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Hawai'i May Face Federal Prosecution Over Bird and Other Wildlife Deaths
Published May 23, 2013 - 8:01:49 AM
The Federal Government has warned the State of Hawai'i that it should either enter a plea agreement with the Department of Justice (DOJ) or face criminal prosecution, including possible jail time, in connection with the deaths of a large number of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters and other wildlife caused by the continued use of certain street lights that are attracting the wildlife and ultimately causing their deaths.
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Good News on World Turtle Day
Published May 23, 2013 - 7:33:28 AM
The Wildlife Conservation Society announced today progress in its effort to restore some of the world's most endangered turtles , an effort that combines the creation of assurance colonies at its zoos with in-country field conservation work.
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Shark Finning Loopholes Widened by Atlantic States Commission
Published May 22, 2013 - 12:48:49 PM
Conservationists are denouncing yesterday's decision by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) to ignore public concerns, advisory panel recommendations, and scientific evidence by voting to weaken an already lenient regulation on shark "finning" (slicing off a shark's fins and discarding the body at sea). The new rule more than doubles the smooth dogfish shark fin-to-carcass ratio (a difficult to enforce standard allowed only for this one species), thereby substantially increasing wiggle room for undetected finning of smooth dogfish and similar looking coastal shark species.
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Environmental groups suspend further work with Resolute Forest Products under Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement
Published May 22, 2013 - 7:17:17 AM
On the third anniversary of the signing of the historic Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement (CBFA), environmental signatories are suspending further work with Resolute Forest Products. They remain committed to continuing their work with other signatory companies to plan for protection of critical Boreal woodland caribou habitat and sustainable forest management practices.
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Coral reefs 'ruled by earthquakes and volcanoes'
Published May 22, 2013 - 7:01:07 AM
Titanic forces in the Earth's crust explain why the abundance and richness of corals varies dramatically across the vast expanse of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, a world-first study from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (CoECRS) has found.
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Study reveals how fishing gear can cause slow death of whales
Published May 21, 2013 - 8:40:41 AM
Using a "patient monitoring" device attached to a whale entangled in fishing gear, scientists showed for the first time how fishing lines changed a whale's diving and swimming behavior. The monitoring revealed how fishing gear hinders whales' ability to eat and migrate, depletes their energy as they drag gear for months or years, and can result in a slow death.
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India's Ministry of Environment and Forests Bans Dolphinariums
Published May 21, 2013 - 8:27:02 AM
In the strongest stance yet opposing the development of dolphinariums in India, the federal Ministry of Environment and Forests has issued a ban, which says "State Governments are advised to reject any such proposal" that comes forward. Humane Society International/India applauds the Ministry's action and encourages states to adhere to the policy.
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Getting to One-Planet Living
Published May 21, 2013 - 8:24:07 AM
As the world continues down the path of unmitigated and unsustainable development, it is becoming increasingly clear that we have successfully pushed ourselves out of the stable geological era of the Holocene and into the more volatile and unpredictable Anthropocene. Nevertheless, many remain blissfully unaware of this truth due to the fact that ecosystem thresholds are not always marked with warning signs of impending danger. Unfortunately, this means that we may actually pass through a tipping point unaware because it is quite possible that nothing significant will happen at first.
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Arctic tundra 'will turn to forest'
Published May 20, 2013 - 8:47:09 AM
An ice-free Arctic, the disappearance of tundra and forests up to the edge of the newly open ocean is how the north will look as the natural world reacts to the new climate caused by carbon dioxide reaching 400 parts per million (ppm) in the atmosphere, according to analysis of new lake sediments.
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Glaciers are melting slowly - but surely
Published May 20, 2013 - 7:35:25 AM
Forget, for the moment, the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets: what about all the other stuff? What kind of difference does the melting of glaciers in Scandinavia, or Alaska, or the Himalayas make to the ocean levels?
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Cracking the Ice Code
Published May 20, 2013 - 7:19:51 AM
What happened the last time a vegetated Earth shifted from an extremely cold climate to desert-like conditions? And what does it tell us about climate change today?
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Arctic Council Fails to Act on Black Carbon at Ministerial Meeting
Published May 15, 2013 - 10:22:04 AM
At the ministerial meeting today, the Arctic Council had been expected to launch talks on a legal instrument to facilitate coordinated regional action to reduce black carbon emissions. They didn't. Although the ministers have now received two detailed reports produced by the Council's own Task Force, outlining no-regrets emissions reduction opportunities that provide great climate and health benefits, they still failed to act Measures to reduce emission taken in or near the Arctic have been identified by scientists as a priority as they are more likely to accelerate melting of Arctic snow and ice.
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Fisheries deal fails to bridge gap with ambitious European Parliament
Published May 15, 2013 - 8:41:01 AM
After pulling yet another all-nighter, fisheries ministers unfortunately remained predictable with little effort being made to meet the European Parliament half way on their ambitious proposal to save fisheries in Europe.
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As Carbon Levels Approach Terrifying Milestone, Climate Study Predicts Staggering Habitat Loss for Wildlife
Published May 14, 2013 - 8:10:04 AM
As carbon levels in the atmosphere approach 400 parts per million, a new study finds that global warming, left unchecked, will cause major declines of more than half of the world's plants and a third of animals by 2080. The study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, found that by 2080 global warming will make more than half of the existing habitat for 6 out of 10 plants uninhabitable and do the same for about a third of animal species. However, the study notes that immediate and strong action to reduce emissions could cut these losses by 60 percent.
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New Study Says Stress from Human Activity Can Cause Urban Birds to Abandon Nests Ten Times More Often
Published May 14, 2013 - 8:03:37 AM
A new study from scientists at Boise State University shows that even bird species considered "tolerant" of human activity, such as American Kestrels, may be adversely impacted by human disturbance to a far greater degree than many had believed.
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Rising temperatures ground ducks
Published May 14, 2013 - 7:28:16 AM
Most birds are acutely sensitive to changes in temperature. Scientists now say that changes in climate and warmer temperatures in parts of Europe have resulted in the migration patterns of certain birds being radically altered.
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Warmer springs causing loss of snow cover throughout the Rocky Mountains
Published May 13, 2013 - 12:46:34 PM
Warmer spring temperatures since 1980 are causing an estimated 20 percent loss of snow cover across the Rocky Mountains of western North America, according to a new study.
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Google Earth Engine: A picture of Earth through time
Published May 13, 2013 - 7:45:48 AM
Today, we're making it possible for you to go back in time and get a stunning historical perspective on the changes to the Earth's surface over time. Working with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), NASA and TIME, we're releasing more than a quarter-century of images of Earth taken from space, compiled for the first time into an interactive time-lapse experience. We believe this is the most comprehensive picture of our changing planet ever made available to the public.
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Amazon 'may lose 65% of land biomass by 2060'
Published May 10, 2013 - 7:59:35 AM
There will be no winners if agriculture made possible by widespread felling in the Amazon continues to expand, say researchers from Brazil and the US.
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Greenpeace ship begins first Indonesian tour since being deported
Published May 9, 2013 - 11:01:09 AM
The Greenpeace ship, the Rainbow Warrior, arrived in Jayapura, Indonesia today to document one of the world's most biodiverse – and threatened – environments, just three years after the Indonesian navy escorted the vessel out of its territorial waters in October 2010.
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Valley Fever throws baseball a curve ball
Published May 9, 2013 - 10:53:42 AM
Conor Jackson had a big bat and a bright future. But after he contracted a rare illness in 2009 while playing with the Arizona Diamondbacks he was never quite the same.
Last year another major league baseball player – Ike Davis of the New York Mets – was diagnosed with the same thing.
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India Announces Future Ban On Cruel Dolphin Captivity Shows Following Pressure From WDC
Published May 9, 2013 - 8:54:07 AM
After many years of campaigning to stop captive dolphin shows in India, WDC is delighted by the Indian government's announcement that it will not allow the building of dolphinariums in India, and that they will shortly be banned altogether.
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Everest Climbing for Climate Justice' Expedition Aims to Break World Records
Published May 9, 2013 - 8:13:03 AM
A Nepalese expedition 'Climbing for Climate Justice' led by four-time world record climber Pemba Dorje Sherpa will ascend Mount Everest (Nepal) from May 10, 2013.
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Warmer climate 'threatens cassava crop'
Published May 8, 2013 - 7:26:42 AM
A plant which is a staple food crop for millions of people across Africa is at risk from disease as regional temperatures rise, scientists say.
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Decline in snow cover spells trouble for many plants, animals
Published May 7, 2013 - 6:11:07 PM
For plants and animals forced to tough out harsh winter weather, the coverlet of snow that blankets the north country is a refuge, a stable beneath-the-snow habitat that gives essential respite from biting winds and subzero temperatures.
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The Last Time CO2 Was This High, Humans Didn't Exist
Published May 6, 2013 - 9:47:25 AM
The last time there was this much carbon dioxide (CO2) in the Earth's atmosphere, modern humans didn't exist. Megatoothed sharks prowled the oceans, the world's seas were up to 100 feet higher than they are today, and the global average surface temperature was up to 11°F warmer than it is now.
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Boom in jellyfish: overfishing called into question
Published May 3, 2013 - 8:43:59 AM
Will we soon be forced to eat jellyfish? Since the beginning of the 2000s, these gelatinous creatures have invaded many of the world's seas, like the Japan Sea, the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, etc. Is it a cyclic phenomenon, caused by changes in marine currents or even global warming? Until now, the causes remained unknown. A new study conducted by IRD researchers and its partners, published in Bulletin of marine science, exposes overfishing as the main factor.
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Madagascar Tortoise Trafficking Rages Out of Control
Published May 3, 2013 - 8:02:36 AM
Illegal trafficking of two critically endangered tortoise species from Madagascar has reached epidemic proportions, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Turtle Survival Alliance, Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership, Turtle Conservancy, Conservation International, World Wildlife Fund and other groups who urge authorities to clamp down on wildlife smuggling before some species are collected out of existence.
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Surprising source of lead poisoning in Amazon
Published May 2, 2013 - 8:28:15 AM
Inside the simple wood-frame house, a 6-year-old boy plays with a piece of malleable metal, biting it as his younger sister watches. In the background, piled against the wall, are two long strips of the metal – lead sheathing from an electrical cable that the family sold for scrap.
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U.S. Taxpayers Paid $7 Billion Too Much for Crop Insurance Last Year
Published May 2, 2013 - 8:24:45 AM
A new analysis commissioned by the Environmental Working Group debunks the myth that federally-subsidized crop insurance will save taxpayers money and protect farmers from crippling losses when natural disasters occur.
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