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Archive for September 8th, 2012
Patagonian Glaciers Are Rapidly Melting, Report Finds
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 8th, 2012
Climate Central: Ice fields in southern South America are rapidly losing volume and in most cases thinning at even the highest elevations, contributing to sea-level rise at "substantially higher" rates than observed from the 1970s through the 1990s, according to a study published Wednesday.
The rapid melting, based on satellite observations, suggests the ice field's contribution to global sea-level rise has increased by half since the end of the 20th century, jumping from 0.04 millimeters per year to about .07...
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Mining our ecosystems: Overconsumption, climate change and biodiversity
Posted by Business Mirror: Philipp Gassner on September 8th, 2012
Business Mirror: Farting dinosaurs are probably not among the first thoughts that come to mind when thinking about today’s urgent global matters. Notwithstanding, looking back a few million years to the Mesozoic--the dinosaur era--precisely this could have been considered a high-ranking environmental problem.
A recent study shows that the long-necked sauropods--one of the dominant dinosaur groups--had gut bacteria to help them digest their food, akin to other herbivores. These bacteria also produce methane, which...
Getting Into the Business of Environment
Posted by Inter Press Service: Amantha Perera on September 8th, 2012
Inter Press Service: Regulations that stand in the way of conservation programmes lower their likely success, experts warned at the World Conservation Congress of the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Jeju, South Korea.
They say there is mounting evidence to show that with participation of communities, businesses and other groups, conservation efforts have shown better results.
"Generally we find that protection efforts are more effective if they involve participation by different stakeholders,"...
Pact Is Signed to Protect Great Lakes
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 8th, 2012
New York Times: The United States and Canada signed an accord in Washington on Friday to protect the Great Lakes, the world’s largest freshwater system. The agreement, which updates promises between the two nations first made in 1972, sets goals for each country to address invasive species like the Asian carp; curb phosphorus runoff, which can contribute to algae blooms; and cut pollution from industry and vessels. Each nation will now need to develop policies to implement their common objectives, according to the...