Most of us do not spend our waking hours reading the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States. Certainly no one in the #FakeTrump administration does, as they are too busy lining their own pockets at public expense and practicing the art of self aggrandizement. But if we did, we might
According to the Global Off-Grid Lighting Association (GOGLA), poor households in Asia and Africa saved some $3.4 billion based on the rapid uptake of solar lighting. GOGLA has released its Social Impact Report, which addresses a significant increase in solar lighting products in off-grid locales. The impact of having such lighting solutions available is viewed as “more
If waves of cheap rhino horns 3D-printed with real rhino DNA are flooded onto the Asian markets, is this a form of rhino conservation or capitalistic exploitation? This critical question is gnawing at the root of a controversial business venture to use real rhino DNA in the commercial production of 3D-printed rhino horns. In a
The G20 meeting of the world’s most influential political and economic leaders in Brisbane, Australia, began slightly off-track today, according to Reuters. President Obama put out a few words about climate change at the start, announcing a much-needed US pledge of $3 billion to get the world two-thirds of the way toward a $10 billion
A young boy from Africa once said, “You people from America have so much clean water that you flush drinking water down the toilet”. The young boy later explained that he usually misses school because he must walk 3 hours to collect drinking water for his family. So why is it that we Americans use more water
More imminent than deadly viruses or terrorists at national events is the phenomenon of climate change, a force examined in a groundbreaking new report released today by the Union of Concerned Scientists. Titled National Landmarks at Risk: How Rising Seas, Floods and Wildfires are Threatening the United States’ Most Cherished Historic Sites, the study examines
Did you know that World Pangolin Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in February? This year, the special day falls on February 16th — so be sure to mark your calendar if you haven’t already done so! World Pangolin Day is an opportunity for pangolin enthusiasts to join together in raising awareness about these
A first of its kind study has been performed on 27 natural climate records to produce the first large-scale temperature reconstruction for the Australasian region over the past 1,000 years. Led by researchers from the University of Melbourne, researchers used a range of natural indicators including tree rings, corals, and ice cores to study
The claim that global warming and climate change aren’t real gets increasingly ridiculous each year. For one, the science just makes it so much more obvious as it develops (but, truthfully, it’s been obvious for years). Additionally, the real-world climate disasters just keep increasing. In the past two years, for example, 42 million Asians
A new study shows that tropical vegetation contains 21 percent more carbon dioxide than previous similar studies had suggested.The study produced maps of carbon storage of forest, shrub lands, and savannas in the tropics of Africa, Asia and South America. Published in the journal Nature Climate Change, the study was conducted by scientists from Woods
Not only have we settled in disaster prone areas, but when things get bad because of Climate Change, we move to even worse areas. Last year, according to the United Nations, 210 million people – about three per cent of the global population – migrated between countries, and in 2009 about 740 million people moved within countries.
The black spots below are not problems with the photography, but rather lakes in what is normally the arid Gobi Desert in the Chinese Autonomous Region of Inner Mongolia.
Researchers from Boston University have estimated the effects near-term increases in global average temperatures will have on summertime temperatures across the globe, based on current warming trends and a desire to minimise overall warming to 2°C.
This week’s Round Up takes a look at a couple of great initiatives in Nepal and Zimbabwe – plus, India welcomes some very special new arrivals! Meanwhile, South Africa’s (alleged) rhino horn syndicate kingpin Groenewald remains under the public’s microscope.
China’s Qinghai Province was captured by the Advanced Land Imager (ALI) on NASA’s Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite in this image on December 12, 2010.
Greenpeace has a new major campaign targeting some key toy companies — Mattel (Barbie maker), Hasbro, and Disney (links take you to PDFs of Greenpeace letters to these companies).
The letters above call on these major toy companies “to immediately act to protect forests in South East Asia and worldwide.”
The Tokyo Electric Power Company has released new images from Fukushima, depicting the current problem and photos of the day of the tsunami.
Average winter temperatures in northern Europe are at least 10 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than similar latitudes on the northeastern coast of the United States and the eastern coast of Canada. The same phenomenon happens over the Pacific Ocean, with winters on the northeastern coast of Asia being regularly colder than in the same latitude in the Pacific Northwest.
And the culprit for these cooler winters, is warm waters.
With scientists unsure as to the endgame of the current climate change affecting our planet, one big question is always on peoples’ lips; how severe can climate change get? According to the results of a study published in the latest edition of the journal Science, the answer is not good. An international team of scientists
I was sitting in my doctors waiting area this morning for a good hour – my doctor likes to be thorough, and slow – and I picked up one of the many un-current magazines that littered the coffee table in the middle of the room. It was the National Geographic special on Water published in
This is a difficult list to come up with when you cover these topics every day. There are so many big stories, many of which never even hit the mainstream media. Well, I know these are popular (I’m drawn in to them, too) and it’s always useful to reflect a little… So, here’s my Top
Much has been made about emerging economies like India and China refusing to take a leading role in minimizing the increase in climate change as climate change itself is effectively a result of western industrialized nations. However Asia is still going to have to make changes, regardless of who is backing the endeavour, and a
Reporting from Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia last week, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) shared some disturbing news with the world. Endangered pangolins (aka scaly anteaters) are being massacred at a rate much higher than previously expected. Stunning figures in traffickers’ logbooks indicate massive illegal capture and trade in endangered pangolins or scaly anteaters, finds a
The world’s biggest cat, the tiger, is now living out its life in about six percent of the available habitat it could be living in. This according to a new peer-reviewed paper by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and other groups who have identified 42 source sites scattered across Asia that will be the last
The global warming news I have to share this week transitions from the floods and fires we discussed last week to the issue of food and water (including how they are affected by floods and fires) and other effects of global climate change you may not be thrilled to hear about. Additionally, I have a
Hundreds died in India in May due to heat waves with record high temperatures. Meanwhile, a town in Pakistan set the new record for highest temperature ever recorded in Asia! Following the hottest April and hottest January-April on record, monthly heat records have been set for May across the globe again and the 12-month global
Sabah, a large Malaysian state, is considering banning the practice of shark finning after scuba divers threatened to boycott the country. [social_buttons] The Semporna Tourism Action Council proposed the ban because they believe sharks are largely responsible for the area’s booming touring industry. The council includes members of the Sabah Fisheries Department, Sabah Tourism Board,
