ENN rounds up the most important and compelling environmental news stories of the week. In the news January 29th - February 2nd: A disturbing climate change report, the state of our oceans, air pollution and women's health, eco-friendly fabrics, and much more.
Top Ten Articles of the Week
In the news January 29th - February 2nd:
1. Climate Report Spurs Immediate Calls for Drastic, Speedy Change
The bleak outlook of a major new report on climate change shifted the onus onto governments, even mankind, to stop prevaricating and truly act, with warnings Friday from around the world that drastic, rapid change is needed -- not least from the United States.
2. U.S. Gets a C- on Protecting Oceans
The United States made modest progress on protecting its oceans last year, but still needs to boost funding for desperately needed reforms, a commission on ocean policy said Tuesday. Overall, the U.S. earned a "C-" grade from the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative, a collaboration between the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy and the privately funded Pew Oceans Commission.
3. Study Says Polluting Particles in Air Hurt Women's Hearts
The fine grit in polluted air raises the risk of heart disease in older women much more powerfully than scientists realized, a big U.S.-funded study has found, raising questions of whether U.S. environmental standards are strict enough.
4. Lawmaker Moves Into Solar-Powered House
Senator Frank Wagner is staying warm at his temporary address, even in below-freezing weather and without a traditional power supply or fireplace. The Virginia Beach Republican, a proponent of alternative energy sources, is living for a week outside the Science Museum of Virginia in a solar-powered house designed and built by Virginia Tech students. He moved in Wednesday.
5. Brazilian Fashion Houses Eye Eco-Friendly Fabrics
For young Brazilians worrying about the latest fashions, the dangers of polluting rivers and oceans with billions of plastic bottles and tons of pesticides may seem a distant concern. But new technology that makes clothing from the polyester fibers from recycled bottles and organic cotton grown without pesticides may prove that being environmentally conscious and staying hip can walk hand-in-hand.
6. Polar Bears Put Alaska Oil Development on Thin Ice
Until now, the Alaskan oil industry and polar bears have coexisted peacefully, but proposals by the U.S. government to list polar bears as endangered by global warming have cast a shadow on oil development on Alaska's North Slope. A "threatened" listing for the struggling bears, proposed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, could bring new regulatory hurdles for future exploration and drilling, industry advocates say.
7. Washington Lawmakers Considering Legislation for Biofuels Production Incentives
Plenty of farmers and others in Washington state love the idea of growing crops to make clean-burning vehicle fuels to cut pollution and the nation's reliance on foreign oil. The trick is to make producing "biodiesel" profitable. Now, the state Legislature is considering a bill that would provide incentives to increase the production and use of alternative fuel in the state.
8. U.S. Proposes More Bison, Elk Hunting in Wyoming
More than half of the bison in one of the largest wild herds in the United States of the iconic animals would be killed by hunters under a plan unveiled Thursday by federal wildlife officials. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials said reducing the bison population in the National Elk Refuge in Wyoming to 500 from 1,100 is necessary because of overgrazing and because many carry brucellosis, a disease that can spread to cattle.
9. U.S. Plans to Remove Gray Wolves from Endangered List
Once hunted to near extinction, gray wolves in the western Great Lakes region and the northern Rocky Mountains have rebounded so successfully they no longer need federal protection, officials said. The Interior Department said Monday it would remove about 4,000 wolves in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin from the endangered and threatened species list in about a month.
10. Trees Take on Greenhouse Gases at Super Bowl
It's red mangrove trees versus greenhouse gases at the Super Bowl in Miami Sunday. The National Football League is hoping to tackle the game's heat-trapping gas emissions by planting 3,000 mangroves and other trees native to Florida, but the plan could be more of an incomplete pass than a touchdown when it comes to global warming, experts said.
Photo: An orca near Ross Island. The largest of the dolphins, orcas can grow to nearly 10 meters in length and weigh up to seven tons. Photo credit: Joe Stanford/National Science Foundation/U.S. Antarctic Program.
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