Environmental News Network

Sea Ice Melt Could Thaw Permafrost, Too
Scientists tracking a dramatic shrinkage in Arctic sea ice over the past few years have come to a worrisome conclusion: If the trend continues, it could speed up the melting of Arctic permafrost as well. The environmental consequences of such a development are uncertain, but they could spell trouble for plants, animals, and humans in those regions that depend on solid ground underfoot. >> Read the Full Article
Environmental Change Re-Draws Atlas of Africa
Johannesburg/Nairobi/London, 10 June 2008-Africa's rapidly changing environmental landscape, from the disappearance of glaciers in Uganda's Rwenzori Mountains to the loss of Cape Town's unique "fynbos" vegetation, is presented today to the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment(AMCEN). >> Read the Full Article
Forging African Strategies on Climate Change Adaptation
Africa, the continent most vulnerable to climate change, contributes little to global greenhouse gas emissions. How will the vulnerable populations, sectors and regions cope with the consequences of climate change? African environment ministers are poised to take action, what should they do? >> Read the Full Article
Report confirms drilling, not earthquake, caused Java mud volcano
A mud volcano which has caused millions of dollars worth of damage was caused by the drilling of a gas exploration well, an international team of scientists has concluded. The two-year old mud volcano, Lusi, is still spewing huge volumes of mud and has displaced more than 30,000 people. >> Read the Full Article
All-Consuming Question: Is Population or Human Behavior the Problem?
Talking to reporters and others about my new book, More: Population, Nature, and What Women, I'm sometimes asked where consumption fits into the population picture. A review in the intriguingly named magazine Bitch, for example, criticized the book for "failing to adequately distinguish between the individuals who are overpopulating the world and the individuals who are responsible for the type of overconsumption that causes environmental deterioration." >> Read the Full Article
Why Are Rising Sea Levels a Threat?
Recent NASA photos showed the opening of the Northwest Passage and that a third of the Arcticâ€™s sea ice has melted in recent. Are sea levels already starting to rise accordingly, and if so what effects is this having? >> Read the Full Article
China's shoreline waters seriously polluted: expert
Vast stretches of China's coastal waters are seriously polluted, and the country's coastal wetlands and mangrove forests are vanishing, Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday, citing a marine specialist. Luan Weixin, a professor at the Economics and Management College at Dalian Maritime University, said 50 percent of inland coastal wetlands had disappeared because of excessive reclamation and 80 percent of coral reefs and mangrove forests had been destroyed over the past 50 years. >> Read the Full Article
Take biofuel crops off the land and grow them at sea
The environmental and social costs of producing biofuels on land can be avoided by farming seaweed, says Ricardo Radulovich. The dream of tackling climate change with biofuels has been tarnished by the rush to produce them on land. >> Read the Full Article
Climate Costs
BONN, Germany (Reuters) - Climate change presents a tough choice for governments determined both to fight global warming and tackle the rising cost of living. Climate measures inflate energy costs by putting a price on burning fossil fuels and also stoke food bills by using farmland and crops to produce renewable fuels. >> Read the Full Article
Endangered Pacific islet facing mass relocation
World Environment Day is an opportunity for a diverse spread of countries, companies and communities to look at their environmental problems and try to find some solutions. But for the tiny Pacific nation of Kiribati, the environmental outlook is so grim the President, Anote Tong, has issued an appeal for Australia and other countries for help. >> Read the Full Article