25) Global Temp Up 7.2F degrees by 2060s

World temperatures could soar by 4 degrees Celsius by the 2060s in the worst care of global climate change and would require an annual investment of $270 billion just to contain rising sea levels. Such a rapid rise is double the 2 degrees set by 140 governments at a U.N. climate summit in Copenhagen last year and would disrupt food and water supplies in many parts of the globe. "Across many sectors, coastal cities, farming, water stress, ecosystems or migration, the impacts will be greater" than at 2 degrees. Other scenarios showed the threshold breached later in the century or not at all by 2100, raising risks of abrupt changes such as a loss of Arctic sea ice in summer, a thaw in permafrost or a drying out of the Amazon rainforest. This is of course terrible news if they are predicting the water temperatures to be higher than they had previously predicted and it must mean we are doing a lot of damage to our environment. Hopefully, people realize this and start making some changes in the way they live their lives.

Link to site: http://www.enn.com/climate/article/42051

24) "Stop Robbing Land From the Poorest"

Indigenous peoples and smallholders are losing their livelihoods as 30 million hectares of land is being lost every year to soil degradation, urbanization and conversion to real estate development and industrial use, according to the UN. Report author and UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food Olivier de Schutter says the consequences for millions of smallholder farmers, fishermen and indigenous people, who depended on the land for their subsistence and livelihoods, was in many cases dramatic. His report argues that the key to safeguarding their rights was land tenure laws. He suggested the reinforcement of tenancy laws could significantly protect the rights of land users, as well as redressing the balance in the unequal distribution of land in rural areas. Speaking at the recent Committee on Food Security in Rome, Schutter said: "You won't solve world hunger by robbing the poorest from the land on which they depend: you will solve it by strengthening security of tenure and by ensuring a more equitable access to land and natural resources". Schutter has previously argued that decision-makers were ignoring the contribution that low-input agro-ecological farming methods employed by many smallholders could make to safeguarding food production in the long-term.

Link to site: http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/653063/stop_robbing_land_from_the_poorest_urges_un_food_expert.html

23) Oil Companies under Fire over Peruvian tribes

A coalition of more than fifty NGOs has called for three major oil companies: Perenco, Repsol-YPF and ConocoPhillips, to withdraw from an area of Peruvian Amazon containing two uncontacted tribes. A letter sent by the Survival International and co-signed by more than fifty other NGOs states that "Uncontacted Indians are extremely vulnerable as they lack immunity to outsiders' diseases and they face the very real threat of extinction if they are contacted". The work planned by the oil companies could also breach international law which requires indigenous peoples to be consulted about projects that affect them. According to the letter, Perenco have applied to the Peruvian government for permission to build a 207km pipeline which would impact upon a tract of rainforest 500m either side along its length. Meanwhile companies Repsol-YPF and ConocoPhillips plan to cut 454km of seismic lines in a bid to find oil in 'block 39' one of most biologically diverse areas on the planet, a process which involved clearing paths through the forest and detonating explosives. The fact that the oil companies are withdrawing from this area is a huge accomplishment for these uncontacted tribes. Hopefully more companies learn to respect the land of others and not interfere with their lifestyle.

Link to site: http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/686968/oil_companies_perenco_repsolypf_and_conocophillips_under_fire_over_peruvian_tribes.html

22) Saturn Moon Has Oxygen Atmosphere

An oxygen atmosphere has been found on Saturn's second largest moon, Rhea, astronomers announced Thursday. The 932-mile-wide ice-covered moon is more than 932 million miles from Earth and the average surface temperature is -292 degrees Fahrenheit. At less than 62 miles thick, the newfound oxygen layer is so thin that, at Earthlike temperatures and pressure, Rhea's entire atmosphere would fit in a single midsize building. Still, the discovery implies that worlds with oxygen-filled air may not be so unusual in the cosmos. Rhea's oxygen atmosphere is believed to be maintained by the ongoing chemical breakdown of water ice on the moon's surface, driven by radiation from Saturn's magnetosphere. Knowing where and how oxygen exists in the universe may in turn help scientists plan future robotic and manned missions. NASA's Cassini spacecraft also identified the distinctive chemical fingerprint of carbon dioxide in Rhea's atmosphere, indicating the presence of carbon on the moon's surface. The combination of carbon and oxygen holds implications for finding possible life on ice moons, such as Europa, thought to harbor subsurface liquid oceans. This discovery is extremely useful when thinking ahead into the future because frozen reservoirs of oxygen on moons such as Rhea may one day become pivotal for deep-space exploration involving human missions. And in some very distant future, one can imagine that the ices on these moons might be heated or melted to extract oxygen and carbon dioxide, both of which are necessities for the survival of plant and animal life.

Link to site: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/11/101125-saturn-moon-oxygen-atmosphere-discovered-science-space/

21) Shark Scales Give Predators Deadly Speed

The teeth covering a shark's body is what makes this fish such a good hunter, new research shows. Sharks are covered in flexible scales, nearly invisible to the human eye, that are made of the same material as teeth. Previous research had suggested that a shark can "bristle" or manipulate its scales to change its direction mid-sprint-agility that's crucial for capturing fast-moving prey such as tuna. A recent experiment shows that sharks don't actively move their scales which are loosely embedded in the skin via rubber band-like tendons. Instead, the structures bristle when water flowing around the shark "detaches" from the fish's aerodynamic body. The way the scales turn helps reduce the water's drag on the speeding shark. Overall, sharks' 400 million years of evolution for strength and speed may someday inspire better designs for machines that are prone to drag, such as aircrafts. I think studying the mechanism of species such as sharks can later on be incredibly helpful towards making other man made artifacts have the same speed and strength such as mentioned, aircrafts but also trains, rockets, boats, etc.

Link to site: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/11/101123-shark-scales-speed-animals-environment/

20) Polar Bears Get Thanksgiving Present this Year

More than 187,000 square miles along the north coast of Alaska were designated today as "critical habitat" for the polar bear as a result of a partial settlement in an ongoing lawsuit brought by the Center for Biological Diversity, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Greenpeace against the Department of the Interior. This designation under the Endangered Species Act is intended to safeguard those coastal lands and waters under U.S. jurisdiction that are vital to the polar bears' survival and recovery. "The critical habitat designation clearly identifies the areas that need to be protected if the polar bear is to survive in a rapidly melting Arctic". Federal agencies are prohibited from taking any actions that may harm or damage critical habitat. Species that have critical habitat designated are more than twice as likely to be recovering, and less than half as likely to be declining, as those without it. "Polar bears are slipping away" said Andrew Wetzler, Director of NRDC's Land and Wildlife Program "but we know that there are crucial protections that can keep them around. Today's designation is a start, especially in warding off ill-considered oil and gas development in America's most important polar bear habitat."

As with other species, it is really great to see laws passed to be able to protect these endangered animals. There is still the question of wether to allow oil companies to drill for oil in this newly designated critical habitat and I really hope that they don't, and that they consider this area as an area that shouldn't be touched by man and should be left just for the polar bears recovery.

Link to site: http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2010/polar-bear-11-24-2010.html

19) Fishing Nations Agree to Reduction in Tuna Quota

Fishing nations agreed on Saturday to a slim reduction in quotas for catching giant Atlantic bluefin tuna, whose stocks have plunged as fishermen strive to meet demand from sushi lovers. The quota set for 2011 is of 12,900 tones, down 600 from this year. An Atlantic bluefin can grow to the size of a horse and fetch as much as $100,000 in markets such as Japan, but stocks have plunged by more than 80 percent since 1970s according to Western scientists. "Greed and mismanagement have taken priority over sustainability and common sense" WWF said "This measly quota reduction is insufficient to ensure the recovery of bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean Sea". France, Italy, and Spain catch most of the Atlantic bluefin consumed in the world and 80% of the haul goes to Japan. Environmental groups lamented the cut as too little while the fishing industry said it was too much. I think this is a great step towards the recovery of the bluefin tuna but of course it is to be expected that the fishing industry would complain. Those greedy people cannot see into the future and how, what they are doing, is going to end with the fish in the sea. Let them keep fishing as much as they do right now and in 10-20 years let's watch them complain of how there is no more tuna to fish. But of course nobody wants to listen to the environmental groups now but in 20 years time people are gonna regret not hearing them out. Hopefully, other endangered fish will also get some sort of protection soon before they go extinct.

Link to site: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6AQ1HK20101127

18) Sea Turtles on Cape Cod

More than two dozen rare sea turtles who were cold, hungry and lost were rescued over the Thanksgiving holiday after having washed ashore on Cape Cod. The Kemp's ridley species of turtles are being treated at an animal care center south of Boston for hypothermia, dehydration, and malnourishment, aquarium spokesman Tony LaCasse said. He noted that at least half of them are suffering from pneumonia and all have bacterial infections. Thanks to strong northwest winds earlier this week, the charcoal black turtles weighing between two and eight pounds were washed onto beaches along the upper arm of the Cape, a favorite seaside vacation spot in Massachusetts. The turtles' body temperatures are normally in the low to mid 70s Fahrenheit, but these turtles had temperatures only in the low 50s. They will now spend three to nine months at the animal center where their body temperatures will be raised slowly and they will be treated with medicine before released back into the ocean.

The big question that I get from this article is why was their body temperature so low? Does it have to go with global warming and temperatures in the oceans being really cold? Even so, I read about reptiles being able to regulate their temperature and how most of them like the cold water anyway with turtles being able to stay underwater for days at a time. I am sure there is more to this article and to these turtles than we know of right now but I would definitively like to hear more about it later as they find out more and as these turtles get better.

Link to site: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6AP34W20101126

17) Dolphins See Themselves in Mirror

There is a video I watched on CNN.com about how dolphins' intelligence rivals that of humans. The reporter, Randi Kaye, climbed down into a small underwater lab with a window into the aquarium where scientist put a two way mirror on the glass. Dolphins figure out its their reflection and they show interest to look at themselves. Some dolphins open their mouth and stick their tongue out, others swim upside down and some others get really up close to look into their eyes. Dolphins aren't the only mammals that recognize themselves, elephants do it too. They do this by marking the elephants with a small mark above their eyes and then the elephants try to look at this mark and figure out what has been done to them by looking into the mirror. By the end of the video, the scientist explains that we need to look at this animals in a new light and in return protect this animals and not believe we are the only intelligent creatures in this planet because we are not alone. I completely agree with this, just as we have in recent years discovered how intelligent chimps are, other animals start to show that their brains work very similarly to ours. I think it is fascinating and I hope to hear more about the dolphin research in coming years.

Link to video: http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/2010/11/22/ctw.kaye.dolphin.intelligence.cnn?hpt=C2

16) General Electric Will Buy 25,000 Electric Vehicles by 2015

General Electric announced the world's largest-ever single electric vehicle commitment. The company will purchase 25,000 electric vehicles by 2015 for its own fleet and through its Capital Fleet Services business. GE Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt said the company will convert at least half of its 30,000 global fleet to electrics and will partner with fleet customers to deploy a total of 25,000 electric vehicles by 2015. GE will initially purchase 12,000 GM vehicles, beginning with the Chevrolet Volt 2011, and will add other vehicles as manufacturers expand their electric vehicle portfolios. GE manufactures an electric vehicle charger the GE WattStation, which is designed to cut the time needed for vehicle charging from 12-18 hours to as little as 4-8 hours compares to standard charging. GE businesses including Capital Fleet Services, Energy and Licensing and Trading will benefit from an emerging electric vehicle market that could deliver up to $500 million in GE revenue over the next three years. GE also announced two electric vehicle customer experience and learning centers to provide customers, employees, and researchers first-hand access to electric vehicles and developing technologies. The centers will monitor and evaluate vehicle performance and charging behaviors, driver experiences, service requirements, and operational efficiencies, while also affording the opportunity to experience a variety of manufacturers and models, and gain insights on electric vehicle deployment. I think its great that the electric car industry is expanding and more people are becoming interested in it. I've never owned a car but if I were to choose a car to be my first car I would be definitively looking into electric cars. They seem much more convenient and in the long run, more beneficial for us and the environment.

Link to site: http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/nov2010/2010-11-11-092.html

15) Carbon-eating Microbes Discovered Deep in Oceanic Crust

Deep in the Earth's oceanic crust, scientists have found bacteria that can eat hydrocarbons and natural gas, and have the genetic potential to store carbon. Increasing levels of carbon dioxide also raise the levels of carbon dioxide in the oceans, making sea water too acidic to support healthy reefs. Now, the findings by researchers from Oregon State University reveal a possible role for the deep ocean crust in carbon dioxide storage and fixation by pumping carbon dioxide into deep subsea layers where it might be sequestered permanently. Oceanic crust covers about 70 percent of the Earth's surface and its geology has been explored, but practically nothing is known about its biology. At a site in the Atlantic Ocean near an undersea mountain, scientists from Oregon State University drilled more than 4,600 feet into rock that was both very deep and very old and found a wide range of biological activity. Microbes were degrading hydrocarbons and there were genes active in the process of fixing or converting from a gas both nitrogen and carbon.

The ocean floor is generally composed of three levels, a shallow layer of sediment, basalt formed from solidified magma and an even deeper level of basalt that cooled more slowly and is called the gabbro layer, which forms the majority of ocean crust.The gabbro layer begins under a two mile thick layer of crust. But on the Atlantis Massif, core samples were obtained from gabbro rock formations that were closer to the surface than usual because they had been uplifted and exposed by faulting. This allowed the researchers to investigate for the first time the microbiology of these rocks. The researchers also noted that methane found on Mars could be derived from geological sources, and concluded that subsurface environments on Mars where methane is produced could support bacteria like those found in this study."These findings don't offer any easy or simple solutions to some of the environmental issues that are of interest to us on Earth, such as greenhouse warming or oil spill pollution," Fisk said. "However, they do indicate there's a whole world of biological activity deep beneath the ocean that we don't know much about, and we need to study."

Link to site: http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/nov2010/2010-11-22-091.html

EPA: Three Letters to be Thankful For

The Environmental Protection Agency celebrates its 40th anniversary next week. Time magazine's 1969 cover story on the combustible, polluted river, Ohio's Cuyahoga River, led to creation of the EPA. Since then, the agency has been on the job to protect all of America's rivers, lakes, streams and, most importantly, drinking water. We also have the EPA to thank for cleaner air, and solving problems with acid rain and the ozone layer. The EPA regulates chlorofuorocarbons and sulfur emissions respectively. The lead additives that used to be in gasoline are just one of the carcinogens the EPA has taken out of our daily lives. Our refrigerators and appliances cost less to run thanks to the Energy Star program. You can take a hot shower using less water, which you spent less to heat up. And you can choose a car with better gas mileage because the EPA practically invented fuel efficiency. We are grateful and continue to count on the EPA's engineers, scientists, and environmental-protection specialists to be our advocates by regulating greenhouse-gas emissions, stopping the destruction of Appalachian watersheds rom mountaintop-removal coal mining, or ensuring that we don't poison our drinking water with fracking chemicals and toxic coal ash.

Thank you EPA and Happy 40th Birthday!!

Link to site: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/mbrune/detail?entry_id=77727

13) Water Emergency Declared in California

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency Saturday in Barstow after samples of the city's water supply were found to be contaminated with a chemical used in rocket fuel and defense manufacturing. The water samples showed levels of perchlorate above the maximum level of 6 parts per billion. Golden State Water identified and shit down three wells out of 20 that show elevated levels of the chemical. One of the wells was located near the Marine Corps Logistics Base in Barstow. The base's Nebo Annex Thursday showed levels of perchlorate up to three times the normal amount. Officials asked residents and employees at the base to refrain from drinking tap water. About 40,000 people were affected and hotels, cafes and restaurants had closed a a result. Bottled water was being distributed around the clock at Barstow Community College.

Perchlorate is an inorganic chemical used in solid rocket propellant, fireworks, and explosives. It has been shown to interfere with the uptake of iodine by the thyroid gland, reducing the production of thyroid hormones which could lead to adverse effects associated with inadequate hormone levels. Boiling, freezing, filtering or letting the water stand, does not reduce the perchlorate level. This news comes after watching in class the movie "Flow" which I found very interesting. The beginning of this article states that perchlorate was found above the maximum contaminant level of 6 parts per billion. The movie mentions that water is never really free from contaminants so it makes me wonder how much perchlorate is in the water that we don't know of and only when all these contaminants rise above the maximum level do we get alarmed. What can we do as a society though? Even bottled water seems to be contaminated and boiling the water doesn't do a thing to get rid of contaminants. We need water to survive so for now we will continue to drink it and ingest all the chemicals and hope that no long-term effects will be visible in the next 30-50 years.

Link to site: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40291658/ns/us_news-environment/

12) Tiger and Elephant Killers face 12 years in prison in Bangladesh

Bangladesh has approved a law that sets jail terms of up to 12 years for deliberately killing tigers and other wild animals endangered in the South Asian country. A recent cabinet also agreed to provide reparations to the families of victims killed or maimed by the animals that range between 100,000 taka and 50,000 taka. Each family will also get 25,000 taka if wild animals destroy assets such as houses and crops. The minimum jail term for killing pythons and crocodiles will be two years and a maximum of 12 years for killing tigers and elephants. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will also attend a conference on tigers in St.Petersburg Russia to discuss ways and means to protect the animals. This news comes after last week' shocking revelation of just how many tigers are left on this Earth and how long it will take for them to become extinct. I applaud the decision to pass this new law so that people pay for their crimes and stop hurting animals and also the world's reaction to the endangered tiger's and the wanting to protect them. Hopefully more countries start passing more severe laws for poachers.

Link to site: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40287437/ns/world_news-world_environment/

11) Deadly Pesticide Endosulfan Finally Banned in the United States

Here is a background on Endosulfan to better understand this article. Endosulfan is highly toxic to terrestrial and aquatic organisms, birds, amphibians and fish, and its use has been documented to poison numerous nontarget species. It travels great distances from where it is applied and has been detected in stream sediments and biota nationwide. The Center for Biological Diversity has filed several suits over the use of the pesticide and its effects on wildlife in California and earlier this year won an agreement restricting Endosulfan's use in endangered species habitats in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a chemical also known to be dangerous for people and severely affects human health. While browsing through photos of Endosulfan's effects, I stumbled upon many disfigured children from India where Endosulfan is still believed to be a safe pesticide.

Here in the U.S., Endosulfan is an antiquated, dangerous insecticide used on tomatoes, cotton, and other crops and it has been linked to endocrine disruption, reproductive disorders and other severe effects on human health. Conservationists, public health officials, farmworkers and indigenous groups have been calling for a U.S. ban on this DDT-era pesticide for years. Most currently approved Endosulfan crop uses will end in two years and all uses will be phased out by 2016. The EPA estimated that 1.3 million pounds of Endosulfan were used annually from 1987 to 1997.

Link to site: http://www.enn.com/press_releases/3559

10) Better Access to Contraception Could Slow Global Warming

Here was a very interesting article. Apparently, I thought there was no connection between contraception and global warming but once I started reading this article it made more sense and became clear. If contraception is available to women this will slow the population down through better family planning which would mean huge reductions in carbon dioxide emissions. If the world's population leveled off at 8 billion by 2050 instead of reaching the projected 9 billion, this would reduce C02 emissions by more than if global deforestation were completely eliminated! Of course, is it realistic to think that contraception will be available to all women? Population is associated with sensitive issues like sexuality, contraception, abortion, migration, and religion. Increasing women's reproductive rights should be at the heart of the climate discussion as the role of women is largely ignored in the political and public debates that address the challenge. I think it is an interesting proposal and I can see how the population can benefit from it.

Link to site: http://www.worldwatch.org/Better+Access+to+Contraception+Could+Slow+Global+Warming

9) Airlift Saves Turtles from Certain Death

Fifty Yellow-Headed Temple Turtles have arrived in Florida to begin a new life after being rescued from an illegal shipment into Hong Kong. Turtles are a delicacy to eat and for medicinal purposes so there is a high demand for turtle meat and turtle parts. These particular turtles get their names from the tradition of releasing the species into Buddhist temple ponds. Because of concerns about genetic and disease transfer, the turtles could not find a permanent home in Hong Kong so the Texas-based Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) raised funds for a turtle airlift into the USA and house the turtles in Florida :) I think this is absolutely wonderful, the killing of endangered species has to stop just because people enjoy eating their meat and believe their parts will cure them.

Link to site: http://www.enn.com/press_releases/3547

8) Indonesia hit by earthquake

Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano erupted several times on Wednesday Nov 3rd while an earthquake struck off of the coast of Papua, far east of the volcano. The ash sent by the volcano forced thousands to evacuate and seek shelter. The Mount's lava and ash have killed at least 39 people since it began erupting on October 26, an additional 74 have been injured and more than 71,000 have been evacuated. Mount Merapi is famously unpredictable; an eruption killed 2 people in 2006, 60 people n 1994 and 1,300 in 1930. The earthquake had a magnitude of 6.1 off the eastern Indonesian coast and it did not prompt tsunami warnings from Indonesia's Bureau of Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics.

Link to site: http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/11/03/indonesia.earthquake/index.html?hpt=T2