How Beijing is Shaping the Future of the Amazon
The Amazon basin is now China’s No.1 supplier of natural resources, replacing its Asian neighbors as their resources have become depleted. In a relatively short time, China has become Brazil’s major trading partner, overtaking the U.S. and Europe. But China’s voracious demand for iron ore and timber, as well as soy and beef, is not only fuelling de… Read More
Himalayan Farmers Coping with an Uncertain Future
The Himalayas – the world’s biggest and highest mountain range, stretching from Afghanistan and Pakistan in the west to Yunnan in southwest China in the east – are, together with the Tibetan plateau and surrounding mountain ranges, often referred to as “the Third Pole,” containing more ice and water than any other area on the planet outside the Arc… Read More
Halve Meat Consumption, Scientists Urge Rich World
People in the rich world should become "demitarians" – eating half as much meat as usual, while stopping short of giving it up – in order to avoid severe environmental damage, scientists have urged, in the clearest picture yet of how farming practices are destroying the natural world. They said the horsemeat scandal had uncovered the dark side of … Read More
Snowstorm Headed For Heart of Drought Region
According to the most recent U.S. Drought Monitor, 77 percent of Nebraska is currently classified as experiencing “exceptional” drought conditions, the most severe category there is. In Kansas, that figure is lower, at 36 percent of the state.… Read More
Nuclear Power Cannot Compete with Cheap Shale Gas
Nuclear power stations in Canada and the United States are closing because they cannot compete with cheap power being produced from shale gas. This revolution in the way North America produces its electricity is sending shock waves through the nuclear industry in Europe too. New nuclear build will be spectacularly uneconomic if a fracking industry… Read More
Community Rallies Against Proposed Trash Incinerator
The farm town of Gonzales, in the center of the Salinas Valley, has been known throughout its 140-year history as "Little Switzerland," the "heart of the salad bowl," and, today, the "wine capital" of Monterey County. Now a proposal from a Canadian energy company could change Gonzales' moniker yet again: It hopes to build a commercial-scale plant… Read More
Winter Storm Expert to Lead National Weather Service
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is turning to an agency veteran and winter weather expert, Louis W. Uccellini, to lead the troubled National Weather Service (NWS) at a time of budget challenges and ongoing debate over the agency's performance during Hurricane Sandy. Acting director Laura K. Furgione will return to her pre… Read More
Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Power Plants Fell in 2011
Greenhouse gas emissions from U.S. power plants fell 4.6 percent in in 2011, according to new government figures. … Read More
