A new lawsuit is challenging petroleum exploration in Alaska’s Cook Inlet, claiming that the seismic testing will do harm to the endangered beluga whales that live there. The Native Village of Chickaloon, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Center for Biological Diversity, and Center for Water Advocacy are the plaintiffs in the lawsuit. They are
on June 22, the Brazilian Bureau of Indian Affairs announced confirmation of a group of uncontacted people living in the western part of the Amazon’s Javari Valley, which is near the border of Peru. The existence of the group of about 200 or so people were confirmed following an over-flight expedition of the region; a series of aerial photographs clearly show several rounded-top huts in small clearings dotting the forested land. Analysis of the photos also showed that the tribe is growing a variety of crops, including corn, bananas, and peanuts.
Well, Russia is one key actor threating grey whales with extinction, but it has also taken a step forward in protecting the critically endangered species. “Companies seeking oil extraction rights to a newly available concession off Russia’s Sakhalin Island will not be permitted to conduct activities while Western gray whales are present,” WWF wrote last week.
After a hefty long debate over offshore drilling and new energy policies, the House passed the ever unpopular Comprehensive American Energy Security & Consumer Protection Act. The bill which will open up new areas of the country to oil drilling, but it also comes with increased support for renewables. The bill – weighing in at
