears us approval. - consumer groups fear a green light for engineered species will bring environmental disaster to the oceans - london observer

industry, regulators ignored coal-dust meters. - coal dust is highly explosive, and can turn what might be minor ignitions of methane gas in underground mines into massive blasts. federal and state investigators believe that's exactly what happened when a huge explosion ripped through the upper big branch mine, causing the worst u.s. coal-mining disaster in 40 years - charleston gazette

firefly spotters wonder if the species is fading away. - there's something special about a warm summer night at dusk, around a campfire or under the stars in the backyard, when the darkness is suddenly illuminated by bright, fast flashes of light. but are fireflies -- and the memories they inspire -- fading away forever? - toronoto ctv

political environment: earth put on the back burner. - not too long ago it was being called “the century’s defining issue.” Now it’s not even the issue of the year — in an election year, no less. climate change has been trumped by the recession, of course, and there are other reasons why it has fallen out of the public spotlight. - burlington free press

biologist tracks walruses forced ashore as ice melts. - earlier this month, tens of thousands of walruses crowded onto a sandy stretch of beach on alaska's northwest coast. the animals were forced to swim to shore after the arctic sea ice they usually live on disappeared from the chukchi sea - alaska public radio network

making money from a low carbon footprint. - next week’s scottish low carbon investment conference, which brings together what the renewables industry group boss niall stuart calls “all parts of the jigsaw,” is the most internationally visible display to date of the scottish government’s goal of making scotland the green powerhouse of europe - glasgow herald

alexander helps generate buzz for electric cars. - efforts by tennessee politicians, including republican sen. lamar alexander, and business leaders to promote widespread use of electric vehicles have enjoyed a few new jolts of power recently - nashville tenneseean

local and organic through foraging. - one los angeles chef decided to take organic and local to another level by having customers bring fruits and vegetables from their backyards to put in the restaurants dishes. the county intervened, but the restaurant figured out a way to get its customers involved with the menu again. - marketplace

nj lawmakers pushing solar mandate for new schools. - of all the places to plant a crop of solar panels, few are better than the roof of a school. therefore, nj legislators are pushing a bill that would prohibit the commissioner of education from approving construction of any new school unless plans include solar panels - philadelphia inquirer

houstonians plant 'victory garden' to help the environment. - in an effort to make downtown green and boost the local economy, houston teamed up with several groups, including urban harvest and keep houston beautiful, to build vegetable, fruit and herb gardens at tranquility park near city hall - houston chronicle

a source of sea-level rise to rival glaciers. - melting glaciers aren't the only reason coastal cities need to worry about sea-level rise. agriculture is pumping groundwater for irrigation at such a rate that the runoff equals the contribution from melting of glaciers and ice caps outside of greenland and antarctica, scientists report - daily climate

jellyfish invade inner harbor. - the inner harbor's no place to swim anyway, but now you can add another reason not to go in the water downtown: jellyfish. scientists said the lack of rainfall this summer likely triggered the harbor invasion by making the water here just salty enough to attract them. it's been abnormally dry on both sides of chesapeake bay. - baltimore sun

a slight chance of rain: dealing with drought again. - the ongoing water war between alabama, florida and georgia is just one aspect of a regional problem that must be addressed regionally - anniston star

‘frack’ water scrutinized in drought conditions. - as municipal water suppliers request customers to reduce their water consumption because of a state drought warning, some are asking, shouldn’t natural gas drillers do the same? the hydraulic fracturing process used to extract gas from shale uses large quantities of water - wilkes barre

climate change could spell disaster for national parks. - national parks are slowly being done in by global warming, so much so that experts believe joshua trees, glaciers and other scenic wonders may not last the century. the risk is such that park managers have declared global warming "the greatest threat" to the integrity of the park system that the nation has ever faced. - miller mccune

Labels: alaska, animals, bp, cars, climate change, congress, drought, ecology, energy, environment, food, global warming, gm, new jersey, oil, organic, restaurants, scotland, water

those pesky stories that don't get to the front pages...and if they do, they fall below the fold.

9/11's forgotten victims: 'we're living in a toxic time bomb.' - far more people are likely to die from the effects of 9/11's toxic dust cloud than were killed in the attack itself. the victims include office workers, shopkeepers, local residents... but the worst-affected are the 'responders.' - london daily mail

slowly, green chemistry is transforming how we make stuff. - green chemistry is a new trend moving through industry. it is the process of changing how we make stuff by using ingredients that are sustainably made, processes that generate the smallest amount of waste and packaging that requires the least amount of material - racine journal times

klamath basin's water worries extend to wells. - since 2001, the government has paid some basin farmers to irrigate with well water when the weather turns dry. but this year's pumping, roughly double previous highs, shows the limits of that strategy for resolving oregon's most politically fraught water war. - portland oregonian

decoster took control of egg operation after state ban. - state regulators in 2001 reluctantly issued a permit for a wright county chicken operation now linked to a nationwide salmonella scare and egg recall because they could not prove that troubled livestock businessman austin "jack" decoster was behind the project. but he was. - des moines register

copper in brake pads out to protect water, fish. - a ground-breaking compromise to greatly reduce the amount of copper used in vehicle brake pads has been reached — a welcome relief to san diego regional water-quality officials staring at the threat of heavy fines for having elevated levels of the toxic material washing into watersheds and bays. - san diego tribune

are cash register receipts poisoning you? - the next plastic water bottle you buy won’t have bpa in it, but the receipt might. a series of recent studies has found high levels of the toxin in an unlikely but ubiquitous place: cash register receipts. one study found that touching a receipt for five seconds wiped off up to 23 micrograms of bpa. - ottawa citizen

tasmania's climate change hit list. - a new report shows alpine regions and coastal areas will be tasmania's first casualties of climate change. - sydney abc news

wyoming congressmen 'floating in oil'. - oil change international has launched a website that claims oil industry contributions may influence the voting record of wyoming's u.s. senators - cheyenne tribune eagle

sir bill gammell is leading an oil rush into one of the world's most pristine environments and greenpeace is determined to stop him. - where oil companies see a rich new seam of profit and energy, environmentalists look at the spectacularly inhospitable conditions in "iceberg alley" and see an accident waiting to happen. - edinburgh scotsman

and then...there's katrina.

five ways new orleans is still struggling after katrina, - newly elected new orleans mayor mitch landrieu recently marked his first one hundred days in office by announcing one hundred katrina recovery projects. here are five critical areas of public policy which may determine whether new orleans has a successful recovery by 2015 - christian science monitor

after katrina, new orleans housing goes green. - conservation was never a top priority in new orleans, but katrina changed that. the city is now an incubator for new home building featuring natural resources and sustainable architecture - christian science monitor

five years after katrina, new orleans still caught between storms. - rebuilding efforts have turned new orleans into a hopeful start-up city, but troubling new - and old - problems abound. as one activist put it, new orleans is always going to be between storms. - latte times

katrina still hurts. - the $143 billion federal recovery effort for the new orleans region, wrecked by hurricane katrina five years ago, has produced spotty successes and lingering failures. help still hasn't reached enough of the victims. obama promised to do better; people are waiting. - philadelphia inquirer

rebuilding a community hit with disaster. - i'm overwhelmed with emotion when i see the conditions in new orleans five years later. there is no reason that such a richly cultured city in one of the world's wealthiest nations should still be in such disrepair. we must unite and put pressure on the powers that be to rebuild and put people back to work. - chicago tribune

bye-bye bayou. - katrina took their homes. bp’s spill took their jobs. and coastal erosion is taking the very land their ancestors called home for centuries. but the tiny, native american community of grand bayou village is determined to hang on. - living on earth

the legacy of katrina’s kids. - children who survived the storm are at increased risk to suffer mental-health issues today. how their plight is reshaping disaster planning. - newsweek

long term gulf restoration. - the gulf region faces a laundry list of environmental problems, from coastal erosion to oil cleanup. president obama recently selected the secretary of the navy, ray mabus, to come up with a long-term gulf restoration plan. mabus says this administration's commitment to the gulf will be judged by results. - living on earth

green living in new orleans. - the lower ninth ward of new orleans was destroyed during hurricane katrina. now, with the help of the brad pitt-backed organization make it right, some residents are trickling back into their old neighborhoods to live in newly built houses - living on earth

Labels: 9/11, chemicals, climate change, drought, environment, food safety, global warming, hurricane, katrina, oil, toxins, water

abbreviated version today...as i am running "way" late.

wildfire smoke forces hospitals, merchants to lock doors. - smoke from wildfires wreaked havoc across british columbia on thursday, forcing hospitals to lock their doors and merchants to shutter their shops. - toronto globe and mail

smoke from b.c. choking eastern provinces, damaging air quality. - clouds of stinking smoke from b.c. forest fires covered much of western canada on friday, reducing visibility and sparking air-quality advisories - vancouver sun

scientists simulate terror attack on us subway. - scientists released nontoxic gases and fluorescent particles into boston's subway tunnels on friday to study how toxic chemicals and lethal biological agents could spread through the nation's oldest subway system in a terrorist attack - ap

kremlin official warns on russian water purity. - russia's lax water purity standards and wasteful use of water pose a threat to national security, the head of president dmitry medvedev's security council said in remarks published on thursday - reuters

on the frontline of climate change. - irrigated by one of the world's mightiest river systems, the murray-darling basin yields nearly half of australia's fresh produce. but the basin is ailing, and scientists fear that as climate change grips the driest inhabited continent, its main foodbowl could become a global warming ground zero - london independent

shell, basf to appeal ruling on pollution in brazil. - royal dutch shell and german chemicals maker basf plan to appeal a first instance brazilian court ruling on health injuries related to soil and ground water pollution at a former pesticide plant in paulinia - reuters

"snot otter" sperm to save giant salamander? - it may be a shot in the dark, but freezing sperm is one of the last chances to save the hellbender, north america's biggest salamander, conservationists say. the reasons for their decline is unknown, but contaminants such as pesticides are likely harming the creatures via their highly permeable skin, experts say - national geographic news

state, feds moving to require cleanup of chicago river for recreation. - in virtually every other city in the nation, it would be illegal to pump out partially treated sewage teeming with the amount of disease-causing bacteria that churns endlessly into the chicago river - chicago tribune

now atlantic is found to have huge 'garbage patch.' - a huge expanse of floating plastic debris has been documented for the first time in the north atlantic ocean. the size of the affected area rivals the "great pacific garbage patch" in the world's other great ocean basin - london independent

Labels: animals, brush fires, canada, chicago, climate change, environment, global warming, ocean, oil, pollution, rivers, russia, water

'cuz you know they won't be talking about these on the talking heads shows...even christiane's.

railroads' guarded secret: not even hazmat teams are told what's on train. - trains carrying deadly chemicals rumble through our backyards every day, but railroad companies hauling them refuse to publicly disclose exactly what those substances are, or how often they travel through the area. ...local emergency workers, who would respond to a leak, spill or fire, have no knowledge of what's being transported on those cars until an accident happens.- elmira star gazette

states struggle to curb pollution by cruise ships. - in a single day, the epa estimates, passengers aboard a typical cruise ship will generate 21,000 gallons of sewage, one ton of garbage, 170,000 gallons of wastewater, and more than 25 pounds of batteries, fluorescent lights, medical wastes and expired chemicals - investigate west

doubts raised about future of gas drilling in many pa parks. - the breathtaking drop from the heights above loyalsock creek that gave worlds end state park its name might also be one of the few things that can save the popular camping, hiking and fishing destination in sullivan county from being the site of marcellus shale natural gas wells - scranton times tribune

decades-old jet fuel spill sparks water contamination fears in south bibb county. - a soil and groundwater cleanup at the site of a 30-year-old jet fuel spill in south bibb county has alerted neighbors for the first time to the water contamination in their community - macon telegraph

in the dark about white-nose syndrome. - all six of vermont’s cave-dwelling bat species have been attacked by white-nose syndrome. if the spread of white-nose continues, the u.s. geological survey projects that 25 species of hibernating bats in the united states could be in deep trouble, with several headed for extinction - barre montpelier times argus

heat records broken in 17 countries so far this year. - this year is a little more than half over, and already it is one for the climate record books. the number of countries that have set new national records for the warmest temperature recorded — 17 — would beat the old record of 14, provided that all of the new records are verified. - climate central

short circuit looms in minnesota's promising wind energy industry. - dan juhl, founder of juhl wind and a pioneer in minnesota's wind industry, needed to vent. his industry, which enjoyed record growth last year, is in danger of becoming becalmed due to congressional inaction. - st. paul pioneer express

dalai lama sounds alarm over global warming amid floods. - the dalai lama said global warming could be to blame for devastating flooding and mudslides across asia as he offered prayers on saturday for victims of the disasters - afp

russian wildfires threaten with radioactive smoke. - environmentalists warned this week that wildfires in russia were burning forests near chernobyl, sending radioactive smoke downwind. russian officials immediately denied that anyone was in danger, but a group of international scientists has been studying the risks and says the danger is real - npr

fires threaten russian nuclear site as smog returns. - amid the worst ever heatwave in its history, russia has for days battled to cut back hundreds of blazes across the country, including flames in a nature reserve near its top nuclear research centre in sarov, a town still closed to foreigners as in soviet times - afp

walkers send not-too-warm message to pollies on climate. - thousands of supporters of the annual walk against warming have wound their way through the streets of brisbane in a stark reminder that tackling climate change remains a key issue for the 2010 federal election. - brisbane times

cloned beef causing uproar in britain traced to wisconsin cow. - beef from a cloned cow from wisconsin is causing concern in britain even though the u.s. food and drug administration considers such beef safe, and doesn't regulate milk or meat from offspring of cloned animals nor require labeling - wilwaukee journal sentinal

paris becoming perfect place to pedal. - three years after launching a widely copied bike rental scheme, paris is stepping up efforts to turn itself into a bicycle-friendly capital on a par with cycling havens like amsterdam and berlin - reuters

former dollar tree employee sues for violation of fmla. - dollar tree inc. fired a merrimack man who managed some 16 stores in new england partly in retaliation for trying to protect the public from chinese merchandise contaminated with heavy metals like lead, according to a lawsuit that moved to federal court last week - new hampshire business review

bp oil claims: 'takes too long to get anything done'. - the press-register is following the experiences of oil spill victims seeking damage claims from bp - mobile press register

gov. bob riley, attorney general troy king trade jabs over bp lawsuits. -as attorney general troy kiing moves forward with litigation against bp, gov. bob riley is seeking to limit king's negotiating power in the landmark case - mobile press register

plan for canada-texas pipeline scrutinized. - a proposed pipeline that would ferry canadian crude oil to texas refineries has run afoul of the recharged federal push to protect minorities and the poor from an overburden of pollution - barre montpelier times argus

china mudslides were predicted 13 years ago. - thirteen years ago two chinese scientists published a paper warning that following “the destruction of the eco-system” in zhouqu, “a rainstorm will carry debris down the gully, destroying farmland, houses, roads, bridges, water facilities, and power systems and causing death and injury.” - christian science monitor

moscow 'hiding heatstroke cases' after death rate jumps. - doctors in moscow are being told not to diagnose heatstroke as a cause of death after a jump in the mortality rate during the heatwave, russia media say - bbc

lake mead's water level plunges as 11-year drought lingers. - lake mead, the enormous reservoir of colorado river water that hydrates arizona, nevada, california and northern mexico, is receding to a level not seen since it was first being filled in the 1930s, stoking existential fears about water supply in the parched southwest - greenwire

u.n. warns of second wave of pakistani flood deaths. - the united nations appealed on wednesday for $459 million in aid for flood-hit pakistan, warning of a second wave of death among sick, hungry survivors unless help arrived quickly - reuters

atrazine threatens public health like another agent orange. -when enough doctors and scientists came together and pored over mountains of studies not considered important by the epa, they discovered that agent orange was responsible for a wide variety of serious health conditions. this time the culprit has a new name: atrazine. - eureka times standard

massive damage to mangroves from mumbai oil spill. - the oil spill from msc chitra has caused massive damage to the 25-kilometer stretch of mangroves in and around the city, maharashtra environment secretary valsa nair singh said on friday - hindu india

Labels: alabama, bp, brush fires, canada, china, climate change, disasters, drilling, energy, gas, global warming, india, nuclear power, pollution, russia, texas, toxins, vermont, water

more stories that you won't hear about on the talking head shows this morning

oil spill dispersants shifting ecosystem impacts in gulf, scientists warn. - a seemingly feel-good story showed up this week on the nation's front pages and newscasts: the oil that befouled the gulf of mexico for 86 days is vanishing from the surface, leaving workers with little to clean. but scientists warn the oil's ecological impacts are shifting, not ebbing. - greenwire

global warming signs unmistakable, report says. - a new report by 300 scientists has flagged the past decade as the hottest on record and compiled 10 "unmistakable" indicators that the world is getting warmer. - cbc canada

restoring the paradise that saddam destroyed. - saddam hussein drained the unique wetlands of southern iraq as a punishment to the region's marsh arabs who had backed an uprising. two decades later, one courageous us iraqi is leading efforts to restore the marshes. not even exploding bombs can deter him from his dream - der spiegel

this just in: the earth is warming! - the evidence of a warming planet has been around about 20 years now, and despite what you hear from some quarters about global cooling, that evidence has continued to strengthen. - time magazine

making waste pay as methane project close to ok. - thousands of tons of methane billowing out from the county's landfill each year is now burned into oblivion, but could instead generate enough electricity to heat more than 4,700 homes - annapolis capital

radioactive boars on the rise. - as germany's wild boar population has skyrocketed in recent years, so too has the number of animals contaminated by radioactivity left over from the chernobyl nuclear meltdown. - der spiegel

three decades later, effects of ibm spill linger in endicott.- the chemical spill first discovered at the ibm facility more than 30 years ago continues to have a massive effect on the community the computer giant once helped build. there is no end in sight. the lawsuits, cleanup and occupational study are all years away from any kind of closure. - gannett news service

herbicide-tainted manure wilts organic crops across whatcom county.- whatcom county organic farmers and gardeners are reporting severe crop damage that appears to be linked to herbicide contamination in the manure and compost they obtain from non-organic farms and dairies for use as natural fertilizer. - bellingham herald

oil spill victims file class-action lawsuit.- gloria volstromer went to a hospital emergency room saturday afternoon with a rash, a headache and an upset stomach -- all symptoms of overexposure to benzene. now, gloria and her husband eugene are suing enbridge inc., the company responsible for last week's oil spill. - battle creek inquirer

oysters a sign of trouble from puget sound acidity.- pacific oysters in the wild on washington's coast haven't reproduced in six seasons. scientists suspect ocean-chemistry changes linked to the fossil-fuel emissions that cause global warming are helping kill these juvenile shellfish - seattle times

slime to sublime. - "green energy" is a buzz phrase heard a lot these days, but if one state legislator has his way, pennsylvania may soon become the capital of energy that is really green — as in algae. - pottstown mercury

what's happening to bird species? - a new study has provided new evidence that global warming is having a serious effect on natural systems, including the northward and inland movements of north american birds. - fond du lac reporter

farmers in denmark adjust to livestock antibiotic ban. - denmark is to hogs in europe what iowa is in the united states. so the danes can provide lessons for u.s. farmers and the obama administration when it comes to restricting the use of antibiotics on hog farms. - de moines register

floods in china: gushing. - many parts of china have been enduring the worst floods in years, but it is the flood-prone yangzi river that is causing most concern. with the downpours has come an unusual sprinkling of doubts about the ability of the colossal three gorges dam to keep the river in check - economist

u.s. house approves oil spill reform bill. - the us house of representatives on friday approved the toughest reforms ever to offshore energy drilling practices, as democrats narrowly pushed through an election-year response to bp's massive oil spill in the gulf of mexico. - reuters

uranium, not kryptonite, worries superman's hometown. - uranium, not kryptonite, has residents of superman's hometown on edge these days. the uranium can be found at the Honeywell plant, located just west of town and, as is frequently pointed out these days, just upwind. - st. louis post dispatch

gulf of mexico oil spill is just the latest blow for delacroix. - just outside the city, within earshot of the vocal crusade to save new orleans' culture after hurricane katrina, communities that were the hub of a unique wetlands culture for 200 years have quietly been slipping into history. - new orleans times picayune

alaskan fishery collapse holds important message for gulf. - the sudden and complete crash of the herring population in the wake of the exxon valdez spill holds a powerful lesson for the scientists and regulators charged with reopening the gulf of mexico's fisheries, according to two scientists who have studied the phenomenon. - mobile press register

big oil's pr machine takes a hit over celeb-backed greenwash.- the organisation behind the "be the one" video was not some cuddly-sounding environmental group, it was one that was funded by major oil companies. - london independent

leaking wellhead in bayou st. denis could be closed sunday. -officials on saturday began moving equipment into place to close a leaking oil wellhead in bayou st. denis in lower jefferson parish as soon as today. - new orleans times picayune

Labels: birds, bp, china, climate change, energy, fish, global warming, gulf coast, iraq, lawsuits, louisiana, new orleans, ocean, oil, washington

we, as a species...no matter what car you are driving or what gated community you live in...are so "pooched."

the microscopic plants that form the foundation of the ocean's food web are declining, reports a study published july 29 in nature.

the tiny organisms, known as phytoplankton, also gobble up carbon dioxide to produce half the world's oxygen output—equaling that of trees and plants on land.

....."phytoplankton productivity is the base of the food web, and all life in the sea depends on it."- scientific american

Labels: climate change, food, global warming, ocean

yep. for those pesky little stories that won't be talked about on the talking head shows this morning.

the other oil spill. -the gusher in the gulf isn't the only "oil" fouling the sea. plastic trash, which is also petroleum-based, is plaguing the world's oceans in record amounts. most of us have heard of the great pacific garbage patch - but the north pacific isn't the only ocean with a plastic problem. - living on earth

failed safety device on deepwater horizon rig was modified in china. - the blow-out preventer – a crucial piece of the deepwater horizon rig's safety equipment – was overhauled in china at bp's request rather than in the us - london observer

joe the plumber (not that one) says he helped stop gulf oil spill leak. - a kansas man says he's the 'mystery plumber' who influenced the bp containment cap design that stopped the gulf oil spill leak. bp says joe caldart's sketch may have been one of many it's used. -christian science monitor

prozac pollution making shrimp reckless. - there's no happy ending for shrimp exposed to the mood-booster prozac, according to a new study. remnants of antidepressant drugs flushed into waterways worldwide are altering shrimp behavior and making them easier prey, experts say. - national geographic news

global temperatures rise to record levels. - the world is enduring the hottest year on record, according to a us national weather analysis, causing droughts worldwide and a concern for us farmers counting on another bumper year - reuters

sea-level rise will be worse for some, we just don’t know who. - the fact that oceans will rise in a warming world is well established, but depending on how wind patterns change, climate change could mean quick inundation or more beach space for different coastlines - wired

the flying prius. - the future of the passenger jet may look surprisingly like a larger version of the hybrid automobile. - newsweek

alaskan glacier detaches itself from seafloor, goes rogue. - an alaskan glacier has lost its footing with the seafloor and is floating in the ocean, new first-of-their-kind observations show. - christian science monitor

sunk in the easy cushion of habit. - plenty of us feel a bit of guilt but don't alter our behavior because it isn't convenient. we guzzle electricity as if it arrived by magic, not from polluting coal plants. and not even the massive disaster in the gulf, caused by our national thirst for oil, has made most of us change our ways. - charlotte observer

blumenauer demands that pentagon explain pentagon immunity deal. - u.s.. rep. earl blumenauer is demanding that the pentagon explain how war contractor kellogg, brown and root may have been granted immunity from harming any soldier or civilian in iraq. - portland oregonian

drought is bad news for anglers in scotland. - the worst summer drought in more than 30 years has dried up some of scotland's top salmon rivers, leading to unusually low catches and fish found with bellies rubbed raw by gravel - edinburgh scotsmans

which infant formulas contain secret toxic chemicals? - even though artificial human milk is regulated by the fda, researchers from the cdc found last year that a thyroid-affecting chemical used in rocket fuel contaminates 15 brands of powdered infant formula, including two that accounted for 87 percent of market share in 2000 - mother jones

hydrocarbons in cereal stoke new debate over food safety. - when kellogg co. pulled about 28 million cereal boxes from store shelves last month, the company said only that an "off-flavor and smell" could cause nausea and diarrhea. but the culprit behind the recall is a class of chemicals now making news in the gulf of mexico: hydrocarbons, a byproduct of oil - greenwire

Labels: alaska, bp, china, climate change, congress, drought, environment, fish, food safety, global warming, offshore drilling, oil, pentagon, toxins

for those pesky stories you probably won't see on the talking head shows this morning...or above the fold on the front page.

climate change is a hot issue in san luis obispo county. - san luis obispo county is emerging as a state leader in the effort to prepare for the effects of global climate change - san luis tribune

churches, nonprofits fight for survival in face of gulf of mexico oil spill. - god only knows what will happen to churches and other nonprofit organizations who say they are struggling for survival because of the gulf oil spill crisis. - ap

bacteria follow rainwater to lake michigan: when e. coli levels spike, swimmers can be at risk. - heavy rains that drenched southwest michigan last weekend acted like a giant liquid broom, officials said, sweeping surface contamination from a number of sources into tributaries and lake michigan itself - kalamazoo gazette

biologist warns of danger from rising sea levels. -peter ward paints a pretty bleak picture of how life on this planet will begin to change dramatically- as early as 2050- as sea levels continue to rise. - all things considered

photographer detained briefly by bp and local police. - a photographer taking pictures for propublica's collaboration with frontline (pbs) investigating the bp oil spill in the gulf of mexico, was detained friday while shooting pictures in texas city, texas. - propublica

low-oxygen dead zone found on seafloor off alabama coast. - recent testing by the press-register indicates that a low-oxygen dead zone is hugging the seafloor in places along the alabama coast, with levels far below the threshold required to support life. - mobile press register

apocalypse now ... niger delta’s oil exploitation tragedy. - the delta of the 2,600-mile-long niger river is one of the richest sources of oil on the planet. it has also been dubbed the world capital of pollution with thousands of recorded oil leaks in recent decades amounting to at least 15 million barrels spilled, according to best estimates. - glasgow herald

obama announces abound solar growth. - northern colorado's abound solar will receive a $400 million federal loan guarantee that will allow the company to expand its manufacturing of thin-film solar panels and create thousands of jobs in northern colorado and indiana, president barack obama announced this morning in his weekly broadcast address - fort collins coloradoan

michael grätzel: give people access to cheap solar power. - michael grätzel is a man with a mission. as the inventor of a low-cost solar cell, he wants to help the world avoid an energy crisis by harnessing the power of the sun - london observer

report: oceans' deteriorating health nearing 'irreversible.' - a sobering new report warns that oceans face a "fundamental and irreversible ecological transformation" not seen in millions of years - mcclatchy

cuccinelli leads challenge to epa finding on warming. - days after taking office, virginia attorney general ken cuccinelli filed a legal challenge to the environmental protection agency's finding that global warming poses a threat to people. a dozen other states have since joined the lawsuit - richmond times dispatch

deadly fungus threatens global wheat crop. - scientists have successfully fought plant diseases over the years, reducing crop failures that had pushed up food commodity prices and triggered hunger. but the accomplishments have led to complacency. the result? old diseases are back and the world’s agriculture is ill prepared. - london financial times

voracious tree-eating beetles invade italy. - the relatively large red palm weevil of asia arrived in southern italy about five years ago. conservationists are calling the tree-eating beetle infestation a national emergency - christian science monitor

tibetan environmentalist jailed for 5 years. - a chinese court sentenced a tibetan environmentalist who organized villagers to pick up litter and plant trees to five years in jail for inciting to split the nation on saturday, his lawyer said - reuters

firm trying to tell bp it can help gulf cleanup. - an alachua company says it has created an environmentally safe product that can remove oil from the gulf shoreline - that is, if scientists from the company could get bp officials to respond to e-mails and phone messages. earth, wind and fire technologies' denexol can break down oil, company officials say. - gainesville sun

Labels: bp, california, climate change, colorado, ecology, energy, environment, global warming, ocean, oil, science, solar

you might wonder why i haven't been mentioning the gulf disaster in my usual sunday environmental roundups. well, i think the "story" has caught the corporate media's imagination and they are all over it 24/7 with live "breaking news" events, etc. visuals + drama = good tv. the fact is, however, that no matter the deluge of coverage the bp eco-disaster is receiving, no one (or no one that i have heard) is asking the tough questions.

• why aren't we working on energy efficiency?
• why aren't we talking about our infrastructure's dependency upon oil?
• why are we so dependent upon the ooey gooey stuff?
• where are the "drill baby, drill" folks now?
• why is offshore drilling here in the u.s. not ok for the u.s. environmentalists but they are silent when the drilling is offshore in other countries? shouldn't we be concerned about their environment too?
• how much oil is required to ship food all over the united states?
• why is bp more powerful than the u.s?
• why are activists arrested but oil company executives are not?
• why aren't people being questioned about what they would be willing to give up to lessen our country's dependency upon oil?

here in santa barbara i have been working on the campaign of das williams for state assembly. he has been, for years, asking some of these hard questions. he, himself, has given up some things to lesson his own oil need "footprint." he knows that we can't just shut down oil platforms "willy-nilly" but have to make plans to do so, safely. he has been working on alternative energy projects and on alternative transportation solutions. his opponent in the race, our current assembly member's wife, is slimming him with outrageous fliers and phone banking lies, especially in regards to santa barbara's history of oil spillage disaster. so, i guess another reason why i am not doing stories on the gulf oil gusher devastation is that i am in the middle of reliving the santa barbara's oily horror of 1969.

so...some homework for skippy readers. ask yourselves how much oil do you require in your daily lives? how will you wean yourselves from your dependency? and, most importantly, are you helping to get environmentally conscious politicians elected?

anyway...while the corporate media is fixated on the visuals of the oily underwater volcano of destruction, there are other stories of the environmental ilk. so...without further adieu.

is our demand for cheap food putting our health at risk? - at least 12 major diseases, which between them cause millions of people to suffer and tens of thousands to die around the world, can be blamed on factory farming, they claim. these include swine flu, bird flu, salmonella, e-coli and mad cow disease. - glasgow herald

relief as rains finally ease up. - the rain has stopped falling in flood stricken otago and hawkes bay, but the regions face a big, expensive cleanup and thousands of residents are on emergency water supply because many rural supplies have been shut down for fear of contamination by polluted floodwater - auckland new zealand herald

tainted chinese drywall concerns went unreported for two years. - a leading east coast homebuilder learned four years ago that the chinese-manufactured drywall it had installed in several florida homes was emitting foul odors, according to documents obtained by propublica and the sarasota herald-tribune. - propublica

west-side farmers clear water hurdle. - despite activist opposition, west valley farmers have cleared a key hurdle for a decadelong extension on the deadline to clean up tainted irrigation drainage going into the san joaquin river. - fresno bee

a special report on water: making farmers matter. - of all the activities that need water, far and away the thirstiest is farming - economist

a special report on water: enough is not enough. - if water has the capacity to enhance life, its absence has the capacity to make it miserable. water can dominate if not destroy lives, especially in poor countries. patients with water-related diseases fill half the hospital beds in the poorest countries, and dirty water and poor sanitation kill 5,000 children a day. - economist

gulf states face food crisis. - as populations expand while the amount of farmland and water supply shrinks, resource wars are expected to erupt across the middle east and africa in the decades ahead. - upi

split enviro groups ready to rumble over $11B water-bond referendum in california. - california environmental groups are split over whether to support an $11 billion water bond on the november ballot, setting up a family feud between activists who usually stand shoulder-to-shoulder against corporate interests. - greenwire

north-west england 'could reach drought status in weeks.' - much of northern england faces a drought within weeks, according to new figures published this week. the combination of recent high temperatures, one of the sunniest aprils in a century and five months of below-average rainfall is the reason, the environment agency said. - the guardian

melt zone. - greenland's meltwater lakes, formed atop its glaciers as they melt, are prone to draining unexpectedly and quickly. scientists have documented the draining of a two-square mile lake- more than 11 billion gallons of water- in just 84 minutes, flowing faster than niagara falls. - national geographic

china-india water shortage means coca-cola joins intel in fight. - many in india and china face a daily struggle with tainted or inadequate water. it also is pitting water-intensive businesses such as intel corp.’s china unit and bottling plants of coca-cola co. against growing urban use and the 1.6 billion people in china and india who rely on farming for a living - bloomberg

transcanada oil pipeline nearly ready for crude to flow to u.s. - a major oil pipeline between canada and the u.s. seemed like a pretty good idea five years ago. crude oil prices were rising as global demand increased dramatically. - st. louis post dispatch

maldives president calls for direct action over climate change. - president mohamed nasheed of the maldives told a hay festival audience that grassroots "street action" was needed to change the focus of the debate on climate change in the u.s. - the guardian

king coal and big oil are in big trouble. - the true cost of fossil fuels is getting harder to ignore. it's time to level the playing field for cleaner energy by redirecting federal energy subsidies away from coal and oil and toward renewable energy - ashville citizen times

Labels: ballots, california, climate change, energy, england, environment, farms, food, food safety, global warming, oil, public health, water

yes...there are other stories out there than the debacle in the gulf of mexico.

high lead levels hurt learning for dps kids. - more than half of the students tested in detroit public schools have a history of lead poisoning, which affects brain function for life, according to data compiled by city health and education officials.

the data also show, for the first time in detroit, a link between higher lead levels and poor academic performance. about 60% of dps students who performed below their grade level on 2008 standardized tests had elevated lead levels. - detroit free press

obesity, a chemical reaction?- studies are showing increasing evidence there may be a link between certain chemicals and obesity. a new study found overweight young girls had significantly higher levels of phthalates than the general population of children. phthalates are found in plastics and can be hormone disruptors. - latte times

30 years after mount st. helens blew, the volcano reveals its secrets. - at 8:32 a.m. may 18, 1980, a magnitude 5.1 earthquake triggered an enormous landslide. the world changed. fifty-seven people died in the eruption. devastation stretched for 230 square miles. ash circled the earth in 15 days, lowering global temperatures - portland oregonian

study links mobile phone use to brain tumours. - a major international study has found a link between mobile phone use and certain brain tumours. leading scientists have called for restrictions on children's access to mobiles. - edinburugh scotsman

lawmaker takes aim at epa rules in budget amendment. - a measure tucked into the state budget could prevent kansas from implementing dpa rules on greenhouse gases. - lawrence journal world

climate change link to lizard extinction. - climate change could wipe out 20% of the world's lizard species by 2080, according to a global-scale study. - bbc

surface mines could convert to solar. - former surface mine sites could become locations for solar power plants. - charleston gazette

scientists forecast decades of ash clouds. - the icelandic eruption that has caused misery for air travellers could be part of a surge in volcanic activity that will affect the whole of europe for decades, scientists have warned. - london times

river jordan, deep and wide once more? - jordan and israel are both building sewage treatment plants for the water that flows into the jordan river. friends of the earth warns that diverting this water for agricultural irrigation will cause the jordan to dry up by 2011 or increase its salinity, causing even more damage to the river's ecosystem - haaretz

town in search of water. - there's a sense of urgency in lexington mayor bobby mcguire's voice when he talks about efforts to find another water source for the town and its 1,000 customers - florence times daily

senators talk 'green' but votes say different. - alabama's two senators are calling for stronger protections against future oil spill disasters, but their votes on environmental issues in 2009 say something else, according to an environmental group that rates congressmen on their votes. - florence times daily

interactive map shows lead levels in detroit neighborhoods over time. - the points on the map identify the detroit public schools with the highest percentage of students with histories of lead poisoning. In these schools, 35% or more of the students have confirmed histories of high lead. - detroit free press

gulf spill impacts ecosystem services. - ecosystems like marshes and wetlands help filter water and protect land from storm surges. researchers have calculated the costs of damage from the spill in the gulf of mexico to these ecosystem services. - living on earth

nitrate remedies take time, money. - solving the groundwater problem will take imagination -- and a lot more money than the state is spending - riverside press enterprise

environment group plans to sue u.s. over oil permits. - u.s. interior secretary ken salazar improperly approved offshore oil operations in the gulf of mexico without regard to possible harm to marine mammals, an environmental group said on friday in a legal notice - reuters

mineral management service asleep at switch. - and now we know what the minerals management service does. or rather, didn't do. once again, we are in crisis because regulators didn't do their job. - scripps

silent spring water tests reveal contamination. - a study released this week by a newton breast cancer research foundation found traces of pharmaceuticals, personal care products and flame retardants, among other chemicals, in a majority of wells tested across cape cod. - cape code times

Labels: cancer, chemicals, climate change, ecology, energy, environment, epa, global warming, lead, michigan, rivers, solar, toxins

when hardball, unamerican tactics are used to gin up falsehood support, it's time to strike back...and scientists are beginning to. we need to stop the lies. stop the harrassment.

in an unusually strong attack on politically powerful deniers of global warming, 255 members of the national academy of sciences, including 32 from northern california, have charged that opponents are using "mccarthy-like tactics" against legitimate climate scientists.

...members of the academy of sciences, who are frequently called upon to advise the federal government and its agencies on scientific questions, normally debate controversial issues sedately. but with the global warming debate becoming increasingly politically charged, the scientists struck back.

"we are deeply disturbed by the recent escalation of political assaults on scientists in general and on climate scientists in particular," they said in their letter. "we call for an end to mccarthy-like threats of criminal prosecution against our colleagues based on innuendo and guilt by association, the harassment of scientists by politicians seeking distractions to avoid taking action and the outright lies being spread about them." - sfgate

go hug a scientist today....

Labels: climate change, global warming, mccarthy, politics, science

yeah...i'm late because i was blinded by that big, bad bold "wolf" moon last night. it was so huge, i thought it might have been on steroids.

aging pipes force sewage into san francisco bay. - during the storms that howled through the bay area a couple of weeks back, a total of 630,000 gallons of raw sewage spewed into the bay at 47 spots. and that was small fry, according to environmental watchdog group san francisco baykeeper. - sfgate

what's old is new again: depression-era habits help the environment. - to save the environment, we’re told to grow our own organic vegetables, shop locally, use clotheslines instead of dryers, take public transit, recycle and don’t waste. been there, done that, say survivors of the great depression of the 1930s. - burlington free press

ed miliband declares war on climate change sceptics. - the climate secretary last night warned of the danger of a public backlash against the science of global warming in the face of continuing claims that experts have manipulated data. - london observer

fill 'er up in your own driveway. - if honda has its way, your home will soon be transformed into a service station. honda has developed a solar-powered hydrogen fuelling station in the us that can be installed in your home. - sydney morning herald

drought hits quarter of a million people in china's sugar bowl. - the southern chinese sugar-producing region of guangxi is suffering from a prolonged drought which has left almost a quarter of a million people without enough drinking water, state media said on saturday - reuters

put rainwater to work. - in southern california, storms are short and water shortages are long. and yet there have been few initiatives at either the local or state level to deal with storm water. now it's time for a more comprehensive approach - torrence daily breeze

climate change to hit public health hard. - climate change will have an adverse effect on public health -- particularly that of children -- including malnutrition, waterborne diseases, cholera, skin and eye diseases, and cardiovascular diseases, environmental health experts warned at a forum on saturday. - dhaka daily star

electric cars, the sequel: with 1,000 leafs on their way to san diego county, are evs here to stay? - the potential electric car future will get a reboot in december, when a thousand new cars are scheduled to arrive in the region, supported by the beginnings of a new recharging infrastructure - san diego north county times

hong kong pollution reaches dangerous levels. - hong kong was shrouded in smog friday as pollution hit potentially hazardous levels. - taipai china post

utahns urged to take 'clean air challenge.' - with increased efforts from utahns, gov. gary herbert and other government leaders believe the state's air-quality problems could be a thing of the past. - salt lake deseret morning news

another look at atrazine. - one of the most widely used herbicides in the u.s., atrazine, is being reevaluated by the epa. some scientists say the weed killer negatively impacts the environment and human health. but atrazine’s parent company syngenta stands behind its product - living on earth

uss stops tons of benzene from entering lake. - u.s. steel gary works treated and destroyed 10,000 pounds of benzene over three months in the fall as the company worked on preventing contaminated groundwater from leaking into lake michigan. - merrillville post tribune

the eco-warrior. - president obama has appointed the most progressive epa chief in history — and she's moving swiftly to clean up the mess left by bush. - rolling stone

Labels: cars, climate change, climategate, drought, ecology, energy, environment, epa, global warming, india, obama, ocean, public health, san francisco, science, toxins, vermont, water, weather

news that might not make it to the talking heads shows this morning...nor appear on a cover for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

vets: burn pits are killing us. - the president's promise – and the military's approach – won't change a fundamental challenge with the way the government responds to its warriors' wounds. - salt lake tribune

germany's endless search for a nuclear waste dump. - germany has been looking for a permanent storage site for its nuclear waste for over 30 years. and if opponents to the plans have their way, the search might have to start again from scratch - der speigel

haiti earthquake, deforestation heighten landslide risk. - the combination of widespread deforestation and the recent earthquake in haiti could lead to more landslides in the already hard-hit country, scientists say. - national geographic

ohio lets power plants, factories ignore federal mercury limits. - since 2004, ohio has allowed 42 treatment facilities, power plants and factories to ignore federal limits on dumping mercury into lakes, rivers and streams. - columbus dispatch

fda does about-face on exposure to bpa. - the u.s. food and drug administration on friday reversed its much-criticized position on bpa safety, saying it was concerned about the chemical's effects on fetuses, infants and children - milwaukee journal sentinal

rising sea level bringing change to coastal life. - think it's tough to operate a business or invest in real estate in this economy? just wait until that sea level comes up a few more inches. - asbury park press

an ice shelf the size of rhode island breaks up in just 24 hours. - within a 24-hour space, an area of sea ice larger than the state of rhode island broke away from the ronne-filchner ice shelf and shattered into many smaller pieces. - daily green

antarctic wind farm reduces bases' reliance on diesel. - the world's southernmost wind farm has been opened in antarctica, the first in what could be a number of renewable energy projects aimed to lower the frozen continent's reliance on diesel for power - reuters

chemical bpa linked to heart disease, study confirms. - bisphenol-a, a common, human-made chemical that enters most of our bodies every day, has been linked to heart disease, a new study says - national geographic news

caribbean at risk of more large earthquakes. - earthquake experts are warning that the devastating quake that struck Haiti on Tuesday could be the first of several in the region. historical records suggest that not all the energy that has built up in the faults running through the caribbean region was released this week - new scientist

black lung striking younger miners, jay says. - after dropping for years, the number of coal miners getting black lung disease is on the rise again -- especially for miners in their 20s and 30s. - charleston gazette

california adopts first statewide green building code. - california's building commission adopted the first statewide green building code this week. environmental groups welcomed the new standards, which mandate water use reductions and waste recycling in new buildings, but were critical of its rating system - christian science monitor

lack of yukon king salmon declared disaster. - u.s. commerce secretary gary locke declared a commercial fishing disaster for yukon river king salmon friday following two years of poor runs, fishing restrictions and bans. - anchorage daily news

nasa public relations flap follows official to tva. - tva's new spokesman brought in to help rehab its credibility after the coal ash disaster was enmeshed at his previous job at nasa in a bush administration controversy in which climate change scientists said they were censored.

osr #1: industrial chemical or autism treatment? - an industrial chemical called osr#1 that was developed to help separate heavy metals from polluted soil and mining drainage is being sold as a dietary supplement by a luminary in the world of alternative autism treatments. - chicago tribune

state popular dump site for rest of u.s. - alabama is gaining a reputation as one of the best places in the nation to dump garbage. - huntsville times

arizona decides to close most state parks. - wrestling with a multibillion-dollar budget deficit, arizona decided Friday to close nearly all of its state parks. the action represents the largest closure of state parks in the nation, although several other states are considering similar moves.

Labels: climate change, ecology, environment, fda, global warming, healthcare, nuclear power, ocean, recalls, toxins, veterans

it's furry white cannibals that are the story in the 21st. a heartbreakingly, horrifying story.



'it's like a death watch'. - scientists who have been studying polar bears of western Hudson Bay believe that occurrences of cannibalism recorded this fall are more signs that climate change is taking its toll on the bears of the region. - edmonton journal

Labels: animals, climate change, environment, food, global warming

the first posting of environmental news stories for 2010. here's hoping that this year will be far more progressive than last in terms of humans slowing the rate of the planet's destruction.

concern as china clamps down on rare earth exports. - neodymium is one of 17 metals crucial to green technology. there’s only one snag – china produces 97% of the world’s supply. and they’re not selling. - london independent

mercury warning limited in south carolina. - unlike some states, south carolina has no plan to issue statewide advisories against eating freshwater fish most likely to experience mercury pollution - columbia state

start conserving water. - the coming of the new year does not seem to bring good news about the outlook on the climate that the country will experience and the water supply metro manila will have in 2010, experts at the philippine atmospheric geophysical and astronomical services administration said - tempo

hong kong's water security. - drinking water has rarely been a concern in hong kong where the supply has historically been plentiful and affordable. but a series of droughts in china, including some earlier this year, has raised concerns that hong kong’s water supply might not be as secure as first thought. - nytimes

customer revolt may threaten rollout of smart grid. - consumer backlash and cost concerns may cause delays in the nationwide rollout of "smart" utility meters at the center of the obama administration's $8 billion push to update the u.s. electricity grid - bloomberg

pope urges lifestyle changes to save environment. - pope benedict used his traditional new year address on friday to call on people to change their lifestyles to save the planet, saying environmental responsibility was essential for global peace - reuters

xhanghai dairy shut down over tainted milk products. - a shanghai dairy was shut after its products were found to contain melamine, a substance blamed for sickening hundreds of thousands in 2008 in a scandal that prompted global worries about the quality of chinese food products. - wsj

no chestnuts roasting, no fires allowed on christmas. - there were no chestnuts roasting on an open fire allowed this christmas, due to poor air quality on the holiday. - st. helena star

does whole foods’ ceo know what’s best for you? - to the extent that a child inherits or adopts a parent’s traits, whole foods is an embodiment of many of its founder, john mackey. a whole foods store, in some respects, is like mackey’s mind turned inside out. certainly, the evolution of the corporation has often traced his own as a man; it has been an incarnation of his dreams and quirks, his contradictions and trespasses, and whatever he happened to be reading and eating, or not eating. - the new yorker

ocean dumping sewage plan stirs questions in del. - when jean miller heard that rehoboth beach officials had decided to send their treated wastewater through a pipe into the ocean, it took her back to puerto escondido, mexico - asbury park press

peru's mountain people face fight for survival in a bitter winter. - communities in peru's huancavelica region face extinction because of increasingly cold conditions in their own microclimate, which may have been altered by the rapid melting of the glaciers - london oberserver

britain must produce more food, government to warn. - a soaring global population, climate change, diminishing energy sources and depleted fish stocks mean that society can no longer be complacent about its ability to feed itself, the department for environment, food and rural affairs will say - london daily telegraph

the last penguin. - loss of sea ice in antarctica has led to steep declines in adelie penguins, which are dependent upon sea ice as a feeding platform. adelie numbers on one island have dropped from 9,000 to 1,600 - the new yorker

air quality at risk. - air quality in chittenden county, vermont, is close to violating at least one federal standard designed to protect human health according to a recent report. what can residents do to prevent dirtier air as the county grows? drive less. - burlington free press

dambusterbusters. - the destruction of new orleans by katrina in 2005 showed the importance of keeping levees in tip-top condition. in practice, though, that is hard. levees fail for many reasons, and there are so many of them - 100,000 miles-worth in the us alone. so, keeping an eye on all of them is an almost impossible task - economist

nasa study confirms warmer lake tahoe water temps. - a recent nasa study showed lake Tahoe's water is warming twice as quickly as regional air temperature - truckee sierra sun

battle to save tigers intensifies with only 3,200 left on earth. - conservationists say there are just 3,200 tigers left in the world as the future of the species is threatened by poachers, destruction of their habitat and climate change - london daily telegraph

Labels: animals, california, china, climate change, drought, ecology, environment, epa, food, food shortages, global warming, katrina, ocean, religion, south america, south carolina, technology, tiger, toxins