ENN rounds up the most important and compelling environmental news stories of the week. In the news March 12th - 16th: The biofuels boom, species theories challenged, Cancun vs. nature, rampaging camels, and much more.
Top Ten Articles of the Week
In the news March 12th - 16th: The biofuels boom, species theories challenged, Cancun vs. nature, rampaging camels, and much more.
1. Biofuels Boom Raises Tough Questions
America is drunk on ethanol. Farmers in the Midwest are sending billions of bushels of corn to refineries that turn it into billions of gallons of fuel. Automakers in Detroit have already built millions of cars, trucks and SUVs that can run on it, and are committed to making millions more. In Washington, politicians have approved generous subsidies for companies that make ethanol.
2. Study Challenges Theories on Species
More species develop in warm, tropical climates or cooler, temperate areas? It turns out the longtime answer -- the tropics -- may be wrong. True, more different types of animals exist there than in places farther from the equator. New research suggests that is because tropical species do not die out as readily.
3. Court Ices Arizona Resort's Use of Snow from Sewage on Sacred Mountain
Using treated wastewater to make snow on a mountain sacred to American Indians in order to allow expansion at an Arizona ski resort would violate the tribes' religious freedom, a federal appeals court ruled. The tribes claimed the plans would have violated their religious freedom and that the government did not adequately address the impact of wastewater on the environment.
4. European Politics Turn Green, But How Much Is Hot Air?
British opposition leader David Cameron rides a bike to work. German Chancellor Angela Merkel switches to low-energy lightbulbs. Pro-business French presidential candidate Nicolas Sarkozy promises to double taxes on polluters. Around Europe, politicians are vying to establish green credentials, tapping into the growing concern about climate change.
5. Cancun, Nature at War Over Beaches
Cancun and Mother Nature are at war again. Mexico spent $19 million to replace beaches washed away by Hurricane Wilma in 2005, but erosion has shrunk Cancun's sandy playground to the point where waves at high tide lap against some hotel patios.
6. Could Crazy Technology Save the Planet?
Crazy-sounding ideas for saving the planet are getting a serious look from top scientists, a sign of their fears about global warming and the desire for an insurance policy in case things get worse. How crazy? There's the man-made "volcano" that shoots gigatons of sulfur high into the air, for example.
7. Kentucky, Land of the Thoroughbred, Is Swamped with Unwanted Horses
Kentucky, the horse capital of the world, is being overrun with thousands of horses no one wants -- some of them perfectly healthy, but many of them starving, broken-down nags. Other parts of the United States are overwhelmed, too. The reason: growing opposition in the U.S. to the slaughter of horses for human consumption overseas.
8. Most of Europe and North America Have Reversed Deforestation
Most countries in Europe and North America have reversed centuries of deforestation and are showing an increase in forest area, while most developing countries, especially in tropical areas, continue to experience high rates of deforestation, a U.N. agency said Tuesday.
9. New Hampshire Towns Press Washington on Warming
Nearly 90 New Hampshire towns have passed resolutions urging Washington to act on climate change, hoping to use the state's powerful role in the presidential race to bring attention to global warming. Its citizens are uniquely positioned to influence national debate and put the issue at "the forefront of the presidential primaries and debates."
10. Thirsty Wild Camels Rampage in Aboriginal Community
Wild camels in drought-stricken Australia are in plague proportions, damaging the environment and property as they compete with native animals for food and water. Camels "mad with thirst" recently rampaged through the Western Desert Aboriginal community of Warakurna, damaging toilets, taps and air conditioners to find water.
Photo: Glaucous-winged gull chicks in their nest at the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Credit: Cline David/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
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