|
ENVIROMENTALITY
A topical index of environmental news, research, speculation, and invective (for
web page view and PDA text email point browser to http://www.eutopianow.org)
May 15,
2007
|
|
|
Biodiversity
Top Priority 100 Endangered Mammals: Web Launch A new web site from the Zoological Society of London presents the top 100 evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered (EDGE) mammals for immediate action. Each of the 100 species represents a unique lineage that will die out forever if significant action is not taken quickly. Direct donation is available for individual species conservation efforts.  Remote Sheep Population Resists Genetic Drift A
whimsical attempt to establish a herd of mouflon for sport hunting on a
remote island in the Indian Ocean 50 years ago has inadvertently
created a laboratory for genetic researchers and led to a surprising
discovery. The population, bred over dozens of generations from a
single male and female pair transplanted to Haute Island, has kept
the genetic diversity of its founding
parents.
Massive
Extinctions Following Environmental Upheavals
Take Longer Than Previously Believed
Reporting online in
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, O'Dea and colleagues
conclude that after the Caribbean shifted from the Pacific to its
present-day environment, many species that loved the old conditions
managed to cling to life for as long as 2 million years before biting
the dust.
Legal Ruling May Put Endangered Species in Danger Ecologists and philosophers across the U.S. are protesting a
new and narrowed definition of "endangered species" spelled out in a
legal opinion by the Solicitor of the Department of the Interior in
March.
Using DNA Maps to Trap Poachers Veterinarians
Unintentionally Harm Gyps Vultures
Widespread veterinary use
of the anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac is responsible for the
population collapse of three species of Gyps vulture in south Asia;
these species are now critically endangered. Experts recommend
that meloxicam be introduced as rapidly as possible across the Indian
sub-continent as an alternative to diclofenac.
Maui's Dolphins
Face Bacterial Threat
Forest Changes Reduce Koala
Habitat
New
Coral
Species Off OmanPacific Gray Whales Starving Hawaiian Haha Extinct Lizards in Decline Worldwide One Horned Asian Rhino's Future Bleak Lake Sammamish Kokonee Extinct Giant Mice Devouring Albatross, Petrel Chicks Perrier's Sifaka, Rare Lemur, Needs Help in Madagascar New Bird Species Found in Idaho Business Corporations and Finance
Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations GM First US Auto Maker in Carbon Cap Group AES Seeks to Flood Forest World Heritage Site The Center
for Biological Diversity, a Tucson, Arizona-based organization, says
that AES is "pushing forward with plans to construct a series of
hydroelectric dams in the Changuinola River basin of Panama" that would
affect some 600 miles of streams and creeks in La Amistad, a park
declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1990.
Mexican
Farmers/Monsanto Sign GMO Maize Treaty
Wal-Mart in Solar Power Pilot for 22 Sites
According to the agreement signed April 18 by Mexico's National Confederation of Corn Growers (CNPAMM) ― affiliated with the umbrella agricultural association National Campesino Confederation ― Monsanto will provide Mexican producers with GM seeds, as well as initiate activities to protect native maize, including setting up a maize germplasm bank. Climate
Winter Warmest on Record Worldwide Senate Democrats Press EPA Chief on Warming Pressed
repeatedly by Senate Democrats, the Bush administration's top
environmental official would not say when he would respond to a Supreme
Court ruling that allows the Environmental Protection Agency to
regulate carbon dioxide emissions from cars and trucks.
Particulate Pollution = Less Rain Particulate air pollution can provide many more nuclei for forming cloud droplets compared to unpolluted air. The increased number of cloud droplets that form decreases their size, which leads to less frequent coalescence into raindrops and less precipitation. Strongly polluted air provided only half as much orographic precipitation as did clean air. Aren’t We Already Over a Safe CO2 Concentration? With 450 PPM being recognized as a ‘safe’ limit for atmospheric CO2 and the current level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (using the IPCC's formula) at 459ppm, one begins to appreciate the scale of the challenge. It seems clear that capture and sequestration are the first priority-- with emission reductions necessary in the longer term. Sequestration Watch Ohio CO2 Sequestration Test Well Complete Device Uses Solar Energy To Convert Carbon Dioxide Into Fuel Method For Making Ethanol From Captured CO2 Energy
and
Transportation
Ethanol Vehicles Pose Significant Risk to Human Health Ethanol is widely touted as an eco-friendly, clean-burning fuel. But if every vehicle in the United States ran on fuel made primarily from ethanol instead of pure gasoline, the number of respiratory-related deaths and hospitalizations would likely increase, according to a new study by Stanford University atmospheric scientist Mark Z. Jacobson. His findings are published in the April 18 online edition of the journal Environmental Science & Technology. Plug-In Hybrid Autos: A Primer | |