Clipmarks | invictus's 'environment' clips

Alarm over new oil-from-coal plans

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 15:13:15 GMT

clipped by: invictus

A Chinese energy company is poised to open a chemical plant to make liquid fuels for cars and aircraft from coal, a move that has alarmed environmental campaigners who say it will increase carbon emissions and worsen global warming.

The plant, in Inner Mongolia, will use technology developed by Germany during the second world war to convert coal directly into synthetic diesel, dubbed "Nazi fuel". China says the process will help break its booming economy's reliance on foreign oil, and that it will build more such plants.

The US and India are also investing heavily in the technology, which is being heavily promoted by coal companies across the world as a cost-effective solution to soaring oil prices and concerns about energy security.

Tags: energy, oil, coal, environment, alternative energy, china, science

The domino effect of extinction

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 21:08:09 GMT

clipped by: invictus

Clip Source: www.cosmosmagazine.com

SYDNEY: The extinction of large animals such as giraffes and elephants could have knock-on effects that damage entire ecosystems, says a new study.

The research - which looked at the impacts of removing giraffe grazers on Africa's acacia trees and ants that live alongside them - adds to the evidence that the extinction of one species can have a domino effect on many others.

You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours

"With the human induced decline of big herbivores in Africa, it shows that the generally positive relationship between ants and plants essentially becomes antagonistic when big herbivores are removed," said zoologist Todd Palmer of the University of Florida in Gainesville, USA.

Palmer is the co-author of the study which is published today in the U.S. journal Science.

Tags: animals, life, extinction, biology, genetics, environment, science

Evolution tied to Earth movement

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 17:03:29 GMT

clipped by: invictus

Clip Source: www.eurekalert.org

Scientists long have focused on how climate and vegetation allowed human ancestors to evolve in Africa. Now, University of Utah geologists are calling renewed attention to the idea that ground movements formed mountains and valleys, creating environments that favored the emergence of humanity.

“Tectonics [movement of Earth’s crust] was ultimately responsible for the evolution of humankind,” Royhan and Nahid Gani of the university’s Energy and Geoscience Institute write in the January, 2008, issue of Geotimes, published by the American Geological Institute.

They argue that the accelerated uplift of mountains and highlands stretching from Ethiopia to South Africa blocked much ocean moisture, converting lush tropical forests into an arid patchwork of woodlands and savannah grasslands that gradually favored human ancestors who came down from the trees and started walking on two feet – an energy-efficient way to search larger areas for food in an arid environment.

Tags: evolution, science, geology, environment, humans

Rising seas 'to beat predictions'

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 20:37:06 GMT

clipped by: invictus

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Sea level rise is fuelled by melting ice in Greenland and Antarctica

The world's sea levels could rise twice as high this century as UN climate scientists have previously predicted, according to a study.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change proposes a maximum sea level rise of 81cm (32in) this century.

But in the journal Nature Geoscience, researchers say the true maximum could be about twice that: 163cm (64in).

They looked at what happened more than 100,000 years ago - the last time Earth was this warm.

The results join other studies showing that current sea level projections may be very conservative.

Sea level rise is a key effect of global climate change. There are two major contributory effects: expansion of sea water as the oceans warm, and the melting of ice over land.

Tags: climate change, sea levels, environment, science

Congo Diary: Deforestation

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 15:32:17 GMT

clipped by: invictus

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

[Video]

Tags: africa, congo, environment, deforestation

Alien intrusions threaten Sweden's seas

Sat, 29 Sep 2007 19:29:23 GMT

clipped by: invictus

Clip Source: news.yahoo.com

STOCKHOLM (AFP) - A gluttonous American pseudo-jellyfish, giant Japanese oysters, and an unidentified virus killing seals: strange intrusions are threatening Sweden's seas and fishermen are concerned.

The biggest threat is called mnemiopsis, an animal that measures about 10 centimetres (four inches) and is not technically a jellyfish but has a gelatinous and translucent appearance. It is not harmful to humans.

The species has never before been seen this far north in Europe and could change the region's entire ecosystem.

"Officially it was first seen a year ago... We know they survived the winter. Suddenly at the end of July there were a lot of them," said Lene Friis Moeller, a researcher at Gothenburg University's marine ecology department.

Tags: environment, ecology, seals, sweden, marine life, science

Greece declares state of emergency

Sun, 26 Aug 2007 01:21:48 GMT

clipped by: invictus
clipper's remarks: Reuters reports many people are still trapped in villages surrounded by the flames.

Clip Source: www.alertnet.org

The Greek government declared a state of emergency for the entire country on Saturday after forest fires killed at least 44 people in the southern Peloponnese region.

"All regions of the country are declared in a state of emergency in order to mobilise all means and forces to face this disaster," Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis said in an address to the nation.

Scores of fires have swept through the Peloponnese and other regions since Friday, trapping hundreds in villages. Greece has asked its European Union partners for help.

"So many fire fronts in so many locations in the country can't be a coincidence," Karamanlis said. "The state will do its utmost to find the culprits and punish them.

"No one has the right to take human lives and destroy the environment ... to destroy our country."

Tags: greece, forest fire, disasters, state of emergency

Sat maps lead to an archaeological discovery at Angkor Vat

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 14:38:38 GMT

clipped by: invictus
clipper's remarks: Satellite maps helped an important archaeological discovery: The new data from NASA'a AIRSAR satellite reveals that Cambodia's fascinating temple complex Angkor Vat was once at the center of a large urban settlement with a complex irrigation system. New analysis also shows that the demise of the city came as the result of serious enviromental failures including deforestation. Yet another lesson to take, for us 21st century folks.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

The researchers disovered at least 74 new temples

In pictures: Angkor Wat

The great medieval temple of Angkor Wat in Cambodia was once at the centre of a sprawling urban settlement, according to a new, detailed map of the area.

Using Nasa satellites, an international team have discovered at least 74 new temples and complex irrigation systems.

The map, published in the journal PNAS, extends the known settlement by 1000 sq km, about the size of Los Angeles.

Analysis also lends weight to the theory that Angkor's residents were architects of the city's demise.

"The large-scale city engineered its own downfall by disrupting its local environment by expanding continuously into the surrounding forests," said Damian Evans of the University of Sydney and one of the authors of the paper and map.

Working with researchers from Australia, Cambodia and France, the map was produced from ground surveys, airborne photography, and ground-sensing radar from Nasa's AIRSAR satellite.

Tags: archaeology, environment, cambodia, satellites, angkor vat

NationMaster: World Statistics & Country Comparisons

Fri, 10 Aug 2007 22:02:47 GMT

clipped by: invictus
clipper's remarks: A very useful reference site with a large database on countries and nations. you can create charts and graphs based on the criteria you choose and compare countries or see latest statistics.

Clip Source: www.nationmaster.com

(* = Graphable)

Welcome to NationMaster, a massive central data source and a handy way to graphically compare nations. NationMaster is a vast compilation of data from such sources as the CIA World Factbook, UN, and OECD. Using the form above, you can generate maps and graphs on all kinds of statistics with ease.

We want to be the web's one-stop resource for country statistics on everything from soldiers to wall plug voltages.

You can also view profiles of individual countries including their maps and flags, use correlation reports and scatterplots to find relationships between variables, and refer to fully integrated encyclopedia with over one million articles.

Tags: reference, countires, statistics, nations, web, internet

Nuclear scare after Japan quake

Mon, 16 Jul 2007 21:17:26 GMT

clipped by: invictus

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Nuclear scare after Japan quake

Clouds of smoke poured from the Kashiwazaki nuclear power plant

A strong earthquake in central Japan has damaged a large nuclear power plant causing a leak of radioactive material, officials at the plant have said.

A small amount of water containing radioactive substances leaked into the sea, officials said, and a fire broke out at the plant in Kashiwazaki.

At least seven people were killed and hundreds injured in the earthquake.

Several hours later a second earthquake of magnitude 6.6 struck in the sea off Kyoto in western Japan.

Tokyo Electric Power Company said the small amount of radioactive material that leaked into the sea posed no environmental risk.

Reactors at the plant automatically shut during the magnitude 6.8 quake.

Tags: earthquake, environment, japan

Population and Its Effects

Fri, 13 Jul 2007 01:09:47 GMT

clipped by: invictus

Clip Source: us.oneworld.net

Population and Its Effects

The world population has reached an unprecedented 6.7 billion people, and it is continuing to grow by 80 million people every year. 99% of that growth is in the world's poorest countries where people are commonly afflicted by poverty, civil unrest, and scarce resources. These countries are struggling to provide for their existing populations, and even when making strides to improve their infrastructure, they can not keep up with the dramatic population growth. Developing nations now require about $1 trillion per year in new infrastructure development just to accommodate their population growth – a figure that is very far from being met and is effectively impossible for these countries to generate.

Tags: population, environment, poverty, economy, world

Water World: Slipping Toward Climate Catastrophe

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 12:28:42 GMT

clipped by: JICWyllie

Clip Source: www.alternet.org

Reading a scientific paper on the train this weekend, I found, to my amazement, that my hands were shaking. This has never happened to me before, but nor have I ever read anything like it. Published by a team led by James Hansen at NASA, it suggests that the grim reports issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change could be absurdly optimistic.

The geological record suggests that ice at the poles does not melt in a gradual and linear fashion, but flips suddenly from one state to another. When temperatures increased to 2-3 degrees Celsius above today's level 3.5 million years ago, sea levels rose not by 59 cm but by 25 meters.

Hansen and his team find it "implausible" that the expected warming before 2100 "would permit a West Antarctic ice sheet of present size to survive even for a century."

As well as drowning most of the world's centers of population, a sudden disintegration could lead to much higher rises in global temperature

less ice means less heat reflected

Tags: environment, ice, i-climate change, i-risks, i-catastrophe, i-increase

Investigating Life In Extreme Environments

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 01:36:43 GMT

clipped by: invictus

Clip Source: www.sciencedaily.com

Science Daily — From the deepest seafloor to the highest mountain, from the hottest region to the cold Antarctic plateau, environments labelled as extreme are numerous on Earth and they present a wide variety of features and characteristics.

Investigating life processes in extreme environments not only can provide hints on how life first appeared and survived on Earth (as early earth was an extreme environment) but it can also give indication for the search for life on other planets.

To examine these issues and other matters the European Science Foundation (ESF) has published a 58-page report Investigating Life in Extreme Environments – A European Perspective. Among other issues, the report has stated how global changes in the recent decades have turned some environments setting into becoming “extreme” conditions for the normal ecosystems (e.g. acidification of the oceans).

Tags: environment, life, earth, science

Boeing Unveils 'Green' Jet

Fri, 06 Jul 2007 22:46:04 GMT

clipped by: invictus

Clip Source: dsc.discovery.com

Boeing Unveils 'Green' Jet

July 6, 2007 — The eyes of the aviation world will be fixed on Boeing here Sunday when the U.S. aircraft giant unveils its 787 Dreamliner, the "green" passenger jet it hopes will revolutionize air travel.

The mid-sized plane, which seats up to 330 passengers and is capable of flying long-haul routes using up to 20 percent less fuel while pumping out fewer greenhouse gases, will be rolled out for 300 gathered media.

The 787 — Boeing's first new model in 13 years — will make its maiden test flight later this year before going into commercial service with Japan's All Nippon Airways (ANA) in 2008.

The new aircraft boasts several revolutionary design features, most notably the use of high-tech plastic composites instead of aluminum.

Up to 50 percent of the primary structure of the plane — including the fuselage and wing — will be made of composites such as carbon-fiber.

Tags: energy, environment, green, aircrafts, boeing, science

Live Earth battles for a life on Earth

Sat, 30 Jun 2007 20:54:51 GMT

clipped by: invictus

Clip Source: www.yomiuri.co.jp

Live Earth battles for a life on Earth

Al Gore has famously called it "an inconvenient truth." In his documentary of that name, the "former next president" of the United States stresses that scientists are actually in agreement that the climate is changing. And while it might be inconvenient for politicians and the general public to engage in steps to combat this change, the future of the world's environment--as we know it--looks grim if we don't, he insists.

Gore's film, which is enjoying an extended run in Japan, has done much to raise awareness of environmental issues over the past year, but July 7 will mark a follow-up event: Live Earth.

One hundred million people will attend nine concerts on seven continents across the globe (yes, that does include Antarctica). A combined TV audience of 2 billion people will watch. These are the targets of organizers, who hope most of those 2 billion will not only tune into the music, but into the issues, too.

Tags: climate change, global warming, live earth, al gore, activism