An Overrun Florida Looks to Python Bounty Hunters (Links)
Tyranny for the Commons Man Six billion people are now sharing one planet, one water supply, and limited energy resources with a grab-first-ask-questions-later mentality. 10 People Guiding Science for Humanity Ten researchers, politicians, executives, and philanthropists who are working to assure that the benefits of new technologies and knowledge will accrue to humanity. Competitive Altruism: Being Green in Public What if environmentalism didn’t really involve sacrifice? California Beaches Face a Rising Ride of Pollution Ten percent of water samples at California beaches last year contained more human fecal bacteria than the state allows. Joshua Trees Vanishing The Joshua Tree is expected to vanish entirely from the southern half of California within a century. An Inconvenient Talk A guide to the end of the fossil fuel age. Exxon Owes $500 Million Interest for Valdez Spill Exxon Mobil Corp. must pay victims of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill $480 million more in interest on their delayed punitive damages awards, a U.S. appeals court has ruled. Arctic Tundra Undergoing Major Changes As it Warms, Studies Show Several recent studies show that the rapid warming of Arctic tundra is leading to a host of sweeping changes, including more extensive fires, the growth of larger vegetation, more absorption of solar energy, melting permafrost, and substantially larger releases of greenhouse gases. Hunters Depleting Lion and Cougar Populations Sport hunters are depleting lion and cougar populations as managers respond to demands to control predators that threaten livestock and humans. An Overrun Florida Looks to Python Bounty Hunters Of all the ideas floated to get a grip on pythons and other exotic imports creeping and crawling through America’s undergrowth, only one stands out to Florida snake experts as having a real impact: bounty hunters. Sustainability: Solution to Fermi’s Paradox? If civilizations can’t grow exponentially, that might explain why we don’t see any signs of ET. Environmentalism and Religion Jonathan Zasloff, an environmental law professor at UCLA, is skeptical of the idea that religion can add much to environmental policy debates. Couples Who Cohabit Before Engagement are More Likely to Struggle Couples who live together before they are engaged have a higher chance of getting divorced than those who wait until they are married to live together, or at least wait until they are engaged.
Biodiversity and the True Significance of the Human Species (Links)
Lessons From the Reverse Engineering of Nature The importance of biodiversity and the true significance of the human species. Most Damaged Ecosystems Recover in Decades Nearly 75 percent of damaged ecosystems fully or partially recover within decades. Obama team calls a timeout on logging in roadless areas Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says no new activity can begin in roadless areas of national forests without his permission. What Are Zoos For? Behind the rusting gates of Wroclaw Zoo, ivy is claiming the walls of the ramshackle gothic administration building. Recipe for a Resurrection Bringing extinct species back to life is no longer considered science fiction. Why Coral Reefs Around The World Are Collapsing An explosion of knowledge in the last few is helping to explain why coral reefs around the world are collapsing and what it will take for them to survive mounting threats. Toxin Is Accelerating Demise of Prehistoric Chinese Sturgeon A chemical applied to ship hulls is robbing Chinese sturgeon of their eyes and causing other deformities. How to clean up a lake? Man-made floating islands may be the answer. The Luxury City vs. the Middle Class The sustainable city of the future will rest on the revival of traditional institutions that have faded in many of today’s cities. Deer Heaven Humans invented suburbia, but it is deer who may be its most enthusiastic residents. Where’s the Environment Section on Google News? Visit Google News’s home page and you’ll see lots of important stories: elections in India, armed conflict in Pakistan, and the US debate over torture, to name just a few. Is Unesco Damaging the World’s Treasures? Is the “gold standard” project harming the very places it seeks to protect? You Are Here The world’s eco-disasters up close. Why Health Warnings Can Be Bad Researchers warned potential participants that electrodes would be strapped to their temples, and could cause serious headaches. Despite this, 34 students came forward. Recycling Mysteries: #5 Plastics If you’re trying to be more eco-conscious, you might wonder about what to do with yogurt cups, hummus tubs or cottage cheese containers. The Human Influence Index A measure of direct human influence on terrestrial ecosystems using the best available data sets on human settlement (population density, built-up areas), access (roads, railroads, navigable rivers, coastline), landscape transformation (land use/land cover) and electric power infrastructure (nighttime lights). The Human Footprint Index The percentage of relative human influence in each terrestrial biome. percentage the relative human influence in each terrestrial biome.
Coastal Wetlands In Eastern U.S. Disappearing
While the nation as a whole gained freshwater wetlands from 1998 to 2004, a new report documents a continuing loss of coastal wetlands in the eastern United States.
The new report, Status and Trends of Wetlands in the Coastal Watersheds of the Eastern United States, shows a loss of 59,000 acres each year in the coastal watersheds of the Great Lakes, Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico from 1998 to 2004.
One reason wetland loss is concentrated in coastal watersheds is that with large numbers of people living here – more than half of the nation’s population lives in coastal counties in densities five times greater than inland counties – the building of roads, homes and businesses have accelerated wetlands loss, particularly along the Gulf of Mexico. Wetland restoration is also more difficult in coastal areas where land values are high and factors such as storms and large expanses of soft muddy ground hamper restoration efforts.
Easter Island’s Collapse: More To The Story Than Deforestation?
Scientists look at the deeper lesson in the environmental collapse that left Easter Island forever tree-less:
Easter Island—famous for its massive stone statues—has gained recognition in recent years as a model for societal collapse from bad environmental practices—ringing alarm bells for those concerned about the health of the planet today, but that’s not the whole story.
The ancient Rapanui people did abuse their environment, but they were also developing sustainable practices—innovating, experimenting, trying to adapt.
“Societies don’t just go into a tailspin and self-destruct,” says Dr. Chris Stevenson, an archaeologist at the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. “They can and do adapt, and they emerge in new ways. The key is to put more back into the system than is taken out.”
