Climate Change, Human Rights Top Sustainability Priorities for Business Leaders at BSR Conference
From EthicalMarkets.com:
Climate change and human rights are the most significant priorities for business’ sustainability efforts in the year ahead, according to the “BSR/GlobeScan State of Sumarcstainable Business Poll 2009” of 274 business leaders from 15 countries who attended the BSR Conference 2009 in [...]
Are Coral Reefs Beyond Saving?
BBC News reports that prospects of saving the world’s coral reefs now appear so bleak that scientists have recommended freezing samples in liquid nitrogen to preserve them for the future so that, should global temperatures be stabilized, corals could be reintroduced.
If you’re wondering whether the situation is really that bad, read [...]
Copenhagen Talks Last Chance: Gordon Brown
There are now fewer than 50 days to set course of next 50 years and more, PM tells environment ministers from 17 countries responsible for 80% of greenhouse gas emissions
Gordon Brown today warned that the world is on the brink of a “catastrophic” future of killer heatwaves, floods and droughts [...]
Not So Virtual Carbon Emissions
According to a report published by the Climate Group, a think-tank based in London, computers, printers, mobile phones and the widgets that accompany them account for the emission of 830m tonnes of carbon dioxide around the world in 2007. That is about 2% of the estimated total of emissions from human [...]
Coast Guard Floats Rule on Invasive Species
The U.S. Coast Guard has proposed regulation to prevent invasive species from entering U.S. waters. The rule would require ships to treat ballast water, which is pumped into tanks when leaving port and typically dumped at the incoming port, to kill microorganisms and larvae that come along for the [...]
A New Epoch in Earth’s Geophysical History: The Anthropocene Period
Einstein is often quoted as saying, “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.†Perhaps this is the kind of paradigm shift he had in mind…
Just as changes to the Earth’s orbit, volcanic eruptions and asteroid [...]
Behold, the Power of the Onion!
Onion processor, Steven Gill, of Oxnard, California, has been thinking about what to do with onion waste for the past ten years. His operation produces sliced, diced, slivered and pureed onions — and about 300,000 pounds of waste per day from the tops. tails and skins that aren’t used.
Enter Gill’s [...]
Singapore Becomes a Model for Water Technology and Reuse
Adopting chemical-free, membrane technology to purify recycled water has relieved the island-state from concerns that scarcity of fresh water would threaten its long-term well-being.
Moreover, Singapore is working to become a research hub for recycled water technologies that could provide water-starved populations elsewhere with environmentally-friendly sources of fresh [...]
Honey, Someone Shrunk the Sheep!
Sheep on Soay Island off the west coast of Scotland are getting smaller, defying the evolutionary advantage that typically accrues to larger animals when food becomes scarce during cold weather. Increasingly warmer winters have shortened the season of scarcity, enabling smaller sheep to survive — and give birth to more small [...]
Sarychev Peak Volcanic Eruption as Seen from the ISS
This stunning photograph was taken by astronauts aboard the International Space Station on June 12 as the Sarychev Volcano in the Kuril Islands northeast of Japan began spewing steam and ash into the atmosphere. Within three days, ash from the volcano was detected 2,407 kilometers ESE and [...]
Harnessing the Power of the Jet Stream
Researchers have compiled the first global survey of wind energy at high altitudes, where currents blow more steadily and 10 times faster than near-surface winds. If the energy of the jet stream energy could be harnessed using tethered, generator-kites, it could provide a major source of electricity for cities [...]
Entirely too many items in our inbox to wait for the weekend…
How Did 100,000,000 Women Disappear?
In India, China and sub-Saharan Africa, millions upon millions of women are missing. They are not lost, but dead: victims of violence, discrimination and neglect.
Microbes Eat Hydrocarbons, Leave Behind Non-toxic Residue
ScienceDaily reports that researchers in China have found a new [...]
