June 2012
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“He felt that the darkness itself was alive and hated him, and it never changed,...”
– Richard Adams ~ Watership Down
A BEAUTIFUL LIE: Make Poaching a High Risk/Low... →
ablorg:
NOTE: This is a guest post from our friends at the African Wildlife Foundation.
Poaching is often referred to as a low risk/high reward crime. In the midst of one of the worst rhino poaching epidemics of all time, we need to turn the poaching risk–reward dynamic on its head.
To…
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Africa's Savannas May Become Forests by 2100,...
ScienceDaily (June 28, 2012) — A new study published today in Nature by authors from the Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre and the Goethe University Frankfurt suggests that large parts of Africa’s savannas may well be forests by 2100. The study suggests that fertilization by atmospheric carbon dioxide is forcing increases in tree cover throughout Africa. A switch from savanna to forest...
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96 percent of the world's species remain...
The IUCN Red List releases its 2012 update, adding 247 species to its threatened categories.

The king cobra has been evaluated by the IUCN Red List for the first time and listed as Vulnerable. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler.
Nearly 250 species have been added to the threatened categories—i.e. Vulnerable, Endangered, and Critically Endangered—in this year’s update of the International Union for...
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Beyond Rio’s Disappointment, Finding a Path to the...
The Rio+20 Summit produced a largely meaningless document that failed to address the daunting environmental challenges the world faces. But many at the conference looked to an alternative approach they called “green economics” — using market forces to help nations achieve sustainable development.
by fred pearce
There were no histrionics, no last-minute deals or walkouts. In fact, no anything...
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1 Million to Ban the Lion Trade →
Hundreds of South African lions are being slaughtered to make bogus sex potions for men. But we can stop this cruel trade by hitting the government where it hurts — the tourism industry. A global ban on tiger bone sales has traders hunting a new prize — the majestic lions. Lions are farmed under appalling conditions in South Africa for “canned hunting”, where rich...
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Evidence of Oceanic 'Green Rust' Offers Hope for...
ScienceDaily (June 27, 2012) — A rare kind of mineral which scientists hope could be used to remove toxic metals and radioactive species from the environment played a similar, crucial role early in Earth’s history.
Research carried out by an international team of leading biogeochemists suggests for the first time that ‘green rust’ was likely widespread in ancient oceans and may...
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Planet RE:think →
First cut of Planet RE:Think. The film tells the story of unsustainable resource use, showing the truly global nature of the problem, from environmentally devastating mining in Canada to recycling of electronic waste in India which damages the health of workers. The feature-length film also includes positive examples of ‘green economy’ policies and business models, from Ecuador to South Africa.
...
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Arctic sea-ice levels at record low for June
Scientists say that the latest observations suggest that Arctic sea ice cover is continuing to shrink and thin
John Vidal, environment editor
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 27 June 2012 16.58 BST
Scientists say Arctic sea ice has plummeted to its lowest levels ever this year. Photgraph: Steven J Kazlowski/Alamy
Sea ice in the Arctic has melted faster this year than ever recorded before,...
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Arctic find could cause major shift in climate...
New scientific research has major political ramifications, MICHAEL RICHARDSON writes
Two years ago, a Canadian research team alarmed climate scientists when it published the results of a survey of the oceans. The researchers reported that the world’s phytoplankton - tiny, plant-like organisms that grow in seawater - seemed to have been disappearing at a rate of about 1 per cent a year for...
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My Ghanaian grandfather would agree that Rio+20...
Africa no longer looks to the north alone for its salvation but to its own resources and to India, Brazil and China
Paul Boateng
guardian.co.uk, Monday 25 June 2012 11.30 BST
In Africa, rain is widely seen as a blessing. Photograph: Dan Chung for the Guardian
The storm clouds above the Riocentro conference centre as the Amazonian winter came in were seen by some as an ill omen....
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Study Slashes Deforestation Carbon Emission...
ScienceDaily (June 25, 2012) — A new study with NASA participation has sharply reduced previous estimates of how much carbon was emitted into Earth’s atmosphere from tropical deforestation in the early 2000s.
Distribution of annual carbon emissions from gross forest cover loss between 2000 and 2005 mapped at a spatial resolution of 11.5 miles (18.5 kilometers). (Credit: Winrock...
“And the situation here is desperate. The water is running out, and when it’s...”
– Nurse Chiara Burzio is working at the Doctors Without Borders field hospital in Jamam refugee camp in Maban County, Upper Nile State, South Sudan. (via doctorswithoutborders)
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A catastrophe if global warming falls off the...
The Rio earth summit ended with warm words but nothing to address the intense pressure on the planet
Will Hutton
The Observer, Sunday 24 June 2012
A driver is towed out of the mud at the Isle of Wight festival. Hundreds of motorists were stranded in their cars overnight as rain lashed roads around the venue. Photograph: Jim Ross/AP
A month’s rain fell in a day last week in parts...
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Deforestation accounts for 10 percent of global...
Countries with the highest gross forest loss between 2000 and 2005 according to the new study and earlier work by the FAO. Click image to enlarge.
Tropical deforestation accounted for 10 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions between 2000-2005 — a substantially smaller proportion than previously estimated — argues a new study published inScience. The authors — led by Nancy Harris of...
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It's Time for Business to Take Lead on Environment
Don’t Complain, Do Something!
Inter-governmental attempts at environmental protection have failed. It is time for environmentalists to recognize that fact and turn to industry. The “Green Economy” has become the new watchword at the Rio summit. But can Starbucks, Shell and Nestlé really save the planet?
It was predictable. The Rio+20 environmental summit looked like a...
U.N. Report from Rio on Environment a ‘Suicide... →
climateadaptation:
Rio+20, shredded. Today’s must read.
Via NYTimes
A BEAUTIFUL LIE: New Study: Species Gravely... →
ablorg:
Sumatran Elephants: Critically Endangered Due to Palm Oil and Pulp & Paper Plantation Expansion
A new study led by the University of Sydney appeared in the Journal Nature recently, warning that nearly a third of animal species under threat in developing nations are linked to…
Report: Calif. to get seas rising 6 inches by 2030 →
The study by the National Research Council gives planners their best look yet at how melting ice sheets and warming oceans associated with climate change will raise sea levels along the country’s Pacific coast. It is generally consistent with earlier global projections, but takes a closer look at California, Oregon and Washington.
