http://www.enn.com/ ENN RSS News http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/40815 It may not sound like "tree-hugging," but cutting down a real tree for Christmas is actually greener than going with the artificial kind. http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/40812 A temperature increase of a few degrees can cause a change in fish personalities, making them more aggressive and bold. If global temperatures continue to rise, this may have important implications for fish survival. http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/40810 Being the world’s largest producer and exporter of ethanol it is natural for the Brazilian government and its partners to push biofuels as the only real alternative for a world trying wean itself away from fossil fuels that contribute to global warming. http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/40806 Pacific island nations are on the front line of climate change, yet despite being seen as the first victims, many are re-positioning themselves to lead the world in renewable energy infrastructure. Chief Bernard Tunim confronts the issue head-on: "We didn't create global warming but we are its first victims. The industrialized world must take decisive action at the Copenhagen summit before it's too late for everyone." http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/40796 Garden vegetables such as tomatoes and potatoes have been found to be deadly insect killers on a par with Venus fly traps, according to research. http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/40804 In a letter to WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy nine marine scientists asserted that "the WTO has an unprecedented opportunity to make new trade rules that will turn the tide for the world’s fisheries." The scientists recognized the relevance of trade and the WTO to the environment and urged the Director-General to "continue to use your leadership to achieve a successful outcome in the fisheries subsidies negotiations and demonstrate to the world that the WTO can play a constructive role in solving problems of global consequence." http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/40787 For many Palestinians, the norm is tight-quartered living with barely a garden in sight, no defined sidewalks and a poor water system. But this is about to change with an ambitious plan for a new way of living. Just six miles north of Ramallah, Palestinians have begun planting thousands of evergreen tree saplings as part of a major greening project to grow a forest to hug the edges of what will be the first planned Palestinian city. The city is already named Rawabi, Arabic for "hills". For Palestinians it presents a new kind of urbanism, which aims to draw middle-class professionals away from smoggy towns and villages towards a better way of life. http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/40780 State and Federal agencies have begun poisoning a nearly 6-mile stretch of the Chicago Sanitary Ship Canal to kill off invasive Asian carp while maintenance is performed on an electrical barrier intended to keep the fish out of Lake Michigan. The Lake’s ecosystem is already irreparably damaged by invasive species making the introduction of these new invasive fish a dire threat to the entire Great Lakes system. The fish can grow to 100 pounds in size and out-compete native species in an ecosystem. http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/40778 A new report, America’s Hottest Species, highlights a variety of American wildlife that is currently threatened by climate change from a small bird to a coral reef to the world’s largest marine turtle. http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/40772 Antarctica has been protected from the most damaging effects of climate change by the impact of one of the worst environmental disasters of the 20th century, the hole in the ozone layer, research published today revealed. However, the study has also found that increased melting of some parts of the ice cap around the south pole will cause sea levels to rise much higher than previously expected. http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/40771 The US Forest Service may be moving in a new direction. US Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell told his regional offices and station directors that "responding to the challenges of climate change in providing water and water-related ecosystem services is one of the most urgent tasks facing us as an agency. History will judge us by how well we respond to these challenges." http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/40770 An important report from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) shows things aren’t always what they seem to be, and that our knowledge of our complex Earth is not a good as we thought. Sometimes problems are not what they seem to be, and sometimes a problem in one sense carries unknown benefits in other senses. The BAS is a global leader in studying the Antarctic, and it has recently published the first comprehensive review of the state of Antarctica’s climate and its relationship to the global climate system. The review — Antarctic Climate Change and the Environment — presents the latest research from the icy continent, identifies areas for future scientific research, and addresses the urgent questions that policy makers have about Antarctic melting, sea-level rise and biodiversity. http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/40767 A controversial Mars meteorite is once again in the spotlight as scientists use a new kind of analysis on the rock. The study is reminiscent of initial research, published in 1996, suggesting that tiny iron sulfide and iron oxide grains in the meteorite had biological origins, and that tiny, worm-shaped objects in the rock could be the fossilized remains of Martian microbes. http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/40766 Popular thinking about how to improve food systems for the better often misses the point, according to the results of a three-year global study of salmon production systems. Rather than pushing for organic or land-based production, or worrying about simple metrics such as "food miles," the study finds that the world can achieve greater environmental benefits by focusing on improvements to key aspects of production and distribution. http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/40749 The oceans are by far the largest carbon sink in the world. Some 93 percent of carbon dioxide is stored in algae, vegetation, and coral under the sea. But oceans are not able to absorb all of the carbon dioxide released from the burning of fossil fuels. In fact, a recent study suggests that the oceans have absorbed a smaller proportion of fossil-fuel emissions, nearly 10 percent less, since 2000. http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/40741 East Antarctica's ice started to melt faster from 2006, which could cause sea levels to rise sooner than anticipated, according to a study by scientists at the University of Texas. In the study published in Nature's Geoscience journal, scientists estimated that East Antarctica has been losing ice mass at an average rate of 5 to 109 gigatonnes per year from April 2002 to January 2009, but the rate speeded up from 2006. http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/40740 Sixty-five world leaders have confirmed they will attend a U.N. conference in Copenhagen in December that will try to clinch a new global climate deal, and many more are considering, Danish officials said on Sunday. http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/40739 There are signs Asian carp may have breached barriers designed to keep the prolific fish out of the Great Lakes, which could spell ecological disaster for the vital source of fresh water, authorities said on Friday. Concentrations of DNA discovered by Notre Dame University researchers may indicate the presence of bighead and silver carp upstream from two electrical barriers designed to bottle up the invasive fish. http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/40735 Conservationists searching for one of the world's most endangered crocodile species say they have found dozens of the reptiles lounging in plain sight at Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Center in Cambodia. http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/40734 Melting of the Arctic sea ice due to global warming is diluting surface waters and this is endangering some species of shellfish which need minerals in the water to form their shells and skeletons, scientists have found. In a paper published in Science, they warned that this has serious implications for ecosystems in the Arctic. http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/40732 It's not just ruthless whaling and foolhardy fishing practices that are plaguing the world's oceans. Underwater, things are bad all over — from the acidifying Atlantic to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. A perfect storm of climate change, pollution, and rapacious global fishing practices has the potential to gravely imperil Earth's oceans and their intricate, highly sensitive ecosystems. http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/40730 The UK-based the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC), in working with the U.N., recently hosted 200 representatives from nine major world religions spanning over 60 different religious organizations. Baha’i, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jews, Muslims, Shintoists, Taoists and Sikhs all gathered at London’s Windsor Castle with a united environmental agenda. In an era of increasing religious divide, a once little thought of topic known as “the environment”� was able to bring together ancient faith groups to discuss a modern solution. And with Islam at the forefront of today’s news, Muslim leaders proved Islam’s ability to adapt and meet new needs. http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/40729 A University of Montreal entomologist is investigating a type of wasp (Dinocampus coccinellae) present in Quebec that forces ladybugs (Coccinella maculata) to carry their larvae. These wasps lay their eggs on the ladybug's body, a common practice in the insect world, yet they don't kill their host. http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/40722 For the past year, President Bharrat Jagdeo of Guyana has traveled the world offering to place his nation's forests under international supervision if other countries paid his citizens not to deforest the tropical landscapes. The campaign received major support last week when Norway announced a $30 million commitment for the small South American nation to implement an "avoided deforestation" plan. http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/40718 On one of the Galapagos islands whose finches shaped the theories of a young Charles Darwin, biologists have witnessed that elusive moment when a single species splits in two.