Archive for May 11th, 2010

FUND-RAISER: Earth’s Ecology & Ecological Internet Need You Now More Than Ever

Dear colleagues, It is time for Ecological InternetÂ’s (EI) mid-year fund-raiser in order to allow us to continue campaigning together with you to stop ecosystem destruction and for ecological sustainability. EI is entirely dependent upon network members and web site users to fund our unique and highly effective brand of online deep ecology activism. This gives us enormous freedom to pursue, speak and implement ecological truth. Please support global grassroots biocentric advocacy now with a tax-deductible donation of $100 or what you can afford.

3 Future Oil-Spill Fighters: Sponges, Superbugs, and Herders

National Geographic: In the past 20 years we've traded pagers for smart phones and library cards for Kindles. But the joint federal-industry task force charged with responding to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill is still using cleanup methods that haven't changed much since the days of the Exxon Valdez. Nearly four million gallons of oil have already spewed into the Gulf since the BP-leased Deepwater Horizon rig sank last month. Amid efforts to cap the seafloor leak, cleanup workers have been using ...

China drought highlights future climate threats

Nature: Born into a farming family in south Yunnan province, China, Zhu Youyong's life has always been tied to the soil. At the age of 54, however, Zhu -- now president of Yunnan Agricultural University in Kunming -- says he "has never seen such severe drought in Yunnan". Since last September, the province has had 60% less rainfall than normal. According to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, 8.1 million people -- 18% of Yunnan's population -- are short of drinking water, and US$2.5-billion worth ...

Scientists Worry Over Effects of Climate Change On Lagos

Vanguard: SCIENTISTS have warned that the global climate change will have a strong impact on Nigeria particularly in the areas of agriculture, land use, energy, biodiversity, health amongst others. This was revealed during the 2nd Lagos State summit on climate change with the theme "Trans-Boundary Effect of Climate Change: Sharing Best Practices in Mitigation and Adaptation Measures." Giving an overview, Prof. Felix Dayo a scientist and speaker at the Summit said inundation and warmer ...

Brazil: ‘Subterranean’ fish rediscovered

BBC: An incredibly rare blind fish that lives underground in Brazil has been rediscovered by scientists. A number of individual fish have been found almost 50 years after the only known specimen was collected and then described by American experts. Biologists cannot be sure, but they suspect the fish may be a living relict that has survived deep under the ground while its relatives above went extinct. Details of the discovery are published in the Journal of Fish ...

Canada’s tar sands: a dangerous solution to offshore oil

Guardian: As the clean-up of the disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico continues, the US may finally begin to rethink its position on off-shoring drilling. As usual, change is frustratingly slow, and almost imperceptible: environmental groups like the Centre for Biological Diversity have criticised the Mineral Management Service, the US agency that oversees oil extraction, for its "business as usual" approach during the disaster, and expressed concerns that the Obama administration has waived ...

‘Invest in research in agriculture to tackle food insecurity’

Economic Times: Warning that the impending process of climate change could lead to food insecurity in less developed and vulnerable countries, an official of the UN food and agriculture wing today asked countries to invest well in research to stave off a possible disaster. Alexander Sarris, Director, Trade and Markets Division of the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) said "uncertainty" among sceptics about the magnitude and timing of the phenomenon of climate change should not become an excuse ...

Gulf of Mexico oil spill: fears raised over danger of chemical dispersants

Telegraph: A mile-long tube was fed down to the leaking pipe on the sea floor and dispersant was shot directly into the flow, guided by remotely-operated robotic submarines. The dispersant is intended to break down the oil so that, over time, the slick is reduced to smaller particles that biodegrade instead of being left as chunky, thick globs that can choke both wildlife and vegetation. State and federal agencies "consented to the third test today of subsea dispersant," said John Curry, ...

We Can Live Without Oil, But Not Without Flora and Fauna

Inter Press Service: The policies and deals that contributed to the massive oil spill under way in the Gulf of Mexico are also jeopardising the Earth's vital biological infrastructure, according to the Global Biodiversity Outlook 3, published Monday. The British Petroleum oil spill of 5,000 barrels a day in the Gulf of Mexico, which began Apr. 20 when an explosion caused a rupture at the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, will have devastating consequences for marine life and coastal ecosystems for decades, ...

China environmentalist alleges brutal jail treatment

Agence France-Presse: A top Chinese environmentalist said Tuesday he was beaten and suffered brutal treatment while serving a three-year jail term imposed after he spoke out about rampant pollution in a major lake. Wu Lihong also told AFP that authorities tried to force him to confess to bogus extortion charges. He defiantly vowed to clear his name. "I am innocent, it's obvious that the authorities have sought to harm me. I will continue to appeal the conviction and seek to clear my name," Wu, 42, ...