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Measure to Provide Better Treatment of Farm Animals Passes
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November 5, 2008 - Los Angeles Times
| | Voters passed Proposition 2 as California became the first state in the nation to outlaw confining cages for egg-laying hens and ban restrictive pens for veal calves and pregnant sows. Because there are few veal producers in the state and the largest pork producer here voluntarily plans to eliminate small crates, the law will mostly affect the state's 20 million egg-laying hens. It does not go into effect until 2015.
| | | By Carla Hall © 2008 Los Angeles Times
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Brazil: Deforestation Rises Sharply as Farmers Push Into Amazon
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September 1, 2008 - The Guardian
| | Approximately 3,145 square miles of the Brazilian rainforest were razed between August 2007 and August 2008, which was a 64% increase over the previous year. Rising commodity prices and demand for soy and cattle is pushing farmers deeper into the forests.
| | | By Tom Phillips © 2008 Guardian News and Media Limited
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Arctic Could See First Ice-Free Summer This Year
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June 27, 2008 - ABC News
| | There is distinct possibility that the North Pole could be free of sea ice for the first time in recorded history. Scientists predict that there is a 50 percent chance that ice at the highest point in the Arctic will melt by the summer's end.
| | | By Bill Blakemore and Tuan C. Nguyen © 2008 ABC News Internet Ventures
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Polar Bear Put on Endangered List
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May 15, 2008 - The Detroit News
| | The Bush administration has designated the polar bear as threatened with extinction, making it the first creature added to the endangered species list primarily because of global warming. The designation invokes federal protections under the Endangered Species Act.
| | | By Kenneth Weiss © 2008 Los Angeles Times © 2008 The Detroit News
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US Corn Biofuels Will Expand Gulf of Mexico 'Dead Zone': Scientists
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March 10, 2008 - Google News
| | Vancouver, Canada -- Growing enough corn to meet US biofuel goals set for 2022 would increase nitrogen pollution in the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers by 10 to 34 percent. The additional nitrate pollution will significantly expand the Gulf of Mexico’s dead zone, which already covers 20,000 square kilometers.
| | | © 2008 Agence France Presse © 2008 Google
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Study: Key Western Reservoirs in Danger
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February 13, 2008 - ABC News
| | Phoenix -- Climate change and a growing demand for water could drain two of the nation's largest manmade reservoirs within 13 years, depriving several Southwestern states of key water sources. Researchers determined that there's a 50 percent chance that lakes Mead and Powell will dry up by 2021, and a 10 percent chance the lakes will run out of usable water by 2013.
| | | By Amanda Lee Myers © 2008 Associated Press © 2008 ABC News Internet Ventures
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Switzerland Tops Environmental Index, U.S. Lags
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January 23, 2008 - Reuters UK
| | Davos, Switzerland -- According to the 2008 Environmental Performance Index, Switzerland ranks first in environmental performance and it is followed by Sweden, Norway, Finland and Costa Rica. The U.S. placed 39th in the 149 country evaluation, largely due to poor scores on greenhouse gas emissions and the impact of air pollution on ecosystems. The United Kingdom, Japan, Albania, Russia and Panama are among those that ranked higher than the U.S.
| | | By Sam Cage and Michael Winfrey © 2008 Reuters
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Atlanta Suffers as Southeast Drought Continues
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October 15, 2007 - ABC News
| | An unprecedented drought stretching across the southeastern United States has forced some of the region's largest cities to declare water emergencies. The situation has become so serious that officials in Atlanta, where rainfall totals are more than 16 inches below normal, said they could run out of drinking water in a matter of weeks.
| | | © 2007 ABCNews Internet Ventures
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Desalination No Answer to Water Crisis: WWF
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June 18, 2007 - ABC News
| | Geneva -- To overcome water shortages some countries may turn to desalination to convert sea water into drinking water. However, a report by the World Wildlife Fund claims that the energy intensive process of desalination will only worsen the situation by contributing to global warming. Global warming can impact the availability of water because 69 percent of global freshwater supplies are in the world's icecaps and glaciers.
| | | By Laura MacInnis © 2007 Reuters © 2007 ABCNews Internet Ventures
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Marine Species Suggest Antarctic 'Cradle of Life'
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May 16, 2007 - ABC News
| | Washington -- Over the course of a three year study, researchers have discovered hundreds of new species in deep Antarctic waters including many free-swimming worms and isopod crustaceans. Surprisingly, a rich diversity of animal life could still be found at 20,000 feet below the surface.
| | | By Maggie Fox © 2007 Reuters © 2007 ABCNews Internet Ventures
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American Croc No Longer Near Extinction
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March 20, 2007 - PhysOrg.com
| | West Palm Beach, Fla. -- The American crocodile has been downgraded from “endangered” to “threatened” by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Scientists now estimate that there are up 2,000 American crocodiles in Florida.
| | | By Brian Skoloff © 2007 The Associated Press © 2003-2007 PhysOrg.com
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Calif. Redwood Confirmed As Tallest Tree
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September 29, 2006 - FOX News
| | Redwood National Park, Calif. -- A redwood tree named Hyperion was measured and found to be 379.1 feet. The previous record-holder was almost ten feet shorter.
| | | © 2006 The Associated Press © 2006 FOX News Network, LLC.
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Gene Secrets of the Tree Revealed
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September 15, 2006 - BBC News
| | The black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa) is the first tree to have it's genome completely sequenced. As a result, scientists may be able to genetically engineer the plant to remove greater amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and produce more cellulose, which can then be used in biofuels.
| | | © 2006 BBC
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Experts: Snail Venom May Have Benefits
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August 22, 2006 - ABC News
| | Salt Lake City -- The venom of an ocean snail binds to certain receptors in the brain. By using a synthetic version of the toxin, scientists may be able to develop treatments for addictions, depression and Parkinson's disease.
| | | By Ed White © 2006 The Associated Press © 2006 ABC News Internet Ventures
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