Published on October 22nd, 2009
Google Inc. is joining forces with space agencies around the world and the conservation organization Group on Earth Observations (GEO) to monitor deforestation rates using satellite imagery. Among the space agencies working on the program are NASA, the ESA, and the national space agencies of Japan, Germany, Italy, India, and Brazil.
The GEO is a global partnership of 80 governments and more than 50 organizations. Internet company Google currently collects satellite images for use in its Google Earth application, and will be providing satellite images to the project.
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Published on October 21st, 2009
This week The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) revealed that last month was the second hottest land and ocean temperature on record for the month of September. NOAA’s records date back to 1880. In the 100 plus year history, only September 2005 showed warmer temperatures.
This is a concerning trend, considering the 2 warmest months of September (the last month of summer) out of 129 years of record keeping, have been felt in the last 4 years. Scientists, researchers, and leaders in government and industry use NCDC’s monthly reports to help track trends and other changes in the world’s climate.
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Published on September 2nd, 2009
Communities of all sorts are being disturbed by the fires in California. As another result of climate change, bird communities are expected to see some big changes in other ways, according to a new report released on September 1.
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Tags:
animals,
biodiversity,
birds,
California,
Climate change,
conservation,
conservation management,
ecology,
extinct,
extinction,
Global Warming,
migration,
nature,
science,
species
Published on August 20th, 2009
An expert advisory committee this week released recommendations on restoring Minnesota’s dwindling moose population, whose decline one expert said is related to gradual warming of the state’s climate. “The moose, of course, is not an animal that deals very well with heat,’’ panel chairperson Rolf Peterson of Michigan Technological University said. “We wouldn’t even be here today if it wasn’t for climate change.’’
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Published on August 20th, 2009
We can’t expect much from the oil industry, but Greenpeace’s newest finding is as ugly as it gets.
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Tags:
API,
big oil,
BP,
Chevron,
climate bill,
Climate change,
climate legislation,
Energy,
ExxonMobil,
Global Warming,
greenpeace,
oil industry,
Shell
Published on August 13th, 2009
This picture is a picture of the beautiful Monterey, California coastline. This is where I grew up. It is famous for it’s beautiful sea life. Sea otters, jelly fish, sea lions, kelp forests all populate the Monterey coast. The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean in the world. Yet, with all that mass of water, we humans are changing the chemical properties. The acid levels in the pacific ocean, as well as every ocean around the world, are rising. If things keep going this beautiful coastline, my home, will become a wasteland of acid. Habitable to only the most extremophiles.
Rewind our story. Fossil fuels are not just a problem for our atmosphere. When we burn fossil fuels carbon dioxide falls down into the sea. The carbon dioxide is quickly converted into carbonic acid. Carbonic acid has been known to be corrosive to corals and shellfish, and now scientists are discovering that rising acid levels in the ocean are effecting other animals as well.
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Published on August 4th, 2009
The conductor walks on to the stage and mounts the podium with applause from the crowd. He bows to the audience, then turns to his orchestra and, with one fluid motion pulls music from the vast expanse of silence. Each musician moves, almost mechanically, in perfect time, in perfect concert. The violin section becomes one great body, no longer individual musicians. Together, as one, the orchestra ebbs and flows in crescendo and decrescendo. Melody. Harmony. Symphony.
But imagine with me for a moment that one violinist fell out of rhythm. The once fluid sound drips through the cracks of disarray. From there, another violinist. Next a cellist. Soon the entire string section has lost rhythm. The conductor struggles to pull the string section into concert with the rest of the orchestra. However, the chaos of the string section has spread to the brass and to the woodwind sections. Soon the entire orchestra is in conflict. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on July 30th, 2009
London’s mayor announced a new 2 million tree plan to help fight climate change and keep Londoners cool.
The plan is designed to counteract the “urban heat island effect” in which urban areas absorb and release more heat than surrounding areas, due to having more pavement, traffic and power demand.
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Published on July 30th, 2009
International companies such as McDonald’s are happy, and companies like Nike, Wal-Mart and Carrefour are asking for more.
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Tags:
Amazon,
Brazil,
Carrefour,
Climate change,
Climate Conference,
Copenhagen,
Environment,
forests,
greenhouse gases,
greenpeace,
Nike,
rainforest,
soya,
UNFCC,
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change,
wal-mart
Published on July 29th, 2009
Timberland has announced a new policy agreement with Greenpeace to ensure that leather used in new boots and shoes won’t contribute to deforestation in the Amazon.
The policy will issue a moratorium on purchasing any cattle raised in newly deforested areas within the Amazon Rainforest, and it will force all of its suppliers to do the same.
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Tags:
Amazon,
Brazil,
cattle,
cattle ranching,
Climate change,
deforestation,
forestry,
Global Warming,
greenhouse gas emissions,
Nike,
Timberland
