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Saturday 27 October 2007At Gitmo, No Room for Justice
Another officer cited the case of David Hicks. “One of our staffers was present when Vice President Cheney interfered directly to get Hicks’s plea bargain deal. He did it, apparently, as part of a deal cut with [Australian Prime Minister] Howard. I kept thinking: this is the sort of thing that used to go on behind the Iron Curtain,.
Oceans are 'soaking up less CO2'
Results of a 10-year study in the North Atlantic show CO2 uptake halved between the mid-90s and 2000 to 2005.
Historic bill in Senate to fight warming - US
The bill would cap greenhouse gases at the 2005 emission level starting in 2012 and gradually reduce them to 1990 levels - a 15 percent reduction - by 2020. The measure requires deeper cuts over the long term: a 65 percent reduction from 1990 levels by 2050.
Who Pulled The Plug On Lake Superior?
SINCE 1906, an employee of the hydroelectric power plant in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, has walked down to the thermometer at the water-intake gate every day at precisely 8 a.m. and recorded the temperature of Lake Superior.
It is one of the longest-running records of water temperature in the world. But when Jay Austin, a young scientist at the Large Lakes Observatory in Duluth, crunched this data last year in a routine examination of Lake Superior trends, the recent numbers seemed to be taken from some other planet. A much, much warmer one. - [CBC video 528kbs]
Too late to save coral species: researchers
Australia's leading researchers on coral say many species will become extinct over the next 50 years.
CO2 output from shipping twice as much as airlines
• Maritime emissions not covered by Kyoto accord
• Studies suggest 75% rise in 15 years as trade grows
Separate studies suggest that maritime carbon dioxide emissions are not only higher than previously thought, but could rise by as much as 75% in the next 15 to 20 years if world trade continues to grow and no action is taken.
"We estimate carbon dioxide emissions from shipping to be 4% of the global total."
Carbon trading to reach $35.7bn this year
Carbon emissions trading volumes are on course to reach €25bn ($35.7bn) by the end of this year, almost double the level of two years ago
Exports fuel China's CO2 output
A quarter of China's greenhouse gas emissions are produced making goods exported to the West
Answers Sought to Save Asia's Orangutans
The remaining 62,000 orangutans in the wild could be wiped out within decades as forests in their Asian island habitat are decimated by loggers and palm oil farmers
Bird and bug a deadly threat to gums
The forests, which once flourished across the Sydney region, are being attacked by a tiny, sap-sucking psyllid that feeds on the leaves of blue gums and other eucalypt species, such as white gums, flooded gums and ironbark.
The infestation - known as bell miner associated dieback (BMAD) - is attacking native forests as far afield as southern Queensland and Victoria, putting about 2.5 million hectares of eucalypt forest at risk
North Sea cod stocks improve but quotas should remain, council says
Stocks of North Sea cod have slightly increased but quotas should remain in place for 2008, according to the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES)
Agreement signed for pulp mill wood supply
The $2billion dollar deal will see Forestry Tasmania provide Gunns with one and a half million tonnes of native and plantation timber annually [half of that state's forest harvest].
Gunns will pay a base price of nearly $16 a tonne for native timber and $32 for plantation timber.
Discovery of carnivorous dinosaur tracks in Australia
The tracks are especially significant for showing that large dinosaurs were living in a polar environment during the Cretaceous Period, when Australia was still joined to Antarctica and close to the South Pole.
Misrepresentation of Earth History at the New Creation Museum
The following assertions from the Creation Museum’s exhibits highlight the contrast between the themes presented there and the scientific record.
Saturday 20 October 2007Climate Change - how do the major political parties rate?
The Big Switch, the nation’s largest community climate change movement, has ranked six political parties on nine criteria, including greenhouse pollution reduction targets, renewable energy, smarter energy and land use, Kyoto ratification and nuclear policies.
Rating the parties out of 5, The Big Switch scores are:
• The Greens - 4.8
• The Democrats - 4.4
• Australian Labor Party - 1.8
• The Nationals - 0.8
• The Liberal Party - 0.8
• Family First – 0.5
LINKS TO THE 2007 AUSTRALIAN FERERAL ELECTION
http://www.thebigswitch.org.au/index.cfm?page=ourPoliticians.intro&pageUUID=41AF0FA9-4235-F224-A80442424D1D478B
Many politicians admit that climate change is the most important challenge facing Australia. Yet when The Big Switch sent our climate change solutions survey to the 150 federal Members of Parliament (twice), the response was, well, disappointing.
http://www.federalelection.com.au/electorates/electorate_search.asp find electorates
http://greens.org.au/Election/ find green candidates and more
http://www.getup.org.au/about/
GetUp is an independent, grass-roots community advocacy organisation giving everyday Australians opportunities to get involved and hold politicians accountable on important issues.
http://www.youtube.com/australiavotes
Google Australia's 2007 Election Channel
HowardFacts
Find out the facts that Mr Howard and his Government don't want you to know.
Climate Change: Evasion Replaces Denial
Evasion and delay. The aim is to prevent the Kyoto accord’s 144 signatories from setting hard targets for deep emission cuts, or at least to provide a plausible political shelter for governments that oppose mandatory cuts but need to look like they are fighting climate change in the eyes of their own peoples. That shelter, which is now called the Asia-Pacific Partnership, was set up last year, and last week it gained a new recruit: Canada.
Head of UN climate panel says sea levels could keep rising for millennia
Sea levels could continue rising for thousands of years even if humanity manages to limit greenhouse gases at current levels
Australia: Hot air from big parties on climate change
In the first of a series of progress scorecards throughout the federal election campaign, the ACF gave Labor a 49 per cent mark against the Coalition's 21 per cent. The Australian Greens gained the highest score of 93 per cent, followed by the Australian Democrats on 90 per cent. Family First fared second worst, ahead of the Coalition, with 31 per cent.
Acid Oceans From Carbon Dioxide Will Endanger One Third Of Marine Life
The world’s oceans are becoming more acid, with potentially devastating consequences for corals and the marine organisms that build reefs and provide much of the Earth’s breathable oxygen.
Hidden Costs Of Climate Change In US: Major, Nationwide and Uncounted
A new study warns of increased vulnerability to sea level rise and storms. Even a single event can cost anywhere from $2 billion to $6.5 billion, depending on severity. For example, the combined storm impact for the nation since 1980 has surpassed $560 billion.
what our politicians are saying on climate change?
Many politicians admit that climate change is the most important challenge facing Australia. Yet when The Big Switch sent our climate change solutions survey to the 150 federal Members of Parliament (twice), the response was, well, disappointing.
Swiss vote goes green with climate change
GENEVA (AFP) — Landslides, floods and storms have taken their toll on Switzerland's political climate, turning the Greens into the fastest growing force in the Alpine nation ahead of Sunday's general election.
Carbon, costs curb growth of coal power plants
BILLINGS, Mont. - At least 16 coal-fired power plant proposals nationwide have been scrapped in recent months and more than three dozen have been delayed as utilities face increasing pressure due to concerns over global warming and rising construction costs.
Researchers examine world’s potential to produce biodiesel
What do the countries of Thailand, Uruguay and Ghana have in common? They all could become leading producers of the emerging renewable fuel known as biodiesel
Of all the vegetable oils and animal fats examined in the study, soybean and palm oil were by far the most common. In fact, the world's top five soybean and palm oil producers - Malaysia, Indonesia, Argentina, the United States and Brazil - accounted for 80 percent of the potential global biodiesel production, the researchers found.
Farm bird numbers 'hit new low'
The number of wild farmland bird species breeding in England is at the lowest level since records began, a key government wildlife "indicator" shows. The data showed that these species had declined by about 60% since 1970.
Neanderthals May Have Had Gene for Speech
Neanderthals, an archaic human species that dominated Europe until the arrival of modern humans some 45,000 years ago, possessed a critical gene known to underlie speech,
Fingerprint doubt over Kelly 'suicide'
Newly released evidence adds to the theory that MoD scientist Dr David Kelly [a United Nations weapons inspector in Iraq.] was murdered and did not commit suicide, an MP has claimed.
Fishing Ban Protects Largest Coral Reef In The Philippines
Reef fish and other marine species can breathe easier with the introduction of a fishing ban around Apo Reef, the largest coral reef in the Philippines and the second largest contiguous reef in the world after the Great Barrier Reef.
Papua New Guinea's riches 'at risk'
"If Papua New Guinea is not protected, it's going to be a tragedy not just for local people but a tragedy for the rest of the world," said Professor Jared Diamond, environmentalist and professor of geography at UCLA, Los Angeles, US.
UK scientists defend Gore film
Two of the UK's leading climate scientists have hit out at the judge who made the controversial ruling last week on Al Gore's movie An Inconvenient Truth
Green groups condemn UK's claim in Antarctica
Environmental groups yesterday condemned British plans to claim sovereignty over a vast tract of the seabed off the coast of Antarctica
Activist Blasts US Blockade of Cuba
Since 1959 US administrations have shown little respect for the decisions of United Nations member states, which every year vote for the lifting of the US blockade of the island.
Observers charged with violating seal hunt rules go on trial
Freedom of speech will be at the centre of a courtroom battle that will pit the federal Fisheries Department against five people charged with violating the rules for those who head to the ice floes to observe Canada's controversial seal hunt.
On the ice floes, the presence of protesters was beyond toleration for some sealers who resorted to flinging seal guts at observers and, in several cases, attempted to ram the small, inflatable vessels used by protesters and journalists.
Federal prosecutors have already dropped an earlier charge of obstructing the hunt. The remaining charge carries a maximum fine of $100,000.
New 150 Million-Year-Old Crab Species Discovered
A new primitive crab species Cycloprosopon dobrogea in eastern Romania. Previously unexamined, these ancient crabs from the Prosopidae family existed more than 150 million years ago during the Jurassic period.
Cave clue to 'first beachcombers'
The waste from shellfish dinners discarded in a South African cave is said to be the earliest evidence of humans living and thriving by the sea. the remains were buried in sediments that are 164,000 years old.
Endangered Wild Ox Given Lifeline
Twenty years after its discovery in the forested mountains of Vietnam, local authorities here have agreed to establish new nature reserves to protect a critically endangered wild ox, Pseudoryx nghetinhensis Saola (also known as Vu Quang ox. As part of a plan to protect the saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis), the central Vietnamese provinces of Thua Thien Hue and Quang Nam will create two 121km2 reserves. The reserves will link up with the Bach Ma National Park to cover a continuous protected landscape covering approximately 2,920km2 — stretching from the Vietnamese coast to the Xe Sap National Biodiversity Conservation Area in neighbouring Laos.
Housing affordability at record low
The monthly loan repayment needed on a typical first-home mortgage rose to $2,606 from $2,506 to post a four per cent increase.
Promising results for malaria jab
Scientists and global health campaigners have welcomed the early results of a malaria vaccine trial in African infants.
Tests showed the vaccine gave a high level of protection, and was safe. 214 infants in Mozambique were involved. These are early results, so caution is needed in interpreting the data. But it also appears highly protective: after three months infants who'd received it were 65% less likely to contract malaria than a control group. New Scietist report
Chromosome caps may explain cell immortality
Telomeres shorten every time a cell divides until they reach a critical length - at which point the cell dies through a process called apoptosis. Cancers sometimes develop when the telomerase enzyme gets switched on and rebuilds the telomeres, making the cells immortal.
Now Jscientists have found that they behave like genes in that they make RNA copies of themselves
Long absent tuis return to Christchurch
Breeding colonies of tui died out in Christchurch in the 1960s and 1970sBreeding colonies of tui died out in Christchurch in the 1960s and 1970s
Wednesday 17 October 2007Who Owns China’s Carbon Emissions? [pdf 75k]
China is now believed to be the world’s largest emitter of carbon dioxide (CO2), the most important contributor to global climate change. The evidence that China has overtaken the United States to take the number one spot has led to renewed calls for China to act to reduce the environmental impact of its phenomenal growth.
Racing to the aid of king coal
Last Friday the Court of Appeal overturned a decision of Greg Koppenol, president of the Land and Resources Tribunal, in which he refused to recommend conditions be imposed on the expansion of the coalmine to address its greenhouse gas emissions. The court ordered the case be reheard.
In response to the court's decision, Premier Anna Bligh announced the Government would pass special legislation to enable the mine to proceed without delay.
Sugar mill pleads guilty to environmental breaches
The Mossman Central Mill in far north Queensland has pleaded guilty to three breaches of the Environmental Protection Act relating to a fish kill two years ago.
Aust uranium deal with India still possible
Federal Trade Minister Warren Truss says if a nuclear accord between the United States and India collapses, Australia can still push ahead with its plans to sell uranium to India.
Ancient reptile tracks unearthed
The earliest evidence for the existence of reptiles has been found in Canada.
The 315 million-year-old fossilised tracks give an insight into a key milestone in the history of life, when animals left water to live on dry land.
Two questions on the IPCC and Al Gore being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
1. NOW will the [US] administration use the IPCC’s assessments of climate change impacts instead of ignoring them?
2. NOW will the Decider [Bush] decide it’s time to watch “An Inconvenient Truth”?
Farmers could reap $3b carbon harvest
ACSIRO report finds that farmers could create carbon offsets for the big polluters and reap up to $920 million a year.
Climate change: the poorest will be hit the hardest
In aggregate terms, India ranks among the 10 highest contributors, and that by the year 2020 India will climb up to fourth or fifth place in terms of global emissions, sharing the same league as U.S. and China.
Top End jellyfish season to start earlier: scientists
Scientists are predicting that a rise in sea temperatures caused by global warming could mean box jellyfish along the Top End coast will start breeding as early as September.
Qld Govt won't be taxing tank water
Queensland Premier Anna Bligh says Queenslanders will never be taxed on rainwater caught in backyard water tanks.
NSW to plug water loophole
ABudget Estimates hearing has been told that the 8 per cent of water lost in Sydney because of leaks is low, when compared to other cities. He says the level is acceptable.
Blackouts likely from new 'renewables' plan
The Government believes 90 per cent of New Zealand's electricity can come from renewable sources such as wind and hydro without compromising supply.
"We disagree entirely," Petroleum Exploration says.
Mozambique: Hundreds of Containers of Illegal Logs Seized
The illegal cargo consisted of 11,000 cubic metres, mostly of precious hardwoods, valued at around five million US dollars. There has been a ban on the export of some of these species in unprocessed form since 2002, and a general ban on log exports since June of this year.
Invasive Plant Secretes Acid To Kill Nearby Plants And Spread
The invasive strain of Phragmites australis, or common reed, believed to have originated in Eurasia, exudes from its roots an acid so toxic that the substance literally disintegrates the structural protein in the roots of neighboring plants, thus toppling the competition.
Cane toad invaders suffer arthritis on the frontline
Being a successful invader is a double-edged sword if you are a cane toad, say researchers. They have found that the front-line infantry of the invading waves of amphibian pests are showing signs of stress associated with their success: roughly one in ten suffer severe arthritis.
Kiwi campaign to protect icon
New Zealand's national icon could face extinction within the next 20 to 30 years
Up close with a monster of the deep
A 12-metre whale mesmerised onlookers on Wellington's south coast, frolicking to within a ball's throw of shore.
The southern right whale appeared off Island Bay in Wellington about 7am yesterday and spent the day moving between there and Houghton Bay - at times less than 20 metres from shore.
The spoon-billed sandpiper
a small wading bird, has declined by 70% in 20 years on breeding grounds in Russia, says the RSPB. Conservationists fear only 100 pairs remain. Disturbance by dogs roaming wild from nearby villages could be responsible for losses of these ground-nesting birds.
Genes that both extend life and protect against cancer identified
A person is 100 times more likely to get cancer at age 65 than at age 35.
Chlamydia reduces male fertility by ravaging sperm
The most common sexually transmitted disease in the US and UK causes dramatic genetic damage in sperm leading to male infertility.
Garlic Boosts Hydrogen Sulfide To Relax Arteries
Eating garlic is one of the best ways to lower high blood pressure and protect yourself from cardiovascular disease. A new study from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) shows this protective effect is closely linked to how much hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is produced from garlic compounds interacting with red blood cells.
Expecting an afternoon nap can reduce blood pressure
The time just before you fall asleep is where beneficial cardiovascular changes take place.
Level of Oxytocin in Pregnant Women Predicts Mother-Child Bond
In animals, oxytocin, dubbed “the hormone of love and bonding,” is critically important for the development of parenting, is elicited during sexual intercourse, and is involved in maintaining close relationships. Animals with no oxytocin exhibit slower pup retrieval and less licking and self-grooming. These findings implicate oxytocin in the bonding process, but little research has been done on this relationship in humans.
Monday 15 October 2007Ecological footprint quiz. How many Earths?
The Global Footprint Network offers an online quiz to help you find out. It’s called the Ecological Footprint Quiz.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071015110059.htmNew money is last hope in battle to save rainforests
Industrial clearance of rainforests accounts for 20 per cent of greenhouse gases. Every second of each day a portion of jungle the size of a football pitch is destroyed. As timber is carted off for export, giant agribusinesses often move in. And so spins the nightmare cycle: a growing release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which in turn alters weather patterns and destroys delicate ecosystems.
Pasturing Cows Convert Soil To A Source Of Methane
The cow as a killer of the climate: This inglorious role of our four-legged friends, peaceful in itself, is well-enough recognised, because, with their digestion, the animals produce methane, which is expelled continuously. Now, however, a team of German scientists from the Institute of Soil Ecology of the GSF – National Research Center for Environment and Health (Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres) and Czech colleagues at the Budweis Academy of Science have been able to show that bovine animals can also boost the production of this climate gas in soil.
Australia: the politics of fear and neglect
The following is the editorial running in the current edition of The Lancet.
To any visitor, Australian culture feels progressive and inclusive. This attractive exterior belies a strong undercurrent of political conservatism, which Howard is ruthlessly tapping into.
Calls to prosecute council over sewage
Last week, the council allowed a contractor to lower the level of an acre-sized effluent pond in Shannon, sending well over 100,000 litres of sewage into a drain and through the Mangaore Stream to the Manawatu.
Row erupts over risk to polar bears
Dr Andrew Derocher, chairman of the IUCN Polar Bear Specialist Group, said Lomborg's book was based on outdated statistics because the group had published an updated report in 2006, which showed that of 19 populations five were declining, five were stable and two were increasing; and for the remaining six there was not enough data to judge.
Possum breaks record with year-long snooze
A possum has set an enviable record for doing absolutely nothing. After stuffing itself full of food in a laboratory, one curled up and hibernated for a record 367 days.
Climate Change Will Impact Global River Flow
"Major rivers worldwide have experienced dramatic changes in flow, reducing their natural ability to adjust to and absorb disturbances,"
Community Gardens, Alternative Food Networks Can Lead To Healthier Eating
In the light of growing concerns about the separation of producers and consumers in our food system and the power of big supermarkets, new research provides valuable insights into the motivations and practices of consumers and producers involved in 'alternative food' networks, which include schemes as varied as organic vegetable boxes, community gardens and farm animal adoption.
Pollution Killing Up To 25,000 Canadians Annually
Canada needs to develop a comprehensive national environmental strategy, including stronger environmental standards for air quality, drinking water, food and consumer products. Canada needs to invest more resources in research, public education, health tracking, and the development of greener technologies.
“Sweden, for example, is light years ahead of Canada so that would be a good place to start. They have the substitution principle, whereby if there is a safer chemical available, there is legal obligation to use the safer one.”
Enzyme promotes fat formation
The enzyme TPPII may contribute to obesity by stimulating the formation of fat cells, suggests a study in EMBO reports this week. The enzyme, TPPII, has previously been linked to making people feel hungry, it may be even more deeply involved in causing obesity.
Around 40 million Americans are obese and the UK Government predicts that 12 million adults in the UK will be obese by 2010 if nothing is done. Obesity is responsible for 70% of cardiovascular diseases and 80% of type II diabetes and represents a serious health risk and financial drain.
Notes on a Sick Planet
There’s no use avoiding it: our kids need to know about the global environmental crisis — climate change, deforestation, species extinction. “Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming” actually makes it easy to understand. “Tracking Trash” takes on the problem of waste in the world’s oceans.
Prize Caps Year of Highs for Gore
For Al Gore, winning the Nobel Peace Prize today is the latest twist in a remarkable decade of soaring highs and painful lows.
Coal-to-diesel project angers lobby group
NZ: Coal Action Network said today a proposed coal-to-diesel plant threatened to "completely wipe out" any environmental gains through the Government's new policy of banning coal-fired power stations. “18 million tonnes of lignite – the wettest, most inefficient and polluting coal there is – turned into liquid fuels every year", would produce twice as much carbon dioxide each year as the total emitted by coal-fired electricity generation.
Nitrogen -- The Silent Species Eliminator
Nitrogen pollution from agriculture and fossil fuels is known to be seriously damaging grasslands in the UK. A new European study is starting to show that the effect is Europe-wide, confirming that current policies to protect ecosystems may need a re-think.
Buying And Selling Habitats To Help Wildlife
A collaboration of European ecologists and economists is studying how such a market could work in theory.
US has abandoned 'basic principles of human rights'
Former US president Jimmy Carter said the interrogation methods cited, including "head-slapping, simulated drowning and frigid temperatures," constitute torture "if you use the international norms of torture as has always been honoured - certainly in the last 60 years since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was promulgated. In a separate interview with the BBC, Mr Carter criticised Mr Dick Cheney as "a militant who avoided any service of his own in the military."
Nuclear reactor graveyard updated
The upgraded facility at a former Soviet military base in the Estonian coastal town of Paldiski is meant to provide safe storage for the next 50 years, after which the reactors are to be dismantled.
We got it wrong on Haneef: DPP chief
MOHAMED HANEEF should never have been charged, the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions,
New Middle East investigation exposes Live Export industry’s lies
In searing heat, sheep are stuffed into car boots, dragged by their horns, legs and fleece, tossed off trucks before meeting horrific deaths in Middle Eastern slaughterhouses. This treatment is routine and widespread through the region.
Language 'mutations' affect least-used words
As languages evolve over centuries and millennia, the most frequently used words tend to remain unaltered, while rarer words are more likely to change.
Chaser team under investigation again
During the filming of the show, the crew tried to deliver a loudly ticking package. to the offices of Sydney Water and Energy Australia.
"We're investigating that complaint to determine if any criminal offence has taken place," Police said.
Friday 12 October 2007New fossil fuel plants banned for 10 years
New coal and gas-fuelled power stations have effectively been banned for 10 years, leaving plans for a $500 million project near Auckland destined for the scrapheap
Greenland ice cap melting faster than expected
The ice cap, located in Greenland, is melting four times more rapidly than at the beginning of the decade according to the study.
Zero emissions needed to avert 'dangerous' warming
Only the total elimination of industrial emissions will succeed in limiting climate change to a 2°C rise in temperatures,
QCC welcomes Xstrata Coal emissions ruling
The Supreme Court has upheld an appeal to force mining company Xstrata Coal to offset greenhouse gas emissions from a north Queensland mine.
Fantastic plastic could cut CO2 emissions and purify water
A new plastic membrane allows carbon dioxide and other small molecules to move through its hourglass-shaped pores while preventing the movement of larger molecules like methane. Separating carbon dioxide from methane is important in natural gas processing and gas recovery from landfill.
China to Move 4 Million from Three Gorges
The US$25 billion dam near Chongqing, in southwest China, is the world's largest hydropower project, but even senior officials who have defended the project as an engineering wonder now warn that areas around the dam are paying a heavy environmental cost.
Short-term targets key to tackling climate change: report
A new report says a 30 per cent reduction in greenhouse emissions by 2020 is an achievable target for Australia.
Northern royal albatross making massive flights
Toroa was now 550km off the coast of New Zealand and heading east into the Pacific Ocean.
Shell says has key to cleaner coal
Power plants fuelled by gas made from coal using Shell's proven technology could have 9 percent lower costs than conventional coal-fired boilers if both types of generation involve carbon capture and storage, the executives said.
Study shows genetically engineered corn could affect aquatic ecosystems
Laboratory trials found consumption of Bt corn byproducts produced increased mortality and reduced growth in caddisflies, aquatic insects that are related to the pests targeted by the toxin in Bt corn.
less beef, aluminium, to cut pollution
AUSTRALIA could cut its greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 30 per cent by 2020 without relying on clean-coal technology or nuclear energy
Public pressure got us picked on - Exide
Exide Technologies says it is being unfairly singled out for prosecution over a Petone lead discharge because of public pressure and its negative profile.
Mozambique: Agreement to Reforest 700,000 Hectares Signed
The Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM), the oldest and largest higher education institution in Mozambique, signed in Maputo on Monday a cooperation protocol with three private forestry companies to plant trees on more than 700,000 hectares of damaged forests.
Breast Cancer Linked To Pesticide DDT
High levels of the primary component of DDT, in women exposed before mid-adolescence, were found to be predict a five-fold increase in breast cancer risk.
African Megadroughts May Have Driven Evolution of Humans and Fish
From 135,000 to 90,000 years ago tropical Africa had megadroughts more extreme and widespread than any previously known for that region
Australia's Climate Future - CSIRO report
The key findings of this report includes that by 2030, temperatures will rise by about 1 ºC over Australia – a little less in coastal areas, and a little more inland - later in the century, warming depends on the extent of greenhouse gas emissions. If emissions are low, warming of between 1 ºC and 2.5 ºC is likely by around 2070, with a best estimate of 1.8 ºC. Under a high emission scenario, the best estimate warming is 3.4 ºC, with a range of 2.2 ºC to 5 ºC.
Further, the report indicates there will be changes in temperature extremes, with fewer frosts and substantially more days over 35 ºC.
It also predicts that decreases in annual average rainfall are likely in southern Australia - rainfall is likely to decrease in southern areas during winter, in southern and eastern areas during spring, and along the west coast during autumn. For 2030, there will be little annual rainfall change in the far north.
As with temperature, the report indicates that rainfall projections for later in the century are more dependent on greenhouse gas emissions. Under a low emission scenario in 2070, the best estimate of rainfall decrease is 7.5 per cent. Under a high emission scenario the best estimate is a decrease of 10 per cent.
Other findings include:
• droughts are likely to become more frequent, particularly in the south-west
• evaporation rates are likely to increase, particularly in the north and east.
• high-fire-danger weather is likely to increase in the south-east
• tropical cyclones are likely to become more intense
• sea levels will continue to rise.
Climate Change in Australia
In 2007 the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released their fourth assessment report, concluding that:
• Warming of the climate system is unequivocal
• Humans are very likely to be causing most of the warming that has been experienced since 1950
• It is very likely that changes in the global climate system will continue well into the future, and that they will be larger than those seen in the recent past.
Greenhouse gas levels 'far worse than predicted'
Speaking on the ABC's Lateline program, Professor Flannery has revealed the contents of a crucial Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, which will be released in November.
Diet for small planet may be most efficient if it includes dairy and a little meat
"Vegetarian diet is not necessarily the most efficient in terms of land use,"
The reason is that fruits, vegetables and grains must be grown on high-quality cropland. Meat and dairy products from ruminant animals are supported by lower quality, but more widely available, land that can support pasture and hay. A large pool of such land is available in New York state because for sustainable use, most farmland requires a crop rotation with such perennial crops as pasture and hay.
Microbes can survive 'deep freeze' for 100,000 years
Living bacteria have been found in ice cores sampled at depths of 4 kilometres in Antarctica
Captive-bred Orange-bellied parrots to take to the wild
80 of the endangered birdshavebe released into the wild from the three different sanctuaries, including 40 from Tasmania's south-west coast.
Wildfires Leave Behind More Than Ashes
People may not know is that the wildfirescause damage on an "elemental" level — that is, in increased amounts of elements such as iron, aluminum and mercury accumulating in watershed systems after a fire. Enhanced concentrations of such elements in stream water adversely affect the quality of downstream water supplies and the rate of vegetation regrowth.
Human Urine As A Safe, Inexpensive Fertilizer For Food Crops
Analysis shows that growth and biomass are slightly higher with urine than with conventional fertilizer.
Council to prosecute Exide over leak
Greater Wellington regional council has confirmed it will prosecute the company after confirmation that the discharge breached the plant's resource consent conditions.
Appendix Isn't Useless at All
"While there is no smoking gun, the abundance of circumstantial evidence makes a strong case for the role of the appendix as a place where the good bacteria can live safe and undisturbed until they are needed."
Unis unite to slam 'racist' Andrews
In an open letter, more than 165 leading academics say there is no evidence to support Mr Andrews' claims that African immigrants have more problems resettling here than other groups.
PM slams Rudd over death penalty
"The idea that we would plead for the deferral of executions of people who murdered 88 Australians is distasteful to the entire community," Mr Howard said.
'Green' Leather Is In This Season
The researchers found that simply reversing the order of the tanning and post-tanning steps can drastically improve the process. By also promoting non-chemical-based pre-tanning methods, they have reduced the amount chemicals released by 82% and made an energy saving of nearly 40%.*
Global warming brings additional woes to orangutans
A study predicts that global warming will further decimate the orangutan population in Sebangau National Park in Central Kalimantan
Pulp mill issue spills to mainland
DEBATE on the $2 billion pulp mill proposed by Gunns for the pristine Tamar Valley in Tasmania has spilled from its emotional localised base to the mainland, where it has become a federal election issue - at least in the Sydney seat of Wentworth held by Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
Congo Rebels Seize Gorillas Habitat
Rebels have seized an area in eastern Congo that serves as a wildlife habitat for endangered mountain gorillas, threatening one of the last known populations of the animals
Roof Top of Africa On Fire
A raging fire was last week reported to have burnt a forest area of Africa's highest peak, Mt. Kilimanjaro. Authorities in Rombo District have confirmed.
Lose Five Pounds Fast!
Women absorb up to five lbs. of chemicals every year from makeup and other beauty products.
The Big Melt
The Arctic is going through an unprecedented climate change - a big melt of the ice landscape that occupies such a large part of our territory, our definition, and our imagination. Outstanding audio visuals [you need Broadband speed of 528kbs] and images and text for dial up speeds.
Pulp Mill is “Howard’s cup of poison”
7th Oct 07: Gunns pulp mill will be fought in the legal arena, at the ballot box, in the forests and in the houses of finance which might think to fund it, Greens leader Bob Brown told thousands of people at Low Head at the mouth of Tasmania’s Tamar River today.
Cane toad holy grail
The Bohle virus has been engineered by CSIRO scientists to `turn off' the genes responsible for turning cane toad tadpoles into sexually mature adult toads.
Finding the Grey Falcon
The Grey Falcon (Falco hypoleucos) is one of Australia's rarest birds of prey, and not much is known about the species. Jonny Schoenjahn has started a research project to establish some basic facts about the Grey Falcon, and he's currently visiting western Queensland in his quest to locate some breeding pairs.
Harnessing high-altitude winds for energy
Some scientists believe that all the power we could ever need can be found in the continuous flow of wind high above our heads.
Papua's forests and global warming
Papua is the size of California and is almost entirely covered by vast stretches of virgin rain forest spread over 41.5 million hectares -- or 23 percent of Indonesia's total forested area of 180 million hectares.
But some 22 million hectares of these forests are classified as production forests, rather than conservation areas.
Pressure on Papua's forests has progressively increased due to overseas demand, notably from China.
In 2003, some 7.2 million cubic meters of timber was reportedly smuggled out of Papua.
UCI researchers restore memory process in most common form of mental disability
“While this discovery doesn’t identify a cure for fragile X syndrome, it provides the scientific foundation for methods to treat its learning and memory deficits,”
Sherwood Forest 'is under threat'
The home of legendary outlaw Robin Hood in Nottinghamshire is under threat, according to forestry officials.
Sherwood Forest used to cover more than 100,000 acres in the middle of England, but now covers only 450 acres.
Sunday 7 October 2007Melting Ice Pack Displaces Alaska Walrus
Thousands of walrus have appeared on Alaska's northwest coast in what conservationists are calling a dramatic consequence of global warming melting the Arctic sea ice.
How important is cohabiting?
UK: The number of unmarried couples increased by almost 65% in the ten years to 2006, according to research from the office of national statistics.
Windscale: A nuclear disaster
Fifty years ago, on the night of 10 October 1957, Britain was on the brink of an unprecedented nuclear tragedy
Windscale fallout underestimated
Radioactive iodine and caesium were released, as well as polonium and a very small amount of plutonium, levels would have been higher than previously thought.
Venter plays at being God
20 top scientists, led by the Nobel laureate Hamilton Smith, have already constructed a synthetic chromosome. Using lab-made chemicals, they have painstakingly stitched together a chromosome that is 381 genes long and contains 580,000 base pairs of genetic code.
Fortifying Feed With Biodiesel Co-products
Biofuel research isn’t just a matter of finding the right type of biomass—corn grain, soybean oil, animal fat, wood or other material—and converting it into fuel. Scientists must also find environmentally and economically sound uses for the by-products of biofuel production. As corn grain ethanol production and conversion soar, corn grain supplies for livestock feed are decreasing. Using crude glycerin to supplement feed supplies could provide livestock producers with a readily available, inexpensive and energy- packed alternative to corn grain.
Human Rights Violations Widespread in Eastern Burma
Fifty-two percent of respondents experienced one or more human rights violations during the previous 12 months. Over 32 percent of households reported forced labor, 25 percent reported theft or destruction of their food supply and over 8 percent reported forced displacement. Mortality risk for children under five years of age exceeded 200 per 1,000 live births. Malaria, diarrhea and acute respiratory infections were reported as the most common causes of death. Landmines injuries were reported at a rate of 13.3 injuries per 10,000 persons per year.
Biofuel Bandwagon Slows as Feedstock Prices Surge
Last month, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) called on governments to cut their subsidies for the biofuel sector, saying biofuels may "offer a cure that is worse than the disease they seek to heal."
Fifty years on, the deadly legacy of Britain’s worst nuclear accident
The dirty relic of an early nuclear age has remained entombed behind its concrete bioshield since fire raged for two days in October 1957, threatening catastrophe and sending a plume of fallout over the North of England, south to London and across the sea to the Netherlands and Scandinavia.
Labor spells out indigenous CDEP plan
A LABOR government would retain the 30-year old Aboriginal work-for-the dole scheme in the Northern Territory
New pet laws say yes to emu and no to dingo
UK: The law has been relaxed so that a further 33 species are considered sufficiently harmless not to need controls.
River mouth parcel could face green investigation
Mackay Conservation Group spokeswoman Patricia Julien said several species of wading bird fed in the area on their annual path from the Arctic Circle to the north.
UK 'exporting emissions' to China
The UK's increasing dependence on Chinese goods is contributing to a rise in carbon emissions, a report suggests.
2007 Ozone Hole 'Smaller Than Usual'
The ozone hole over Antarctica has shrunk 30 percent as compared to last year's record size
Toxic pellets threatening marine life
Tangoroa Blue says large numbers of pellets used to manufacture plastic have been found between Cape Leeuwin and Cape Naturaliste and are hazardous to sea creatures.
The Making of a Climate Movement
Public awareness of the climate crisis has grown enormously in the United States over the past two years, but the government's response lags far behind. Now, however, Washington's sluggish pace is calling forth a surge of activism aimed at persuading the next President and Congress to be far bolder--to advocate and deliver solutions as big as the problem.
Prius Outdoes Hummer in Environmental Damage
The Prius costs an average of $3.25 per mile driven over a lifetime of 100,000 miles - the expected lifespan of the Hybrid. The Hummer, on the other hand, costs a more fiscal $1.95 per mile to put on the road over an expected lifetime of 300,000 miles.
Giant telescope in race to become world's largest
The Giant Magellan Telescope, which is in a race to become the world's largest telescope, will be built in central Chile, officials announced on Thursday. Set to be completed in 2016, the GMT will be able to produce images up to 10 times as sharp as the Hubble Space Telescope.
The GMT will have an effective aperture of 24.5 metres, much larger than the twin 10-metre Keck telescopes in Hawaii, US, which are currently the world's largest optical telescopes.
Living fossils have hot sex
Cycads use heat and odor to woo pollinating insects
Majority of Americans Want Local Action on Global Warming
• 71 % would pay $5 a month more in property taxes in support of a local subsidy to encourage homeowners to replace old furnaces, water heaters, air conditioners, light bulbs and insulation.
• 69 % would pay $8.50 more a month for local regulations requiring electric utilities to produce at least 20 percent of their electricity from wind, solar and other renewable energy sources.
• 68 % would approve changing their city or town zoning rules to decrease suburban sprawl and concentrate new development near the town center.
• 65 % would support changing their city or town zoning rules to require neighborhoods to have a mix of housing, offices, industry, schools and stores close together.
• 53 % would back city or local fees added to electricity bills to encourage people to use less electricity.
Trees In Trust [North America] enables you to quickly and easily dedicate a piece of forest to give as a gift, as a memorial or to reduce your carbon footprint. You don't own the trees, but they are held in your name forever by a not-for-profit charitable land trust which protects the woodland in perpetuity.
Climate Change, Human Security and Violent Conflict
Climate change increasingly undermines human security in the present day, and will increasingly do so in the future, by reducing access to, and the quality of, natural resources that are important to sustain livelihoods.
Clean Cities Program Saves 375 Million Gallons Of Gas In 2006
• Seventy-one percent of the 2006 gasoline displacement came from the use of alternative fuels.
• Thirty percent of that was from the use of compressed natural gas, mostly in heavy-duty vehicles.
• The use of E85, a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline, grew substantially in 2006, largely because the number of E85 stations doubled – from 436 to 995 – in the year. E85 accounted for 24 percent of gasoline displacement from alternate fuels in 2006.
• Coalitions reported acquiring almost 44,000 hybrid electric vehicles in 2006, a 61 percent increase over the 17,100 HEVs purchased in 2005. HEV use accounted for the displacement of approximately 9 million gallons of gasoline.
• Idle reduction efforts displaced 8.4 million gallons in 2006, including 1.2 million gallons from truck stop electrification.
• Almost 2 million gallons were saved by reducing the number of miles traveled.
Uganda: Buveera Ban Takes Effect
"As of today October 1, 2007, the importation, production and use of polythene bags and materials of 30 microns (120 gauge) or less is illegal. This gauge is irrespective of the colours and size ranges used to produce the bags and materials."
Advisers endorse tidal power plan in Severn estuary
The report also called for a large-scale "compensatory habitat" package to replace breeding and feeding sites for migratory birds around the estuary that would be lost if the barrage got the go-ahead.
South Africa: High Stakes in the Battle Between Mining and the Environment
Environmentalists and tour operators appear to be losing the battle against mining companies in Mpumalanga, a province in the east of South Africa.
Today the town, strategically located close to the Mpumalanga Lake District and the Umlabu coal mine, is experiencing unprecedented growth.
The Mpumalanga Lake District has more than 270 fresh water lakes, including Lake Chrissie, the country's largest natural body of freshwater.
Texas oilman pleads guilty in Iraq oil/food case
The Manhattan U.S. Attorney's office has now won six guilty verdicts and one jury conviction of individuals in connection with the oil-for-food program
Life-giving Rocks From A Depth Of 250 Kilometers
Without this mechanism our "Blue Planet" might well be as dry and inhospitable as Mars.
Monday 1 October 2007Scientists Call For 80 Percent Drop In U.S. Emissions
By 2050, the United States must cut its emissions by at least 80 percent below those created in the year 2000 if the world is to avoid potentially dangerous impacts of human-induced climate change,
Bye-bye birdies: 45 species feeling the heat
There's only one bird officially listed as becoming extinct on the mainland since European settlement and that's the paradise parrot, dead by the 1920s.
Uganda: Planting the Seeds of Hope Around an Unhealthy Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria's ever dwindling health is a glaring example of how climate change --shifting patterns of rainfall in this case -- and poor resource management have conspired to create an ecological nightmare.
Scientists push back origins of Earth's oxygen
A chemical analysis of primordial sedimentary rock retrieved in western Australia indicated that a "whiff" of oxygen pulsed through the atmosphere perhaps 50 to 100 million years [2.5 billion years] before the so-called Great Oxidation Event, foreshadowing the dramatic rise in worldwide oxygen levels.
Chaser's APEC charges to stand
MEMBERS of ABC satire The Chaser's War on Everything, charged with breaching security during last month's APEC conference, expect to appear in court this week despite speculation that charges against them may be dropped.
Drift nets
Canadian Forces patrol spots 90 suspected drift netters off West Coast; Ships tried to cover markings that identified their boats 564kbs video
Greenland Snow Melting Hit Record High In High Places, NASA Finds
In high altitude areas over 1.2 miles above sea level, the melting index -- an indicator of where melting is occurring and for how long - was significantly higher than average. Melting over those areas occurred 25-30 days longer this year than the observed average in the previous 19 years.
Declawing crabs may not be sustainable
Crabs with one claw removed showed a greater physiological stress response - release of glucose and lactate into the blood - than crabs allowed to shed a claw naturally. And they were still stressed 24 hours later. Of 28 crabs that had one claw removed, five died, whereas no crabs died after shedding their claws naturally
Monday 24 September 2007Australia sets modest clean-energy target - Summary
Australia has set a target of 15 per cent of power generation from clean sources by 2020. "Based on what we have seen, the target proposed will not deliver additional clean energy investment in Australia above what the states would have done anyway," "You would actually get to 30,000 gigawatt hours by 2020 anyway."
Buy your way to carbon neutrality?
The Oscar-winning film "An Inconvenient Truth" touted itself as the world's first carbon-neutral documentary.
Co-producer Lesley Chilcott used an online calculator to estimate that shooting the film used 41.4 tons of carbon dioxide and paid a middleman, a company called Native Energy, $12 a ton, or $496.80, to broker a deal to cut greenhouse gases elsewhere. The film's distributors later made a similar payment to neutralize carbon dioxide from the movie's marketing.
Green group fears Mary River water take certain
"If Minister Turnbull doesn't allow the dam, therefore it doesn't get approval and the dam can't be built, this will still allow the Queensland Government to be able to extract that water, it just means that they won't have to worry about federal approval for the dam,"
Meteor Crash in Peru Caused Mysterious Illness
The illness was the result of inhaling arsenic fumes, according to Luisa Macedo, a researcher for Peru's Mining, Metallurgy, and Geology Institute (INGEMMET), who visited the crash site.
Scientists warn against biofuel emissions
So-called biofuels made from corn and rapeseed produce more greenhouse gas emissions than the fossil fuels they are meant to replace
Oz Card debt hits $41bn as banks lift rates
A near record total of $1.08 billion was borrowed on cash advances in July. A record $16.4 billion purchases were put on credit cards, an average of $1197 per card.
Scientists In First Global Study Of 'Poison' Gas In The Atmosphere
Phosgene was still stockpiled in military arsenals well after the Second World War, but its continued presence in the atmosphere today is due to man-made chlorinated hydrocarbons used in the chemical industry.
Toxic chemicals buried on Waikato site
NZ: Wallace Corporation has previously pleaded guilty to spilling rendering plant liquid waste to water in April 1997. It also pleaded guilty to over-application of treated effluent on to irrigation properties during the 2000 season.
Gladstone cancer probe rules out coal dust link
Regional public health medical officer Dr Margaret Young says she can confirm that there is no link between the cancer and coal dust or industrial emissions in the area.
Friday 21 September 2007Climate-change legislation wins solid backing from all parties in NZ Parliament
It aims sets up a system requiring up to 200 big emitters to pay for their emissions by creating permits, the surplus of which can be traded domestically and internationally.
Snowmelt In Antarctica Creeping Inland, Based On 20 Year Of NASA Data
NASA researchers using data collected from 1987 to 2006 found snow melting in unlikely places in 2005: as far inland as 500 miles away from the Antarctic coast and as high as 1.2 miles above sea level in the Transantarctic Mountains.
Doubts raised over trees for carbon plan
"This tax amendment provides for the planting of so-called carbon sinks, but there is no definition of a carbon sink … The important thing is that there is no requirement for the trees to stay in the ground for any length of time,"
Rising Surface Temperatures Drive Back Winter Ice In Barents Sea
Rising sea-surface temperatures in the Barents Sea, northeast of Scandinavia, are the prime cause of the retreating winter ice edge over the past 26 years.
Sudan: Scramble for Resources Driving Conflicts
The new assessment of the country, including the troubled region of Darfur, indicates that among the root causes of decades of social strife and conflict are the rapidly eroding environmental conditions in several parts of the country.
Climate contrarian Pat Michaels refused to disclose funding in Vermont court case
Patrick J. Michaels, one of the global warming skeptics most often interviewed by news media, withdrew as an expert witness in a high-profile Vermont court case rather than disclose his funding sources, court documents show. Moreover, Michaels told the court in July 2007, some funders gave him money on the condition that their identities remain secret -- and he is largely dependent for his livelihood on the money they give him.
Canada's Pristine Freshwater Fisheries At Risk
Looming development, including forestry, mining and dam construction, threatens this pristine region of untouched forests,
Sellafield's plutonium store 'vulnerable to terrorist attack'
Ministers must urgently review the way more than 100 tonnes of the radioactive element, separated during the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel
US Blockade Costs Cuba Over 89 Billion Dollars
Report by Cuba on Resolution 61/11 of the United Nations General Assembly, to be presented in Geneva on October 30 under the title "Necessity to end the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States of America against Cuba."
Delhi teacher cleared on 'sting'
The high court in the Indian capital, Delhi, has ordered that a schoolteacher who was sacked after a fake television "sting" operation must be reinstated.
Eco-champs' development plans attacked
TWO of Australia's leading businessmen [Dick Smith and Geoffrey Cousins] are under pressure to drop plans to develop their slice ofstunning Tasmanian coastline and allow the land to be protected.
Hagen ablaze
BUSINESS in Mt Hagen ground to a halt yesterday after three stores were burnt down and bystanders seized the opportunity to loot stores in the city.
Japan's quake-hit nuclear plant catches fire, no leakage
The fire started from a power cable of a makeshift air conditioner at the building of the number one reactor.
"Jurassic Park" Raptors Had Feathers
"If people saw this animal now, they would think it's a really strange-looking bird."
'Lord Lucan' lays complaint over neighbours
Lord Lucan look-alike Roger Woodgate is taking his neighbours to court alleging harassment
Fishermen fined $20,000 each for dumping catch
Two commercial fishermen have been fined $20,000 each after admitting dumping as much as 311 tonnes of southern blue whiting in the Southern Ocean in 2004.
Increase in atmospheric moisture tied to human activities
“When you heat the planet, you increase the ability of the atmosphere to hold moisture,”
Gore maintains pressure on PM over Kyoto
The former US vice-president, now a leading climate crusader, again referred to Australia and the US as the Bonnie and Clyde of the climate crisis
Damage to the planet ‘is already inevitable’
Action to limit the impact can only make the difference between moderate and severe damage rather than preventing it altogether. Just eight years are left for the world’s carbon dioxide emissions to peak if there is any hope of limiting temperature rises to no more than 2C (3.6F) over the next century.
How climate change will affect the world
The effects of climate change will be felt sooner than scientists realised and the world must learn to live with the effects,
Chikungunya - the tropical disease that could hit the UK 'because of climate change'
In the last few weeks, more than 200 people in northern Italy have been infected with chikungunya - a disease that causes crippling muscle pain and fever. One died.
Sudan: The Conflict in Darfur Beyond What We Think
The crisis is no longer confined to Darfur. It has spilled over borders, destabilizing the region. Darfur is also an environmental crisis - a conflict that grew at least in part from desertification, ecological degradation and a scarcity of resources, foremost among them water.
NZ: PC recycling scheme goes national
When eDay was held in Wellington last year offering people a free place to drop off e-junk, organisers received 54 tonnes of unloved hardware in one day.
Industry cutting emissions by 1m tonnes annually
The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) industry greenhouse program began in 2002 and since then up to 600 businesses have built or modified plants and processes, to save energy and money.
Drought killing Coorong ecosystem
Professor David Paton from the University of Adelaide says a lack of water flow has led to increased salinity, the death of plant life and fish and water birds leaving the area.
Three-quarters of world's fish stocks depleted: report
The WorldWatch Institute study says declaring marine parks may be the only way to reverse a big decline in fish stocks across the world.
New treatment plant to lower industry water use
The nearby Caltex Refinery currently uses about 5.2 million litres of water a day.
Waiheke Island turns cooking oil into biodiesel
The bio-diesel plant run by Waiheke

The UK government's long-awaited Energy Review today swept aside objections from environmentalists and anti-nuclear campaigners by proposing a new generation of nuclear power stations.
"A new generation of nuclear power stations could make a contribution to reducing carbon emissions and reducing our reliance on imported energy," UK Energy Secretary Alistair Darling told the House of Commons. "But it would be for the private sector to initiate, fund, construct and operate new nuclear plants and cover the costs of decommissioning and their full share of long term waste management costs."

Wednesday 28 June 2006First Compilation Of Tropical Ice Cores Shows Abrupt Global Climate Shifts
For the first time, glaciologists have combined and compared sets of ancient climate records trapped in ice cores from the South American Andes and the Asian Himalayas to paint a picture of how climate has changed – and is still changing – in the tropics.
Their conclusions mark a massive climate shift to a cooler regime that occurred just over 5,000 years ago, and a more recent reversal to a much warmer world within the last 50 years.
China gets a spurt of new energy
BEIJING - There are now signs that the Chinese government is increasing its support for biomass energy, and development of fuel ethanol as a kind of biomass energy is entering a rapid-growth stage.
Germany to spark 'climate crisis'
BBC News understands the German cabinet is likely to agree a deal that will reduce carbon emissions from industry by only 0.6% between 2004 and 2012. Environmental groups describe the target as "pathetic and shameful".
Last chance for China's dolphin
Zoologists have developed a plan to save the Yangtze River dolphin, probably the world's most endangered mammal, from extinction.
The most recent surveys found only 17 living individuals.
Madagascar Declaration: Value of Nature Key to African Development
ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar, June 26, 2006 (ENS) - Conserving Africa's diverse animals and plants can help ease poverty, fight disease, and improve the quality of life for people, a global environmental conference concluded Saturday. The mating of conservation and economic development to stem the loss of biodiversity was the theme of the five day gathering at the Hilton Hotel conference center.
PanAfrica: Poverty in Africa Can Become History With Proper Use of Continent's Resources - UN
"The report challenges the myth that Africa is poor," UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director Achim Steiner said of the study, the Africa Environment Outlook-2 (AE0-2).
No Risk-free Level Of Exposure To Secondhand Smoke, Surgeon General Says
U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona today issued a comprehensive scientific report which concludes that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke at home or work increase their risk of developing heart disease by 25 to 30 percent and lung cancer by 20 to 30 percent.
Double vortex at Venus South Pole unveiled!
ESA’s Venus Express data undoubtedly confirm for the first time the presence of a huge 'double-eye' atmospheric vortex at the planet's south pole.
Wi-fi pioneers offer cheap router
The company, which has financial backing from Google and Skype, aims to create public wi-fi networks street by street across the US and Europe. To date, 54,000 people worldwide have signed up to become "foneros," up from 3,000 in February, according to the company.
The Big Question: So how dangerous is cannabis?
The head of the UN's anti-drugs office has said that cannabis use has turned into a major pandemic which is causing as much harm as cocaine and heroin. Antonio Maria Costa also implicitly criticised countries such as Britain for relaxing the law on the possession of cannabis.
Tuesday 27 June 2006Earth's Climate Warming Abruptly, Scientist Says
The warming around Earth's tropical belt is a signal suggesting that the "climate system has exceeded a critical threshold," which has sent tropical-zone glaciers in full retreat and will melt them completely "in the near future."
Top US court to take on CO2 case
The US Supreme Court is to consider whether to force the government to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from energy producers and cars.
A Massive Dam, Under Way in Laos, Generates Worries
OUDOMSOUK, Laos — There are few places in Southeast Asia more remote than this forested plateau in southern Laos, but over the decades, history seems to have chosen it as a battleground.
About 6,000 people will be displaced on the Nakai Plateau, which will be partly flooded, and the livelihoods of at least 100,000 more will be affected downstream.
Environmentalists urge protection of Rockies
Ranchers and environmentalists gathered in downtown Calgary today to protest what they fear is an impending proliferation of gas wells along the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains.
Funds allocated to Mackay's east-west connector road
More than $500,000 is to be invested in North Mackay's east-west connector road and levee works.
The federal Member for Dawson, De-Anne Kelly, says the project will make Mackay better prepared for the future.
Cell phone emissions excite the brain cortex
Electromagnetic fields from cell phones excite the brain cortex adjacent to it, with potential implications for individuals with epilepsy, or other neurological conditions.
It would be premature to presume that this work implies that using a cell phone is bad for the brain in any way. Much more work needs to be done to understand whether these electrical changes in the brain make any difference whatsoever in the way we think or in any disease process in which cortical excitability is affected.
STEALTH RADAR SYSTEM SEES THROUGH TREES, WALLS -- UNDETECTED
The radar could have applications in law enforcement, the military, and disaster rescue.
Male sexuality may be decided in the womb
If you are male, having more older brothers makes it more likely you will be gay - and a new study suggests the basis of this is biological rather than environmental. The crucial factor influencing the likelihood of male homosexuality may be how many brothers were born before you to the same mother, not how many brothers you were brought up with.
Monday 26 June 2006Proof of global warming will come too late to do anything
In 1992, when George H.W. Bush signed the Framework Convention on Climate Change, the dangers of global warming were already clear. They’re clearer now.
To wait for yet more clarity while carbon dioxide levels continue to rise is not a sign of prudence; it’s just the opposite. Dangerous climate change can still perhaps be averted. But not if we waste another 14 years.
Greenland glacier's quick breakup amazes scientists
By all accounts, the glaciers of Greenland are melting twice as fast as they were five years ago, even as the ice sheets of Antarctica – the world's largest reservoir of fresh water – also are shrinking, researchers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the University of Kansas reported in February.
Bruno the bear shot dead in Alps
Bruno was the first wild bear to be sighted in Germany since 1835.
PC users 'want greener machines'
About 70% of heavy metals, such as lead and mercury, in landfill sites come from e-waste.
'High Confidence' That Planet Is Warmest in 400 Years;
WASHINGTON -- There is sufficient evidence from tree rings, boreholes, retreating glaciers, and other "proxies" of past surface temperatures to say with a high level of confidence that the last few decades of the 20th century were warmer than any comparable period in the last 400 years, according to a new report from the National Research Council. Less confidence can be placed in proxy-based reconstructions of surface temperatures for A.D. 900 to 1600, said the committee that wrote the report, although the available proxy evidence does indicate that many locations were warmer during the past 25 years than during any other 25-year period since 900. Very little confidence can be placed in statements about average global surface temperatures prior to A.D. 900 because the proxy data for that time frame are sparse, the committee added.
World's Coral Reefs Left Vulnerable By Paper Parks
Of the 18.7% of tropical coral reefs that lie within "Marine Protected Areas," less than 2% are extended protection complete with regulations on extraction, poaching and other major threats, according to an analysis published in Science Magazine on June 23.
Ancient beads imply culture older than we thought
Archaeologists have discovered that 100,000-year-old shells found in Israel and Algeria were decorative beads. This suggests that modern human forms of behaviour, such as language, developed earlier than previously thought.
Friday 23 June 2006Global Warming Surpassed Natural Cycles In Fueling 2005 Hurricane Season, NCAR Scientists Conclude
Global warming accounted for around half of the extra hurricane-fueling warmth in the waters of the tropical North Atlantic in 2005, while natural cycles were only a minor factor
Expert Panel Concludes Earth's Temperature Warmest in 400 Years
The 155 page report provides additional evidence that "human activities are responsible for much of the warming.
Aust offered zero-emission coal partnership
Germany has told a climate change conference in South Africa that its first clean coal plant will be ready by 2014 - a decade earlier than expected.
Bank Data Secretly Reviewed by U.S. to Fight Terror
WASHINGTON, June 22 - Under a secret Bush administration program initiated weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks, counterterrorism officials have gained access to financial records from a vast international database and examined banking transactions involving thousands of Americans and others in the United States, according to government and industry officials.
Study reveals 'oldest jewellery'
The three shell beads are between 90,000 and 100,000 years old, according to an international research team.
Ancient web spins evolution story
The mesh of silk strands snaring the remains of a fly, beetle, mite and wasp, dates back 110 million years to the time of the dinosaurs.
Farmers affected by tree clearing laws share in over $18m
The Queensland Government says more than $18.3 million has so far been allocated to help farmers and clearing contractors affected by tree clearing laws.
Reef tour operator calls cor total commercial fishing ban
David Hutchen, the managing director of Fantasea Cruises based in Airlie Beach, says all of the reef should be closed to commercial fishing because the bans are working.
Urine collected and purified separately
If 50% of the urine is separately purified, it would save 25% of the energy needed for the entire purification system. Moreover, the stench of the sewer will be lessened, environmental pressure on the surface water will be reduced, and sewer pipes will be better protected against rot.
Thursday 22 June 2006Kyoto promises are nothing but hot air
Two teams that have monitored concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere say they have convincing evidence that the figures reported by many countries are wrong, especially for methane. Among the worst offenders are the UK, which may be emitting 92 per cent more methane than it declares under the Kyoto protocol, and France, which may be emitting 47 per cent more.
First Global Bird Map Provides New Clues To Future Extinctions
The first global survey of bird diversity could play a key role in identifying species most vulnerable to extinction, researchers report today in the journal PLoS Biology.
Reef researcher urges more focus on other fish habitats
Prof Mapstone says the researchers associated with the project are now looking for new challenges.
"The team is also moving into other areas now, so there's other projects now being put together on some of the inshore fisheries ... we've done a lot of work on the reef line fishery over the past 11 years, perhaps it's time to do a lot of work on some of the other fisheries," he said.
Climate Change May Threaten Species Of Amphibians And Reptiles In Southwestern Europe
Projected climate change could trigger massive range contractions among amphibian and reptile species in the southwest of Europe, according to a new study published in the Journal of Biogeography.
Find fuels southern oil hopes
An oil explorer has made a significant discovery of onshore oil and gas about 70km north-west of Invercargill, fuelling hopes of a southern oil rush.
More than 3m babies born from IVF
Fertility treatment has resulted in more than three million births worldwide since Louise Brown was born in the UK 28 years ago, experts report.
Black-white health chasm widening
In the early 1990s, Australians paid an average of $353 out of their own pockets towards their health bills.
By 2003, the latest year for which figures are available, personal costs had risen to $796, or 3.3 per cent of household budgets - putting the cost above the average weighted figure for Western countries of 2.9 per cent.
Tuesday 20 June 2006CO2 storage no silver bullet for climate - IEA expert
Capturing and pumping heat-trapping carbon dioxide underground costs too much to make sense for most industries at about $US35-$55 ($NZ57-90) a tonne, Kelly Thambimuthu, chairman of the IEA's greenhouse gas technologies research programme, told Reuters.
Human Activities In Arid Urban Environments Can Affect Rainfall And Water Cycle
A study by a climatologist in the department of geography at the University of Georgia has shown, using a unique 108-year-old data record and NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite, that arid cities such as Riyadh in Saudi Arabia and Phoenix have an effect on rainfall patterns around them. As important, it appears that human activities such as land use, aerosols and irrigation in these arid urban environments affect the entire water cycle as well.
NZ angry over Pacific islands' pro-whaling votes
New Zealand's Conservation Minister Chris Carter says the Solomon Islands, Nauru, Tuvalu, the Marshall Islands, Kiribati and Palau, let down their neighbours with their vote.
Green groups call for renewed whaling battle
FRIGATE BAY: Conservation groups today called on governments to redouble their efforts to save endangered whales after pro-whaling nations led by Japan won a majority at an international whaling meeting for the first time in more than 20 years.
Finding a better way to make biodiesel
They're only 250 billionths of a meter in diameter. But fill them with the right chemistry and Iowa State scientists say the tiny nanospheres they've developed could revolutionize how biodiesel is produced.
Friday 16 June 2006Leaders 'ignore public' on whales
According to the WWF poll, in all but one of the Pacific and Caribbean countries, more people opposed whaling than supported it.
The forces that drive Japanese whaling
As the International Whaling Commission prepares for its annual meeting on Friday, the BBC's Chris Hogg in Tokyo says that for Japan, the whaling debate is more about culture than science.
Global warming appeal fails against mines [Judge misses the point]
Justice John Dowsett dismissed the conservation society's application, saying he was "not satisfied that the burning of coal at the mines would contribute towards global warming".
NASA Missions Help Dissect Sea Level Rise
Sea level isn't, well, level. Nor is the rate by which sea level has been rising over the past few decades, but the trend is clearly up. Global sea level has risen an average of three millimeters (.1 inch) per year since 1993. Rising seas have the potential to affect billions of people around the globe, not just those living near coastlines. With the ocean soaking up more heat from a warming planet and glaciers melting at a record-breaking pace, is there any way to know where and when sea level may level off?
Hawaiian islands become world's biggest marine reserve
With a stroke of a pen, US President George W Bush gave immediate protection to an area that stretches across 2,250 kilometres, covering nearly 362,600 square kilometres, edging out in size Australia's Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
Cycling: It pays to go Dutch
In the town of Groningen in Holland, 60 per cent of people travel by bike. What does it take to create such a cyclist's paradise? And how could it transform life here? Isabel Conway reports
Bike craze hits top gear
Melbourne: The city is in the middle of a cycling boom as commuters take to two wheels for their daily journey to work, and with the State Government planning to spend $112 million on bicycling and pedestrian programs in the next decade.
Thawing Soil In Permafrost A Significant Source Of Carbon
The largest carbon reservoir on Earth is the ocean, which scientists estimate holds about 40,000 gigatons; soils contain about 2,500 Gt and vegetation about 650 Gt. According to the authors, about 500 Gt of carbon are contained in the thaw-threatened loess, also called yedoma, of Siberia and Alaska.
BP's Carbon Footprint Calculator
What size is your footprint?
Lieberman calls on White House and NOAA to address climate science censorship allegations
Raising the possibility of a concerted effort by the Administration to restrict openness on climate change research, Sen. Joe Lieberman today called on Dr. John Marburger III, White House Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, to investigate and address allegations that federal agencies have sought to cover-up or edit scientific information related to climate change. Lieberman also wrote to Vice Admiral Conrad Lautenbacher, the Administrator of NOAA, calling on him to take action on recent reports that NOAA officials have been discouraging agency scientists from sharing their findings on climate change.
Fossil evidence of aquatic birds helps fill in avian tree
No humans were around to roast them, but spectacular new fossil evidence from China shows that feathered birds not much unlike today's loons and ducks swam and dove on lakes there 110 million years ago.
Two birds in the bush give breeding plan a hand
Takahe - the flightless rail which came back from the dead - are back in the Waikato for the first time in more than 100 years.
Thursday 15 June 2006Climate change a bigger security threat than terrorism, says report
The government's obsession with the "war on terror" is counterproductive and distracting politicians from more fundamental threats to global security, a leading UK thinktank warns today.
The most likely causes of future conflict are climate change, competition for natural resources, social and economic marginalisation and militarisation, it says.
NZ still hoping to turn whaling tide
Japan appears to have enough support to win a majority and pass several motions aimed at rolling back the IWC's conservation function.
Conservation Minister Chris Carter, who will travel to St Kitts in the West Indies for the meeting, said today he remained hopeful New Zealand and other anti-whaling nations could turn back some of Japan's support.
Tas devils formally listed as vulnerable species
Greens Senator Christine Milne says Senator Campbell has neglected to also outline action to combat threats to the devil or help its recovery.
'Extinct' native mistletoe found
The mistletoe, Alepis flavida, has been found on the banks of the Kaiwhata River in the isolated Ngahape Valley east of Masterton.
Tamed 11,400 years ago, figs were likely first domesticated crop
The researchers found nine small figs and 313 fig drupelets (a small part of an aggregate fruit such as a fig) at Gilgal I, a village in the Lower Jordan Valley, just 8 miles north of ancient Jericho, known to have been inhabited for some 200 years before being abandoned roughly 11,200 years ago. The carbonized figs were not distorted, suggesting that they may have been dried for human consumption. Similar fig drupelets were found at a second site located some 1.5 kilometers west of Gilgal.
Night flights give bigger boost to global warming
More striking was the difference between night and day. While night flights accounted for only 25 per cent of air traffic at the monitored site, their contrails contributed up to 80 per cent of the warming in cloud-free conditions. That's because daytime contrails partly offset the overall warming effect by blocking incoming sunlight (Nature, vol 441, p 864).
Could coffee protect your liver against alcohol?
Drinking coffee may shield the liver from the worst ravages of alcohol, a study of more than 125,000 people suggests. The risk of developing alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver dropped with each cup of coffee they drank per day.
Pesticide use increases risk of Parkinson's in men
The investigators identified all those in Olmsted County, Minn., home of Mayo Clinic, who had developed Parkinson's disease between 1976 and 1995. Each person with Parkinson's disease was matched for comparison to someone similar in age and gender who did not have the disease. The researchers conducted telephone interviews with 149 of those with Parkinson's and 129 of those who did not have the disease, or a proxy for these people, to assess exposure to chemical products via farming occupation, non-farming occupation or hobbies. The investigators were unable to determine through these interviews the exact exposure levels of these individuals or the cumulative lifetime exposure to pesticides.
Work starts on world's largest solar power plant
Portugal's southern Alentejo region: General Electric will invest $75 million to build an 11 megawatt photovoltaic power plant, which will cover 60 hectares (150 acres) of gently rolling hills with solar panels.
Degrading America's Image
For more than seven decades, civilized nations have adhered to minimum standards of decent behavior toward prisoners of war — agreed to in the Geneva Conventions. They were respected by 12 presidents and generations of military leaders because they reflected this nation's principles and gave Americans some protection if they were captured in wartime.
'Hope for coral' as oceans warm
Some coral reefs may be able to adapt to rising ocean temperatures, a consequence of global climate change.
Herring catches should be halved, say scientists
Fish processors could face a battle for survival after European scientists revealed they are suggesting that the amount of herring which the fleet can catch should be halved.
Oil spills make Goan beaches slippery
Panaji: Constant oil spills in the Arabian Sea is fast becoming a major cause for concern for the coastal state of Goa, whose economy is largely dependent on beach tourism.
Global migrants reach 191 million
Nearly 200 million people now live outside their country of origin - up by about a quarter since 1990, a United Nations report on migration says.
US suppressed Eichmann whereabouts
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The CIA suppressed the whereabouts of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann to help protect high ranking West German officials from possible revelations about their own Nazi pasts, according to CIA documents released on Tuesday. Newly released CIA materials suggest that in the highest levels of the Konrad Adenauer government, there was concern about what Eichmann could say if caught about those close to the chancellor.
Violent Baghdad deaths top 6,000
The bodies of 6,000 people, most of whom died violently, have been received by Baghdad's main mortuary so far this year, health ministry figures show.
The number has risen every month, to 1,400 in May. The majority are believed to be victims of sectarian killings.
Native Americans recorded AD 1006 supernova explosion
The supernova would have been brighter than a planet, and both it and the constellation - which is shaped like a scorpion - would have appeared just above the edge of the rock, in the same orientation depicted in the carvings. Native Americans populated the region during that period and often recorded objects thought to have magical powers.
Wednesday 7 June 2006
Zero-emission coal power on horizon – would you believe in magic?
The coal industry is confident that power stations producing no greenhouse gases at all will be operating in Australia within 10 years.
Beattie's uranium U-turn
THE Beattie Government has softened its opposition to uranium mining amid fresh Commonwealth threats of a legal challenge to override its long-standing ban.
Saturday 3 June 2006The ocean floor - can they dig it?
NOT everyone is thrilled by a plan to mine the ocean floor for the first time. It follows the discovery of significant mineral deposits off the coast of Papua New Guinea.
Ecosystems With Many Plant Species Produce More And Survive Threats Better
Ecosystems containing many different plant species are not only more productive, they are better able to withstand and recover from climate extremes, pests and disease over long periods, according to a new study. It is the first experiment to gather enough data--over a sufficient time and in a controlled environment--to confirm a 50-year scientific debate about whether biodiversity stabilizes ecosystems.
Albatross numbers take steep dive
Populations of three species breeding on South Georgia and outlying islands have declined by about a third in the past 30 years.
Four nuclear plants needed for economic viability: ANSTO
The chief executive of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) says nuclear power is a viable alternative to coal-fired power in Australia.
Thousands join anti-logging protest
MORE than 15,000 environmentalists have taken to Melbourne's streets in protest against old growth forest logging across Victoria.
Huge meteor strike that 'gave birth to the dinosaur'
The 300-mile (480km) wide crater is thought to have been created by a meteor almost as big as London. It dates back 250 million years to the time of the biggest mass extinction in Earth’s history and the event that led to the first dinosaurs evolving.
Such was the catastrophic nature of the extinction that up to 96 per cent of all marine creatures were killed and 70 per cent of land animals. The strike may also have been powerful enough to have begun the break-up of the Gondwana supercontinent, which resulted in Australia sheering off and drifting northwards...BBC
Friday 2 June 2006NZ carbon dioxide surge blamed on China
China's economic explosion is being blamed for record levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide over New Zealand. “China has really cranked up their economy and burns around 75 per cent of coal being consumed in the world right now” - National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research principal scientist Dave Lowe
This planet is running out of oil
Victoria: Peter Batchelor must grit his teeth: widened freeways, improved traffic flow, more rail and yet the transport grizzle-groups still complain. But the minister and his transport planners deserve little sympathy: we all know it won't work, or at least not for long.
Freeways breed traffic. Worse, the entire policy of promoting individualised transport rests on a dubious premise - permanently cheap oil.
Marine farm 'a threat'
Jackson Bay Mussels Ltd, a Nelson-based consortium, has plans for a 45.5ha mussel farm in the clear sheltered waters 1km offshore in Jackson Bay, north of Fiordland. However, Eugenie Sage, Forest and Bird's South Island field coordinator, said Jackson Bay was a very important nursery area for Hector's dolphins with high numbers of sightings of mothers with calves.
Fish lobby queries rocksnot-farm irrigation link
Fish and Game director Bryce Johnson said today it appeared farmers and other groups pumping irrigation water from one catchment to another in the South Island may be breaking the law, as there is no way to guarantee the water being transferred is not carrying cells of the algae.
Study Wants Nuclear Weapons Outlawed
As long as any nuclear, chemical and biological arms remain in any country's arsenal, "there is a high risk that they will one day be used by design or accident," the two-year probe by the independent Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission concluded.
Monday 29 May 2006World’s indigenous groups may risk a 'slow death'
According to some estimates, indigenous people make up about 6% of the world’s population, in about 5000 separate groupings. However, studies reveal that life expectancy within these groups is considerably lower than in other populations. $20 Million Pledged To Protect Amazon
Impassioned about the importance of the Amazon's thick jungle, D.C. philanthropists Victoria and Roger W. Sant have pledged to donate $20 million to the World Wildlife Fund to help create a huge conservation area in the Brazilian tropical forest.
UK: Abortions at home for 10,000
Britain’s biggest independent abortion provider, bpas, said yesterday that use of the abortion pill — also known as EMA (early medical abortion) — now accounted for nearly a third of the 32,000 terminations it provided last year to women in the first nine weeks of pregnancy.
Sunday 28 May 2006The Tropics May Be Expanding
Researchers say the apparent north-south widening of the tropics amounts to 2 degrees of latitude or 140 miles. But they do not know yet if the tropical expansion was triggered by natural climate variation or by human-caused phenomena such as depletion of the atmosphere's ozone layer or global warming due to the greenhouse effect. ....more New Scientist
Coal May Be Fuel of the Future, but Industry Battles Over Path
Scientists have developed numerous other plans to pump away carbon dioxide, like shipping it to offshore platforms to inject it below the ocean floor. These plans are not without risk, with some officials concerned that carbon dioxide sequestration could trigger earthquakes. Yet, time and again, the most limiting factor remains economics.
As they proceed with plans to build pulverized coal plants, Peabody and other companies often point to their support of the alternative technology through their participation in Futuregen, a $1 billion project started three years ago by the Bush administration to build a showcase 275-megawatt power station that could sequester carbon dioxide and reduce other pollutants.
But Futuregen is already behind schedule, with planners now hoping to choose a site for the plant by the end of the year, with an eye on starting operation by 2012. Environmental groups have criticized the project as too little, too late.
MU Professor Refutes National Television Ads Downplaying Global Warming
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Recently, the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), a non-profit public policy organization based in Washington, D.C. and partially funded by large oil companies, announced a national television campaign claiming that global warming is not causing ice sheets to shrink. Curt Davis, director of the Center for Geospatial Intelligence at the University of Missouri-Columbia, says CEI is misrepresenting his previous research to back their claims.
Nigeria: Oil: Nigeria's Killing Field
In yet another show of national shame and agony, a pipeline explosion occurred in Ilado village in Lagos State the other day, killing at least 200 persons. Apart from the despondency of the victims that blinded them to the risks involved in oil scooping, that unfortunate incident also revealed the inability of government to be responsible for the safety of its citizens.
Uganda: Lake Victoria Water Levels Rise, Say Researchers
Fred Kyosingira, a water expert in the environment ministry, yesterday said the water level had increased by 24 centimetres by the end of last month.
WA to beef up pollution penalties
Environment Minister Mark McGowan says penalties for companies will increase five-fold to $5 million.
Fines for individuals will double to $1 million.
'Black-looking' criminals more likely to get death sentence
According to Eberhardt, the lower rates of death penalty convictions may be attributed to the fact that jurors regard black-on-white crime as interracial conflict compared to black-on-black crime, which could be viewed as interpersonal. ''These research findings augment and complicate the current body of evidence regarding the role of race in capital sentencing,'' the researchers write. ''Our findings suggest that in cases involving a black defendant and a white victim-cases in which the likelihood of the death penalty is already high-jurors are influenced not simply by the knowledge that the defendant is black, but also by the extent to which the defendant appears stereotypically black. The present research demonstrates that in actual sentencing decisions, jurors may treat these traits as powerful cues to deathworthiness.''
Friday 26 May 2006Fiddling while the earth burns
Two decades after Gore took up the cause, the almost-president, once ridiculed for his earth-in-the-balance obsession, is finally preaching to the converted. A March poll, sponsored by ABC News, Time and Stanford University, found that 83 percent of Americans believe that global warming will be a serious problem for the nation if nothing is done. Moreover, 68 percent of those surveyed think that the federal government should do more to address the problem.
Many Cleaners, Air Fresheners May Pose Health Risks When Used Indoors
When used indoors under certain conditions, many common household cleaners and air fresheners emit toxic pollutants at levels that may lead to health risks
South Africa: Report Warns of Threats to Biodiversity
UP TO 80% of the country's biodiversity is outside state-protected areas, making it difficult for the state to preserve and monitor its safekeeping effectively, says the national spatial biodiversity assessment report.
Migrating birds suffer huge loss
Fifty-four percent of the 121 long-distant migratory birds studied suffered plummeting numbers or had even become extinct since 1970.
HIV origin 'found in wild chimps'
It is thought that people hunting chimpanzees first contracted the virus - and that cases were first seen in Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo - the nearest urban area - in 1930.
A daily drink 'only good for men'
A study of 50,000 people found that men who drank daily had a 41% reduced risk of coronary heart disease compared with a 7% drop in men who drank once a week.
Tuesday 23 May 2006Feedback Loops in Global Climate Change Point to a Very Hot 21st Century
BERKELEY, CA —Studies have shown that global climate change can set-off positive feedback loops in nature which amplify warming and cooling trends. Now, researchers with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California at Berkeley have been able to quantify the feedback implied by past increases in natural carbon dioxide and methane gas levels. Their results point to global temperatures at the end of this century that may be significantly higher than current climate models are predicting.
“If the past is any guide, then when our anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions cause global warming, it will alter earth system processes, resulting in additional atmospheric greenhouse gas loading and additional warming,”
“A rigorous investigation of the uncertainties in climate change prediction reveals that there is a higher risk that we will experience more severe, not less severe, climate change than is currently forecast.”
Hurricanes: Category 6 listing possible
The current scale defines storms with sustained winds between 74 and 95 mph as Category 1 hurricanes, Category 2 has sustained winds from 96 to 110 mph, Category 3 has sustained winds from 111 to 130 mph, Category 4 has sustained winds between 131 and 155 mph, and a Category 5 storm has sustained winds greater than 155 mph.
A Category 6 storm would have wind speeds greater than 175 or 180 mph
Leading climate scientists' U.S. Supreme Court brief in states' greenhouse gas lawsuit
A group of 14 leading climate scientists filed an amici curiae brief on May 15 with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of a petition by Massachusetts, Maine, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, and the District of Columbia contending that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency should be required to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles under the Clean Air Act.
Rwanda: Albertine Bird Site Becoming Extinct
The receding water levels of Lake Victoria have destroyed part of Lutembe Beach, threatening two million migratory birds from Europe and around the world that roost there during winter, attracting concern from conservationists.
Nigeria: Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) Appeals $1.5 Billion Judgment Sum
Dissatisfied with a ruling of a Federal High Court, Yenagoa, which last Friday ordered it to deposit the sum of $1.5bn with Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as the judgment sum in a case involving it and Pere Ajuwa and others (on behalf of the Ijaw Aborigines of Bayelsa), Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) has gone to a Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt, seeking to set aside the said ruling.
China bets big on coal-to-oil projects
According to official data, the total energy China consumed in 2005 was equivalent to the burning of 2.11 billion tons of coal (coal is so fundamental to the Chinese economy that all other forms of energy are calculated as "tons of coal equivalent" in government planning). Of the total energy China consumed last year, 68% was coal, 23.45% from oil, 3% from natural gas, and the remaining 5.55% from hydroelectric or nuclear plants.
Monday 22 May 2006'Get off our butts' to stop global warming - Clinton
"It's the only thing we face today that has the power to remove the preconditions of civilized society," he said.
Attenborough warms to the idea of crusading
"I was absolutely convinced this was no part of a normal climatic oscillation which the Earth has been going through, and that it was something else."
'Extinct' frog comes back to life
Scientists have sighted a spectacular South American frog which had been feared extinct for a decade.
vCJD may lurk in more people than realised
At present, the UK has recorded 161 definite and probable cases of vCJD, six of whom are still alive. One reason for optimism about the potential extent of the vCJD epidemic has been the assumption that it is genetic.
Early Occupational Exposure Can Affect Lungs Later
The study looked at four groups of apprentices: painters, machinists, electricians and insulators; all of these 348 apprentices were in their early 20s in 1988. The researchers evaluated medical records of the apprentices' physician visits from 1991 to 2002. They found that those workers who developed the worst sensitivity to lung irritants over the first two years of employment were more likely to visit the doctor for both asthma and bronchitis in later years. Machinists were most likely to have the worst cases of new sensitivity to lung irritants.
Germany welcomes wild bear return
A wild bear is roaming the German countryside for the first time since 1835, police in the Bavarian Alps say.
Attenborough warms to the idea of crusading
For the presenter, such prudence has acquired a moral dimension. "The moral attitude of the Old Testament, which was that the world was there for us to plunder and we could take what we liked from it, has governed our thinking until now. What we need to recognise is that the world is not there for plundering. It is a moral issue for us not to waste energy. I'm old enough to remember the war, when it wasn't that we thought it would make a difference if we left food on the plate, it was wrong to waste food. And it's wrong to waste energy."
Saturday 20 May 2006The fair choice for climate change: Contraction and Convergence
They first made their call a decade ago. And with 12 million Africans currently facing drought and famine linked to climate, they have good reason to assert that C&C is right, that it is urgently needed, and ask: "For how long must Africa suffer at the hands of others?"
East China's Fujian to get 6 nuclear reactors
The nation's biggest nuclear reactor builder, China National Nuclear Corp (CNNC), has signed an agreement with one of China's top five power producers to build six reactors in East China's Fujian Province.
Where have all the flowers come from?
The species in question is the "living fossil" Amborella trichopoda, which is found only on the Pacific island of New Caledonia
Friday 19 May 2006Carbon trading's real colours
There are no shortage of nightmare consequences that could result from rampant global warming: starvation, failing crops, extinct species, droughts, diseases - all are chilling scenarios.
New century of thirst for world's mountains
By the century's end, the Andes in South America will have less than half their current winter snowpack, mountain ranges in Europe and the U.S. West will have lost nearly half of their snow-bound water, and snow on New Zealand's picturesque snowcapped peaks will all but have vanished.
Himalayan forests are quietly vanishing
THE Himalayas may never be the same again. The forests growing on the roof of the world are disappearing, and the rate of deforestation is so rapid that a quarter of animal and plant species native to this biodiversity hotspot, including tigers and leopards, could be gone by the end of the century.
Captain Cook's Endeavour 'found'
She is thought to have ended her days in a fleet of 13 ships sunk by British forces defending Newport in 1778.
Cash boost for Kiwi tradition of camping
Conservation groups have been allocated $311 million in this year's Budget, including cash for camping grounds to keep the traditional Kiwi summer holiday alive.
Wednesday 17 May 2006Ice sheet really is shrinking, and fast
The Antarctic ice sheet is losing up to 36 cubic miles of ice, or 152 cubic kilometers, annually. By comparison, the city of Los Angeles uses about 1 cubic mile of fresh water annually.
Par for the Corps
In 2000, when I was writing a 50,000-word Washington Post series about dysfunction at the Army Corps of Engineers, I highlighted a $65 million flood-control project in Missouri as Exhibit A. Corps documents showed that the project would drain more acres of wetlands than all U.S. developers do in a typical year, but wouldn't stop flooding in the town it was meant to protect. FEMA's director called it "a crazy idea"; the Fish and Wildlife Service's regional director called it "absolutely ridiculous."
Three Gorges project raises dam questions
The dam's price tag, estimated at $A14 billion in 1993, is expected to reach $A32 billion when completed.
Kenya: Talks On Using DDT in Malaria Drive Planned
Experts at the meeting will discuss the benefits and risks of using DDT, which was banned in 1988 because of its negative effects on the environment. Re-introducing the pesticide is expected to boost the war on malaria.
Recently, Tanzania lifted a 2004 ban on the pesticide so it could be used to fight malaria. It joined South Africa, Mozambique and Uganda which use the pesticide despite being signatories to the Stockholm Convention which seeks to outlaw the use of dangerous industrial chemicals dubbed the "dirty dozen". Some of the chemicals have been blamed for causing deaths, cancer or birth defects.
Pesticide combinations imperil frogs
All nine compounds together at 0.1 ppb - one of the lower concentrations measured in the field - lengthened the time to metamorphosis by 15 days, or about 25 to 30 percent. The mixture also caused a frog mortality of 35 percent.
Saturday 13 May 2006With New Film and Group, Gore Turns Focus From Politics to Environment
A...... clear and concise explanation that he has reportedly given about a thousand times around the world, aided by impressive animated mega-graphics on an enormous screen behind him — of what Gore (and a growing number of others) calls a planetary emergency.
Record air pollution above the Arctic
Last week scientists of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research observed the highest air pollution on record since measurements began in Ny-Ålesund on Svalbard. Monitoring instruments displayed significantly increased aerosol concentrations compared to those generally found. Aerosols from eastern Europe have been transported into the Arctic atmosphere due to a particular large-scale weather situation.
Pollution, Greenhouse Gases and Climate Clash in South Asia, Scripps Study Shows
Cooler-than-normal temperatures in the northern part of the ocean have weakened the natural climate circulation and monsoon conditions in the region, resulting in reduced rainfall over India and increased rainfall over the Sahel area south of the Sahara in Africa.
Steve Irwin influenced minister's croc safari ruling
Federal Environment Minister Ian Campbell has acknowledged flamboyant crocodile hunter Steve Irwin influenced his decision to reject a proposal for crocodile safari hunting in the Northern Territory.
Gunns axe on logging deals
Most of Tasmania's 170 forest contracting businesses have been told in the past few months -- some with little warning -- that their log purchase contracts issued by Gunns have been cut by at least 40 per cent.
Friday 12 May 2006Firm claims biofuel breakthrough
After eight months of research, the international team of New Zealand-based scientists yesterday announced it had successfully turned sewage algae into biofuel. The company was now increasing its capacity to produce one million litres over the next year from the Blenheim sewage ponds.
The Bay of Fundy tides eyed for next-gen power source
Now, an international study says that as many as 90 MW of electricity could be generated by tapping into the power of those tides and the strong currents they create.
Lawmakers act to boost offshore drilling
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A House committee voted on Wednesday to allow natural gas drilling in more federal waters after President Bush said he was open to proposals in Congress to expand offshore oil and natural gas leasing provided it was at least 100 miles from the coastline. High gas prices have forced many U.S. energy-intensive industries to scale back their business or move their operations to other countries where energy is cheaper. Higher natural gas utility bills has also pinched the pocketbooks of consumers.
Port targets pepper pest
THE Mackay Port Authority has declared war on a Brazilian ‘‘import’’ that’s threatening native wildlife and sensitive plant communities in a conservation area at Slade Point. Mackay Port Authority environmental manager Bill Boylson said a 10-week campaign was under way to eradicate the pest from port-owned land.
AIDS Groups in India Sue to Halt Patent for U.S. Drug
NEW DELHI, May 11 — AIDS groups this week brought an important test of India's new patent law, which restricts the ability of Indian companies to produce low-cost generic drugs.
Thursday 11 May 2006Canberra set to sell uranium to India
TOP-level Australian officials have told their Indian counterparts Canberra will consider selling uranium to New Delhi even if India refuses to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Wednesday 10 May 2006White House mischief on new climate report
President Bush has made it consistently clear that he intends no serious action on global warming, which is reckless but at least honest. He has continued to pretend his administration will partner with the rest of the world in exploring options, which is dishonest but at least transparent. But attempting to undermine the world's most credible periodic review of climate science is only a cheap little prank, which is typical but at least can't hope to obscure a consensus this president finds inconvenient.
PanAfrica: Africa to Benefit As World Shifts From Petrol to Biofuels
"The gradual move away from oil has begun. Over the next 15 to 20 years, we may see biofuels providing a full 25 per cent of the world's energy needs,"
Energy efficiency demand heats up
New Zealand is so far behind its target of a 20 per cent improvement in efficiency by 2012 that a national strategy for achieving this was scrapped in March, in favour of a re-write. Improvements are running at 0.5 per cent instead of the two per cent targeted by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA).
Ethanol fuels 'may cut' pollution-related illnesses
"Twice as many people in Sydney die from exposure to vehicle exhaust than die on the road from accidents," he said.
Plankton blooms linked to quakes
Concentrations of the natural pigment chlorophyll in coastal waters have been shown to rise prior to earthquakes.
African babies 'dying at birth'
Some two million babies born every year in the developing world die on the first day of their lives, the Save the Children charity has said.
Ozone-producing air purifiers pose health risk
In a small, poorly ventilated room, an indoor air purifier that produces even a few milligrams of ozone per hour can create an ozone level that exceeds public health standards, researchers at UC Irvine have found.
Cutting calories slightly can reduce aging damage
Scientists from the University of Florida's Institute on Aging have found that eating a little less food and exercising a little more over a lifespan can reduce or even reverse aging-related cell and organ damage in rats.
Evolutionary forces explain why women live longer than men
"Women live longer in almost every country, and the sex difference in lifespan has been recognized since at least the mid-18th century," "It isn't a recent trend; it originates from our deep evolutionary history."
Saturday 6 May 2006Bush's climate change view challenged
A GOVERNMENT report on climate change has undermined a key claim by hard-liners in the Bush Administration and sceptics who dispute a link between carbon emissions and global warming.
400 million face famine as pollution pushes up temperatures
The increase will be the biggest in 20,000 years and is likely to cause drought, famine and mass extinction, scientists said.
Group says Sierra Madre NP rape goes on
ILLEGAL logging continues to threaten half of the Philippine's remaining forest cover despite a logging moratorium being enforced in selected areas, an international environmentalist group said.
NZ: 50,000 pukeko will be shot, group says
"The duck shooting season heralds the mass slaughter of ducks, geese and swan but few people realise duck shooters also set their sights on pukeko
'Cyclic universe' can explain cosmological constant
A cyclic universe, which bounces through a series of big bangs and "big crunches", could solve the puzzle of our cosmological constant, physicists suggest.
Thursday 4 May 2006Slowdown in tropical Pacific flow pinned on climate change
The vast loop of winds that drives climate and ocean behavior across the tropical Pacific has weakened by 3.5% since the mid-1800s, and it may weaken another 10% by 2100, according to a study led by University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) scientist Gabriel Vecchi. The study indicates that the only plausible explanation for the slowdown is human-induced climate change. The findings appear in the May 4 issue of Nature.
Study Reconciles Data in Measuring Climate Change
The report ..concluded that humans are driving the warming trend through greenhouse gas emissions, noting in the official news release, "the observed patterns of change over the past 50 years cannot be explained by natural processes alone, nor by the effects of short-lived atmospheric constituents such as aerosols and tropospheric ozone alone."
Getting far too heated over global warming
On the central facts of the global-warming case, Lindzen notes the mean global surface temperature has increased by only 0.6 degrees (centigrade) in a century, during a time in which greenhouse-gas emissions in the industrial countries increased sharply. The sensitivity of the climate to greenhouse gases, he suggests, is a lot less than the alarmists suggest. As a rough rule of thumb, he argues, a doubling of greenhouse-gas concentrations in the atmosphere might result in a rise of 0.5C in average temperatures, while a quadrupling produces a 1C increase.
This is a long way from the projections of the hugely influential Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which saw temperatures going up by as much as 5.8C by 2100, with sea levels rising sharply as the polar icecaps melt.
Early worms leave the birds behind
Caterpillar populations are peaking earlier in the European spring, perhaps due to global warming, and birds that usually eat them are suffering as a result
Climate change sceptics get organised
The coalition's establishment committee convenor Owen McShane said many people believed the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) had a monopoly on public information about the subject which was largely left unchallenged.
More species slide to extinction
The polar bear and hippopotamus are for the first time listed as species threatened with extinction by the world's biodiversity agency.
Freeport mine 'poisoning' West Papua's environment
THE giant Freeport mine is polluting West Papua's rivers and estuaries and a world heritage-protected national park, according to the company's own environmental assessments and Indonesian Government standards.
Uganda: Terminator Seeds Shunned
UGANDA is opposed to the introduction of the agricultural terminator seeds, as they would endanger the soil and livelihoods of smallholder farmers.
Volunteers 'keep country from collapse'
If New Zealand's voluntary sector shut down for 24 hours, key infrastructure would probably collapse, a visiting Canadian expert says.
Ozone layer: the sequel
While the layer may recover by around 2050, its composition will probably be subtly different to its form before 1980, when CFCs were banned under the Montreal protocol. Its new form might affect how much it can protect us from harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun.
Wind turbines send wildlife diving for cover
Noisy wind farms in California are making squirrels edgy and prone to scurrying for cover - to the detriment of animals that prey on them
Old ideas about aging gain new respect
In recent years, genetic evidence has added to the impression that there is an evolutionary program for death. Now there is a theory about how natural selection might manage this feat.
Underage boozers fill industry coffers
Underage drinking contributes an estimated $23 billion yearly to the alcohol industry, more than 17 percent of the total consumer expenditures for alcohol, according to an article in the May issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
EU agrees battery recycling law
The European Union has agreed the text of a law that will make recycling of batteries obligatory from 2008.
The Mossman Central Mill, in far north Queensland, has been fined more than $100,000 for accidentally leaking tonnes of molasses into two nearby rivers in 2004.
Takahe reserve may be opened
An area of Fiordland reserved for takahe and largely out of bounds to visitors will be opened to tramping parties, climbers and fishers if changes in the national's park's rewritten plan proceed.
Sunday 30 April 2006World Aware of Global Warming Threat
(Angus Reid Global Scan) – Many adults in 30 countries express concern about climate change, according to a poll by the Program on International Policy Attitudes. 65 per cent of respondents think global warming is a very serious problem, while 25 per cent call it somewhat serious.
People in greenhouses should turn up the heat
Peter Singer: What Australia needs to do is the reverse of what the Howard Government has been doing. It needs to stand up and play a constructive role in encouraging the other major greenhouse gas-emitting nations to do something serious about the problem. In particular, Australia needs to make it clear to its long-term ally, the US, that its stance over the past five years has been immoral.
Town may threaten 'world's rarest tern'
Forest and Bird said Auckland University research suggesting fairy terns have unique DNA characteristics heightened concerns that the proposed subdivision of up to 2000 houses near Mangawhai Heads posed a serious threat to their survival.
The development is being planned by Darby Partners in partnership with the Kaipara subtribe Te Uri o Hau for some of the land given to the iwi under a $15.6 million Treaty of Waitangi settlement in 2002.
Israel Joins the Ranks of the Whale Defenders
The International Whaling Commission, established in 1949, is an international organization responsible for the management of whaling and the conservation of whales. It currently has 66 signatory nations, split almost evenly between two camps – the pro-whaling nations, led by Japan, and the anti-whaling nations, led by the U.S. and Australia.
Israel will make this 34-33.
10 States Sue EPA Over Global Warming
New York, California, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin filed the lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
300 dolphins wash up on Zanzibar beach
At least 300 dead dolphins have washed ashore on a beach in Zanzibar but the cause of the deaths is unknown.
Thursday 27 April 2006Global warming behind record 2005 storms: experts
MONTEREY, California (Reuters) - The record Atlantic hurricane season last year can be attributed to global warming, several top experts, including a leading U.S. government storm researcher, said on Monday.
The Politics of Climate Change
Given what the best, impartial science is telling us about climate change, the two key constituencies in the Republican Party--religious conservatives and capitalists--ought to be calling for more agressive action to control greenhouse gas emissions before the climate reaches a "tipping point."
Backstory: What is the value of a tree?
Yes, humble street trees cool the air, reduce pollution, and absorb storm-water runoff, say forestry experts. But the benefits aren't only ecological, they say. Property values are 7 percent to 25 percent higher for houses surrounded by trees. Consumers spend up to 13 percent more at shops near green landscapes. One study even suggests patients who can see trees out their windows are hospitalized, on average, 8 percent fewer days.
Row brews over european bumblebees plan
The Wide Bay Conservation Council's Pam Soper wants further research into artificial pollination, strongly opposing the importation of the bumblebee.
"We may well end up finding that we have the insect equivalent of a cane toad," she said.
Solomons - Logging Corruption Ruins A Nation
The disturbing scenes in the Solomon Islands of civil unrest and calamitous violence against property are an example of what can happen when logging industry corruption is allowed to continue unchallenged.
Sludge recycling sends antiseptic soap ingredient to agriculture
More studies are underway to determine if triclocarban, which is toxic when ingested, can migrate from sludge into foods, thereby potentially posing a human health risk.
Hormone found to decrease appetite and increase activity
The study now being pre-published online in the International Journal of Obesity shows how the team from Imperial College London gave injections of oxyntomodulin to fifteen overweight but healthy volunteers from Hammersmith Hospital, and monitored how this affected their food intake, and levels of activity. ..BBC
Criminal Norwegian Whalers Dismiss World Opinion
Great Britain is leading 12 other nations including France, Germany, Australia, New Zealand Argentina, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Spain, and Brazil in condemning Norwegian whaling as illegal and not supported by science.
Health study underlines weed killer concerns
OTTAWA—The most commonly used weed killer on Canadian lawns and gardens — known only as 2,4-D — is "persuasively linked" to cancer, neurological impairment and reproductive problems, a new study says.
MEP

Greenland ice swells ocean rise
It was thought the entire Greenland ice sheet could melt in about 1,000 years, but the latest evidence suggests that could happen much sooner.
If the Greenland ice sheet melted completely, it would raise global sea levels by about 7m.
Political appointees delayed release of NASA climate and air pollution data in '04
In the heat of a tight re-election campaign, top Bush political appointees in the NASA press office "exerted strong pressure during the 2004 presidential campaign to cut the flow of news releases on glaciers, climate, pollution and other earth sciences,"
Kakariki gets new sanctuary
NZ: Fifteen rare birds bred at Christchurch's Peacock Springs will be fitted with radio transmitters tomorrow so their step back from the brink of extinction can be monitored.
Snows Of Kilimanjaro Disappearing, Glacial Ice Loss Increasing
Five years after warning that the famed ice fields on Tanzania 's Mount Kilimanjaro may melt, Ohio State University researchers have sadly found that their prediction is coming true.
BOTTOM TRAWLING: The terrible toll revealed
NZ: Amongst the species shown are CITES-listed black corals, gorgonian corals, deep-sea crabs and octopus. The presence of corals shows that virgin areas are being bottom trawled and, with the rocks, crabs and other bottom dwellers, shows undeniably that the nets are indeed hitting the bottom.
Quarrying uranium in Australia
"We've had a number of incidents as you will at any industrial facility, at any mine," says Alex Zapantis, "but none of them has ever caused any damage to the environment."
Not everyone would agree with that assessment. ERA has been fined several times down the years for various spills and other incidents, most recently last year after clean and contaminated water systems became accidentally linked, exposing about 20 workers to water containing uranium.
Toxic toads 'threaten disaster'
Scientists, writing in the journal Nature, found the toads are getting leggier, moving faster and further than their shorter-legged counterparts. They are moving around 55km a year on average.
Grapefruit a day cuts risk factor for heart disease
Heart disease patients who eat one grapefruit daily can significantly reduce the levels of cholesterol in their blood in comparison to patients who do not eat the fruit, a new study has found. Chronic high blood cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart disease.
Painted in Blood, an Abstract Expression of Horror washingtonpost.com
From the beginning of the Abu Ghraib scandal, when the first images of torture and humiliation from the Iraqi prison appeared, we knew there were more. And now, two years later, they've begun to emerge. An Australian television network has put yet more scenes of blood and savagery into circulation, circumventing both the U.S. government's efforts to keep Abu Ghraib images out of the public eye and the gatekeeping of news organizations (including this newspaper), which have not published a substantial number of photographs they are holding.
US attacks Iraq abuse images leak
The US has said images broadcast on Australian TV showing the apparent abuse of Iraqi detainees by US soldiers should not have been released.
Col. Jessep Goes A-Hunting Washinton Post
Typically, Cheney's office didn't bother to tell anyone for more than 18 hours that the vice president of the United States had shot someone. A vice presidential shooting doesn't happen every day, and I, for one, would appreciate being informed whenever the man who's just a heartbeat away from the presidency peppers a 78-year-old attorney with birdshot. But Cheney apparently is taking his cues from Jack Nicholson's character in "A Few Good Men," the ultrapatriotic Col. Nathan Jessep: "You can't handle the truth."
It was radio host Tom Joyner who came up with Cheney's Valentine's Day poem:
Roses are red, Violets are blue, Say something I don't like, And I'll shoot you, too.
Steps Taken to Help Eagle Leave Endangered List NYT
All hailed the return of the eagle in the continental United States, where there were a total of 413 breeding pairs in 1963, according to Mr. Hall, and where there are 7,066 pairs today. Timothy Male, a senior ecologist with Environmental Defense, said his organization's poll of state wildlife agencies put the number of breeding pairs higher, at 9,100.
Tackling the UK's nuclear legacy
The labour, energy and taxpayers' money (about £45m this year) being devoted to this site are all part of the decommissioning process which will continue here for nearly another century.
BBC links to huge climate project
The BBC is inviting viewers to join the world's biggest online climate prediction project.
Climateprediction.net has already been running for two years and has generated forecasts on the likely extent of climate change
PanAfrica: Multinationals Looting Continent's Diversity
A new report on the transfer of biological resources and traditional knowledge worth billions of dollars from across Africa shows that Kenya is the biggest loser among the three East African countries.
Hindu activists arrested for harassing couples
In state capital Bhopal, a group of activists entered Kamla Park, a popular haunt with the young, and manhandled canoodling couples. The boys were made to do sit-ups and squats.
Seafood industry says bottom trawling safe
About $800 million of the $1.2 billion earned from the seafood industry in 2003 was from species caught by trawling and related methods in New Zealand, he said.
Sea-bottom pics reveal destruction New Zealand Herald - 12 Feb 2006
Photos of ancient coral and other deep-sea species show how rare marine life is being destroyed by bottom trawling, says the environmental group Greenpeace.
Escapee Farmed Salmon Infiltrate Fitter Wild Populations
In new research published in the journal Molecular Ecology, researchers have found scientific evidence that farmed salmon have evolved genetically differently to wild salmon, therefore backing claims that any integration of farmed salmon back into the wild through escapees could have a negative impact on the health of wild salmon populations.
UN report calls for closure of Guantánamo Guardian Unlimited
A UN inquiry into conditions at Guantánamo Bay has called on Washington to shut down the prison, and says treatment of detainees in some cases amounts to torture, UN officials said yesterday
2,700 Nevada acres in Bush plan for public land sales Las Vegas Sun - Feb 10, 2006
The Bush administration on Friday detailed its proposal to sell more than 300,000 acres of national forests and other public land to help pay for rural schools in 41 states, including more than 2,700 acres in Nevada.
CSIRO scientists say Govt stifles debate
Public Service Medal winning scientist, Dr Barrie Pittock, says he was asked not to write in a government publication about the potential for millions of people to be displaced by climate change.
Discarded scientists fail to grasp CSIRO logic
Redundant: Dr Fred Prata contemplates a new life in Norway following his departure from the CSIRO.
Developed for the CSIRO, and now being picked up by Tenix, Dr Prata's baby has some pretty useful capabilities. By detecting volcanic ash in the atmosphere, it can stop planes falling out of the sky. By sniffing out other atmospheric nasties like sarin gas, it offers a defence against chemical attack. In both instances, it could save many lives.
But despite being an apparent poster-boy for the CSIRO — producing money-spinning, enterprise science — Dr Prata was last month made redundant from the Division of Marine and Atmospheric Research in bayside Aspendale. Next month, he starts work for the Norwegians.
Pentagon plans bomb blitz on Iran's nuclear sites The Age
Command planners are identifying targets, assessing weapon loads and working on logistics for an operation, London's Sunday Telegraph reported at the weekend.
Council blasts dairy giant's 'arrogance' over river pollution
NZ: A recent report found pollutants were 350 times above the allowable limit flowing from a Fonterra cheese factory in Stirling, South Otago, into the Clutha River.A recent report found pollutants were 350 times above the allowable limit flowing from a Fonterra cheese factory in Stirling, South Otago, into the Clutha River.
Rally highlights plight of low paid
NZ: About 400,000 workers were paid less than $12 an hour, and full-time weekly rates had dropped by a quarter since 1984, he said.
China’s fast breeders
It hopes to build a prototype fast breeder reactor of 600 MW by 2015, just five years after the Indian PFBR is expected to come on stream. Remember that Chinese nuclear power programme started full two decades after the Indian one. Going by the record, it is only a matter of time before China overtakes India in fast breeder development.
High concentrations of herbicide found in some central Qld catchments
Pressure is mounting on cane farmers in central Queensland, after a report found high concentrations of the herbicide Diuron in some catchments.
Whale meat 'made into dog food'
Meat from whales caught under Japan's research programme ends up in dog food, say conservationists.
"A quiet whale meat boom is starting," says the website hakudai.com.
"The number of pet-owners who care about their animals' health are growing, recognising the nutritious value of whale meat," it adds.
Climate 'makes oil profit vanish'
The huge profits reported by oil and gas companies would turn into losses if the social costs of their greenhouse gas emissions were taken into account.
"Combining the emissions that stem from BP's direct activities and the sale of its products leads to 1,458m tonnes of CO2-equivalent entering the atmosphere, with a damage bill of £29bn ($51bn)," writes Andrew Simms.
"Subtracting that from the £11bn ($19bn) annual profit it has just reported puts it £18bn ($31bn) in the red; effectively bankrupt.
Carbon addicts and climate debt BBC VIEWPOINT
The fossil fuel industry is a major source of tax revenue for western nations, which is a disincentive to cutting greenhouse gas emissions, says Andrew Simms in this week's Green Room. But while some of that taxation depends on the huge profits reported by companies like BP and Shell, he argues they would be bankrupt if the taxes they paid reflected the social costs of their emissions.
Climate 'warmest for millennium'
The last 100 years is more striking than either the Medieval Warm Period or Little Ice Age
In the late 20th Century, the northern hemisphere experienced its most widespread warmth for 1,200 years, according to the journal Science.
Uganda pulls plug on Lake Victoria
EAST Africa's Lake Victoria, the world's second largest freshwater lake, is being secretly drained to keep the lights on in Uganda. A report published this week says Uganda is flouting a 50-year-old international agreement designed to protect the lake's waters.
Veggies contain chemicals that boost DNA repair, protect against cancer
In a study published in the British Journal of Cancer (published by the research journal Nature) the researchers show that in laboratory tests, a compound called indole-3-carinol (I3C), found in broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage, and a chemical called genistein, found in soy beans, can increase the levels of BRCA1 and BRCA2 proteins that repair damaged DNA.
Dutch MP backs Muhammad cartoons
The Somali-born Dutch MP who describes herself as a "dissident of Islam" has backed the Danish newspaper that first printed the Prophet Muhammad cartoons. Her film-maker colleague Theo van Gogh was murdered by a Muslim extremist in a case that shocked the Netherlands.
Don't yield to extremists International Herald Tribune
CAIRO Lost amid the ashes of torched embassies and the senseless deaths of Muslim protestors is the fact that the cartoon controversy is as much about freedom of expression in the Muslim world as it is about freedom of expression in Europe.
This is not a clash of civilizations but a battle between the extremists - Muslims and non-Muslims alike - and the rest of us who refuse to allow them to speak for us.
SYDNEY: Dioxin here to stay until the Government pays up SMH
CONTAMINATED sediment from Homebush Bay will continue to poison fish in Sydney Harbour even after a long-scheduled clean-up is completed next year, because the NSW Government only provided funds to do half the job.
Greenhouse gases causing irreparable damage, says scientist
In a review published in The Lancet medical journal, the scientists say there is now a near-unanimous scientific consensus that rising levels of greenhouse gases would cause global warming and other climate changes.
Port Hinchinbrook legal challenge starts
A legal challenge to stop the expansion of the controversial Port Hinchinbrook development near Cardwell in far north Queensland begins in the Supreme Court in Cairns today. .....more
Interest shown in hot rocks energy
A group representing 11 councils in western Queensland says there has already been interest in developing geothermal tenements in the area.
Has the climate change debate reached a tipping point?
In recent months, mainstream scientists have been more willing to speak out about speculation that global warming may mean that Earth's climate is on the verge of a possibly catastrophic "tipping point," beyond which future human technology will not be able to undo the effects of past and ongoing excesses.
Global warming hits Europe's glaciers, scientists say
Europe's longest glacier shrank by 66 metres last year because of global warming, Swiss scientists said.
Forest and Bird oppose plan to allow tuatara visits
The evironmental group opposes the application on the grounds it defeats the island's nature reserve status and appears likely to be fast-tracked.
Catch the new nuclear moment Indian Express
The United States is initiating — in cooperation with Russia, UK, France, China and Japan — a new era of nuclear energy. The rising price of oil, its rapid depletion, environmental concerns and the growing demand for energy, have compelled the US and other nuclear states to rethink the role of nuclear energy and also the advisability of the reprocessing and use of plutonium in fast breeder reactors.
The expensive hardware that visits your back yard
What would I be if I were 77m high, 344m long, 78m at my widest point and a full 3m taller than Brisbane's Story Bridge?
Give up? IT'd be the USS Ronald Reagan, the world''s largest aircraft carrier, come to Brisbane for some well deserved R&R.
Chinese crab poised for UK invasion
An exotic type of crab is spreading at an alarming rate throughout Britain's coast and rivers, a new study suggests. The Chinese mitten crab, brought to Britain during the last century in ships' ballast water, could cause devastating environmental problems if populations are not monitored and controlled, say the study's authors.
Fish farm escape creates environment fears
Environmentalists are worried about the impact thousands of escaped farm barramundi will have on the marine ecosystem off the Tiwi Islands, north of Darwin.
Abetz rejects funding request to protect Recherche Bay
The federal Forestry and Conservation Minister, Eric Abetz, has angrily rejected a request for federal funds to help conservationists buy historic Recherche Bay in Tasmania's south.
Red grapefruit good for heart, cholesterol
A grapefruit a day — particularly the red variety — can help keep heart disease at bay, according to a new study by Israeli researchers. In a controlled study group of patients with heart disease, the scientists found that feeding some patients the equivalent of one grapefruit daily significantly reduced levels of cholesterol in comparison to patients that did not eat grapefruit. Chronic high blood cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart disease.
The Cartoons – what's it all about?
"Lost World" Found in Indonesia Is Trove of New Species
The dripping moss forests of the Foja Mountains are one of the last places on Earth where humans have failed to make an imprint," said Richards, the expedition co-leader. "That they harbor such a treasure trove of biological novelties adds even greater importance to the protection of this spectacular area."
Genes of deadly bird flu reveal Chinese origin
A massive genetic analysis shows it has circulated in China for a decade – that is where the threat of a human pandemic must be tackled, scientists warn
South Africa: GM Debate Fought On Cotton Fields of KZN
Taking a break from spraying his neat, one-hectare plot of young cotton plants with herbicide, Moses Mabika surveys the land that has been supporting his family for 45 years. He may not realise it, but he is standing at the epicenter of a heated debate about growing genetically modified (GM) crops in Africa.
Children in tears as stranded whales die
Two Gray's beaked whales have died after stranding at Northland's Waipu Cove, despite some initial success getting them back to sea.
Whangarei-based Conservation Department ranger David Thonig said six whales stranded on the beach at 12.45pm yesterday.
Didymo poses new risk Fish now in danger
The discovery of didymo in the Waitaki River is sparking fears that critically endangered species may be at risk from the smothering algal bloom.
Tuesday, February 7, 2006Lennon defends Recherche Bay deal
The Tasmanian Premier Paul Lennon has confirmed the State Government will make a considerable contribution to protect Recherche Bay from logging.
NASA assesses strategies to 'turn off the heat' in New York City
"We found that vegetation is a powerful cooling mechanism. It appears to be the most effective tool to reduce surface temperatures," Gaffin said. "Another effective approach is a man-made approach to cooling by making very bright, high albedo, or reflected light, on roof tops. These light-colored surfaces, best made using white coatings, reflect the sun's light and thereby, its heat. Interestingly, more area is available to create the lighter surfaces than to add vegetation in a city such as New York."
NZ population reaches 4.12 million Stuff.co.nz
The population of New Zealand has increased to 4.12 million in the past year, according to Statistics New Zealand. The resident population increased by 37,000 (0.9 per cent) to 4,120,900 at December 31, 2005.
Study supports limiting television time for children
Children who spend more time watching television spend less time interacting with their family and playing creatively, researchers report. By studying children's activities over 24-hour periods, they found evidence for the first time that supports the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) television viewing recommendations.
AAP recommends that children under the age of two should not watch television and children older than two should watch no more than two hours of television daily.
Alzheimer's found to be mostly genetic
Alzheimer disease has a genetic cause in up to 80 percent of cases, according to a University of Southern California-led study of nearly 12,000 twin pairs. The study appears in the February 2006 issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, a journal of the American Medical Association.
A clash of civilisations -- prompted by a cartoon
As the controversy over a series of cartoons lampooning the Muslim prophet Muhammad spreads throughout Europe and the Middle East, the National Business Review's editorial section today called for religious fundamentalists to show greater understanding of secular values.
The row over the Danish cartoons would probably have remained a local dispute between some Muslims and a Danish newspaper had it not been for three factors:
- the rise of violent political Islam
- America's war on terror
- modern transnational media.
Inside the brain of an alcoholic
A team in Australia has found that alcohol dampens down the expression of hundreds of genes in the amygdala, which might account for why alcoholics suffer dysfunctional symptoms such as disrupted sleep and depression. It may also help explain why recovering alcoholics are prone to relapse.
It's killing our frogs
The pesticide brew in many ponds bordering Midwestern cornfields is not only affecting the sexual development of frogs, but is making them more prone to deadly bacterial meningitis, according to a new study by University of California, Berkeley, scientists.
Storm waves drown hundreds of seal pups
Seals normally give birth on pack ice in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. But unusually warm weather this winter means there is little ice in the gulf and the mothers had to come to shore to give birth and nurse. Newborn seals can't swim and were no match for the storm surge that washed over the beach and pulled the pups into the surf.
South Africa: Veld Fires Rage On, Fanned By Winds
Day and night, weary firefighters continue to fight fires in the Overberg, but still the flames rage on.
Kapiti project to save bats shows its worth
The success of a world-first conservation initiative to protect endangered bats has continued, with more pups to be transferred to Kapiti Island.
Puppies Implanted With Heroin by Smugglers, U.S. Says National Geographic News
To conceal their liquid heroin, South American drug traffickers surgically inserted packets of the drug into the bellies of puppies and then planned to transport them into the United States, U.S. officials said this week.

IFriday, 3 February 2006Brief extension for Patriot Act BBC News
The US Congress has backed a brief extension of the law known as the Patriot Act for the second time. Provisions set to expire on Friday were extended until 10 March, to give negotiators more time to reach a deal to make the anti-terror act permanent.
Bush to Request $120 Billion More for Wars Washington Post
Upcoming White House requests would boost total spending on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan well past the $400 billion mark, while spending for hurricane relief would top $100 billion, administration officials acknowledge.
Wiarton Willie forecasts early spring CBC Toronto - 2 Feb 2006
Groundhog Day cheers erupted in Wiarton, Ont., on Thursday as the town's most famous rodent resident failed to see his shadow, indicating an early end to winter weather.
UN presses Coalition on female jobs The Age - 2 Feb 2006
AUSTRALIA has been asked by a United Nations committee why it has not implemented quotas to increase the number of women in public and political positions.
Phosphorous tanker sinks in English Channel Times Online - 14 hours ago
A chemical tanker carrying 10,000 tonnes phosphoric acid has sunk in the English Channel today after being severely damaged in a collision with another ship early yesterday morning.
Toxic fish advice kept secret SMH
THE NSW Government was aware four years before it banned commercial fishing in Sydney Harbour that dioxin levels across there were likely to exceed international safety standards and that fishing should be banned.
Algae spread may be impossible to halt New Zealand Herald
Biosecurity New Zealand concedes it may not be possible to prevent the invasive algae didymo spreading throughout the country's waterways
Slaughter stalker Guardian
Why the world's 'most aggressive whale defending organisation' wishes that the empathy shown recently in Britain could be exported to Japan
Global population says 'Pass the chicken'
Meat-eating is on the rise around the globe, a trend that could raise the risk of animal disease spread across borders, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said this week in a document circulated at a meeting on meat and dairy products. Worldwide meat consumption is expected to grow by 2 percent each year until 2015 -- the result of population increases, rising incomes, and the movement of people from rural areas to cities. "However, increased volume of trade and improvements in transportation, infrastructure and technology hold potential risks of spreading of animal diseases rapidly worldwide," FAO warned.
Omega-6 fats cause prostate tumors to grow twice as fast
Omega-6 fatty acids--such as those found in corn oil--caused human prostate tumors in cell culture to grow twice as quickly as tumors to which omega-6 fats had not been added, according to a study conducted at the San Francisco VA Medical Center.
Pitcairn men unaware of offences TVNZ
Lawyers for two of six Pitcairn men found guilty of sex abuse on the remote British territory say their clients were not aware that rape was an offence.
Snowy River announcement surprises Govt
Snowy Hydro has just announced the environmental flows have been diverted back to the Jindabyne Dam.
Green group casts doubt over Snowy plan
A peak conservation group says a decision by Snowy Hydro to stop water flowing from the Mowamba aqueduct into the Snowy River was done to increase the company's profits in the lead-up to its proposed privatisation.
Energy-Cameroon:a Dam Good Idea, Or a Bad One?
Groups such as the Circle for the Environment and Development claim the project will completely alter the lives of about 30,000 indigenous inhabitants of the area, notably the Baka and Bakola pygmy groups.
Scientists hold grave fears for Great Barrier Reef
Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg said most of the reefs the team saw are now completely bleached. "Going down to 10 metres, every pieces of coral was a glowing white colour - all that brown colour had disappeared and that was surprising for us," he said.
Why Australia's multicoloured reef coral is now a bleach blond Times Online
VISITORS to the Great Barrier Reef may soon be confronted with a blanched wasteland as a rapid rise in sea temperatures threatens to bleach thousands of miles of corals, scientists gave warning yesterday.
Death crash in the desert
Road accidents are a big problem in Egypt, where an average of 6,000 people die in crashes each year.
Papua likened to East Timor Sydney Morning Herald
THE Indonesian military is using the same tactics of terror in West Papua that were employed during its bloody reign in East Timor, and Australia should step in to mediate a peace settlement, warns separatist Herman Wainggai.
CSIRO sheds up to 200 jobs Melbourne Herald Sun
THE nation's primary scientific organisation will shed up to 200 jobs in the next three years as it moves away from renewable energy research in support of the Federal Government's coal-friendly technologies.
Alternative drug could save vultures Telegraph.co.uk
A study by scientists from South Africa, Namibia, India and Britain concluded that another drug, meloxicam, was just as effective in livestock and was safe to vultures at the levels they would be exposed to.
Govt closes stolen wages fund
Queensland Cabinet will decide later this year what to do with more than $30 million in unclaimed Indigenous wages.
Leprosy eliminated in India: Ramadoss NDTV.com
After struggling for nearly five decades, the number of fresh cases finally dropped to less than one in 10,000 cases in December 2005, helping India meet the WHO deadline.
Curbing climate change 'unlikely'
"It is now plain that the emission of greenhouse gases, associated with industrialisation and economic growth from a world population that has increased six-fold in 200 years, is causing global warming at a rate that is unsustainable."
A rise of two Celsius, researchers conclude, will be enough to cause:
- Decreasing crop yields in the developing and developed world
- Tripling of poor harvests in Europe and Russia
- Large-scale displacement of people in north Africa from desertification
- Up to 2.8bn people at risk of water shortage
- 97% loss of coral reefs
- Total loss of summer Arctic sea ice causing extinction of the polar bear and the walrus
- Spread of malaria in Africa and north America
Deported teenager returns home Australian January 30, 2006
The students of Thornbury High School, where Nak Assavatheptavee was a student before he was forced to leave Australia, raised the $18,000 needed to bring him back under the criteria of an international student.
All is silent down at the pond
For many amphibians, the silent spring is now a reality, and in many parts of the world the calls of frogs have been silenced.
China's canine conundrum
China is ushering in the Year of the Dog. Until recently, few Chinese regarded the animals as pets and many viewed them just something to eat. However, as Rupert Wingfield-Hayes discovers, attitudes are changing.
Ethanol can replace gasoline with significant energy savings
Putting ethanol instead of gasoline in your tank saves oil and is probably no worse for the environment than burning gasoline, according to a new analysis by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley. The researchers note, however, that new technologies now in development promise to make ethanol a truly "green" fuel with significantly less environmental impact than gasoline.
US Govt accused of trying to muzzle climate scientist
NASA's top climate scientist said the Bush administration has tried to stop him from speaking out since he gave a lecture in December 2005 calling for prompt reductions in emissions of greenhouse gases, The New York Times said.
Nepal under reign of terror as king unleashes army to crush revolt Guardian Unlimited
Maoists and restless politicians threaten his throne. Now the autocrat is turning to torture and murder, reports Ed Douglas from Kathmandu.
Wind farms condemned as eagles fall prey to turbines
WIND turbines have caused the deaths of four white-tailed eagles on isolated islands off the Norwegian coast. Thirty other eagles have failed to return to their nesting sites within the wind farm area on Smola, 9.6km (six miles) northwest of Norway, according to wildlife campaigners.
Purchaser of Clemenceau challenges Greenpeace to prove claim
The ship is headed for Alang ship breaking yard where it brings along with 27,000 tonnes of steel scrap about 40 to 50 tonnes of hazardous asbestos. Greenpeace has been arguing that end-of-life ships should be treated like any other toxic material under the Basel convention which prevents transfer of toxic wastes from one country to another.
Energy gap: Crisis for humanity? BBC
The immediate question is whether the crash comes soon, or whether humanity has time to plan a comfortable way out.greater consumption of energy.
Sea level rise 'is accelerating'
Global sea-levels could rise by about 30cm by the end of this century if current trends continue, a study warns
Wildlife group expects 'significant damage' following oil spill
In Queensland's worst oil spill in 35 years, 25,000 litres of oil spilled into the harbour when a tug collided with a ship.
Wildlife Protection Association of Australia (WPAA) says it is surprised that authorities still have not called in animal carers after the spill. WPAA president Pat O'Brien says he expects a huge impact on wildlife and carers will check around the harbour today.
Rain gardens soak up urban storm water pollution
Properly designed "rain gardens" can effectively trap and retain up to 99 percent of common pollutants in urban storm runoff, potentially improving water quality and promoting the conversion of some pollutants into less harmful compounds. The affordable, easy-to-design gardens could help solve one of the nation’s most pressing pollution problems, according to the study’s authors, Michael Dietz and John Clausen of the University of Connecticut.
US. govt' eavesdropping has mixed support in poll
Fifty-three percent of those surveyed said they approved of President George W. Bush's decision to authorize eavesdropping without prior court approval "in order to reduce the threat of terrorism," The Times reported.
Public pillories tree destroyer New Zealand Herald - 25 Jan 2006
* Tree destroyer George Bernard Shaw will be sentenced at the Auckland District Court on February 13.
* Judge Fred McElrea is expected to take into account the views of the 'victims' who spoke last night.
* Shaw faces a maximum $200,000 fine or two years' jail.
Fruit and veg 'cut stroke risk'
Eating more than the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables a day can cut risk of stroke, a study says.
US may overturn nuclear fuel reprocessing ban
The mooted U-turn alarms environmentalists worried about the proliferation of plutonium, and the impact the decision could have on the rest of the world
The great Alberta oil rush
Canada is a modest and unassuming place when compared with its great big neighbour to the south. But now it has plenty to boast about: world-beating oil reserves in Alberta which are finally being brought into production after decades of talk.
Study warning over nuclear waste
The disposal of nuclear waste is a long-term problem
Opponents of nuclear power have seized on an initial report which indicates that a solution to managing radioactive waste may be some way off.
Britons unconvinced on evolution
Over half the population of Great Britain does not fully accept evolution theory, according to an opinion poll.
New Zealand Tops World Environmental Rankings
DAVOS, Switzerland, January 25, 2006 (ENS) - New Zealand ranks first in the world in environmental performance, according to the Pilot 2006 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) produced by a team of environmental experts at the environment school at Yale University and the Earth Institute at Columbia University. The United States placed 28th in the rankings.
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Australia's poor report card on environment SMH
AUSTRALIA has failed to commit adequate resources and effort towards environmental protection and is trailing other developed nations in providing its citizens with clean water and sustainable energy, a study by researchers at Yale and Columbia universities says
Use your brain, halve your risk of dementia
Research from UNSW provides the most convincing evidence to date that complex mental activity across people's lives significantly reduces the risk of dementia. The researchers found that such activity almost halves the incidence of dementia.
Coral, mangroves good for economy
Coral reefs and mangroves bring major economic benefits and are worth protecting, a new UN report concludes.
Oil spill 'worst in 30 years'
About 25 tonnes or 10,000 litres of heavy fuel spilled into Gladstone harbour and was carried by the incoming tide upstream into sensitive mangroves, said Captain John Watkinson of Maritime Safety Queensland, who is in charge of the clean-up operation.
Charge over backpacker's death dropped
It is believed she was set alight when ignited aviation gas being used as a makeshift lantern was inadvertently cast in her direction.
Official: Standoff in Texas involved men in Mexican Army uniforms
Men dressed in Mexican military uniforms or camouflage were on the U.S. side of the border in Texas, she said. The incident follows a story in the Bulletin on Jan. 15 that said the Mexican military had crossed into the United States more than 200 times since 1996.
Good and bad in Whitsunday development
Whitsunday Shire Council is also expected to discuss today whether the Outrigger project on the Airlie Beach foreshore will go ahead.
12m workers have reading age of children Guardian Unlimited
Up to 16 million adults - nearly half the workforce - are holding down jobs despite having the reading and writing skills expected of children leaving primary school, a new report reveals today.
Households biggest energy consumers Stuff.co.nz
The nation's households are the single biggest energy "consumer", soaking up more than a quarter of the nation's electricity and other energy.
West Coast whale 'vomit' could be worth millions ABC Regional Online
They call it a beachcombers dream, but the chances of finding it, is slim to none. This is why a recent find of the rare substance ambergris, which is essentially sperm whale vomit, is a coo for a South Australian fishing family.
Not the real Lassie, but by George she's a star Brisbane Courier Mail
A FAITHFUL cattle dog called Lassie lived up to her famous namesake when she delivered help to her elderly master after he fell from a horse.
Tuesday, 24 January 2006

Wild bird flu blame 'too hasty'
Governments across Europe are being too hasty in blaming the spread of avian flu on wild birds, says the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
The RSPB says the trade in birds and the movement of poultry products is a more likely cause.
South Africa: Designer Invention Bins Litter-Strewing
Across the Cape residents are terrorised by gangs of brazen baboon raiders. But now a local company has devised a cunning lock for wheelie bins to thwart the scavengers.
New Zealand: Group fights to stop West Coast mine, One News
A group fighting to stop a West Coast mine sought support at a public meeting in Christchurch on Monday night. Around 60 people turned out to hear about the Save Happy Valley campaign and its latest direct action an indefinite
Guzzlers may be targeted
NZ - The Government is investigating slapping higher penalties on gas guzzling vehicles to promote fuel efficiency, as motorists face a six cent a litre petrol price increase. It saw fuel at Wellington stations climb to 147.9c a litre for 91 octane, 152.9c for 96 octane and 105.9c for diesel.
Anti-terrorism software claims to balance privacy and security
The government's ability to balance the privacy concerns of lawful U.S. citizens with effective monitoring of potential terrorists has proven an increasingly difficult task, particularly in recent months. But software by researchers at UCLA may ease some of these privacy concerns by making the tracking of terrorist communications over the Internet more efficient, and more targeted.
New Forestry Minister takes early swipe at Greens
"I look forward to being able to counter what I think is the incidious involvement of the Greens in Australian politics, and their attempts to influence policy," The new federal Forestry Minister, Tasmanian Senator Eric Abetz said.
2005 Was the Warmest Year in a Century
NASA - Over the past 30 years, Earth has warmed by 1.08 degrees F (0.6 degrees C), NASA said. Over the past 100 years, it has warmed by 1.44 degrees F (0.8 degrees C).
The 21st century could see global temperature increases of 6 to 10 degrees F (3 to 5 degrees C).
Study shows chimps closer to humans than to apes
WASHINGTON, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Chimpanzees may be more closely related to human beings than they are to other apes, U.S. researchers reported on Monday. And a second, separate study showed that humans are busily pushing another close cousin, the orangutan, into extinction. Humans and chimpanzees are believed to have diverged from a single common ancestor about 7 million years ago.
CARTOON: Whale meat - Murray Webb
Review to consider new nuclear power stations Guardian Unlimited
A new generation of nuclear power station is to be considered as part of a review of energy policy, the government announced today.
Ban fishing in harbour, say experts Sydney Morning Herald
SYDNEY HARBOUR should be closed to commercial and recreational fishing from today because of the discovery of dangerously high dioxin levels in fish, an expert panel of scientists has found.
Recherche Bay talks reach sensitive stage
Greens leader Bob Brown has praised the owners of land at Recherche Bay, in southern Tasmania, for agreeing to negotiate on their plans to log the area.
Early response needed to stop exotics becoming weeds
Auckland is said to be the weediest city in the world, with a total of 220 weed species. It has more than 10,000 exotic plant species and 400 native species. Each year around four exotic plants escape into the wild with the potential to become weeds.
NZ leads the world in environmental performance - study
In the 2005 report, Finland, Norway, Uruguay, Sweden, Iceland and Canada occupied the top six spots, with Australia 13th and New Zealand rated 14th. The United States was 28th overall, behind most of Western Europe, Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, Costa Rica and Chile, but ahead of South Korea and Russia.
Mayor sheds light on Kalgoorlie-Boulder solar plans
The city of Kalgoorlie-Boulder in south-east Western Australia looks set to become the only municipality in Australia to be solely powered by energy from the sun.
2005 marked by 'extreme' climate: UN agency
The number of extreme climatic phenomena, from heatwaves, drought and floods to hurricanes, increased notably last year, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) says.
London's whale: Conservation aid?
The northern bottlenose (Hyperoodon ampullatus) was hunted commercially for many decades, particularly by Norway (60,000 killed from 1882 to the late 1920s, 5800 from 1930 to 1973).
Glance at coal mining disasters in U.S.
-1972: Buffalo Creek near Man, W.Va., 125 killed when mine drainage impoundment collapsed, releasing flash flood of about 135 million gallons of water, coal and debris that destroyed or damaged more than 1,000 homes. Disaster prompted new laws governing coal mines waste disposal.
Dick Smith part of bid to buy Recherche Bay in Tasmania ABC Regional Online
As an avid bushwalker Dick Smith has been travelling to Tasmania for around 40 years. He has now thrown his support behind Senator Bob Brown’s bid to raise over $1 million to buy the National Heritage listed peninsula in Tasmania, Recherche Bay.
Great Russian freeze spreads west
Severe cold weather gripping large parts of Russia has now spread west, causing chaos in Ukraine, Belarus, the Baltic states and Scandinavia.
UCLA students urged to expose 'radical' professors
The Web site of the Bruin Alumni Association also includes a "Dirty Thirty" list of professors considered by the group to be the most extreme left-wing members of the UCLA faculty, as well as profiles on their political activities and writings.
TV's 'sleep' button stands accused
Britons waste the equivalent of around two power stations worth of electricity each year by leaving TV sets and other gadgets on standby.
Electrical equipment in sleep mode used roughly 7TWh of power and emitted around 800,000 tonnes of carbon.
Stonehenge traffic plan could be end of the road for curlew Independent
The recovery of one of Britain's rarest birds is under threat if plans to build a road tunnel near Stonehenge are scrapped, wildlife campaigners have warned.
Fury as police file children's DNA Independent - 21 Jan 2006
The Government last night came under fire from MPs and civil liberties campaigners after it emerged that the DNA profiles of 24,000 children who have never been charged or convicted of an offence are stored on the UK database.
Put young offenders in tents, not jail: GG Daily Telegraph
JUVENILE offenders should be sent to the bush to live in tents and learn bushcraft instead of going to jail, Governor-General Michael Jeffery said yesterday. He told Aboriginal and civic leaders in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, that jails were doing a disservice to young people and they would be better off going bush.
Public support for environmental protection on the decline
From 1999 to 2004, 3,688 respondents took part in the random, 20-question telephone surveys. In January 2001, 63 percent of respondents wanted the environment to be a top priority. In succeeding years, support fell to an average of 45 percent.
Increased Competition for Pollen May Lead to Plant Extinctions
The decline of birds, bees and other pollinators in the world's most diverse ecosystems may be putting plants in those areas at risk, according to new research.
Communities oppose Snowy Hydro sale plans
A group representing communities along the Snowy River says it does not want the New South Wales Government to sell its 58 per cent stake in the power company Snowy Hydro.
Time to return the Arctic favour
The Arctic has become a playground for wealthy holidaymakers while the indigenous Inuit population is struggling to cope with effects of climate change on the region, argues Glen Morris in this week's Green Room.
Grey squirrels face massive cull
Grey squirrels are to be culled across Britain to try to halt declining numbers of the native red squirrel.
Rare bird colony thriving
One of the world's rarest birds, the Campbell Island snipe, is recolonising its home in the remote Southern Ocean at an "astonishing" rate, Conservation Minister Chris Carter said yesterday.
Salt bird's arrival an ominous sign for the salty Coorong
* Wigeon grass, once abundant in lagoon, has almost disappeared
* Brine shrimp, which live in salty water, in record numbers
* Four of eight species of rare wetland plants in SA occur along the Coorong, but less than 20 per cent of the district's original native vegetation remains
* Salt-loving banded stilts are breeding in Coorong for the first time
* Coorong Lake has lost 90 per cent of the migratory wader birds
Timor's full horror revealed Australian - 8 hours ago
TORTURE, starvation, sexual slavery, beatings, whippings and executions - the people of East Timor spent 24 years living in a hell largely of Indonesian making, while the apologists of the West turned a blind eye to their suffering.
Jail Cells cost 'five times more than a decent home' Stuff.co.nz
The cost of each cell at the new Waikato and Otago prisons is up to five times the price of a decent home in the areas, National Party law and order spokesman Simon Power says.
Australia: Climate headed for 'catastrophe', AAP
Up to 15,000 Australians would die each year from heat-related illness, bushfires would double and some of the nation's most treasured icons would disappear under the federal government's climate plan, a conservation group
Bleached coral raises reef fears, Age
CORAL on the Great Barrier Reef is bleaching and scientists fear the above-average water temperatures will devastate the southern part of the natural wonder. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority has received reports that
Why chocolate is good for your heart
Whale dumped at Japanese embassy
Greenpeace has put a dead whale in front of the Japanese embassy in Berlin, Germany, in a protest against whaling for scientific research.
GREENPEACE ANTARCTIC WEBLOG
Aspirin prevents cardiovascular events in both women and men – but in different ways, a new meta-study suggests.
In women, aspirin reduces strokes, and in men it cuts down on heart attacks. But there are no statistically significant benefits the other way round, according to the analysis.
Climate pact will cause temperature rise, report warns
Environmental groups have reacted to last week's Asia-Pacific climate pact by releasing a new report warning greenhouse gases will double as a direct result.
The report warns this will mean a temperature rise of 4 degrees celsius by 2050.
Greenpeace deploys buoys to demarcate Gahirmatha sanctuary NewKerala.com
Kendrapada: The Greenpeace under its campaign ''Defend Ocean'' has laid sea buoys to demarcate no fishing zone in the Gahirmatha sanctuary in a bid to protect endangered Olive Ridleys sea turtle.
Headbutted tourist 'disrespectful' of culture
Richard Mitai-Ngatai, 40, appeared yesterday in Rotorua District Court and was ordered to do 150 hours of community work after pleading guilty last month to assaulting Dutch tourist Johannes Scheffers.
Rights Group Assails the US Over Abuse of Terror Suspects New York Times
WASHINGTON, Jan. 18 - Human Rights Watch asserted Wednesday that the Bush administration had undertaken a deliberate strategy of abusing terror suspects during interrogations, in ways, the group said, that undercut broader American interests.
18 January 2006

NZ joins other countries in whaling protest
The countries supporting the demarches are Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
Deep-rooted plants have much greater impact on climate than experts thought
Trees, particularly those with deep roots, contribute to the Earth's climate much more than scientists thought, according to a new study by biologists and climatologists from UC Berkeley. While scientists studying global climate change recognize the importance of vegetation in removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and in local cooling through transpiration, they have assumed a simple model of plants sucking water out of the soil and spewing water vapor into the atmosphere.
Curry and cauliflower could halt prostate cancer
Researchers have found that the curry spice turmeric holds real potential for the treatment and prevention of prostate cancer, particularly when combined with certain vegetables. The scientists tested turmeric, also known as curcumin, along with phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC), a naturally occurring substance particularly abundant in a group of vegetables that includes watercress, cabbage, winter cress, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, cauliflower, kohlrabi and turnips.
Insecticides linked to risk of childhood leukaemia
Household insecticides may increase the risk of childhood leukaemia, suggests French research in Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Leukaemia is the most common childhood cancer in France, affecting 43 in every million children every year. The findings are based on 280 children newly diagnosed with acute leukaemia and a further 288 children matched for sex and age, but free of the disease.
Lots of flowers and trees, not enough birds and bees
In biodiversity hot spots like tropical rainforests, a dearth of pollinators could be putting many species at risk of extinction, according to a new study. The finding is raising concerns that more may need to be done to protect the Earth's most biologically rich areas. As the number of birds, bees, and other pollen transporters declines around the world, competition for their attention is becoming increasingly fierce for plants that need their services for reproduction--to the point where species in the most fertile areas of the world are struggling for survival.
In China, cloud-free days mean smog, not sun
China has darkened over the past half-century. Where has all the sunshine gone? The usual suspect, at least to a climatologist, would be cloud cover. But in the most comprehensive study to date of overcast versus cloud-free days in China, a team led by the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, reporting in the current advance online issue of Geophysical Research Letters, has found that cloud cover has been decreasing for the past 50 years.
Stronger link between cat faeces, schizophrenia
Researchers have found stronger evidence for a link between a parasite in cat faeces and undercooked meat and an increased risk of schizophrenia. Research published today in Procedings of the Royal Society B, shows how the invasion or replication of the parasite Toxoplasma gondii in rats may be inhibited by using anti-psychotic or mood stabilising drugs.
Doc on the hunt for male kakapo
The Department of Conservation is on a mission to save one of our most endangered birds – the kakapo – and if they fail, it may see the end of the species.
Biggest windfarm in UK opens on old Scots mining site
The Black Law windfarm, near Forth in Lanarkshire, has 42 turbines delivering 97 megawatts - enough to power 70,000 homes.
Japanese whaling - Ross P Kettle
Research into north Qld's weight battle Sydney Morning Herald
A new research task force has been formed in a bid to discover why north Queenslanders are becoming so fat.
Business deal or bright idea?
.. it's an empty vessel; a fig-leaf to cover the embarrassment of George Bush and John Howard, the only western leaders to have reneged on commitments their predecessors made at the UN Kyoto conference in 1997.

Asia-Pacific Partnership sets world up for massive global warming
“In my entire career I have never seen a more misleading public statement as that made by Prime Minister John Howard,” said WWF-Australia CEO Greg Bourne.
“If the statements made today become a reality, this will lock us in to a 4°C rise in global average temperatures, when scientists confirm that the world needs to stay below a 2°C warming to avoid dangerous climate change. There couldn’t be anything more irresponsible than to knowingly embark on a path towards massive increases in emissions and runaway global warming.”
China and India 'hold the world in balance' NewScientist.com news service
One in every two tonnes of cement poured today will be in China – such is the country’s breakneck pace of economic development. The country also uses one-quarter of all the world’s steel, eats one-third of the world’s rice, and is the world’s largest importer of tropical timber and second largest importer of oil.
Study sounds global vulture alert
The rapid decline of Indian vulture populations has been blamed on the use of the drug diclofenac to treat inflammation in cattle.
Global warming boosts fungal epidemic in frogs NewScientist.com news service
Shifts in temperature appear to strongly favour the growth of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, a pathogenic fungus which dehydrates its victims, says the study. The fungus has caused the extinctions of 74 out of 110 species of the harlequin frog (Atelopus) in Central and South America in the 1980s and 1990s.
Australia: Coal comfort
Critics claim an ambitious plan to store greenhouse gases underground might ignore safer options.
PM's brother facing jail
In November, acting on a tip-off, a Wingecarribee Shire Council ranger visited Mr Corby's home on the Howard property.
Broken ice dam blamed for 300-year chill NewScientist.com news service
A three-century-long cold spell that chilled Europe 8200 years ago was probably caused by the bursting of a Canadian ice dam, which released a colossal flood of glacial meltwater into the Atlantic Ocean.
The Trees Are Gone, the Lake is Shrinking... Isn't Uganda Lucky?
ACTUALLY, EVEN without expert reports, the naked eye can already see that Lake Victoria's waters are disappearing, uncovering new land. In the past couple of years, the water levels have fallen by as many metres. Can you imagine how many millions of square metres of new land that has created? With such developments, you would have to be a pessimist to expect any more land wrangles in Uganda. Now people with a newfound appetite for land just need to go to the Land Office and secure leases for the new plots that are being uncovered by the receding water.
SEA SHEPHERD INTENDS TO RAM AND DISABLE PIRATE WHALERS
“What part of the word ‘sanctuary’ do the whalers not understand?” said Captain Paul Watson from onboard the Sea Shepherd ship Farley Mowat. “The whalers have assaulted whale defenders with water cannons and wooden poles. The whalers have rammed two Greenpeace ships and attempted to ram the Farley Mowat. With every attack the whalers plead innocence. The whalers are far from innocent. They are criminals involved in a criminal operation and they must be stopped.”
Polar bears' bodies loaded with fire retardant, Arctic study finds National Post
A new Canadian-led study shows the beleaguered polar bear has become a prime repository for a chemical widely used in the 1990s to prevent car seats, couches and computers from bursting into flames.
South Africa: R52m Needed to Save Fynbos
The Cape Floral Kingdom or fynbos - a proclaimed World Heritage Site - is in serious trouble and urgently needs an extra R52 million a year for essential fire management.
Air force watching whalers and Greenpeace
New Zealand air force Orions are being sent to keep tabs on Greenpeace vessels and Japanese whalers after dangerous collisions and clashes between the opposing groups in Antarctic waters in recent days.
Qld fruit grower defies ban on killing bats
Innisfail grower Dick Yardley says without electric grids his crop will be decimated, and other methods of control are ineffective or costly.
Ok Tedi mine creating acid problem
The managing director of a Papua New Guinea copper and gold mine has admitted that waste from the company's Ok Tedi project has started to generate acid and could cause huge environmental damage.
Jail for brutal moose murder Ottawa Sun
A man has received two months in jail for running down a moose with a snowmobile and killing it with an axe. Tony Norris, 25, of Trinity, NL, was also handed two years probation and is prohibited from hunting for five years.
Support is building for region's first biodiesel plant
GREENFIELD, Mass. -- A group of local supporters of the alternative fuel started an energy cooperative, Co-op Power, about a year and a half ago.
About 165 members have joined the energy co-op.
Greenpeace boat struck by whaling ship
Crew on a Greenpeace boat say they feared for their lives when struck by a vessel being used by a Japanese whaling operation on the Southern Ocean yesterday.
Focus needed on climate change: Greens
The Federal Government is being warned not to use the first meeting of the Asia-Pacific Partnership climate pact to promote coal and uranium export deals.
Severe Medical Crisis Reported in Congo New York Times
Nearly four million people died between 1998 and 2004 alone, an indirect result of years of fighting that has brought on a collapse of public health services, the study in the journal, Lancet, concluded.
We're livin' in Fat City No. 6 New York Daily News
In Fat City, Chicagoans toasted their No. 1 ranking with another slice of deep-dish pizza.
My Lai massacre hero dies at 62
It was 30 years before the US military honoured Thompson
Green leader burns as firemen fume New Zealand Herald - 5 Jan 2006
Greens leader Jeanette Fitzsimons and her husband, Harry Parke, are in hot water with the Thames Fire Service for breaching a strict fire ban on New Year's Eve, but they have escaped prosecution.
Kyoto recalcitrants unite Australian
WHEN the world's most powerful woman, Condoleezza Rice, flies into Sydney midweek, she will join a raft of business and political heavyweights trying to resolve arguably the most pressing issue facing the world.
Business & Economy: Challenges of Unilateral Approach Towards Shared Nile Water Resources
The Nile Basin is shared by ten reparian countries. It comprises one-third of Ethiopia, a substantial expanse of Sudan, the cultivated and settled corridor of Egypt, the whole of Uganda, parts of Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Eritrea... About 86 percent of the total flow originates in the Ethiopian highlands. It crosses the border with Sudan via three main headwater streams of Blue Nile, Baro-Akobo/Sobat, and Tekeze/Atbara.
Call for carbon tax to fund research
Australia must move to cut rising greenhouse gas emissions by introducing a carbon tax and using the funds to boost investment in solar energy, says federal Greens leader Senator Bob Brown.
Climatic convulsions, disaster, and arrogance The Age
In his 2005 book Collapse, Jarad Diamond found that societies that get off to a good start (such as Australia) subsequently collapsed as a result of:
■Inadvertently inflicting irreversible damage to the environment, through overcultivation, excessive logging, overfishing.
■Adverse climate change from long-term natural cycles (such as the advance of polar ice caps) or infrequent events (such as volcanic eruptions).
■Hostile relationships with neighbouring societies resulting in debilitating or devastating wars.
■Decreased support from friendly neighbours because of political or trade tensions or because the neighbours became weak.
■Society's unwillingness to confront positively the effects of the above once their effects started to threaten its prosperity.
Australia must commit to emission reduction: scientist
The grouping of the US, Australia, China, Japan, India and the Republic of Korea says it is collectively responsible for half the world's emissions.
Dr Flannery says clean coal technology is not a solution
Marine reserves 'good' for reefs
Marine reserves are good for coral, as well as fish species, according to a new study by scientists.
Water shortages unlikely to harm Bowen Basin mines
BHP Mitsubushi Alliance spokesman Ian Dymock says the company's Eungella Dam allocation has been cut to 35 per cent.
Population size 'green priority'
Professor Chris Rapley argues that the current global population of six billion is unsustainably high
Magnet therapies 'have no effect' BBC News
Magnet therapies which are claimed to cure conditions ranging from back pain to cancer have no proven benefits, according to a team of US researchers.
Tree assassin suffered enough, judge rules
Mr. Keefer said given Ms. Matheson's age and lack of criminal record, a jail term wasn't necessary. He instead asked for a fine of up to $5,000.
Ms. Matheson has already written two cheques to the Vancouver Parks Board, one covering the almost $30,000 cost of replacing the trees and the other as a $20,000 donation.
Mr. Donaldson told the court Ms. Matheson had to sell her home shortly after being charged, because people were throwing rocks, eggs and even bags they used to clean up after their dogs at her apartment balcony.
Save Shrinking Lake Victoria
Experts warn that Lake Victoria water levels have dropped between one and two metres recently. Normally, a drop in water levels leads to a more than proportionate recession of the shoreline with dire consequences on marine life.
Past gives clue to climate impact
Scientists found that the disruption took 140,000 years to reverse.
River red gums make endangered list
An iconic species of gum tree has been declared endangered in New South Wales' Hunter Valley.
Japan harpoons 13 minke whales
Greenpeace says 13 minke whales have been killed by Japanese whalers in the Southern Ocean.
NSW to open state forests for feral animal hunt
The New South Wales Government has declared its intention to open four state forests for the hunting of feral animals.
School Board Drops 'Intelligent Design' Los Angeles Times
Tas fox sightings on the rise
There is concern Tasmania's fox population is spreading, with a number of reported sightings around the state over the Christmas and new year period.
King tides pose coastal damage risk
The Maritime Safety Authority is warning of the potential for coastal damage if king tides over the next three months combine with storm or cyclone activity.
Warm weather threatening reef
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority says a rise in temperatures over the next couple of months could trigger more coral bleaching.
'Critical danger' warning on fish
Writing in the journal Nature, they say that some populations have plummeted by 98% in a generation, meeting the definition of 'critically endangered'.
No whales caught for more than a week  03 January 2006 
Greenpeace activists tailing Japanese whalers in Antarctic waters say they are "in good heart" after more than a week in which no whales were caught
'Scorchers' to become the norm, scientists say
Australia's green think tank, the Australia Institute, has accused the Federal Government of fiddling on climate change while Australia burns.
Australia: Heat blitz fuels climate change fear, Age
LAST year broke heat records by a meteorological mile — it was more than one degree hotter than average, prompting the Bureau of Meteorology to sound a renewed climate change alarm. The bureau's annual Australian climate ...   Archived Copy
THE PARTY'S OVER: OIL, WAR AND THE FATE OF INDUSTRIAL SOCIETIES
GABRIOLA ISLAND, BC, Canada, January 2, 2006 --/WORLD-WIRE/-- New Society Publishers has issued an updated edition of the best-selling book on the end of oil -- and its consequences -- The Party's Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies by Richard Heinberg.
Teenage trapper on a deadly mission
The estimated 70 million possums in New Zealand chew their way through 21,000 tonnes of vegetation each night
International caviar trade banned
The global trade in caviar and other products made from the wild, endangered sturgeon fish is banned.
Activists label duck shooting committee corrupt
The Coalition Against Duck Shooting (CADS) wants a parliamentary inquiry into the Victorian Government's decision to allow the 2006 duck season to go ahead.
Booze ads may push youth to drink Submitted by BJS on Tue, 2006-01-03 10:05.
Young people who view more alcohol advertisements tend to drink more alcohol, according to a new study.
Uganda: DRC: Let Those Responsible Pay Up
The International Court of Justice-ICJ has finally found Uganda guilty of what amounts to crimes against humanity during its war of intervention in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
QPWS seeks Inskip Pt camping quota
QPWS's southern Queensland director Terry Harper says the service is considering limiting the number of people to about 2,000.
New Scientist's yearly summaries: 2005
Who's afraid of the big bad Canadian wolf?
Thanks in part to strict federal protection, nearly 900 wolves now roam in packs across their historic range.
The wolves' comeback is all the more remarkable given the hatred that heralded their reintroduction, followed by a campaign of shooting and poisoning that continues today. There is still so much antagonism that federal wildlife managers are hesitant to remove wolves from the endangered species list, even though the population is many times greater than required to delist.
American pika seen headed toward extinction
Pikas are considered to be one of the best early warning systems for detecting global warming.
The small rabbit-like mammals live in rock-strewn slopes but are gradually being pushed to higher elevations and are running out of places to live, archeologist Donald Grayson reports in the current issue of the Journal of Biogeography.
AMERICAN PIKA KEY FACTS
-- The American pika is a relative of the rabbit.
-- Pikas are typically found in rocky areas, called talus, within alpine regions of the western U.S. and southwestern Canada.
-- These shy creatures communicate by whistling to each other.
-- Pikas cut, sun-dry, and later store vegetation for winter use in 'hay piles.' They are often called 'ecosystem engineers' because of their extensive haying activities.
JAPAN'S WHALING FAILS?
Feds seek input on proposal to delist Yellowstone grizzlies Seattle Post Intelligencer - Dec 31, 2005
HELENA, Mont. -- Public meetings are scheduled next month in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming on the federal government's plans to remove federal protections for grizzly bears surrounding Yellowstone National Park.
Windows Security Flaw Is 'Severe' Washington Post - Dec 29, 2005
A previously unknown flaw in Microsoft Corp.'s Windows operating system is leaving computer users vulnerable to spyware, viruses and other programs that could overtake their machines and has ...
Uganda: Use DDT to Fight Malaria, Say Experts
BIO-CHEMISTRY and pathology experts at Makerere University are advising Uganda's Ministry of Health to use dichlorodiphenyltrichloethene (DDT) in its campaign to eradicate malaria.
Privacy slip on official US sites
The White House and National Security Agency have been caught tracking visitors to their websites in ways that may violate official US guidelines.
Carbon tax too costly, says NZ
New Zealand's carbon tax was to be set at a relatively low level of $A14 per tonne of carbon emissions and was expected to add 6 per cent to electricity prices. That price compares with about €21 ($A34) per tonne at which carbon is trading in the European emissions market created by the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol a year ago.
Protest in Pakistan against dam
Thousands take part in a protest rally against the construction of Kalabagh Dam in Pakistan.
Storing carbon to combat global warming may cause other environmental problems
Growing tree plantations to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to mitigate global warming -- so called "carbon sequestration" -- could trigger environmental changes that outweigh some of the benefits, a multi-institutional team led by Duke University suggested in a new report. Those effects include water and nutrient depletion and increased soil salinity and acidity, said the researchers.
2005: The year in environment NewScientist.com news service
Natural disaster was a running theme in 2005 - a year marked by more North Atlantic tropical storms and hurricanes since records began, and a string of massive earthquakes. Scientists also warned that the planet is edging closer to irreversible global warming, as ice melts across the planet.
The fished-out planet The Age
Unchecked overharvesting and waste is imperilling vital global fish stocks.
AUSTRALIA has recently intensified efforts to prevent incursions by fishermen from Indonesia into Australian waters. Dozens of boats hunting for sharks' fins and reef fish, which fetch high prices in Asia, have been seized and burned. More than 400 masters and senior crew have been charged with offences.
Sweden, Britain on target, but EU way behind on greenhouse gas emissions control
LONDON - Sweden and Britain are the only European Union countries that are meeting the target for the Greenhouse gas emissions, while the EU as a whole has not been able to bring these emissions under control, a new report by the Institute of Public Policy Research has found.
Treated wood poses longterm hazard
Arsenic from treated lumber used in decks, utility poles and fences will likely leach into the environment for decades to come, possibly threatening groundwater, according to two research papers published online Wednesday.
Tsunami: Mangroves 'saved lives'
Healthy mangrove forests helped save lives in the Asia tsunami disaster, a new report has said.
The World Conservation Union (IUCN) compared the death toll from two villages in Sri Lanka that were hit by the devastating giant waves.
Risk/benefit analysis of farmed and wild salmon
In general, a new study shows that the net benefits of eating wild Pacific salmon outweigh those of eating farmed Atlantic salmon, when the risks of chemical contaminants are considered, although there are important regional differences.
Cold war warriors battle Antarctic whalers
Direct action against the whalers is also set to rise, with the hardline group Sea Shepherd set to arrive on the scene off Commonwealth Bay on Friday, promising that, unlike Greenpeace, it will actually stop the fleet from whaling.
Coastal park front-runners named Scotsman - 10 hours ago
Three sites have been named as the most suitable locations for the UK's first coastal and marine national park. Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), which is advising the Scottish Executive on where the park should ...
Vanuatu: A village flees for safer ground
A small island in Vanuatu is claimed to be the first in the world to have to move its community because of rising sea levels.
Scientists find 'mass dodo grave'
Scientists have discovered the "beautifully preserved" bones of about 20 dodos at a dig site in Mauritius.
December 22, 2005

Revealed: the runners of 20,000BC
HUNDREDS of human footprints have been discovered in Mungo National Park in western NSW. They were left by children, adolecents and adults at the height of the last ice age as they ran and walked across a moist clay area near the Willandra Lakes.
The new officer cadet: fat, asthmatic and colourblind NEWS.com.au - 22 Dec 2005 [so what's changed?]
AUSTRALIA'S military may soon be led by overweight officers with poor eyesight and asthma under a radical proposal to tackle a recruitment crisis within the Defence Force.
US states sign Kyoto-style deal
Seven north-eastern US states have signed the country's first plan setting Kyoto-style legal limits on greenhouse gases from power stations.
Biofuel production on target
Up to six new biofuel plants could be built in regional areas, following the announcement that Australia should meet its biofuels production target ahead of schedule.
Norwegian whalers will be allowed to kill a total of 1,052 minke whales in 2006, an increase of 30%.
Whaling a diplomatic incident: Brown
Green groups denounce EU deal on cod
Green groups yesterday denounced the European Union for threatening cod stocks in the North Sea and other waters with extinction after ministers ignored scientific advice and agreed to cut quotas next year by just 15%. They warned that cod, which costs more than many meats, would become a delicacy and, as in Canada, stocks would eventually run out.
Ruling busts open sewage monopoly
The decision effectively ends the monopoly held by Sydney Water and clears the way for more efficient, environmentally friendly and cheaper services.. Services Sydney plans to offer comparable prices to Sydney Water, and will compete for customers on the basis of green technology. It plans to invest in infrastructure to bypass old sewers and sewage treatment plants.
U.S. Senate blocks attempt to allow oil drilling in Alaska wildlife refuge
WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. Senate stopped the latest bid to open an Alaska wildlife refuge to oil drilling Wednesday, blocking for now one of President George W. Bush's top priorities.
Global warming to decimate ecosystems, infrastructure
Global warming may decimate the top 10 feet (3 meters) or more of perennially frozen soil across the Northern Hemisphere, altering ecosystems as well as damaging buildings and roads across Canada, Alaska, and Russia. New simulations from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) show that over half of the area covered by this topmost layer of permafrost could thaw by 2050 and as much as 90 percent by 2100. Scientists expect the thawing to increase runoff to the Arctic Ocean and release vast amounts of carbon into the atmosphere.
Appalling Hong Kong Trade Deal Threatens People and Environment Friends of the Earth (London)
Although a face-saving deal was reached on trade issues here today, the global trade system remains in crisis. Today's agreement contains proposals that will further threaten the global environment and the livelihoods of the worlds' poorest people.
Fighting for herds under threat in Alberta Globe and Mail
TORONTO -- In a bid to prevent the extinction of Alberta's dwindling woodland caribou population, environmentalists have filed a legal petition asking the federal government to issue an emergency order to protect the remaining herds.
Caribou are vulnerable because they depend on lichens for up to 70 per cent of their diet. Lichens grow best in mature boreal forests that are more than 150 years old, and as forestry companies destroy these woodlands, caribou lose their food supply. Environmentalists say the only effective way to save the caribou is to preserve the forests.
Minimum wage rises - by 75c Stuff.co.nz
The Government has taken the first step in lifting the minimum wage to $12 an hour but has been derided for being miserly so close to Christmas.
Judge: Intelligent design is re-labelled creationism
The US judge’s detailed critique of the arguments made in favour of including intelligent design in science lessons could have a far-reaching impact
Ancient trans-Atlantic swarm brought locusts to the new world
Somewhere between three and five million years ago, a massive swarm of locusts took off from the west coast of Africa and made an unlikely voyage across the Atlantic Ocean to colonize the New World, says an international team of researchers.
U.S. greenhouse gas emissions increase 2 percent mongabay.com December 19, 2005
U.S. greenhouse gas emissions increased by 2.0 percent in 2004, from 6,983.2 million metric tons carbon dioxide equivalent in 2003 to 7,122.1 metric tons in 2004, according to Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in the United States 2004, a report released today by the Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Riots in Australia Spur Introspection Wasington Post
Community leaders say that increasing anti-Muslim sentiment has isolated people of Middle Eastern origin from other Australians, and  can be attributed in part to the rise in recent years of violent Lebanese and Middle Eastern gangs who are taking their cues from an unusual mix of Muslim-empowerment messages and American hip-hop culture. Wearing baggy jeans and souped-up low-riders, they cruise the streets of Sydney, dwelling mostly in the disadvantaged western suburbs, which suffer from lower education levels and employment rates almost twice as low as the national average. In 2002, several gang members were charged with brutal rapes of Australian women.
Bill Allowing Drilling In Alaska's Artic Wildlife Refuge Passes
Washington DC (AHN) - After an all-night session during the last budgetary meeting of the year, The U.S. House of Representatives on Monday approves opening Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil drilling.
CARTOONS:
Bush's best ever one-liner - Garrick Tremain NZ
A very Aussie Christmas - Tom Scott NZ
Trade can 'export' CO2 emissions
Researchers found that US imports of goods from China cause a greater production of carbon dioxide than if the goods were made in the US.
Between the years 1997-2003, Shui Bin from the National Center for Atmospheric Research found, the US "saved" 1,711 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions by importing goods from China rather than making them within US borders.
That equates to a reduction of just over 3% in US emissions across the seven-year period, with the exact proportion rising year on year as the trade deficit increased.
But this reduction in US emissions was more than matched by an increase in Chinese emissions. In 1997, exports to the US accounted for seven percent of Chinese CO2 output; by 2003, the figure had risen to 14%.
Polar bears drown as ice shelf melts Times Online - Dec 17, 2005
SCIENTISTS have for the first time found evidence that polar bears are drowning because climate change is melting the Arctic ice shelf.
According to the new research, four bear carcases were found floating in one month in a single patch of sea off the north coast of Alaska, where average summer temperatures have increased by 2-3C degrees since 1950s.
Qld protects more rainforest areas, Reuters
More than 380,000 hectares of tropical rainforest have been added to Queensland's national parks. The State Government says 39 state-owned forest reserves and three other parcels of state land in the Wet Tropics World Heritage
Australia: Leatherwood honey under threat by logging, Australian Broadcasting Corporation
TANYA NOLAN: Leatherwood honey is highly prized by sweet-tooths all over the world. But beekeepers in southern Tasmania are sounding a warning about their unique local product, saying logging of the leatherwood trees that give
Down Under Goes Overboard Spiegel Online, Germany
Australia is in shock after last week's  racial violence, when thousands of young white men attacked people of Arabic and Mediterranean origin on a beach. The resulting retaliatory riots just made matters worse. The situation has since calmed down -- but for how long?
Green Party wants more Govt action to help save albatross  Stuff 17 December 2005 
NZ: The birds breed every two years and DOC rangers had expected 25 pairs during this year's breeding season, but five pairs have failed to turn up and a further three have not laid.
Forest and Bird win ministerial protection for snails
NZ: The rare Powelliphanta augustus snails were first discovered in 1996 and named after the Mt Augustus ridgeline they were found on within Solid Energy's Stockton opencast mine.
Snails set the pace for change 
NZ: A High Court decision released yesterday has ruled Solid Energy must apply for consents from the Minister of Conservation and Minister of Energy before the project goes ahead. The Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society asked the High Court in Wellington to make the declaration because of fears for the safety of the endangered snail, Powelliphanta augustus. Conservation manager Kevin Hackwell welcomed the decision yesterday, calling it a reprieve for one of New Zealand's most ancient native species and a victory for conservation.
Ancient citadel shows scars of mass warfare
The ruins of a Mesopotamian settlement reveal evidence of a ferocious aerial assault, described by archaeologists as "shock and awe" in 3500 BC
Civilisation has left its mark on our genes
This analysis suggested that around 1800 genes, or roughly 7% of the total in the human genome, have changed under the influence of natural selection within the past 50,000 years..
Down Under Goes Overboard Spiegel Online, Germany
Australia is in shock after last week's  racial violence, when thousands of young white men attacked people of Arabic and Mediterranean origin on a beach. The resulting retaliatory riots just made matters worse. The situation has since calmed down -- but for how long?
2005 warmest ever year in north
2005 has been the warmest year in the northern hemisphere on record, and the second warmest globally.
Conservation groups sue to protect polar bears San Jose Mercury News
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Three environmental groups sued the federal government Thursday, seeking to protect polar bears from extinction because of disappearing Arctic sea ice. link to CENTRE FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY
Quanta takes on $100 laptop challenge Independent Online
Taipei - Quanta Computer, the world's largest computer maker, said on Thursday it will build "the $100 laptop computer" for children in developing nations.
Science and Nature BBC Best Link
The best of BBC Science and Nature. Take a tour from the smallest atoms, to the largest whales and the most ferocious dinosaurs.
CHECK OUT THIS EASILY NAVIGABLE SITE.
2005 hottest year ever in Australia
As Australians begin lapping up the summer sun, the Bureau of Meteorology has found there has been no shortage of rays this year, with 2005 declared the warmest in history.
Scientists warn of ecological disaster to Great Lakes
A group of scientists said last week that toxic substances, invasive species, overfishing, changes in hydrology affecting rivers with the addition of global warming are causing this ecological breakdown.
Prisoner numbers top 25,000 Melbourne Herald Sun
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said there were 25,400 people in adult prisons in Australia ...
Judge orders UK citizenship for detainee
Australia recognises the US military commission and has made no attempts to free its citizens from Guantánamo Bay, but the UK negotiated the return of all nine British citizens being held there without trial last year. It does not recognise the legitimacy of the US procedures under international law.
Trophy animals get protection National Post - 13 Dec 2005
VANCOUVER - An anti-hunting group has paid $1.35-million to buy the guide-outfitting rights to a prime piece of BC's wilderness with a view to ending permanently the commercial killing of all animals in the area.
Govt ignoring plight of rare snails - Greens 14 December 2005
NZ: Crown mining company Solid Energy plans to move the giant meat-eating snails from a ridge in the Stockton area so it can mine it.. The palm-sized Powelliphanta augustus snails were absolutely protected under the Wildlife Act...more
Dioxin study sparks row over findings Stuff.co.nz - 12 Dec 2005
NZ: Critics have slammed a Government-funded study that shows no evidence of increased cancer risk among New Plymouth residents during the time 2,4,5-T was manufactured in the city.
Man in traction goes AWOL from hospital's spinal unit Stuff.co.nz
NZ: Police in Christchurch are looking for a man wearing a spinal traction halo and with both his arms in plaster up to his elbows.
Finally, Male Water Fleas Exposed
In the UB experiments, four distantly related species of water fleas were exposed to methyl farnesoate (MF), a crustacean juvenile hormone that is known to determine sex in some species that regularly produce males. In stable environments, female water fleas generally reproduce asexually, essentially cloning themselves and resulting in populations of females that are practically impossible to tell apart.
Salty Taste Preference Linked To Birth Weight
A new study from the Monell Chemical Senses Center may shed light on why some people like salt more than others. The results suggest that a person's liking for salty taste may be related to how much they weighed when they were born.
Council blamed for big fish, bird kill
An environment group has blamed Richmond Valley Council for the recent fish kill and bird deaths in Salty Lagoon at Evans Head in northern NSW.
The Total Environment Centre (TEC) says sewage from a nearby sewerage treatment plant has made the lagoon a cesspit.
Last week, 25,000 fish were killed in Salty Lagoon and hundreds of birds have died after eating the rotten fish.
Research aims to reduce spray impact on endangered bird
A new research project will examine the impact of chemicals used to spray plague locusts on an endangered bird species in southern New South Wales. At present, the only option for locust control in habitat areas of the plains wanderer is a biological control agent called metarizium, but it cannot be used once the locusts take flight.
Four arrested, 216 bears taken, in NJ hunt Rutland Herald - Dec 11, 2005
Four activists, including two prominent leaders of an animal rights group, were arrested Wednesday as black-bear hunters took to the state's chilly northwestern woods for a third day.
Amazon trees much older than assumed
Trees in the Amazon tropical forests are old. Really old, in fact, which comes as a surprise to a team of American and Brazilian researchers studying tree growth in the world’s largest tropical region. Using radiocarbon dating methods, the team, which includes UC Irvine’s Susan Trumbore, found that up to half of all trees greater than 10 centimeters in diameter are more than 300 years old. Some of the trees, Trumbore said, are as much as 750 to 1,000 years old. Study results appear in the online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Function of 'Unicorn' Whale's 8-foot Tooth Discovered
Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) researcher Martin Nweeia, has discovered that the narwhal's tooth has hydrodynamic sensor capabilities. Ten million tiny nerve connections tunnel their way from the central nerve of the narwhal tusk to its outer surface. Though seemingly rigid and hard, the tusk is like a membrane with an extremely sensitive surface, capable of detecting changes in water temperature, pressure, and particle gradients. Because these whales can detect particle gradients in water, they are capable of discerning the salinity of the water, which could help them survive in their Arctic ice environment. It also allows the whales to detect water particles characteristic of the fish that constitute their diet. There is no comparison in nature and certainly none more unique in tooth form, expression, and functional adaptation.
New antidepressant drug increases 'brain's own cannabis'
Researchers have discovered a new drug that raises the level of endocannabinoids--the 'brain's own cannabis'--providing anti-depressant effects. The new research published in this week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), suggests the new drug, called URB597, could represent a safer alternative to cannabis for the treatment of pain and depression, and open the door to new and improved treatments for clinical depression--a condition that affects around 20% of Canadians.
Planet Under Pressure BBC
A six-part series looking at the biggest problems facing the Earth
Oxygen shortage results in massive fish kill
The New South Wales Department of Environment and Conservation says a breakdown in a nearby sewerage treatment plant is not responsible for a fish kill at Evans Head on the state's north coast.
Meander Dam will lose money, says conservation trust
The Tasmanian Conservation Trust believes the Meander Dam project, in the state's north, will lose at least $15 million after more than a decade, if it is constructed.
Study on Paritutu cancer risk a whitewash - Greens  12 December 2005 
NZ: A study which shows New Plymouth residents are not at higher risk of cancer than other New Zealanders is "scientifically flawed" because it did not concentrate on residents who lived near the agrichemical factory, critics say.
Global warming could halt ocean circulation
Absent any climate policy, scientists have found a 70 percent chance of shutting down the thermohaline circulation in the North Atlantic Ocean over the next 200 years, with a 45 percent probability of this occurring in this century. The likelihood decreases with mitigation, but even the most rigorous immediate climate policy would still leave a 25 percent chance of a thermohaline collapse.
Pollution blamed for fish kill
The New South Wales Government has been accused of inaction over a massive fish kill in a coastal lagoon near Evans Head, in the state's north east.
Reef closures helping fish stocks, says scientist
The scientist at the head of an 11-year study into the effects of line fishing on the Great Barrier Reef says the policy of area closures to allow spawning has been very successful.
Whitebait doing nicely
NZ: Things are looking up for whitebait, the Conservation Department believes.
Declaration protects Otways 'for all time'
Victorian Premier Steve Bracks has visited Triplet Falls in the Otways to declare a new 100,000-hectare national park.
Papers reveal UK's nuclear aid to Israel Guardian Unlimited - 9 Dec 2005
Fresh and apparently incriminating documents have come to light under the Freedom of Information Act on the way Britain helped Israel obtain its nuclear bomb 40 years ago, by selling it 20 tonnes of heavy water.
Record river lows boost drought fear
South Island rivers are flowing at their lowest levels on record, heightening fears of a summer drought.
Melting ice lends urgency to research - Otago physicist
Serious concerns about the greatly increased melting of sea ice in the Arctic are also lending urgency to scientific research in the Antarctic, University of Otago physicist Dr Pat Langhorne says.
The world can breathe again Guardian Unlimited, UK
.. most encouraging of all - paradoxically - is the stance of the United States. Admittedly, the Bush administration continues to show climatic intransigence of breathtaking cynicism. However, it is also clear that many Americans have privately become deeply worried about global warming, as well they might.
Alaska's Columbia Glacier Continues On Disintegration Course (December 10, 2005) — Alaska's rapidly disintegrating Columbia Glacier, which has shrunk in length by 9 miles since 1980, has reached the mid-point of its projected retreat, according to a new University of Colorado at Boulder study.
Modern Forests Suffer From Century-old Logging Legacy (December 8, 2005) — Nearly 70 years after this major disturbance, experimental forested plots in the current study have not returned to a point where they store as much carbon as the original stands. And researchers aren't sure just how long it might take to return to that point.
Kyoto stance 'costs Australia'
The Australian Conservation Foundation says Australia has been left out of the decision-making process at the UN conference on climate change, because it is not part of the Kyoto Protocol.
Govt accused of breaking law over carbon credit costs
National's environment spokesman Nick Smith claims Labour not only misled by claiming millions of credits from the Kyoto Protocol when New Zealand had a deficit, but then broke the law in trying to hide the error. Dr Smith said the ministry's chief executive Barry Carbon had shown wider deception when he said the ministry took the view in September 2004 that New Zealand's carbon balance was negative, when at the same time the Government was saying it had substantial credits.
Europe's pollution hotspots shown BBC News, UK - Dec 8, 2005
... together remarkable maps showing pollution over Europe and other ... The pollution maps, which can see detail at ... scale, will be used to identify problem hotspots. ..
Vanuatu: Volcanic Eruption OCHA Situation Report No. 2
Mt. Ambae volcano erupted on 27 November in Ambae Island of Vanuatu. Volcanic tremors continue to occur but the level of activity is moderate. At this moment there is no possibility of lahars. Volcanologists from New Zealand and French are expecting that this activity could last for the next week, eventually slowing down. If the activity would remain as it is now, an eruption could cause more dry ash and acid rain to fall over nearby villages.
Biosecurity tries to keep North Island free of rock snot
NZ: The whole of the South Island has been declared a "controlled area" for the invasive algae didymo, also known as rock snot.
Land clearing bans to help Australia reach greenhouse gas goals
Australia is on track to meet its greenhouse gas emission targets, mainly thanks to land clearing bans on farmers.
Movement Of Earth's North Magnetic Pole Accelerating Rapidly (December 9, 2005) — After some 400 years of relative stability, Earth's North Magnetic Pole has moved nearly 1,100 kilometers out into the Arctic Ocean during the last century and at its present rate could move from ...
Maori performers told to be more tolerant of tourists Stuff.co.nz - 8 Dec 2005
Maori performers need to be more tolerant of foreign tourists, says the Rotorua District Council's Mauriora Kingi. Richard Minarapa Mitai-Ngatai pleaded guilty in the Rotorua District Court this week to assaulting ...
Big brain means small testes, finds bat study
The correlation exists probably because both organs require a lot of energy to grow and maintain - individual species need to find the optimum balance
Climate Talks: 2005 Weather Disasters Most Costly Ever Environment News Service
Preliminary estimates put ecomomic looses at >US$299 billion cf. with US$245 billion in 2004.
Going to bat for owls at risk of extinction in BC forests Globe and Mail
Vancouver - In an attempt to force Ottawa to intervene in the management of spotted owls in British Columbia, four environmental groups have launched the first court case under Canada's untested Species At Risk Act.
Sea lions need more protection - Anderton
The southern squid trawl fishery will be closed if there are 97 fishing-related sea lion deaths in the 2005-2006 season, the NZ Government said yesterday.
Islanders launch High Court bid BBC News
Residents of Diego Garcia in the Chagos archipelago were moved to Mauritius in 1971, when Britain leased the island to the US to use as a military base.
Researchers record nearly 3,000 whales ABC Online, Australia - Dec 3, 2005
Scientists have begun analysing the results of a land and sea survey of the annual migration of the humpback whale along the east coast of Australia. ...
Narpi school set to close forever
Education Queensland has confirmed Narpi State School will be mothballed next year in its 80th anniversary year.
Warmer but possibly wetter summer likely
New Zealand has a 70 per cent chance of a cyclone passing nearby before April 2006, climate scientists say.
Australia uses climate change talks to meet new allies
More than 140 ministerial leaders have arrived in Canada for the United Nation's climate change conference to reduce greenhouse emissions. Mr Hewson says: "It's a PR exercise, it's a joke, it will produce nothing of substance".
Extinct fish found in rock
The native grayling trout, or upokororo, was once the most abundant freshwater fish in New Zealand, shoaling in its thousands, but the species vanished in the 1930s after introduced fish species took over its habitat.
Govt says no international support for bottom trawling ban
The Government says it's in favour of a global moratorium on bottom trawling on the high seas, but there is little international support for the move.
Minister disagrees with Forest and Bird claim
Forest and Bird recently released its best fish guide, designed to inform consumers about which seafood to buy to minimise impacts on the environment.  In the wallet-sized guide, fish are categorised into three groups: green for best choice - of which no fish were rated - amber for those of concern, and red for those over-fished.
Sonar threatens dolphin, whale survival - UN
According to the report, the use of powerful military sonar is harming the ability of some 71 types of cetaceans – whales, dolphins and porpoises – to communicate, navigate and hunt.
Australian state has apple blight
Western Australia has admitted it has an outbreak of black spot, an apple disease Australian regulators say the state is free of and the reason why New Zealand apples are banned there.
Too late to save rare dolphin
What was first thought to be a baby orca found stranded in the surf at Peka Peka beach turned out to be one of the world's rarest and smallest dolphins. Endangered Hector's dolphins are susceptible to being caught in fishing set nets, where they can asphyxiate and die.
Funds boost for hot rock demonstration power plant
A project to construct a demonstration hot rock geothermal power plant in the Cooper Basin in far north-east South Australia has been given a funding boost of $5 million.
Bear hunt begins with kills recorded, tempers high Newsday
Braving freezing cold and irate animal rights activists, camouflage-clad bear hunters hit the fields and forests here Monday, taking aim at a species whose recovery in New Jersey ...
Salinity problems 'grossly overstated' The Age
Australia's dryland salinity problems have been grossly exaggerated, painting a flawed picture of the nation's agricultural sustainability, a new report says.
Anger at plan to split up Sydney Australian - 4 Dec 2005
SYDNEY will be turned into a network of five different cities over the next quarter of the century. The 25-year plan, hailed yesterday by NSW Premier Morris Iemma as a blueprint to secure Sydney as Australia's ...
Bid to fell Forestry in Federal Court Hobart Mercury
THERE was no evidence Forestry Tasmania's management system protected three endangered species in a south-east forest, the Federal Court was told yesterday.
Lawyer Debbie Mortimer, SC, made the statement as she launched Greens senator Bob Brown's legal bid to stop logging in Wielangta State Forest.
Kyoto out of kilter Christian Science Monitor
One flaw in the Kyoto treaty is that its legal targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions, set in 1997, were mainly guesswork. Now many nations that signed onto it will likely not meet their targets for 2008-2012.
After balmy summer, a brutal winter Toronto Star
Coming off the warmest summer and fall on record, Environment Canada is predicting a "brutal-like" winter, with colder than normal temperatures.
Mission to save planet is 'failing' The Observer
The world scored an abysmal two out of 10 for its efforts in trying to save the planet from environmental mayhem this year. That is the stark view of the World Economic Form (WEF), which has blasted governments ...
Proserpine sugar looks into furfural production ABC
Furfural is a solvent that's made out of bagasse, a by-product of the sugar milling process which is used in the manufacture of a wide range of products from paint, to golf balls and pharmaceuticals.
Media Releases from De-Anne Kelly MP - Federal Member for Dawson ...
Proserpine Mill receives $2.82 million to make Furfural ... has the potential to
become an important production method,” said Mrs Kelly. 5 April 2005 ...
Safety
When ingested or inhaled, furfural can cause symptoms similar to those of intoxication, including euphoria, headache, dizziness, nausea, and eventual unconsciousness and death due to respiratory failure. Contact with furfural irritates the skin and respiratory tract and can cause the lungs to fill with fluid.
Chronic skin exposure can lead to a skin allergy to the substance, as well as an unusual susceptibility to sunburn. In toxicity studies, furfural has led to tumors, mutations, and liver and kidney damage in animals.
Australia: Thousands join walks supporting Kyoto, AAP
Thousands of Australians in six states joined protest walks urging the Australian government to sign an international agreement intended to cut greenhouse transmissions. The "Walk Against Warming" is part of an international ...   Archived Copy
Prawn fishing suspended in Sydney Harbour
ABC Regional Online - 2 Dec 2005
New South Wales Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald says all prawn fishing operations in Sydney Harbour have been suspended because of the discovery of high levels of dioxins in the crustaceans.
Green party leader calls for end to federal seal hunt subsidies
Canada East - 2 Dec 2005
ST. JOHN'S, NL (CP) - Green party Leader Jim Harris tore a page from the PETA playbook on Thursday as he launched his election campaign in Newfoundland by criticizing the annual seal hunt.
Tuatara fly in to make Karori sanctuary their home
Stuff.co.nz - 2 Dec 2005
After a 200-year absence from mainland New Zealand, tuatara have returned, with 70 of the shy reptiles making their new home at Karori Wildlife Sanctuary.
Cannabis doubles fatal crash risk BBC
The French National Institute for Transport and Safety Research found evidence of cannabis use among 7% of drivers involved in fatal crashes. However, the figure was dwarfed by the 21.4% who tested positive for alcohol consumption.
New research shows how evolution explains age of puberty University of Southampton, NZ
'For the first time in our 200,000 year history as a species, humans become sexually mature before becoming psychologically equipped to function as adults in society,' explains Professor Hanson.
Protesters demand long-term climate change plan
Thousands of people have demonstrated in Montreal, host of the UN Climate Change Conference, to demand that governments worldwide take concrete measures against global warming.
Europe-warming current weakens: scientists ABC Online
Measurements from strings of instruments lowered into the ocean every six years show that since 1992 the amount of warm water reaching the far north of the Atlantic, beyond Iceland, has dropped by a third.
Failing ocean current raises fears of mini ice age NSci
The warm current that gives western Europe its relatively balmy climate has recently fallen by 30% – experts worry that it may fail entirely
Researcher sheds light on turtle breeding problem ABC Online
A leading turtle researcher says coastal development in south-east Queensland's Wide Bay is having an impact on the nesting habits of turtles and the survival of their hatchings.
Forest alliance applauds wilderness win ABC Online
NSW north coast conservationists have welcomed the end of an almost 30 year fight to save old growth forests north-west of Coffs Harbour.
Media's eco-stories 'too gloomy'  BBC
"The problem is this: the media has the concentration span of a hummingbird" David Suzuki, film-maker
Species Take Care Of Each Other In Ecological Communities  SciBlog (December 1, 2005) — Unspoken rules of existence in tropical rain forests mean no one species will take up too much space and squeeze others out, says new research conducted in part at the University of Alberta that ...
CO2: This time it's personal BBC
Domestic Tradable Quotas are in effect personal allowances to pollute.
In Europe, about 12,000 big companies and institutions already have such allowances, regulated by the EU's Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).
Fuel prices hit US vehicle sales BBC
High oil prices have hit sales of SUVs, where profits tend to be highest.
Ford's flagship Explorer sold 52% fewer units in November than the previous year, despite the launch of a new model a month earlier.
E Timor, Australia strike oil deal BBC
No details of the deal - which will be signed in January - have been released.
Study finds sea of waste USA Today 
For every 5 pounds of fish caught by US commercial fishing operations, 1 pound is dumped overboard as unwanted, according to a new study in the peer-reviewed journal Fish and Fisheries.
Kyoto protocol kicks in
The 34 signatory countries - which include neither the United States nor Australia - passed the final regulatory measures by consensus at the Montreal conference.
Ocean changes to cool Europe BBC
Changes to ocean currents in the Atlantic may bring colder weather to Europe within a few decades, scientists say.
Experts: Next Hurricane Season Likely to be as Active
Voice of America
The busiest Atlantic hurricane season on record ends Wednesday, but forecasters say next year's season could be just as active.
Oxford resumes work on animal lab BBC
"The new biomedical research building will provide world-class facilities reflecting the university's commitment to animal welfare and to scientific progress," added David Holmes, the institution's Registrar.
Darwin on Trial New Yorker - Nov 28, 2005
This week in the magazine, Margaret Talbot reports from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on the trial of Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District.
Evidence suggests Alzheimer's may be a type of diabetes SciBlog
Researchers at Rhode Island Hospital and Brown Medical School have discovered that insulin and its receptors drop significantly in the brain during the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, and that levels decline progressively as the disease becomes more severe, leading to further evidence that Alzheimer's is a new type of diabetes. They also found that acetylcholine deficiency, a hallmark of the disease, is linked directly to the loss of insulin and insulin-like growth factor function in the brain.
Nicotine vaccine has promise for helping smokers quit SciBlog
A University of Minnesota study indicates that the nicotine vaccine NicVax, which is now being tested in humans, appears safe, well-tolerated, and a potentially effective method for helping smokers kick the habit. The 38-week study included 68 active smokers who were randomly assigned to receive one of three different doses of the vaccine or a placebo. The findings are published in the current issue of the journal Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics.
Fruit bats may carry Ebola virus BBC News
Fruit bats may be acting as reservoirs of the killer Ebola virus, responsible for several deadly outbreaks in central Africa, research suggests.
5-Foot Giant Water Scorpion Once Roamed UK Shores National Geographic
If you think scorpions are scary, try this on for size: a six-legged water scorpion the size of a human. Newly discovered tracks reveal that about 330 million years ago, just such a creature lumbered along the sandy shores of what present-day Scotland.
Titan Found to Be Rather Like Early Earth Scientific American
A frigid globe covered in a wet sand of organic compounds sculpted by a liquid, most likely methane--that is the picture of Saturn's moon Titan emerging from data collected by the Huygens probe, which touched down on the moon in January.
Radar sees ice deep below Mars BBC
Global warming set to hit Europe badly: agency
Europe is facing the worst climate change in five millennia as a result of global warming, the European Environment Agency (EAA) has warned in a report.
Climate change 'will dry Africa'
Southern Africa and the Sahel will get much drier as the planet warms, according to new research.
Carbon, Clean-Tech and Sustainable Markets Set to Attract ... Environment News Service
... mainstream banking, insurance and investment worlds realized the scale of the commercial opportunities unfolding in the new carbon, clean-tech and sustainable
Son of Kyoto agreement 'unlikely' at UN convention
Federal Environment Minister Ian Campbell says it is unlikely greenhouse gas emission targets will form part of future international climate change measures.
NSW to spend $400m on environment
The New South Wales Government has announced more than $400 million for new environmental programs over the next five years.
Wading birds fly interference for WA gas plant
Plans to build a gas plant at one of Australia's most significant site for shorebirds in Western Australia could face stiff opposition.
 Climate talks - hoops and hot air BBC
Look for plenty of noise in the corridors and alleyways - lots of vocalising against the US and Australia, and pressure on the EU and Japan to stay firm - but few concrete signs.
Chemical spill in Chinese river may pose cancer risk NSci
Lobby group slams govt's climate pact, Sydney Morning Herald
A federal government initiative to help combat global warming has been attacked by an environmental lobby group as just a smokescreen to cover up a lack of action. On the eve of a major international meeting on climate change ...   Archived Copy
How coal is cleaning up its act  BBC
Although coal is often portrayed by environmental groups as a lingering legacy of the age of steam, energy analysts say it would be premature to consign this fossil fuel to the history books.
Papua New Guinea: Pacific Atlantis: first climate change refugees, Guardian
For more than 30 years the 980 people living on the six minute horseshoe-shaped Carteret atolls have battled the Pacific to stop salt water destroying their coconut palms and waves crashing over their houses.
Australia: Bad taste forest plan, Mercury
ANIMALS could be encouraged to avoid future forest coupes if their taste was less appealing, researchers say. Methods to deter animals from Tasmania's eucalypt plantations are being developed as the use of the highly ...
Australia: Forestry industry using Aborigines to 'soften image', Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre wants the forestry industry to stop using Aboriginal issues in order to gain publicity. The group is reacting to today's meeting between the Forest Industries Association and forestry companies ...   Archived Copy
Green Roofs In Winter: Hot Design For A Cold Climate (November 27, 2005) — A University of Toronto researcher has delivered the first-ever analysis of green roofs’ ability to keep buildings warm in winter.
Nine Behavioral And Environmental Risk Factors Play A Major Role In Global Cancer Deaths (November 27, 2005) — The nine risk factors were overweight and obesity, low fruit and vegetable intake, physical inactivity, smoking, alcohol use, unsafe sex, urban air pollution, indoor smoke from household use of coal and contaminated injections in healthcare settings.
Couple Sues Operators of Evolution Site
BERKELEY, Calif. Nov 26, 2005 — A California couple has sued the operators of a University of California-Berkeley Web site designed to help teachers teach evolution, claiming it improperly strays into religion.
Global Warming Doubles Rate Of Ocean Rise  — Global ocean levels are rising twice as fast today as 150 years ago, and human-induced warming appears to be the culprit. The rate is almost two millimeters per year today compared to one millimeter annually for the past several thousand years. A new record of sea level change during the past 100 million years, based on drilling studies along the New Jersey coast, also argues against some widely held tenets of geological science.
Chinese toxic leak was 100 tons
Bass Strait fishery closed
Part of the Bass Strait Scallop Fishery is to be closed for at least three years to allow stocks to rebuild.
A new study into road kill in Tasmania shows that there is one dead animal every three kilometres. "Our calculations suggest that a 20 per cent reduction in speed... would in fact reduce road kill by about 50 per cent."
Current levels of the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere are higher now than at any time in the last 650,000 years. more
Sonar, nets killing more dolphins
A United Nations-sponsored report released today urges extra protection for the world’s small cetaceans -- dolphins, porpoises and related species -- more than two-thirds of which are at risk from entanglement in fishing nets and which are vulnerable to pollution, habitat degradation and military sonar.
Light walking, burning 150 calories at a time, may be beneficial in changing the enzymes within our bodies that protect us from free radicals and remove damaged molecules
Number with HIV 'at highest yet'
The number of people living with HIV worldwide has topped 40m for the first time, figures show.
NZ greenhouse gases rise by 22pc New Zealand Herald
New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions have risen by 22.5 per cent in the past 15 years according to a United Nations report - and farm animals have been handed a chunk of the blame. Australia recorded an increase in emissions of 23.3 per cent, the United States had a 13.3 per cent increase, Japan 12.8 per cent and and Italy 11.5 per cent.
Climate target a 'bit optimistic' BBC News, UK
The UK is unlikely to meet its 2010 target of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 20%
Greenhouse gas emissions report 'alarming'
Delegates attending a climate change conference in Canberra say they are appalled by a United Nations (UN) report which has shown a significant increase in Australia's greenhouse gas emissions.
Aust on track to meet Kyoto targets: Campbell
Federal Environment Minister Ian Campbell says a report that has found Australia has significantly increased its greenhouse gas emissions tells only part of the story.
Australia: Moral obligation to ratify Kyoto: bishops, Sydney Morning Herald
Australia's 5 million Catholics were as morally bound to combat the loss of biodiversity as they were to protect the rights of the unborn child, according to a landmark statement by the church's bishops that calls for Australia to cap ...   Archived Copy
New Dams Destroying Water Sources and Damaging Economies, WWF Says ENN
The World Wide Fund for Nature released a report early in the week decrying the effect of some of the world's most recently-constructed dams on precious wetlands. "This is not the engineering heyday of the 1950s when dams were seen as the hallmark of development," said WWF's Jamie Pittock. "We know dams can cause damage, and we must put this knowledge to work."
November 19, 2005