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News on environmental science and conservation.Nature Provides Design Template for Human Problems 11/01/2005 | Georgia Institute of Technology news release Copying the ideas of others is usually frowned upon, but when it comes to the work of Mother Nature, scientists are finding they can use nature as a template. Logging impact worse than thought in the Amazon 11/01/2005 | Rhett A. Butler Research released earlier this month in Science found that Brazil's Amazon rain forest is being degraded twice as fast as deforestation figures suggest. Selective logging, where only one or two valuable tree species are harvested from an area, is driving the forest degradation. The findings have important implications for "sustainable harvesting" schemes that have been promoted as ecologically-sound alternatives to traditional harvesting techniques. ASEAN nations agree to combat the illegal trade in wildlife, plants 11/01/2005 | Traffic International news release In a strategic move to address the persistent criminal activity targeting South-east Asia's unique biological diversity, representatives from the 10 Member Countries of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) agreed last week to form a regional law enforcement network to combat the illegal trade in animals and plants. African lakes disappearing find UN survey 11/01/2005 | UNEP news release The dramatic and, in some cases damaging environmental changes sweeping Africa's lakes are brought into sharp focus in a new atlas. 6.5 earthquake could cut off California's water supply 11/02/2005 | CA Department of Water Resources news release Appearing before a joint legislative committee, Department of Water Resources (DWR) Director Lester Snow today outlined the catastrophic impact a significant earthquake would have on Delta levees. He said failed levees would cause major floods, threaten public safety, damage the water supply infrastructure, and jeopardize the State's economy. Global warming to fuel rise in asthma, malaria 11/02/2005 | Harvard Medical School news release The Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School, along with co-sponsors Swiss Re and the United Nations Development Programme, today released a study showing that climate change will significantly affect the health of humans and ecosystems and these impacts will have economic consequences. 14.5 degree increase in Earth's temperature possible finds new model 11/02/2005 | Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory news release If humans continue to use fossil fuels in a business-as-usual manner for the next few centuries, the polar ice caps will be depleted, ocean sea levels will rise by seven meters and median air temperatures will soar to 14.5 degrees warmer than current day. Tamiflu shortage may be overcome by drug combo 11/02/2005 | Rhett A. Butler A report in Nature suggests that the global shortage of the flu drug Tamiflu could be partially overcome by combining it with probenecid, a widely available drug that helps make Tamiflu treatment more effective by slowing the removal of the drug by the kidneys. Rainforest conservation worth the cost shows new study 11/02/2005 | University of Alberta news release The economic benefits of protecting a rainforest reserve outweigh the costs of preserving it, says University of Alberta research--the first of its kind to have conducted a cost-benefit analysis on the conservation of species diversity. "The traditional moral and aesthetic arguments have been made about why we should conserve the biodiversity in rainforests, but little has been done that looks at whether it makes pure economic sense to do so," said Dr. Robin Naidoo, who did his PhD at the U of A in biological sciences and rural economy. "We provide some good evidence from a strict economic side, that yes, it does." Avian flu vaccine under development with help of WCS 11/03/2005 | WCS release Avian influenza virus samples collected from wild birds in Mongolia by field veterinarians from the New York City-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) have been selected by the World Health Organization to be part of a new human pandemic influenza vaccine currently in development. The samples, collected in the midst of an outbreak in August killing wild ducks, geese and swans in northern Mongolia have unique genetic characteristics which make them a valuable addition to a human vaccine based on a variety of strains of influenza. Medicinal Plants could help poverty alleviation in Sub-Saharan Africa -- World Bank report 11/03/2005 | World Bank news release Dryland areas in Sub-Saharan Africa have a niche opportunity to use selected multipurpose medicinal plants to halt land degradation, and at the same time provide culturally acceptable healthcare, food, and a sustainable source of income by developing niche markets, according to the new World Bank report Capitalizing on the Bio-Economic Value of Multi-Purpose Medicinal Plants for the Rehabilitation of Drylands in Sub-Saharan Africa. Illegal timber from Honduras reaching the United States 11/04/2005 | Rhett A. Butler U.S. companies are unknowingly importing illegal Honduran wood, contributing to deforestation, corruption and poverty in the Latin American country, according to a yearlong undercover investigation by the Center for International Policy and the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA). eBay founder gives $100 million for microfinance to help world's poorest people 11/04/2005 | Rhett A. Butler Ebay Inc. founder Pierre Omidyar and his wife, Pamela, have given $100 million in eBay stock to Tufts University to create a fund that will invest in microfinance. Logging can have low impact on Amazon rainforest says FAO 11/05/2005 | FAO news release The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has issued a response to a study that found selective logging in the Amazon is highly destructive. The research, conducted by scientists from the Carnegie Institution at Stanford University, was published in Science last month. FAO argues that selective logging is not necessarily destructive and can be done with low impact on the remaining forests, if the proper techniques are applied. Papua New Guinea adds 12 new protected areas 11/04/2005 | The government of Papua New Guinea announced that it will gazette 12 new protected areas covering some of the country�s most biologically diverse forests, wetlands and coral reefs. Vampires kill 23 in Brazil, deforestation blamed 11/07/2005 | Rhett A. Butler Rabid vampire bats killed 23 people and attacked more than 1,000 Brazilian officials confirmed last week. The bats have been displaced from their normal rain forest environment by worsening deforestation in the region. In an attempt to slow deaths, health agencies have treated 1,350 people with anti-rabies medication in the past two months. Financial investors buying up forest lands, worrying greens 11/06/2005 | Rhett A. Butler Financial institutions are buying up millions of acres of forest land for development across the United States, New Zealand, and South America according to an article in The Wall Street Journal. Forests of Michoac�n, Mexico disappearing 11/07/2005 | Rhett A. Butler 90% of the tropical forest in L�zaro C�rdenas, Aquila y Coahuayana -- municipalities in the state of Michoac�n, Mexico -- has been destroyed according to an article in Cambio de Michoac�n. Cattle ranching, mining, and the harvesting of precious wood are blamed as the principle causes behind the forest loss. Greenhouse gas emissions will rise by 52% by 2030 warns EIA 11/07/2005 | EIA news release The International Energy Agency (EIA) today released a report projecting that global greenhouse gas emissions will rise by 52% by 2030, unless the world takes action to reduce energy consumption. Further, the IEA says that oil prices will rise "substantially" unless there is extra investment -- $20.3 trillion in fresh facilities by 2030 -- in oil facilities. Flu pandemic "inevitable" and to cost $800 billion say World Bank, WHO 11/07/2005 | Rhett A. Butler The potential economic cost of a pandemic of human influenza -- which the World Health Organization (WHO) now says is "inevitable" -- would top $800 billion according to a World Bank report released today. Mauritius PM blocks road threatening endangered forest 11/07/2005 | Reuters Work started last year to build a highway through Ferney Valley, primarily to service the island's lucrative tourism industry, but environmentalists say it would wipe out flora and fauna found nowhere else in the world. Learning and memory can become toxic with neurodegenerative diseases 11/07/2005 | University of Rochester Medical Center news release Scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center have targeted a new culprit and method of attack on neurologic functions in diseases such as HIV-1-associated dementia and Alzheimer�s. Conservation groups sue Bush administration over endangered species delays 11/09/2005 | The Center for Biological Diversity news release A coalition of conservation groups filed a complaint late yesterday against the Bush Administration for delaying protection of hundreds of wildlife species as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, leaving 283 plants and animals on a perpetual candidate waiting list. Since passage of the Act, at least 24 candidate species have gone extinct waiting for protection. Africa looks to build scientific expertise at Nairobi conference 11/09/2005 | National Academies' National Research Council news release Stronger African science academies can help save lives or raise the standard of living by settling questions on topics such as malaria prevention and sustainable development, said organizers of this week's first annual international conference of the African Science Academy Development Initiative, being held in Nairobi, Kenya. The initiative is supported by a $20 million grant from the Bill&Melinda Gates Foundation and administered by the U.S. National Academies. Aspirin Found to Reduce Skin Cancer Risk 11/07/2005 | Queensland Institute of Medical Research Epidemiologists have found that aspirin may assist in reducing the risk of developing skin cancer, reveals a recent scientific publication, following research undertaken at the Suncorp Skin Cancer Laboratories at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR). Early warning system for earthquakes could save lives, predict quakes 11/09/2005 | University of California, Berkeley news release A University of California, Berkeley, seismologist has discovered a way to provide seconds to tens of seconds of advance warning about impending ground shaking from an earthquake. Giant 1,200 pound ape lived alongside humans 11/09/2005 | McMaster University news release A gigantic ape, measuring about 10 feet tall and weighing up to 1,200 pounds, co-existed alongside humans, a geochronologist at McMaster University has discovered. Army Corps of Engineers lacks plan for restoring coastal wetlands 11/09/2005 | National Academies' National Research Council news release The Army Corps of Engineers and the state of Louisiana lack an overall plan for restoring coastal wetlands, says a new report from the National Academy of Sciences. 20% of the world's mangroves lost since 1980 11/11/2005 | Rhett A. Butler 20% of the world's mangrove forests have disappeared since 1980 according to a new study by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Climate change brought tropical forest to Wyoming 11/09/2005 | Rhett A. Butler Climate change 55 million years ago caused significant changes in forest composition and the distribution of mammals according to a new study in Science. The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, in which temperatures rose by as much as 10 degrees in a relatively short period of time, helped bolster the "Age of Mammals," which included the first appearance of modern primates. After an initial period of increasing aridity in northern latitudes like the study site of Bighorn Basin in northwestern Wyoming, it appears that forests transitioned towards warm tropical ecosystems with closely spaced trees, ideal for the evolution of primates. Lemur species named after British comedian 11/12/2005 | wildmadagascar.org Researchers from the University of Zurich have named a newly discovered species of lemur after British comedian John Cleese in honor of his work with the primates from Madagascar. Logging threatens Mayan ruins, forest in Guatemala 11/13/2005 | Rhett A. Butler In the tropical forests of Guatemala, poor rural farmers and loggers are battling environmentalists, archaeologists, and Mel Gibson over the establishment of a 525,000-acre Mayan national park. FAO deforestation stats are bogus 11/14/2005 | Rainforest Foundation news release The Rainforest Foundation today claimed that new figures released today by the United Nations on the 'state of the world's forests' are misleading, inaccurate and understate the real extent of deforestation and damage to forests globally. People Eat More Stale Popcorn If Served In A Big Bucket 11/14/2005 | Cornell University news release A new Cornell University study found that large portions push people to overeat -- even to when they don't even like a food. The finding comes a month after the National Institutes of Health reported that 90% of American men were overweight or became overweight during the course of a 30-year study. Satellites map forests of Europe for Kyoto Protocol monitoring 11/14/2005 | ESA news release A prototype service utilising satellites for mapping forests to aid compliance with the Kyoto Protocol has been endorsed by end users from European countries � one environmental ministry representative called the baseline carbon stock information provided a "goldmine". Global deforestation rates fall, but area the size of Panama still disppaears each year 11/14/2005 | Rhett A. Butler Net deforestation rates have fallen, but some 13 million hectares of the world's forests are still lost each year according to a new report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Brazliian environmentalist dies after self-immolation protest 11/14/2005 | Rhett A. Butler A Brazilian environmentalist has died after self-immolation in a protest against the construction of alcohol factories in the Pantanal marsh region. The 65-year-old Francisco Anselmo de Barros wrapped himself in an alcohol-soaked blanket and set it on fire during a protest Saturday in Campo Grande, 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) northwest of Rio de Janeiro. Humans hunted giant lemurs to extinction 11/14/2005 | wildmadagascar.org Madagascar's first inhabitants probably hunted the island's largest animals to extinction according to research published in the November issue of the Journal of Human Evolution. Americans eating more seafood than ever before -- NOAA survey 11/14/2005 | NOAA news release Seafood consumption rose for the third straight year in 2004, as Americans ate a record 16.6 pounds of fish and shellfish per person, the NOAA Fisheries Service announced today. Britain has best wind power potential in Europe 11/14/2005 | Environmental Change Institute at Oxford University news release A survey of wind power in Britain says the island nation has the best wind in Europe because it blowsyear round and peaks when there is greatest demand for electricity. Further, the study found that there has never been a time over the past 35 years when the entire country has experienced a period of no wind. Pictures from Peru 11/14/2005 | Rhett A. Butler Mongabay.com, a leading rainforest information web site, has launched a new section featuring photographs from Peru. More than 1900 photos from Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley, and the Amazon have been added to the site. Massive climate change rocked ecosystems, animals 55 million years ago 11/14/2005 | Rhett A. Butler Continued increases in greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere from the combustion of fossil fuels could trigger large-scale changes in global biodiversity and require thousands of years of recovery according to recent research on an extreme global warming episode 55 million years ago. Plague could worsen with global warming 11/14/2005 | Reuters Warmer, wetter weather brought on by global warming could increase outbreaks of the plague, which has killed millions down the ages and wiped out one third of Europe's population in the 14th century, academics said. Demise of passenger pigeon linked to Lyme disease 11/14/2005 | Rhett A. Butler Traditionally, the passenger pigeon has been held as one of the more beloved animal species to fall prey to humankind's often relentless expansion into and disregard for the natural world and its creatures. Once abundant, the bird experienced a rapid decline in the late 1800s, due almost entirely to rampant hunting, and the last passenger pigeon died in 1914. In light of new findings however, this image of a naturally plentiful species laid to waste by man is now being tested. Evidence collected over the past few years from a significant number of Native American archeological sites is beginning to upset long-accepted beliefs about one of the most famous extinct species in modern history. Elite women were alcoholic brewers in pre-Inca Peru 11/14/2005 | University of Florida news release If the ancient mountaintop city in southern Peru was the vanished Wari empire's unique imperial showplace, the brewery was its piece de resistance. Rain key to survival of baby lemurs 11/14/2005 | Stony Brook University news release Researchers studying lemurs in Madagascar have discovered a link between tooth deterioration and rainfall amounts that suggests long-lived mammals may be particularly sensitive to changing environmental conditions�and that reproduction and infant survival is linked to tooth wear. US ranks #7 in global forest loss, Cambodia has worst deforestation rate 11/16/2005 | Rhett A. Butler Cambodia has the world's highest deforestation rate, Brazil loses the largest area of forest annually, and Congo consumes more bushmeat than any other tropical country. These are among the findings from mongabay.com's analysis of new deforestation figures from the United Nations. Australia's freshwater ecosystems threatened by climate change 11/16/2005 | Rhett A. Butler Australia's freshwater ecosystems are increasingly under threat from global warmning and expanding human population according to an interview of an Australian academic by The Age. Photovoltaic solar energy conversion can be cost-competitive by 2030 11/16/2005 | Australian National University release Professor Andrew Blakers from The Centre for Sustainable Energy Systems at the Australian National University will today report to the Greenhouse 2000 Conference in Melbourne that photovoltaic (PV) solar energy conversion can be cost-competitive with any low-emission electricity generation technology by 2030. Five million tons of carbon dioxide successfully buried, DOE eyes Kyoto 11/16/2005 | Department of Energy release Secretary Samuel W. Bodman today announced that the Department of Energy (DOE)-funded �Weyburn Project� successfully sequestered five million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the Weyburn Oilfield in Saskatchewan, Canada, while doubling the field�s oil recovery rate. If the methodology used in the Weyburn Project was successfully applied on a worldwide scale, one-third to one-half of CO2 emissions could be eliminated in the next 100 years and billions of barrels of oil could be recovered. United States has 7th highest rate of primary forest loss 11/16/2005 | Rhett A. Butler Primary forests are being replaced by "modified natural," "seminatural," and plantation forests in the United States according to new deforestation figures from the United Nations. Global warming will reduce glaciers, water supply and affect millions of people 11/16/2005 | UCSD news release In the looming future, global warming will reduce glaciers and storage packs of snow in regions around the world, causing water shortages and other problems that will impact millions of people. That is the conclusion of researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California , San Diego, and the University of Washington in a review paper published in the November 17 issue of the journal Nature. Genetic defenders protect crops from fungal disease 11/17/2005 | Carnegie Institution news release Like waves of soldiers guarding a castle gate, multiple genetic defenders cooperate to protect plant cells against powdery mildew disease, according to a new study. Powdery mildew is a common fungal infection in plants that attacks more than 9,000 species, including many crops such as barley and wheat, and horticultural plants such as roses and cucumbers. The researchers, including Shauna Somerville and M�nica Stein of the Carnegie Institution's Department of Plant Biology, are the first to document how these defense genes team up in plants. The discovery could help combat fungal parasites that devastate crops and cost growers billions of dollars in pesticides every year. Coral reefs decimated by 2050, Great Barrier Reef's coral 95% dead 11/17/2005 | Rhett A. Butler Australia's Great Barrier Reef could lose 95 percent of its living coral by 2050 should ocean temperatures increase by the 1.5 degrees Celsius projected by climate scientists. The startling and controversial prediction, made last year in a report commissioned by the World Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the Queensland government, is just one of the dire scenarios forecast for reefs in the near future. The degradation and possible disappearance of these ecosystems would have profound socioeconomic ramifications as well as ecological impacts says Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, head of the University of Queensland's Centre for Marine Studies. Nigeria has worst deforestation rate, FAO revises figures 11/17/2005 | Rhett A. Butler Nigeria has the world's highest deforestation rate of primary forests according to revised deforestation figures from the the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. $100 computer for children unveiled by UN 11/17/2005 | UN news release As the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) continued in Tunis last night, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan unveiled a prototype of a cheap and rugged $100 laptop for children, as part of the Summit's goal of giving poor communities access to the benefits of information technologies and networks. Solar projects in California desert could help state's energy problems 11/17/2005 | Rhett A. Butler Two large solar projects in the desert of California could boost industrial-scale development of solar technology according to an article in today's edition of The Wall Street Journal. Developed countries cut greenhouse gas emissions 5.9% since 1990 11/17/2005 | Rhett A. Butler Developed countries, taken as a group, have cut overall greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 5.9% compared to the 1990 levels according to a new publication from the United Nations Climate Change secretariat. Climate change means less water for western US by 2050, more for Montana 11/17/2005 | USGS news release USGS scientists simulated the impact of future climate change on global water availability. By 2050, the models predict increased water runoff in eastern equatorial Africa, the La Plata basin and high latitude North America and Eurasia. They predict decreases in runoff in southern Africa, southern Europe, the Middle East and mid-latitude western North America. The authors of the paper, which appears tomorrow in Science, say climate climate will result in costly disruptions to water supply and resource management systems. Nature's engineering shows butterfly innovation 11/18/2005 | University of Exeter news release Flourescent patches on the wings of African swallowtail butterflies work in a very similar, but more efficient way to high emission light emitting diodes (LEDs) used in electronic equipment and displays, according to University of Exeter research published in Science. Fish threatened by climate change 11/18/2005 | WWF news release Fish are increasingly threatened by the effects of climate change as temperatures rise in rivers, lakes and oceans, says a new WWF report. It says that hotter water means less food, less offspring and even less oxygen for marine and freshwater fish populations. 5-10 million fuel cell vehicles possible by 2020 11/18/2005 | Institute for New Technologies of the United Nations University release An international conference on hydrogen fuel cells, their application in the transport sector, and the implications for developing countries met last week at the United Nations University Institute for New Technologies (UNU-INTECH) in Maastricht, The Netherlands. Developing countries to suffer worst global warming impacts 11/18/2005 | University of Wisconsin news release In a recent chilling assessment, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that human-induced changes in the Earth's climate now lead to at least 5 million cases of illness and more than 150,000 deaths every year. Mangrove forests protected areas from 2004 tsunami says new study 11/18/2005 | WWF news release A study released in late October shows that areas buffered by coastal forests, like mangroves, were less damaged by the 2004 tsunami than areas without tree vegetation. Last week the FAO reported that 20% of the world's mangrove forests have disappeared since 1980. Brazil has highest annual loss of old growth forests according to UN 11/20/2005 | Rhett A. Butler Brazil has the world's highest rate of primary forest loss according to figures released last week by the the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Pantanal wetland in Bolivia threatned by port project says WWF 11/20/2005 | WWF news release Plans for the construction of a commercial port and railway access line crossing Bolivia's Otuquis National Park � a protected area and Ramsar site located in the heart of the world�s largest wetland area, the Pantanal � must be radically restructured so that it doesn't cause irreparable environmental damage and economic losses, warns WWF. Salamanders feed on bat guano in cave system 11/21/2005 | Rhett A. Butler A species of blind, cave-dwelling salamander in Oklahoma feeds on bat guano according to research published in Proceedings of the Royal Society and presented on the online version of Nature. Underwater sound pollution threat to marine life says new report 11/21/2005 | Natural Resources Defense Council New evidence shows that the rising level of intense underwater sound produced by oil and gas exploration, military sonar and other manmade sources poses a significant long-term threat to whales, dolphins, fish and other marine species, according to a report published today by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). G8 aid for Africa under threat from climate change 11/21/2005 | Release from The Royal Society An increase in aid for Africa agreed at the Gleneagles summit may be entirely consumed by the cost of dealing with climate change, the President of the Royal Society, the UK national academy of science, has warned Margaret Beckett and other G8 energy and environment ministers in an open letter published ahead of their key climate change meeting in London on 1 November. Disposable solar panels developed using nanotechnology 11/20/2005 | University of Cape Town release Scientists at the University of Cape Town are exploiting the nano-scale properties of silicon to develop a super-thin disposable solar panel poster which they hope could offer rural dwellers a cheap, alternative source of power. Madagascar faces food shortage in the southeast 11/20/2005 | Rhett A. Butler With up to 18,000 children in Madagascar's south-eastern region showing signs of acute malnutrition, United Nations agencies are supporting Government-initiated emergency food and medical assistance, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a press release last week. Forests flushed down the toilet 11/21/2005 | WWF news release The major tissue manufacturers are not offering enough recycled toilet paper, towels and napkins to European consumers and must be more responsible when sourcing their wood, according to a new WWF report. 203 million people malnourished in sub-Saharan Africa 11/21/2005 | FAO release Hunger and malnutrition kill nearly 6 million children a year, and more people are malnourished in sub-Saharan Africa this decade than in the 1990s, according to a report released by the Food and Agriculture Organization Tuesday. In sub-Saharan Africa, the number of malnourished people grew to 203.5 million people in 2000-02 from 170.4 million 10 years earlier says "The State of Food Insecurity in the World" report. 203 million people malnourished in sub-Saharan Africa 11/21/2005 | FAO release Hunger and malnutrition kill nearly 6 million children a year, and more people are malnourished in sub-Saharan Africa this decade than in the 1990s, according to a report released by the Food and Agriculture Organization Tuesday. In sub-Saharan Africa, the number of malnourished people grew to 203.5 million people in 2000-02 from 170.4 million 10 years earlier says "The State of Food Insecurity in the World" report. Goldman Sachs first investment bank to adopt comprehensive environmental policy 11/22/2005 | RAN The Rainforest Action Network (RAN) today issued a release commending Goldman Sachs for becoming the first global investment bank to adopt a comprehensive environmental policy. The policy acknowledges the scientific consensus on climate change and calls for urgent action by public policy makers and federal regulators to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Britain is largest importer of illegal timber in EU says WWF 11/21/2005 | Rhett A. Butler Britain is the biggest importer of illegally-logged timber in Europe, responsible for the destruction of 1.4 million acres of forest a year according to a new report by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF). Will 'tipping points' accelerate global warming? 11/24/2005 | Reuters Rising temperatures trigger a runaway melt of Greenland's ice sheet, raising sea levels and drowning Pacific islands and cities from New York to Tokyo. 25% of Americans live in places compliant with Kyoto protocol 11/23/2005 | University of Vermont news release Even though the United States does not participate in the Kyoto protocol, about one-quarter of the population lives in states, counties or cities that have adopted climate change policies similar to those of the global initiative, according to a Brief Communication published in the November 17 issue of Nature. Climate change already affecting Europeans says WWF "Climate Witnesses" 11/23/2005 | WWF news release Five WWF "Climate Witnesses" from the UK, Germany, Italy and Spain descended on Brussels to tell their personal stories of how climate change is affecting their lives and businesses. Snow disappearing in Scotland, fewer bees in Italy, crop losses in Spain, forests on the decline in Germany and sea levels rising off the coast of England are dangerous signs of climate change in Europe. Eco-friendly palm oil coming soon, criteria could result in cleaner biofuels 11/23/2005 | WWF news release Consumers can soon enjoy soap, shampoos and many other products containing palm oil with a clean conscience following overwhelmingly acceptance by the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) � a group of producers, buyers, retailers, financial institutions and NGOs � on a set of criteria for the responsible production of palm oil. Carbon dioxide at highest level in 650,000 years 11/24/2005 | mongabay.com Carbon dioxide levels are now 27 percent higher than at any point in the last 650,000 years, according to research into Antarctic ice cores published on Thursday in Science. Children spread malaria most says new study 11/24/2005 | mongabay.com Children should be the focus malaria control efforts as they are ones most likely to be bitten by mosquitoes carrying the parasite, according to new research published in Nature. Rising seas and disappearing islands will produce environmental refugees 11/24/2005 | Reuters The Carteret Islands are almost invisible on a map of the South Pacific, but the horseshoe scattering of atolls is on the front-line of climate change, as rising sea levels and storm surges eat away at their existence. Carbon in Canada's boreal forest worth $3.7 trillion 11/25/2005 | mongabay.com Carbon stored in Canada's boreal forests and peatlands is worth $3.7 trillion according to research by the Pembina Institute for the Canadian Boreal Initiative. Ocean levels rising twice as fast 11/25/2005 | mongabay.com Global ocean levels are rising twice as fast today as they were 150 years ago according to research presented in Science by a team of researchers. The Using core samples of sediments along the New Jersey coast, the scientists found that rates of sea level change have climbed significantly over the past 200 years, coinciding with the beginning of the industrial revolutions when carbon dioxide emissions began to dramatically increase. Carbon dioxide is the principal greenhouse gas believed to contribute to global warming. Singing iceberg discovered in Antarctica 11/25/2005 | mongabay.com Scientists believe they have found a singing iceberg in Antarctica, according to research published in Science on Friday. Oil sands' development for energy a threat to environment says group 11/25/2005 | Pembina Institute news release Wednesday the Pembina Institute released "Oil Sands Fever: The Environmental Implications of Canada's Oil Sands Rush" [PDF]. According to the report's main author, Dan Woynillowicz, "The story of Canada's rapid development of the oil sands has only been partially told. What's been missing from all the discussion and reporting is a comprehensive look at the environmental consequences of this development". "Health" beer could help prevent cancer 11/26/2005 | Oregon State University news release A compound found only in hops and the main product they are used in - beer - has rapidly gained interest as a micronutrient that might help prevent many types of cancer. Exploring freshwater fish habitats in the rainforest of Peru 11/26/2005 | mongabay.com This fall the editor of mongabay.com, a leading environmental science and tropical freshwater fish information site, traveled to the Peruvian Amazon and examined habitats for freshwater fish. As a result of this effort, two new biotope descriptions have been posted on the site. The descriptions include underwater photographs for those interested in replicating the natural conditions of these habitats. Average temperatures climbing faster than thought in North America 11/27/2005 | Oregon State University news release Tree rings and borehole drill samples have added to the evidence that average temperatures in North America have risen steadily in the past 150 years according to a new study by researchers at Oregon State University and the University of Utah. In their paper published in Journal of Geophysical Research, scientists found that average temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere increased about 1.5 degrees since the beginning of the industrial revolution when atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations began to increase sharply. Developing countries: pay us to save rainforests 11/27/2005 | Mongabay.com At this week's United Nations summit on climate change in Montreal a coalition of tropical developing countries plans to propose that wealthy countries pay them to preserve their rainforests. The group of 10 countries, led by Papua New Guinea and Costa Rica, will argue that they should be compensated for the services rainforests provide the rest of the world. Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels closely correlated with global temperatures 11/28/2005 | Mongabay.com Studying ice cores from Antarctica, scientists of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research extended the record of historic concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide in the atmosphere by 250,000 years. The team found a close correlation between atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and global temperatures. Over the past 650,000 years, low greenhouse gas concentrations have been associated with cooler conditions. The current concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide, at 380 parts-per-million, is the highest level recorded over the past 650,000 years. Vaccination can prevent bird flu epidemic 11/28/2005 | Mongabay.com Vaccinating chickens against avian flu can prevent a major outbreak of the disease by preventing birds from passing on the virus, according to research published by Dutch scientists on Monday. Dire consequences if global warming exceeds 2 degrees says IUCN 11/29/2005 | Mongabay.com The parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change must keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius, says the World Conservation Union. 2005 Atlantic hurricane season worst on record 11/29/2005 | NOAA release The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season is the busiest on record and extends the active hurricane cycle that began in 1995 � a trend likely to continue for years to come. The season included 26 named storms, including 13 hurricanes in which seven were major. Rainforests worth $1.1 trillion for carbon alone in Coalition nations 11/29/2005 | Mongabay.com If a coalition of developing countries has its way, there could soon be new forests sprouting up in tropical regions. The group of ten countries, led by Papua New Guinea, has proposed that wealthy countries pay them to preserve their rainforests. The Coalition for Rainforest Nations argues that all countries should pay for the benefits -- from carbon sequestration to watershed protection -- that tropical rainforests provide. Bird songs can serve as a warning system to detect ecological disturbances 11/30/2005 | Blackwell Publishing release Changes in bird song could be used as an early warning system to detect man-made ecological disturbances, new research published in the British Ecological Society's Journal of Applied Ecology has found. 75% of Switzerland's glaciers gone by 2050, Europe heats up 11/30/2005 | European Environment Agency release The four hottest years on record were 1998, 2002, 2003 and 2004. Ten percent of Alpine glaciers disappeared during the summer of 2003 alone. At current rates, three quarters of Switzerland's glaciers will have melted by 2050. Europe has not seen climate changes on this scale for 5 000 years, says a new report by the European Environment Agency. Young women smokers have higher risk of breast cancer 11/30/2005 | Mayo Clinic release Researchers outline in the November issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings their study of postmenopausal women, which supports the hypothesis that women who smoke cigarettes before first full-term pregnancy have a 20 percent increased risk of breast cancer compared with women who began smoking after the birth of their first child or were never smokers. Scientists taking a multidisciplinary approach to understanding nature 12/01/2005 | Oak Ridge National Laboratory release Improved tools and increasingly sophisticated approaches are helping researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory gain a better understanding of how organisms respond to and interact with their environment. XML / RSS feed | archive This page only includes recent news articles on mongabay.com released after March 31, 2005. For the latest updates on the site, please visit mongabay.com. News index |
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