Vast Environmental Sustainability News and Information from http://www.EcoEarth.Info/: An Information Gateway Empowering the Movement for Environmental Sustainabilityinfo@ecologicalinternet.orghttp://www.ecoearth.info/shared/images/eilogo85.gifhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/5veEK6Niunw/campaign-calls-link-gbp4bn-carbon-tax-green-dealBusiness Green: Will NicholsEuropeUnited KingdomBusiness Green: Using the expected £4bn a year in revenues that will be raised from carbon taxes to fund energy efficiency retrofits would create 200,000 jobs and quadruple projected carbon emission cuts. That is a conclucion of a major study released to coincide with the launch of a new campaign, dubbed the Energy Bill Revolution, which is calling on the government to link green taxes to low carbon investment programmes. The report warns that without a significant injection of additional financial support,...Tue, 28 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0600http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2155419/campaign-calls-link-gbp4bn-carbon-tax-green-deal?WT.rss_f=Home&WT.rss_a=Campaign+calls+for+link+between+%C2%A34bn+carbon+tax+and+Green+Dealhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/zrzqCX0ys1Q/climate-change-is-set-to-shake-the-earth-20120228-1tzr2.htmlSydney Morning Herald: None GivenWorldwide/GeneralSydney Morning Herald: The idea that a changing climate can persuade the ground to shake, volcanoes to rumble and tsunamis to crash on to unsuspecting coastlines seems, at first, to be bordering on the insane. How can what happens in the thin envelope of gas that shrouds and protects our world possibly influence the potentially earth-shattering processes that operate deep beneath the surface? The fact that it does reflects a failure of our imagination and a limited understanding of the manner in which the different physical...Tue, 28 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0600http://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/climate-change-is-set-to-shake-the-earth-20120228-1tzr2.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/nF6mhZOXk_8/report-1950s-lighting-technology-costing-uk-industry-gbp14bnBusiness Green: James MurrayEuropeUnited KingdomBusiness Green: UK industrial and manufacturing firms could save themselves up to £1.4bn a year by switching to new lighting technologies, according to a major new study undertaken by one of the UK's leading energy efficient lighting firms. The report from Vita Energia, a start-up that specialises in new light fittings and retrofit projects that promise to slash energy use, is based on on-site surveys of more than 500 companies, each employing over 100 people. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the report makes the case...Tue, 28 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0600http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2155327/report-1950s-lighting-technology-costing-uk-industry-gbp14bn?WT.rss_f=Home&WT.rss_a=Report%3A+1950s+lighting+technology+costing+UK+industry+%C2%A31.4bn+a+yearhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/Vu4PGJwD0a0/us-usa-politics-keystone-idUSTRE81R03C20120228Reuters: Richard CowanNorth AmericaUnited StatesReuters: A Canadian company's decision on Monday to proceed with part of a U.S. pipeline might end up muffling one of the Republicans' loudest arguments in this election year: that President Barack Obama has pursued failed energy policies. TransCanada Corp announced it intended to begin work on the southern leg of the $7 billion Keystone XL project, from Oklahoma to Texas, leaving for later another run at the more controversial, and complicated, northern segment. For months, Republicans have hammered...Mon, 27 Feb 2012 20:17:00 -0600http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/28/us-usa-politics-keystone-idUSTRE81R03C20120228?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/cJWWpaG2KTE/120227132839.htmScienceDaily: None GivenWorldwide/GeneralScienceDaily: Humans are frequently blamed for deforestation and the destruction of environments, yet there are also examples of peoples and cultures around the world that have learned to manage and conserve the precious resources around them. The Yanesha of the upper Peruvian Amazon and the Tibetans of the Himalayas are two groups of indigenous peoples carrying on traditional ways of life, even in the face of rapid environmental changes. Over the last 40 years, Dr. Jan Salick, senior curator and ethnobotanist...Mon, 27 Feb 2012 19:32:00 -0600http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120227132839.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/-qaTUVdFyRI/xena-rainbow-warrior-princess-arrested-in-oilship-protest-7447320.htmlIndependent: None GivenArctic/AntarcticIndependent: Lucy Lawless, best known for her star role in Xena: Warrior Princess, and five Greenpeace activists were arrested yesterday, four days after scaling a tower on a Shell oil exploration ship to stop it leaving Taranaki. Police removed the protesters from their perch atop a 174-foot drilling tower on the Noble Discoverer in Port Taranaki. Chartered by oil company Shell, the ship had been due to leave over the weekend to drill five exploratory wells in the Arctic. Lawless and six activists climbed...Mon, 27 Feb 2012 18:31:00 -0600http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/xena-rainbow-warrior-princess-arrested-in-oilship-protest-7447320.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/iWSRz0Nsvz8/keystone-pipeline-permit-request-to-be-renewed.htmlNew York Times: John M. BroderNorth AmericaUnited StatesNew York Times: TransCanada said Monday that it would reapply for a permit to build the Keystone XL pipeline from Canadian oil sands formations in Alberta to refineries on the Gulf of Mexico, assuring that the fiercely contested project will remain a source of political heat throughout the presidential campaign. The company also said it would seek immediate permission to move ahead with the southernmost portion of the project, from Cushing, Okla., to the gulf, in the hope that that part of the pipeline could be...Mon, 27 Feb 2012 17:43:00 -0600http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/28/science/earth/keystone-pipeline-permit-request-to-be-renewed.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/WV0DGey8wWU/0227-hance_wolfhunt.htmlMongabay: Jeremy HanceNorth AmericaUnited StatesMongabay: Less than a year after being pulled off the Endangered Species Act (ESA), gray wolves (Canis lupus) in the western U.S. are facing an onslaught of hunting. The hunting season for wolves has just closed in Montana with 160 individuals killed, around 75 percent of 220-wolf kill quota for the state. In neighboring Idaho, where 318 wolves have been killed so far by hunters and trappers, the season extends until June. In other states-Oregon, Washington, California, and Utah-wolf hunting is not currently...Mon, 27 Feb 2012 17:11:00 -0600http://news.mongabay.com/2012/0227-hance_wolfhunt.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/zLqIpTGduoE/ALeqM5gfxVWxKVhyji6F3MtLxaojWlBSHQAssociated Press: None GivenSouth/Central America/CaribbeanAssociated Press: International lenders will give $65 million in concessionary loans to 18 Caribbean nations to help the islands defend their coasts and fragile economies from the impact of climate change. The European Investment Bank will channel its lending through the Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank, which announced the initiative Monday. The program will provide low-cost funds for public and private sector projects that deal with climate change adaptation or help reduce carbon emissions. The U.N....Mon, 27 Feb 2012 15:58:00 -0600http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gfxVWxKVhyji6F3MtLxaojWlBSHQ?docId=54d10906343344268db54b776d911bf5http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/hTopskjN-Yg/obama-transcanada-keystone-xl-pipelineGuardian: Suzanne GoldenbergNorth AmericaUnited StatesGuardian: Barack Obama helped put the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline back on track on Monday, endorsing construction on a key southern portion of the controversial project. The White House support for construction of a southern portion of the pipeline, running from Cushing, Oklahoma to Port Arthur, Texas, essentially unravels its rejection of the entire project just one month ago. The move was seen by environmental campaigners as a betrayal. The Sierra Club described the revival of the pipeline project...Mon, 27 Feb 2012 15:31:00 -0600http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/feb/27/obama-transcanada-keystone-xl-pipelinehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/bIaMOgcOr68/bp-may-settle-deepwater-horizon-victimsGuardian: Suzanne GoldenbergNorth AmericaUnited StatesGuardian: BP may be close to a legal settlement on the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster – but many of the tens of thousands of victims still want to drag the oil company through the courts. Judge Carl Barbier ordered a week-long delay in the civil trial, which was due to start on Monday. The delay, ordered after a conference call with lawyers from all the main parties on Sunday afternoon, was seen as a sign that BP was close to a settlement with those who lost their livelihood as a result of the oil disaster....Mon, 27 Feb 2012 15:30:00 -0600http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/feb/27/bp-may-settle-deepwater-horizon-victimshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/LSTvOgKYee4/us-mexico-shale-idUSTRE81Q20Q20120227Reuters: Mica RosenbergNorth AmericaMexicoReuters: Mexico may be sitting on a vast untapped reserve of shale oil just south of the Rio Grande, but state monopoly Pemex is showing little urgency to exploit their share of the bounty. While U.S. energy companies are racing to drill more wells in the oil-rich Eagle Ford shale play that geologists say extends well south of the border, Mexican energy officials and Pemex executives appear unrushed. Mexico has the world's fourth-largest reserve of shale gas, according to the U.S. Energy Information...Mon, 27 Feb 2012 14:17:00 -0600http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/27/us-mexico-shale-idUSTRE81Q20Q20120227?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/FDpfStYI2Rc/National Geographic: Ker ThanWorldwide/GeneralNational Geographic: Rapidly shrinking Arctic sea ice could be behind the recent unusually cold and snowy winters in the Northern Hemisphere, a new model suggests. From 2007 to 2011, large parts of the U.S., northwestern Europe, and northern and central China experienced early or abnormally heavy snowfall. Some scientists have speculated that such harsh winters might be a result of disappearing Arctic sea ice, which reached a record low in 2007 due to global warming, according to the U.S. National Snow and Ice...Mon, 27 Feb 2012 14:14:00 -0600http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/02/120227-arctic-sea-ice-global-warming-winter-weather-science-environment/http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/gMJ8PDzGwiM/science-environment-17143269BBC: Richard BlackEuropeBBC: The progressive shrinking of Arctic sea ice is bringing colder, snowier winters to the UK and other areas of Europe, North America and China, a study shows. As global temperatures have risen, the area of Arctic Ocean covered by ice in summer and autumn has been falling. Writing in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a US/China-based team show this affects the jet stream and brings cold, snowy weather. Whether conditions will get colder still as ice melts further is unclear....Mon, 27 Feb 2012 14:05:00 -0600http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17143269http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/SKaiC67UydQ/us-usa-epa-court-idUSTRE81Q1Y120120227Reuters: Valerie VolcoviciNorth AmericaUnited StatesReuters: U.S. limits on greenhouse gas emissions face a challenge in federal court this week from more than 100 industry groups and several U.S. states, the latest high-profile effort to halt or overturn the Environmental Protection Agency's rules. Three federal judges will hear arguments on Tuesday and Wednesday at the D.C. Court of Appeals from groups seeking to overturn the regulations and also convince the judges that the science used by the EPA is wrong. The EPA's raft of recent clean air rules...Mon, 27 Feb 2012 13:29:00 -0600http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/27/us-usa-epa-court-idUSTRE81Q1Y120120227?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/nwcaJ7uKcU8/americans-listening-to-politicians-more-than-climate-scientists.arsArs Technica: Scott K. JohnsonNorth AmericaArs Technica: US public opinion about climate change has been riding a roller coaster over the past decade. After signs of growing acceptance and emphasis around 2006 and 2007, a precipitous decline brought us back to where we started, with fully a quarter of the public not even thinking that the planet has warmed up. It's not shocking that concerns about climate change would take a back seat to the economic recession, but that doesn't explain why some are skeptical that global warming is even real. Since economic...Mon, 27 Feb 2012 13:00:00 -0600http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2012/02/americans-listening-to-politicians-more-than-climate-scientists.ars?clicked=related_righthttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/Zt3sGAdZZdY/gIQAa7rDeR_blog.htmlWashington Post: Brad PlumerNorth AmericaUnited StatesWashington Post: Congress isn't planning to tackle climate change anytime soon, which means the Environmental Protection Agency is now the last line of defense. But could the EPA's new rules on carbon pollution get tossed out by the courts? We're about to find out. To regulate or not to regulate? (David Spencer - Associated Press) On Tuesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit will hear two days of oral arguments from industry groups that are challenging the EPA's authority to regulate carbon dioxide....Mon, 27 Feb 2012 12:56:00 -0600http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/will-the-courts-kill-the-epas-climate-rules/2012/02/27/gIQAa7rDeR_blog.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/ICddK2FBYEE/0227-hance_tongass_oldgrowth.htmlMongabay: Jeremy HanceNorth AmericaUnited StatesMongabay: Up to 17 percent of the tallest old-growth trees in the Tongass temperate rainforest could be cut under new U.S. legislation, according to a report by Audubon Alaska. The report argues that the legislation under consideration (S 730 and HR 1408) would resurrect the banned practice of "high-grading," which allows loggers to select the largest, most-ancient trees across the forest for cutting despite their ecological importance. The legislation is a part of a controversial 65,000 acre logging concession...Mon, 27 Feb 2012 12:38:00 -0600http://news.mongabay.com/2012/0227-hance_tongass_oldgrowth.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/mAA5GH_85zo/judge-dismisses-organic-farmers-case-against-monsantoNational Public Radio: Eliza BarclayNorth AmericaUnited StatesNational Public Radio: A New York federal court today dismissed a lawsuit against agribusiness giant Monsanto brought by thousands of certified organic farmers. The farmers hoped the suit would protect them against infringing on the company's crop patents in the future. The Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association and several other growers and organizations do not use Monsanto seeds. But they were betting that the judge would agree that Monsanto should not be allowed to sue them if pollen from the company's patented...Mon, 27 Feb 2012 12:31:00 -0600http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/02/27/147506542/judge-dismisses-organic-farmers-case-against-monsanto?ft=1&f=1025http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/4-24m3aiJWo/2012-02-indigenous-peoples-forefront-climate-lessons.htmlPhysorg: None GivenWorldwide/GeneralPhysorg: The Yanesha and Tibetans are dramatically different peoples living in radically dissimilar environments, but both cultures utilize and highly value plant biodiversity for their food, shelters, clothing and medicines. "Both cultures use traditional knowledge to create, manage and conserve this biodiversity, and both are learning to adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change," said Salick. "They have much to teach and to offer the world if we can successfully learn to integrate science...Mon, 27 Feb 2012 12:17:00 -0600http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-02-indigenous-peoples-forefront-climate-lessons.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/esk1OtbbJ3k/us-monsanto-lawsuit-idUSTRE81Q1PN20120227Reuters: Carey GillamNorth AmericaUnited StatesReuters: A federal judge has ruled in favor of global seed giant Monsanto Co, dismissing a lawsuit brought by a consortium of U.S. organic farmers and seed dealers who said their industry is at risk from Monsanto's growing market strength. U.S. District Court Judge Naomi Buchwald, for the Southern District of New York, threw out the case brought by the Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association (OSGATA) and dozens of other plaintiff growers and organizations, criticizing the groups for a "transparent effort...Mon, 27 Feb 2012 12:14:00 -0600http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/27/us-monsanto-lawsuit-idUSTRE81Q1PN20120227?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/krgts-flEXI/us-usa-epa-carbon-idUSTRE81Q1JG20120227Reuters: None GivenNorth AmericaCanadaReuters: U.S. environmental regulators have proposed a new rule that limits requirements for factories to hold permits for greenhouse gas carbon emissions to the largest sources such as big coal-fired power plants and big manufacturers. The Environmental Protection Agency's chief Lisa Jackson signed on Friday the third step of a so-called "tailoring rule" on carbon emissions which proposes to keep greenhouse gas permitting at current levels of at least 100,000 tons per year of carbon dioxide equivalent....Mon, 27 Feb 2012 10:13:00 -0600http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/27/us-usa-epa-carbon-idUSTRE81Q1JG20120227?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/cT0v-Qj_JZ4/us-keystone-idUSTRE81Q1II20120227Reuters: Jeffrey Jones and Roberta RamptonMiddle EastIranReuters: TransCanada Corp said on Monday it will build the southern leg of its $7 billion Keystone XL oil pipeline first, skirting a full-blown U.S. review and giving President Barack Obama ammunition to hit back at Republicans who have blasted his energy policy. Building the portion of the contentious pipeline that would run to Texas refineries from the Cushing, Oklahoma, storage hub before the northern section would help remove a pinch-point that has led to deep price discounts for U.S. and Canadian...Mon, 27 Feb 2012 10:03:00 -0600http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/27/us-keystone-idUSTRE81Q1II20120227?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/IRxsknnY53Q/0227-hance_mpas_madasgacar.htmlMongabay: Jeremy HanceAfricaMadagascarMongabay: With the government of Madagascar planning to increase marine protected areas by one million hectares, a group of researchers have laid out flexible recommendations in a new study in the open access journal PLoS ONE. The researchers employed four different analyses in order to highlight a number of different conservation options, however the different analyses pointed to the need to protect certain areas with high biodiversity, including the Barren Islands' reefs, the reefs of Juan de Nova, the Banc...Mon, 27 Feb 2012 09:48:00 -0600http://news.mongabay.com/2012/0227-hance_mpas_madasgacar.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/cBWqcSYU3_g/us-usa-greatlakes-carp-idUSTRE81Q1HL20120227Reuters: James ViciniNorth AmericaUnited StatesReuters: The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal by five states seeking an order requiring that a range of steps be taken to keep the invading Asian carp out of the Great Lakes where they are considered a threat to fisheries. The high court refused to hear an appeal by Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin after the states lost their bid for a preliminary injunction that would have required additional efforts to stop the migration of the voracious carp into the lakes. The...Mon, 27 Feb 2012 09:41:00 -0600http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/27/us-usa-greatlakes-carp-idUSTRE81Q1HL20120227?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/dkIQvF3T0oE/wind-power-subsidy-fossil-fuelsGuardian: Damian CarringtonEuropeUnited KingdomGuardian: Public subsidies for the development of wind power in the UK are dwarfed by the tax breaks enjoyed by fossil fuels, a new Guardian analysis has revealed. Financial support for fledgling renewable energy industries has increasingly come under attack in recent months, but the new data shows that the older industries benefit to a far greater extent. Gas, oil and coal prices were subsidised by £3.63bn in 2010, according to data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development , whereas...Mon, 27 Feb 2012 09:17:00 -0600http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/feb/27/wind-power-subsidy-fossil-fuelshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/ahJQpyczTmU/pollution-caroline-spelmanGuardian: John VidalEuropeUnited KingdomGuardian: The environment secretary, Caroline Spelman, has rejected key sections of a critical report on air pollution by a committee of MPs, arguing the government cannot comply with EU laws and deadlines because it would cost too much. In a formal response to the environmental audit committee (EAC), the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said it did not dispute evidence presented in November that air pollution was the second biggest public health risk in Britain after smoking,...Mon, 27 Feb 2012 09:03:00 -0600http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/feb/27/pollution-caroline-spelmanhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/WzcTWZvTSeQ/gIQAdvDodR_story.htmlAssociated Press: None GivenAfricaAssociated Press: JOHANNESBURG -- Calling cassava "the Rambo of food crops,' scientists Monday said the long-neglected root becomes even more productive in hotter temperatures and could be the best bet for African farmers threatened by climate change. Cassava is the second most important source of carbohydrate in sub-Saharan African, after maize, and is eaten by around 500 million people every day, scientists said. Personal Post The root outperformed potatoes, maize, beans, bananas, millet and sorghum in...Mon, 27 Feb 2012 08:35:00 -0600http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/scientists-say-cassava-will-thrive-in-climate-change-best-bet-for-african-farmers/2012/02/27/gIQAdvDodR_story.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/UQbUMwSramc/amid-winter-blooms-wondering-what-that-means-for-spring.htmlNew York Times: Lisa W. FoderaroNorth AmericaUnited StatesNew York Times: At the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, an experimental plot was in full flower on a recent February afternoon, as the thermometer edged toward 60. The Japanese camellias, which typically bloom in early spring, have displayed their rose-hued flowers continuously since December. Honeybees, a rarity before late March, were nursing the tiny pink clusters on a Dawn viburnum, while the Adonis amurensis, a ground-hugging spring ephemeral, was a profusion of yellow. “This is the earliest I’ve seen...Mon, 27 Feb 2012 08:00:00 -0600http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/27/nyregion/amid-winter-blooms-wondering-what-that-means-for-spring.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/dhFuykeMA7M/a-cool-future-for-brook-trout.htmlCharlotte Observer: T. DeLene BeelandNorth AmericaUnited StatesCharlotte Observer: A spot of good news is surfacing for North Carolina's brook trout, and the anglers who hold their speckled brookies so dear. Not so long ago, scientists forecast that much of what remained of eastern brook trout habitat would be severely affected by climate change. In fact, it was thought the only native trout in the Eastern United States might vanish from large parts of its southern range, leaving only a few populations concentrated mostly in western North Carolina. But a new study in progress...Mon, 27 Feb 2012 08:00:00 -0600http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/02/27/3048033/a-cool-future-for-brook-trout.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/2642rIezwZo/Fuel Fix: None GivenNorth AmericaFuel Fix: Americans who have heard about the Keystone XL pipeline overwhelmingly support the proposal to carry Canadian oil across the United States to Gulf Coast refineries, according to a Pew Research poll released Thursday. Among those who knew about the pipeline, 66 percent said the federal government should approve the project. The poll found only 23 percent opposed it. The Obama Administration rejected TransCanada`s application to build the controversial pipeline last month, saying a February deadline...Mon, 27 Feb 2012 08:00:00 -0600http://fuelfix.com/blog/2012/02/24/americans-support-keystone-xl-pipeline-poll-says/http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/1tAHlyGYdDs/Press Association: None GivenEuropeUnited KingdomPress Association: Research for the "energy bill revolution" campaign suggests 6.4 million households are in fuel poverty in the UK, forced to spend more than a tenth of their income on bills to keep their houses warm. Based on projections for costs of gas and take-up of Government policies to improve energy efficiency of homes, the study warned the number of households in fuel poverty could rise by 40% to 9.1 million by 2016. This would mean one in three homes was suffering from fuel poverty in the year the Government...Mon, 27 Feb 2012 08:00:00 -0600http://money.aol.co.uk/2012/02/27/carbon-taxes-to-ease-fuel-poverty/?icid=money%7CDL_1_linkhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/4WppbZO_dfE/peter-gleick-heartland-institute-lieGuardian: James GarveyNorth AmericaUnited StatesGuardian: A lie is a lie. There may be other considerations, but that's main motivation behind the condemnation of Peter Gleick, the scientist who used an assumed name to obtain documents produced by the Heartland Institute. He's been criticised for a lack of scientific integrity, and those who fund his post are "concerned about any allegations of unethical conduct". Everyone is having a go at Gleick, including Gleick: he called his actions a lapse of "professional judgment and ethics". Are his actions...Mon, 27 Feb 2012 07:03:00 -0600http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/feb/27/peter-gleick-heartland-institute-liehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/8Rqf2bG6H3k/abigail-borah-cop-ping-an-attitude-on-climate-changeClimate Central: Michael D. LemonickNorth AmericaUnited StatesClimate Central: SPOTLIGHT: One in a series of profiles on people who are on the front line of climate change. For a young person who cares about the environment, Middlebury College is the place to go for all sorts of reasons. The college created the nation's first degree in environmental studies way back in 1965; it boasts uber-activist Bill McKibben, hero of the anti-Keystone-XL pipeline movement as Scholar in Residence; and it probably has more tree-huggers per acre than any campus on the planet. The only downside:...Mon, 27 Feb 2012 07:00:00 -0600http://www.climatecentral.org/news/abigail-borah-cop-ping-an-attitude-on-climate-change?utm-source=feedburner&utm-medium=feed&utm-campaign=Feed%3A+climatecentral%2FdjOO+Climate+Central+-+Full+Feedhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/F007nWRBoOg/us-britain-fire-idUSTRE81Q0ZO20120227Reuters: None GivenEuropeUnited KingdomReuters: RWE npower said on Monday that a fire had broken out in a fuel storage area at its wood-pellet-fired Tilbury power station, which is located to the east of London and is Britain's largest dedicated biomass plant. The company said no injuries had been reported in the fire that broke out at 0745 GMT, and added that police and 100 fire-fighters were at the plant, which only began generating power last month. "The fire involves some 4,000 tonnes of fuel in storage cells. At least two are very well...Mon, 27 Feb 2012 05:49:00 -0600http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/27/us-britain-fire-idUSTRE81Q0ZO20120227?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/P4K8swbwWVM/eu-urged-refurbish-europe-ambitious-efficiency-goalsBusiness Green: Jessica ShanklemanEuropeBusiness Green: The European Union (EU) has been urged to step up its ambition for making homes and businesses more energy efficient, following the release of a major report from the University of East Anglia (UEA) highlighting the economic benefits that would accrue from more ambitious energy efficiency goals. Researchers Bruce Tofield and Martin Ingham from the Build with CaRe project at UEA, today launched a report recommending EU member states to set an ambitious goal to reduce energy demand by 40 per cent...Mon, 27 Feb 2012 05:38:00 -0600http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2155267/eu-urged-refurbish-europe-ambitious-efficiency-goals?WT.rss_f=Home&WT.rss_a=EU+urged+to+%E2%80%9Crefurbish+Europe%E2%80%9D+through+more+ambitious+efficiency+goalshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/iJV1_5m_5xE/2012-02-rethink-climate-environmental-economists.htmlPhysorg: None GivenWorldwide/GeneralPhysorg: Examples could include firing sulphates into the atmosphere, Iron fertilisation of the oceans or oceanic 'heat pipes'. A ten point consensus, published this month in a book edited by two top environmental economists at The University of Manchester, argues that among other things, policy makers should 'think outside the box' to tackle climate change. Also, argues the consensus, greenhouse emissions should be taxed or capped to help consumers, businesses and governments account for the social...Mon, 27 Feb 2012 05:36:00 -0600http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-02-rethink-climate-environmental-economists.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/XZ7khuV1V04/has-wind-revolution-stalled-in-ukGuardian: None GivenEuropeUnited KingdomGuardian: Visit the biggest coal-fired power station in western Europe, and the first things to notice are the wind turbines slowly wheeling round next door. Twelve have now been built, their slender white poles and delicate blades dwarfed by the massive cooling towers of Drax power station belching clouds of steam into the Yorkshire sky – old and new energy in striking juxtaposition. But though the plain next to a huge industrial complex – burning millions of tonnes of coal a year – may seem the perfect...Mon, 27 Feb 2012 05:00:00 -0600http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/feb/27/has-wind-revolution-stalled-in-ukhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/B9zV8ys6zQ8/science-environment-17177710BBC: None GivenEuropeUnited KingdomBBC: As Schmallenberg virus is confirmed on 74 farms in the UK, our environment correspondent Richard Black looks at what the virus is, what it does and how it can be tackled. What is Schmallenberg virus? Schmallenberg virus is a disease of farm animals that was first seen last year in northern Europe. It is named after the German town, about 80km east of Cologne, where it was identified. Cases have been seen in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France and Italy as well as the UK....Mon, 27 Feb 2012 04:45:00 -0600http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17177710http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/Cf85Nrbw_IQ/sinar-mas-ready-to-expand-industrial-forestBisnis Indonesia: None GivenEast/South-East AsiaIndonesiaBisnis Indonesia: PT Sinar Mas Group is keen to submit a proposal for expansion of industrial plantation forest until 2020 spreading in monoculture areas of Sumatra and Kalimantan. Today, the plantation company is still mapping several forest areas including degraded forest, natural forest, and production forest, revealed Sinar Mas Managing Director Gandi Sulistiyanto. By mapping the forest areas, the company could easily determine concession area in order not to utilize peat lands and protected forests. Gandi...Mon, 27 Feb 2012 04:44:00 -0600http://en.bisnis.com/articles/sinar-mas-ready-to-expand-industrial-forest#.T0sqqsjQtsw.twitterhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/_pTXAm4rxQQ/8132Survival International: None GivenSouth/Central America/CaribbeanPeruSurvival International: Peru’s uncontacted Mashco-Piro tribe is facing the very real threat of being exploited by ‘human safaris’, according to British newspaper The Observer. Last month, Survival released detailed photos of the tribe, to draw attention to the importance of protecting them from unwanted contact. The Mashco-Piro live in Peru’s Manú National Park, which is extremely popular with tourists, and sightings of the tribe have increased in the last year. Illegal logging and nearby oil and gas projects are...Mon, 27 Feb 2012 04:28:00 -0600http://www.survivalinternational.org/news/8132http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/lyqHlHoMjp0/windfarms-axed-ukGuardian: Juliette JowitEuropeGuardian: The government and energy industry have quietly shelved plans for windfarms equivalent to four large traditional coal and nuclear power stations, amid growing public and political anger over the cost and sight of the turbines. A report by the Electricity Networks Strategy Group (ENSG), which is the most up-to-date view of government officials, the regulator Ofgem, and leading industry investors, estimates that 28.3GW of onshore and offshore wind power may have been built by 2020. The estimate...Mon, 27 Feb 2012 03:59:00 -0600http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/feb/27/windfarms-axed-ukhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/rkgga8Zgvz4/wind-energy-myths-turbines-batsGuardian: Leo HickmanWorldwide/GeneralGuardian: Studies (here, here and here) of windfarms built in California and Spain in the 1980s have shown an "excessive" number of fatalities among six raptor species, including eagles and vultures. The evidence suggests that poor planning and outmoded turbine design was largely responsible and the current thinking is that fewer, but much large turbines sited away from known migratory paths of birds can significantly decrease the risk of bird strikes. Bats, despite their ability to use sonar to avoid moving...Mon, 27 Feb 2012 03:03:00 -0600http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/feb/27/wind-energy-myths-turbines-batshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/pMlWLRaUdFQ/0227-indonesia_moratorium_wri.htmlMongabay: Rhett ButlerEast/South-East AsiaMongabay: Indonesia's moratorium on new forest concessions alone "does not significantly contribute" to its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 26 percent from a projected 2020 baseline, concludes a new analysis by the World Resources Institute (WRI). However the study says the moratorium does support the target in the long-term by creating a window for enacting governance reform needed to stop destructive business-as-usual approaches to forest management. "Although there are 43.3 million hectares...Mon, 27 Feb 2012 02:14:00 -0600http://news.mongabay.com/2012/0227-indonesia_moratorium_wri.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/DT1RxqzbzsE/ALeqM5gFv0slAAygjBy932nI5nmW0Z9UqgAgence France-Presse: Claire PriceAfricaSouth AfricaAgence France-Presse: Farm workers swing their sickles through red branches, bundling them up before laying them out in the sunshine to dry. The annual harvest at Groenkol Rooibos tea estate, in South Africa's Western Cape helps quench the world's growing thirst for "red bush" tea, but farmers fear that climate change could destroy the delicate eco-system that their crop depends on. Annual exports of rooibos have quadrupled in the last 13 years. The tea is popular for its perceived health benefits as well as its...Mon, 27 Feb 2012 02:10:00 -0600http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gFv0slAAygjBy932nI5nmW0Z9Uqg?docId=CNG.87d4d787f2795d94f289f37a4a98522b.221http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/cJSlzw28-kI/20120227_On_climate_change__society_trails_science.htmlPhiladelphia Inquirer: Andrew J. Hoffman and Peter C. FrumhoffNorth AmericaUnited StatesPhiladelphia Inquirer: Recent revelations are highlighting the corrosive nature of our national dialogue about climate change. Bloggers recently published what appear to be internal documents from the Heartland Institute, a group that has long sought to undermine public understanding of climate science. The documents detail the organization's plan to introduce misleading information about climate change to science classrooms as part of a larger campaign to constrain the American response to the problem. And last week,...Mon, 27 Feb 2012 02:07:00 -0600http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/inquirer/20120227_On_climate_change__society_trails_science.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/l_Jr_z5SYic/0227-thai_king_floods.htmlMongabay: Rhett ButlerEast/South-East AsiaThailandMongabay: Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej urged the Thai government to punish officials who allowed illegal logging which he blamed for worsening floods last year that left more than 1,000 people dead. "Hardwood forests that are destroyed are difficult to recover," he told Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and members of the Strategic Formulation Committee for Water Resource Management last Friday, according to the Bangkok Post. "The blame lies with some civil servants who are greedy and crave...Mon, 27 Feb 2012 01:55:00 -0600http://news.mongabay.com/2012/0227-thai_king_floods.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/tvXqGkYIB5Y/climate-change-could-make-everest-unclimbable-warns-sherpa.htmlTree Hugger: Stephen MessengerSouth AsiaTree Hugger: Tower 29,029 feet above sea level, the formidable Mount Everest has served to tested the strength and perseverance of humanity's boldest souls -- but, due to the warming effects of climate change, ascending the world's highest peak may become more difficult yet. Nepalese climbing guide Apa Sherpa has scaled Everest a record twenty-one times and likely knows better than anyone that mountain's rugged terrain, though he says it's becoming increasingly unrecognizable. Like many people living in the...Mon, 27 Feb 2012 01:11:00 -0600http://www.treehugger.com/climate-change/climate-change-could-make-everest-unclimbable-warns-sherpa.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/1DNz5j1ufgM/12053838.cmsIndo-Asian News Service: None GivenWorldwide/GeneralIndo-Asian News Service: Rising temperatures, triggered by climate change, are forcing birds to alter their migration patterns. The finding is based on data from eBird, a database containing 10 years' worth of observations from amateur birdwatchers. Since 2002, eBird has collected more than 48 million bird observations from roughly 35,000 contributors. Allen Hurlbert, assistant professor of biology at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and his team analyzed when 18 different bird species arrived at various...Mon, 27 Feb 2012 00:47:00 -0600http://economictimes.indiatimes.com//articleshow/12053838.cmshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/iq42ziJmDE0/uk-17169452BBC: None GivenEuropeUnited KingdomBBC: A disease which has caused birth defects and miscarriages in livestock has been found on 74 farms in England. The Schmallenberg infection has been diagnosed five times in cattle and 69 times in sheep, Defra officials said. But the National Farmers' Union warned cases of the virus, which first emerged in the Netherlands and Germany last year, were being "under-reported". Humans are thought to be unaffected by the virus, which is thought to be spread by midges, mosquitoes and ticks. In...Sun, 26 Feb 2012 11:23:00 -0600http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17169452http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/om2u94cipoQ/genetically-engineered-bacteria-.htmlScience Now: None GivenWorldwide/GeneralScience Now: As humans warm the planet by releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, some researchers believe that capturing CO2 and trapping it in buried rocks could lower the risk of catastrophic climate change. Now a team of researchers has shown that bacteria can help the process along. They can even be genetically modified to trap CO2 faster, keeping it underground for millions of years. When CO2 is pumped into underground porous rocks, it combines with metal ions in the salty water that fills the...Sun, 26 Feb 2012 11:09:00 -0600http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2012/02/genetically-engineered-bacteria-.html?ref=hphttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/Dj6WxkWx5WI/schmallenberg-virus-74-farms-englandGuardian: James MeikleEuropeUnited KingdomGuardian: Scientists and farming leaders are urgently seeking ways of fighting a disease new to the UK threatening sheep flocks. Weeks after government vets confirmed the arrival in Britain of the deadly Schmallenberg virus, which causes miscarriages and birth deformities in lambs, 74 farms in southern and eastern England have been found to have the disease and the number is expected to rise sharply as the lambing season peaks. Restrictions on animal movements, imports and exports are unlikely because...Sun, 26 Feb 2012 08:31:00 -0600http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/feb/26/schmallenberg-virus-74-farms-englandhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/pLDDFUxK9uQ/la-fi-ski-season-bust-20120225,0,1311877.storyLA Times: Hugo MartinEuropeUnited KingdomLA Times: It's February and the weather outside is frightful -- for ski resorts. With unseasonably toasty temperatures in parts of the Southland, skiers and snowboarders who would normally head for the slopes at this time of year are instead visiting the beach. "It's hard to think about skiing when it's like 80 degrees in town," said Wendy Brennan, an avid skier who helps organize two ski clubs based in Redondo Beach and Manhattan Beach. "It's particularly hard to get people away from the beach and up...Sun, 26 Feb 2012 08:00:00 -0600http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ski-season-bust-20120225,0,1311877.storyhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/Z0UuSXgZqYg/israel-nixes-solar-energy-for.htmlSacramento Bee: Dalia Nammari and Karin LaubMiddle EastSacramento Bee: Electricity from solar panels and wind turbines has revolutionized life in rural Palestinian herding communities: Machines, instead of hands, churn goat milk into butter, refrigerators store food that used to spoil and children no longer have to hurry to get their homework done before dark. But the German-funded project, initiated by Israeli volunteers, is now in danger. Israeli authorities are threatening to demolish the installations in six of the 16 remote West Bank communities being illuminated...Sun, 26 Feb 2012 08:00:00 -0600http://www.sacbee.com/2012/02/24/4289803/israel-nixes-solar-energy-for.html#storylink=omni_popularhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/is5USoPQmMc/ranchers-land-becomes-ground-zero-in-energy-fightNational Public Radio: None GivenNorth AmericaNational Public Radio: Part one of a two-part series on the Keystone XL pipeline Gas prices are spiking once again; the cost of a gallon of regular unleaded is about 12 percent higher than it was a year ago. But winter typically isn't the time for a rise in gas prices. Demand for gasoline is at a 14-year low and domestic oil production is at an eight-year high. Some analysts link the increase in gas prices to the tensions in Iran and speculators on Wall Street. Others point to policy decisions limiting drilling in...Sun, 26 Feb 2012 08:00:00 -0600http://www.npr.org/2012/02/25/147413520/ranchers-land-becomes-ground-zero-in-energy-fighthttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/VmWJoIqCYsI/article_061242db-f777-5fc8-8526-3b27e473fbe1.htmlMagic Valley: Kimberlee KruesiNorth AmericaUnited StatesMagic Valley: Come rain, wind or clear skies, Clark Kauffman records it in a small notebook he keeps close at all times. “I keep a log of what’s going on so I can go back year after year and see what to expect,” said the Filer wheat farmer. When he reads over his notes, there aren’t that many drastic changes, rather small, slow variances here and there. The tricky part is keeping the long-term trend in mind when the weather changes daily. “I have a friend that says he doesn’t have 40 years of experience,...Sun, 26 Feb 2012 08:00:00 -0600http://magicvalley.com/news/local/when-idaho-s-unpredictable-weather-becomes-normal/article_061242db-f777-5fc8-8526-3b27e473fbe1.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/poaR--HVufQ/ALeqM5j5nPqLZLuLwMvph_Fw14tWlAz6oQAgence France-Presse: Deborah JonesWorldwide/GeneralAgence France-Presse: 6 days ago VANCOUVER -- When dead sea mammals started washing ashore on Canada's west coast in greater numbers, marine biologist Andrew Trites was distressed to find that domestic animal diseases were killing them. Around the world, seals, otters and other species are increasingly infected by parasites and other diseases long common in goats, cows, cats and dogs, marine mammal experts told a major science conference. The diseases also increasingly threaten people who use the oceans for recreation,...Sun, 26 Feb 2012 08:00:00 -0600http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j5nPqLZLuLwMvph_Fw14tWlAz6oQhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/oLGYodO3G_Q/Could-global-warming-turn-us-all-into-hobbitsChristian Science Monitor: None GivenWorldwide/GeneralChristian Science Monitor: It's been long known that the Earth's rising surface temperatures portend mass extinction, prolonged droughts, extreme weather, and rising seas. Now we can add a new worry: Humanity could be transformed into a race of hobbits. How global warming created tiny horses World's tiniest chameleon: How did it get so small? Did giant storks once dine on hobbits? New research reveals the extent to which global temperatures can influence the evolution of the size of mammals. Hot weather tends to make...Sun, 26 Feb 2012 08:00:00 -0600http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2012/0224/Could-global-warming-turn-us-all-into-hobbitshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/IiyP_LFm_cU/3852530Australian Broadcasting Corporation: None GivenWorldwide/GeneralAustralian Broadcasting Corporation: New research has found clouds are dropping closer to the Earth, with scientists measuring their height for the first time on a global basis. Experts from the University of Auckland suggest the change in cloud altitude could be the Earth's way of dealing with global warming. In 1999, NASA launched its Terra satellite into space. On board was a Multi-angle Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR). It uses nine cameras at different angles to produce a stereo image of clouds around the world, allowing...Sun, 26 Feb 2012 08:00:00 -0600http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-02-25/clouds-dropping-closer-to-earth/3852530http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/9KMJ2cXgTXM/gIQAMGleaR_story.htmlWashington Post: Robert McCartneyNorth AmericaUnited StatesWashington Post: Nonetheless, the political reality is that the General Assembly won't vote for wind power just to protect the planet. Instead, the way to sell the project is to stress that it will create more than 1,000 new manufacturing jobs and put Maryland on the ground floor of a new industry with great potential. Then legislators from blue-collar districts in Baltimore start dreaming of big orders for steel, concrete and the port to put their constituents to work. That's a lesson learned by Gov. Martin...Sun, 26 Feb 2012 08:00:00 -0600http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/wind-power-is-worth-the-investment-of-2-a-month-for-maryland-households/2012/02/24/gIQAMGleaR_story.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/aJCuSpkkiaQ/1136691--radical-environmentalists-discredit-their-cause-with-extreme-claims-on-oilsandsToronto Star: None GivenNorth AmericaCanadaToronto Star: Developing Alberta's oilsands poses big environmental problems for the province, and the whole country. But it does not involve, quite literally, the end of the world as we know it. A common sense conclusion, if ever there was one. But when an eminent climate researcher published a study this week making these seemingly balanced and even banal statements, it made a splash -- precisely because climate science is such an intensely politicized field where balance is the hardest thing to find. And...Sun, 26 Feb 2012 08:00:00 -0600http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/1136691--radical-environmentalists-discredit-their-cause-with-extreme-claims-on-oilsandshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/ck3krWGckPs/Agence France-Presse: None GivenSouth AsiaAgence France-Presse: Climate change is altering the face of the Himalayas, devastating farming communities and making Mount Everest increasingly treacherous to climb, some of the world's top mountaineers have warned. Apa Sherpa, the Nepali climber who has conquered Mount Everest a record 21 times, said he was disturbed by the lack of snow on the world's highest peak, caused by rising temperatures. "In 1989 when I first climbed Everest there was a lot of snow and ice but now most of it has just become bare rock....Sun, 26 Feb 2012 06:19:00 -0600http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/world/13017533/himalayan-sherpas-lament-climate-change-devastation/http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/-_rIPWWmBQc/I-Believe-movement-building-Burlington Free Press: None GivenWorldwide/GeneralBurlington Free Press: A U.N. police officer, left, escorts American protester Abigail Borah, right, after she disrupted U.S. lead negotiator Todd Stern's speech during the climate conference in Durban, South Africa, Thursday, Dec. 8, 2011. The conference is focusing on efforts to move toward a future agreement to legally bind all nations to emissions targets, including China and the United States. The two-week climate conference is in the final push before Friday's scheduled closing. (AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam) More...Sun, 26 Feb 2012 05:08:00 -0600http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20120226/GREEN01/120224021/I-Believe-movement-building-?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE%7Cshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/SwV7BD3l_Ak/world-asia-17169601BBC: None GivenEast/South-East AsiaMacauBBC: People living near a planned refinery for rare earth elements in Malaysia have held a demonstration to try to halt its construction. The protesters in the eastern city of Kuantan say there is a risk of dangerous radiation from the plant. The refinery will process precious metals used in the production of mobile phones and flat-screen TVs. Regulators insist that the plant will pose no health risk to people living in the area, in Pahang state. However the BBC's Jennifer Pak in Pahang says...Sun, 26 Feb 2012 00:37:00 -0600http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17169601http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/5FBEFnzclus/what-happens-if-the-keystone-xl-pipeline-isnt-builtNational Public Radio: Guy Raz and Brent BaughmanNorth AmericaNational Public Radio: Part two of a two-part series on the Keystone XL pipeline Gas isn't like a rare bottle of wine that fetches a high price just because it's rare. But at the same time, no one can agree what drives gas prices. Demand for gasoline in the U.S. is at its lowest point in more than a decade; domestic oil production is at an eight-year high. There's no simple explanation for why most people are spending $3.60 for a gallon of regular, unleaded gas. But many critics of President Obama's energy policy...Sun, 26 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0600http://www.npr.org/2012/02/26/147451538/what-happens-if-the-keystone-xl-pipeline-isnt-builthttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/UjJWY1HmmWI/overfishing-european-trawlers-eu-exemptionGuardian: John VidalEuropeGuardian: Heavily subsidised European trawlers could be allowed to continue to overfish the waters of developing countries despite mounting evidence that stocks are being devastated and that African coastal populations are being deprived of food. Documents seen by the Guardian show that Spain, which dominates EU fishing with nearly 25% of its boats, is pressing hard in EU ministerial meetings to exempt European vessels from proposed tighter rules when they work outside EU waters. The two documents, dated...Sun, 26 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0600http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/feb/27/overfishing-european-trawlers-eu-exemptionhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/H_YPd6O_7v8/news-details.phpDaily Star: None GivenSouth AsiaBangladeshDaily Star: Bangladesh must improve its financial management to obtain a significant share of funds available globally to combat climate change impacts and ensure food security, said an eminent climatologist yesterday. “The developed countries are ready to release billions of dollars to the affected countries. It is not impossible for Bangladesh to collect $2 to 3 billion, as the country is in the forefront of the fight against the climate change impacts,” said Prof Ainun Nishat, a senior adviser to International...Sun, 26 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0600http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=223968http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/lyPOYw8dOsU/us-usa-newyork-fracking-idUSTRE81P01820120226Reuters: Dan WiessnerNorth AmericaUnited StatesReuters: A New York state judge on Friday upheld an upstate community's ban on gas drilling, marking the second victory this week for opponents of the drilling method known as fracking. The authority vested in towns and cities in New York to regulate use of their land extends to prohibitions on drilling, acting state Supreme Court Justice Donald Cerio ruled on Friday, dismissing arguments by a landowner who had already sold leases on almost 400 acres. "Municipalities are not preempted ... from enacting...Sat, 25 Feb 2012 18:40:00 -0600http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/26/us-usa-newyork-fracking-idUSTRE81P01820120226?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/RoUb2zqp-_Y/drought-push-up-price-foodGuardian: Fiona HarveyEuropeUnited KingdomGuardian: Farmers in drought-stricken areas of the country are facing crucial decisions in the next few days and weeks over what to grow this year – and their plans could mean rising food prices for hard-pressed consumers this summer. Most of the south-east of England was officially declared to be in drought last week, and large swaths of the Midlands and south of England were confirmed as "at risk", with hosepipe bans and other restrictions likely to be introduced soon. Farmers are particularly at risk...Sat, 25 Feb 2012 18:05:00 -0600http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/feb/26/drought-push-up-price-foodhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/KSvTxSbeR-A/world-bank-calls-for-global-effort-to-save-our-oceans-20120224-1ttxy.htmlSydney Morning Herald: Adam MortonWorldwide/GeneralSydney Morning Herald: Australia has been urged to join the 'save our seas' global campaign. THE head of the World Bank has warned oceans are being hurt by overfishing, pollution and climate change and called on the Australian government to join a $US1.5 billion ($1.4 billion) "save our seas" plan to improve fish stocks and boost the global economy. Describing oceans as the world's lifeblood, World Bank president Robert Zoellick said talks had begun with Australia, Monaco, New Zealand and Norway on joining a coalition...Sat, 25 Feb 2012 08:00:00 -0600http://www.smh.com.au/national/world-bank-calls-for-global-effort-to-save-our-oceans-20120224-1ttxy.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/YI11n7Kk9ls/segments.htmlLiving on Earth: None GivenWorldwide/GeneralLiving on Earth: The National Restaurant Association's survey of "What's Hot in 2012" placed local sourcing, sustainability and kitchen gardens all in the top ten. To stay current, culinary schools are starting to add courses in eco-conscious cooking to their curricula. Living on Earth's Jessica Ilyse Kurn visited the Culinary Institute of America to find out how chefs-to-be are learning these new skills. Transcript GELLERMAN: It's Living on Earth. I'm Bruce Gellerman. Being a chef isn't easy. [CLIP FROM...Sat, 25 Feb 2012 08:00:00 -0600http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.html?programID=12-P13-00008&segmentID=3http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/9VidkahMI4o/0,1518,817426,00.htmlSpiegel: Aaron WienerWorldwide/GeneralSpiegel: Many countries are angry about the EU's new airline emissions fees. The rest of the world is furious at the EU's plan to impose emissions fees on airlines flying to Europe. This week, representatives of almost two dozen countries met in Moscow to sign a joint protest. Some say that a trade war may be imminent. A European Union law to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from airlines traveling to and from Europe has drawn a joint protest from 23 non-EU countries and sparked talk of a global trade...Sat, 25 Feb 2012 08:00:00 -0600http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,817426,00.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/tsrb7qZtztQ/content_14691226.htmChina Daily: Meng Jing and Liu YiyuEast/South-East AsiaChinaChina Daily: If William Latta has his way, Beijing may soon have only clear blue skies. In his corner office on the 11th floor of a high-rise building near the capital's Sanlitun Village, Latta, the managing director of the US clean-coal company LP Amina LLC, said his company is working with coal-fired plants in China to reduce carbon emissions. "See the smog out there? We can help with that," he said. Latta is just one of the many next-generation Western technocrats and entrepreneurs who are helping China...Sat, 25 Feb 2012 08:00:00 -0600http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/us/2012-02/25/content_14691226.htmhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/syYfFA8EYqY/2ClimateWire: Jeremy LovellEuropeUnited KingdomClimateWire: The wind power industry in the United Kingdom has come in for a political spanking in recent weeks over costs, aesthetics and necessity, but it has shrugged it off and gone on with its ambitious program. There has always been a well-organized, vocal campaign against onshore wind farms here, with opponents calling the giant wind turbines unsightly and a blight on England's green, rolling countryside. But objections escalated earlier this year when more than 100 parliamentarians from the senior...Sat, 25 Feb 2012 08:00:00 -0600http://www.eenews.net/public/climatewire/2012/02/24/2http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/467IlgNlaYA/21548237Economist: None GivenEuropeEconomist: “OUR civilisation”, wrote George Orwell over 70 years ago, “is founded on coal.” Unlike Europe’s, Asia’s still is. In 2010, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), a think-tank, coal accounted for just one-fifth of primary energy supply in the OECD countries. But, in the world as a whole, coal accounted for almost half of the increase in energy use from 2000-10. Coal, says Edward Cunningham of Boston University, is experiencing an “historically incredible” resurgence, and may even overtake...Sat, 25 Feb 2012 08:00:00 -0600http://www.economist.com/node/21548237http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/L7KthVlpYkQ/212375-poll-shows-support-for-keystone-pipeline-environmental-regulationsThe Hill: Ben GemanNorth AmericaUnited StatesThe Hill: New polling data shows strong support for approving the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline that the Obama administration rejected in January, a decision that unleashed a torrent of GOP attacks against President Obama. The Pew Research Center poll released Thursday finds 66 percent who have heard about the issue say the proposed pipeline to bring oil sands from Alberta, Canada, to Gulf Coast refineries should be approved, while 23 percent say it shouldn’t. The data reveals a partisan split but substantial...Sat, 25 Feb 2012 08:00:00 -0600http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/212375-poll-shows-support-for-keystone-pipeline-environmental-regulationshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/DD4FaGkJbU0/iran-warns-israel-attack-nuclearGuardian: Damien PearseMiddle EastGuardian: Iran has warned Israel against mounting an attack on its nuclear facilities amid rising international tension over its uranium enrichment programme. General Ahmad Vahidi issued a statement warning Israel that an attack would lead to the collapse of the Jewish state. The warning on Iran's state-run Press TV website came after a UN report said Iran had tripled its production rate of enriched uranium over the past three months. The confidential report to member states, seen by the Guardian,...Sat, 25 Feb 2012 06:59:00 -0600http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/feb/25/iran-warns-israel-attack-nuclearhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/TVPajWCd2Po/whos-a-park-for-dog-owners-fight-park-serviceNational Public Radio: None GivenNorth AmericaNational Public Radio: Golden Gate National Recreation Area in California's Bay Area is expanding, quite literally, up next to some people's backyards. And while you might think neighbors would be thrilled to see this scenic landscape preserved, the relationship between the National Park Service and locals is off to a rocky start. If you love your dog the way Peggy and Bill Bechtell love Kalie, you couldn't ask for a better place to live than right on the border of Rancho Corral de Tierra. The ranch is 4,000 acres of...Sat, 25 Feb 2012 05:13:00 -0600http://www.npr.org/2012/02/25/147349447/whos-a-park-for-dog-owners-fight-park-service?ft=1&f=1025http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/EJ76zA1gutg/Globe and Mail: Jeffrey SimpsonNorth AmericaCanadaGlobe and Mail: Canada's bitumen resources have a problem, and neither the companies that wish to exploit bitumen or the governments trying to help them seem to understand it. Bitumen, from which oil is produced, takes more energy per barrel to get at than conventional oil pumped from the ground. Because it needs more energy, bitumen-derived oil produces more greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming than conventional oil. That gap -- between bitumen-derived and conventional oil -- is the problem...Sat, 25 Feb 2012 01:15:00 -0600http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/jeffrey-simpson/there-is-a-way-to-clean-up-dirty-oils-problems/article2349279/?utm_medium=Feeds%3A%20RSS%2FAtom&utm_source=Politics&utm_content=2349279http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/1bnZ-9rRLws/texas-court-says-landowners-own-groundwater.htmlNew York Times: Felicity BarringerNorth AmericaUnited StatesNew York Times: The State Supreme Court on Friday ruled that landowners can consider the groundwater underneath their holdings as personal property. “We held long ago that oil and gas are owned in place, and we find no reason to treat groundwater differently,” Justice Nathan L. Hecht wrote for the court. The case involved a landowner who had been unable to get permission from local groundwater managers to use as much groundwater as he sought. Thomas Mason, a lawyer who specializes in water rights with the Austin...Sat, 25 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0600http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/25/science/earth/texas-court-says-landowners-own-groundwater.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/7t_qRhpi4_E/old-growth-new-life-20120223-1tq17.htmlSydney Morning Herald: None GivenPacific/OceaniaAustraliaSydney Morning Herald: North by north-west ... sunlight filters to the forest floor in the Tarkine. Leisa Tyler walks in the vast Tarkine wilderness in Tasmania's north-west, among some of the oldest forests on earth. Until recently the great, mysterious wilderness of 4500 square kilometres in Tasmania's north-west didn't have an official name. Largely inaccessible and rarely visited, it was nicknamed the Tarkine by conservationists in the 1980s after a tribe of Aborigines who once roamed this place. Bordered...Sat, 25 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0600http://www.smh.com.au/travel/activity/great-outdoors/old-growth-new-life-20120223-1tq17.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/BwqbWpx6i4M/New York Times: Mireya NavarroNorth AmericaUnited StatesNew York Times: After two state judges upheld drilling bans established by two upstate towns in New York, the question becomes: how many more towns will go ahead and pass their own prohibitions on hydrofracking? A New York state judge ruled Friday that the town of Middlefield in Otsego County can ban natural gas drilling within its borders, the second time in a week that a state court has affirmed local authority over the drilling process known as hydrofracking. Earlier this week, another state judge upheld...Fri, 24 Feb 2012 21:01:00 -0600http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/24/a-second-n-y-ruling-upholds-local-authority-over-gas-drilling/?partner=rss&emc=rsshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/dFUXtzE2t4A/forests-wildfires-heatwaves-droughts-carbon-editorialGuardian: EditorialWorldwide/GeneralGuardian: Forest fires are a fact of life, and in some regions an important part of the natural ecosystem, but that does not make them welcome. Wildfire sears an astonishing 350 to 400 million hectares each year: this is an area of land greater than the surface of India. The economic costs of bushfires are prodigious – one sustained blaze in Texas in 2011 did damage estimated at $5bn – but the human costs, too, are cruel. A team led by Tasmanian and Canadian scientists has just made a careful estimate of the...Fri, 24 Feb 2012 17:28:00 -0600http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/feb/24/forests-wildfires-heatwaves-droughts-carbon-editorialhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/YiPliuhzDyE/New York Times: Justin GillisNorth AmericaUnited StatesNew York Times: For those following the tale of the documents stolen from the Heartland Institute, that organization has just posted what it describes as the e-mail trail by which the scientist Peter Gleick obtained material meant for Heartland board members. The posting includes screen shots of the e-mails with most identifying details blacked out. But it’s nonetheless easy to follow the chain of events. Heartland has a fresh statement about the e-mails. Quite aside from the subject matter, the striking thing...Fri, 24 Feb 2012 16:57:00 -0600http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/24/heartland-institute-reveals-e-mail-trail/?partner=rss&emc=rsshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/4TAT5kmMcpU/us-monsanto-lawsuits-idUSTRE81N1W920120224Reuters: Carey GillamWorldwide/GeneralReuters: Monsanto Co said on Friday that it had settled a long-running legal battle with residents of West Virginia who claimed they suffered environmental and health problems tied to pollution from a former Monsanto chemical plant. St. Louis-based Monsanto, which has shifted from a concentration in the chemical business to agricultural seeds, said it would commit to more than $90 million in clean-up, remediation and medical monitoring to resolve a series of class action lawsuits involving a plant once...Fri, 24 Feb 2012 15:43:00 -0600http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/24/us-monsanto-lawsuits-idUSTRE81N1W920120224?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/74nzs_YsCcg/heartland-emails-peter-gleick-climate-leakGuardian: Suzanne GoldenbergNorth AmericaUnited StatesGuardian: It turns out to have been surprisingly simple for Peter Gleick to obtain highly sensitive material from the Heartland Institute – once he assumed the identity of a board member. All it took was a single email sent on 27 January 2012 asking Heartland to add an additional email address to its mailing list for board members, according to a chain of emails released by the rightwing thinktank on Friday afternoon with the names redacted. "Can you please add (or have the appropriate staff member add)...Fri, 24 Feb 2012 15:31:00 -0600http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/feb/24/heartland-emails-peter-gleick-climate-leakhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/oswGbT8bBKA/deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-bp-court-dateGuardian: None GivenNorth AmericaUnited StatesGuardian: After thousands of hours of legal deliberations, the accumulation of 72m pages of documents and the recorded testimony of 303 witnesses, it will fall to an engineering expert who blamed the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster on a "multi-decade history of organisational malfunction and short-sightedness" to frame the case against BP. The civil trial, which opens before Judge Carl Barbier in a federal court in New Orleans on Monday, is expected to be epic by any definition, unmatched in scale or legal...Fri, 24 Feb 2012 14:45:00 -0600http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/feb/24/deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-bp-court-datehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/Ni1DGAY_7FE/texas-drought-eases-but-its-too-late-for-manyClimate Central: Andrew FreedmanNorth AmericaUnited StatesClimate Central: Defying seasonal climate forecasts, this winter has been very good to Texas, which has been locked in the grips of one of the worst droughts in state history. But the unexpectedly generous winter storms have come too late for some, since water supplies are still running low. As I reported in late January, managers of the Lower Colorado River are likely to take the unprecedented step of denying water for rice growers in Southeast Texas, putting several thousand jobs at risk. Although the decision...Fri, 24 Feb 2012 14:01:00 -0600http://www.climatecentral.org/blogs/texas-drought-eases-but-its-too-late-for-many?utm-source=feedburner&utm-medium=feed&utm-campaign=Feed%253A+climatecentral%252FdjOO+Climate+Central+-+Full+Feedhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/4qhR_OEfAcs/climate-change-could-cause-killer-hurricanes-in-nycU.S. News and World Report: Jason KoeblerNorth AmericaUnited StatesU.S. News and World Report: Climate change could cause unprecedented hurricanes to pound New York City and other coastal cities over the next hundred years, according to new research by scientists at Princeton University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Sea level rise and warmer water temperatures could potentially cause "a storm the likes of which have not been seen," says Michael Oppenheimer, a geosciences professor at Princeton. A one-meter sea level rise, which scientists expect by 2100, would greatly increase...Fri, 24 Feb 2012 13:54:00 -0600http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2012/02/24/climate-change-could-cause-killer-hurricanes-in-nychttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/K5rnzS5amLE/news.aspInter Press Service: Sabina ZaccaroWorldwide/GeneralInter Press Service: As the links between food security and climate change become increasingly inextricable, the necessity for sustainable agriculture is now a universal concern. Smallholder farmers in the global South - who suffer most from changes in climate patterns and the degradation of natural resources, since they live and work in the most vulnerable landscapes – are in urgent need of sustainable agricultural technologies, a reality that was recognised at the annual meeting of the International Fund for Agricultural...Fri, 24 Feb 2012 13:36:00 -0600http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=106876http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/ZDvy_LqH5lk/decapua_climate_body_24feb12-140327733.htmlVoice of America: Joe DeCapuaWorldwide/GeneralVoice of America: Scientists say in the ancient past, higher temperatures meant smaller mammals. They’re studying how a brief, but dramatic climate change event affected body size. It’s called the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum or PETM for short. It took place 56 million years ago and lasted about 175,000 years. That’s a long time in human terms, but a blink of an eye in the geological record. Jonathan Bloch said a lot happened back then. “We had known it was a really unique event for a while in the sense...Fri, 24 Feb 2012 12:56:00 -0600http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/decapua_climate_body_24feb12-140327733.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/WI1l-PFWZmM/boost-expertise-to-achieve-green-economy-says-unep-1.htmlSciDev.Net: Maina WaruruWorldwide/GeneralSciDev.Net: The world is facing a major shortage of experts capable of tackling sustainable development challenges that could undermine efforts to achieve a green economy, a top-level advisory panel to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) warned this week. It said that this shortage needed to be addressed both through training and the upgrading of existing expertise. The report was launched at UNEP's 12th special session of its governing council in Nairobi, Kenya, this week (20--22 February). It was...Fri, 24 Feb 2012 12:04:00 -0600http://www.scidev.net/en/agriculture-and-environment/news/boost-expertise-to-achieve-green-economy-says-unep-1.html?utm_source=link&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=en_agricultureandenvironmenthttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/2a7l6TUJygs/redOrbit: None GivenNorth AmericaUnited StatesredOrbit: Peter Gleick, a prominent climate researcher and CEO of the Pacific Institute, admitted this week that he fraudulently obtained a collection of documents from a Chicago-based non-profit group called the Heartland Institute, which he then leaked to the media to reveal the organization’s plans to promote skepticism about anthropogenic global warming. Dr. Gleick, who says he was frustrated with Heartland’s anti-climate-change programs, acknowledged posing as someone else in order to obtain the documents,...Fri, 24 Feb 2012 12:04:00 -0600http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1112481181/leading-climate-researcher-admits-to-fraudulently-obtaining-heartland-documents/http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/9DSI0RC4u9k/mild-winter-may-be-keeping-flu-bugs-at-bayNational Public Radio: None GivenWorldwide/GeneralNational Public Radio: Flu season usually peaks around February. But this year it's missing in action, with the CDC reporting the slowest start to the flu season on record. Peter Palese, a microbiologist at Mount Sinai Medical Center, discusses whether unseasonably warm winter weather may be to thank. Fri, 24 Feb 2012 12:00:00 -0600http://www.npr.org/2012/02/24/147356638/mild-winter-may-be-keeping-flu-bugs-at-bay?ft=1&f=1025http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/g6lAZMrxMko/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-17160204BBC: None GivenEuropeUnited KingdomBBC: This was law breaking on an industrial scale. The 17 fishermen, including thirteen from Shetland, illegally landed mackerel and herring at the Shetland Catch factory over a three year period. They offloaded thousands of tonnes of fish, much more than they were allowed under European rules to protect stocks. The fraud was widespread and sophisticated. How did they do it? The scales at the factory were rigged to underestimate the fish landed The skippers falsified their logbooks as...Fri, 24 Feb 2012 11:31:00 -0600http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-17160204http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/3o4g23fz0Fo/donald-trump-wind-turbine-fiasco-scotlandGuardian: Mike SmallEuropeUnited KingdomGuardian: We all have different priorities in life. But how many of us are moved to consider that the right to drive off the tee with an unencumbered sea view is the real challenge humanity faces? News that Donald Trump was to fund the campaign against renewable energy in Scotland will provoke mixed emotions. An America tycoon, Trump has been objecting since September 2011 to plans to build an offshore windfarm near his luxury golf resort close to Aberdeen. A planning application for an 11-turbine windfarm...Fri, 24 Feb 2012 11:03:00 -0600http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/feb/24/donald-trump-wind-turbine-fiasco-scotlandhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/EOdSMrUsTEM/monsanto-agent-orange-settlement-west-virginiaGuardian: Dominic RusheNorth AmericaUnited StatesGuardian: Chemicals giant Monsanto is believed to have reached a settlement with US residents who claim they were poisoned by chemicals used in the manufacturing of the Vietnam-era chemical weapon Agent Orange. The long-running suit was brought by residents living near a now defunct Monsanto plant in Nitro, West Virginia that between 1949 and 1971 produced the agricultural herbicide 2,4,5 trichlorophenoxyacidic acid, a key ingredient in Agent Orange. The weapon was used extensively during the Vietnam...Fri, 24 Feb 2012 10:45:00 -0600http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/feb/24/monsanto-agent-orange-settlement-west-virginiahttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/8E0I0jC2QXE/Climate-change-may-have-caused-Mayan-civilization-s-collapseChristian Science Monitor: Charles ChoiSouth/Central America/CaribbeanChristian Science Monitor: The collapse of the ancient Mayan civilization may have been linked to relatively modest dry spells, researchers now say. The ancient Mayan empire once stretched across an area about the size of Texas, with cities and fields occupying what is now southern Mexico and northern Central America, including the countries of Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador and Honduras. The height of the Mayan empire, known as the Classic period, reached from approximately A.D. 250 to at least A.D. 900. The ancient...Fri, 24 Feb 2012 10:37:00 -0600http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2012/0224/Climate-change-may-have-caused-Mayan-civilization-s-collapsehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/_bMsRVjWK3M/news.aspInter Press Service: Mario OsavaSouth/Central America/CaribbeanBrazilInter Press Service: "Perhaps it's the curse of Rondônia," joked Ari Ott, referring to teething troubles with the first turbine of the Santo Antônio hydroelectric plant which was intended to kick off a new cycle of huge power projects in Brazil's Amazon jungle region. The enormous turbine, designed to generate 71.6 megawatts of electricity, overheated during initial tests in December and the necessary repairs delayed its coming onstream, now announced for late March, by at least three months. Professor Ott, of...Fri, 24 Feb 2012 09:37:00 -0600http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=106875http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecoearth/oxMV/~3/sRN9tsOD2hI/fracking-frontline-pennsylvania-videoGuardian: None GivenNorth AmericaUnited StatesGuardian: In what the Pennsylvania governor says will 'level the playing field for gas exploration', a controversial bill has been passed, rendering previous zoning laws void. With the new bill hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, can take place as close as 90 metres (300ft) from residential houses. This film visits Dallas township where the citizens' engagement has kept the gas exploration at bay – for now Fri, 24 Feb 2012 09:31:00 -0600http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/video/2012/feb/24/fracking-frontline-pennsylvania-video