Earth, Environment & Endangered Species 02 (Apr 11 - Sep 15)

[winston]

'Natural causes' blamed for Peru dolphin deaths

Nearly 900 dolphins that washed up along Peru's northern coast since the start of the year died of natural causes, a top official said Tuesday, citing a government report.

Environmental groups, however, remained unconvinced and said they were certain the massive dolphin die-off was linked to offshore oil exploration in the area.

http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?a ... &buid=3281

[winston]

WT Fish ?

Titanium Dioxide

Nearly everywhere. And soon, it might be, literally, everywhere. Or, at least, OVER everywhere.

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a chemical that has one outstanding quality. It reflects light like a champ. That's why it's used worldwide as a white pigment. It's used in paint and tattoos. It's used in soap and cosmetics. It's used in contact lens solution and food coloring.

And, as you can imagine, it's used in thousands of sunscreen products.

In fact, TiO2 might soon become the ultimate sunscreen.

A scientific team has devised a plan to address global warming. They want to pump millions of pounds of titanium dioxide into the atmosphere to reflect some of the sun's rays back into space.

I would ask (yes, sarcastically), "What could possibly go wrong with that plan?" But I've got a feeling we might find out the hard way.


Source: HSI

[iam802]

OWL LANDING RIGHT AT CAMERA (1000 frames per second)

Note:
The most beautiful part is the last 2-3 seconds when the owl starts to close its wings as it lands on the camera.

http://www.dogwork.com/owfo8/

[winston]

Garbage Warrior

The epic story of radical Earthship eco architect Michael Reynolds, and his fight to build off-the-grid self-sufficient communities.


http://www.mindbendingvideos.com/garbage-warrior/

[winston]

US experts predict higher sea level rise: study

Global sea levels could rise two to three times higher over the next century than previously estimated, according to a study released Friday by the US National Research Council.

A committee of experts evaluated that latest UN estimates and updated them with new data on polar ice-cap melting that is believed to be speeding up sea level rise around the world.

By 2100, the NRC estimates that global sea levels will rise between 20-55 inches (50 and 140 centimeters).

The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's projection in 2007 had predicted a fraction of that, at seven to 23 inches (18-59 centimeters) worldwide.

Researchers said the wide range within each estimate is due to increasing uncertainty about sea level projections as they attempt to assess what may happen further and further into the future.

http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?a ... &buid=3281

[winston]

Injection Wells: The Poison Beneath Us
June 26th, 2012

Over the past several decades, U.S. industries have injected more than 30 trillion gallons of toxic liquid deep into the earth, using broad expanses of the nation’s geology as an invisible dumping ground.

No company would be allowed to pour such dangerous chemicals into the rivers or onto the soil. But until recently, scientists and environmental officials have assumed that deep layers of rock beneath the earth would safely entomb the waste for millennia.

There are growing signs they were mistaken.

Records from disparate corners of the United States show that wells drilled to bury this waste deep beneath the ground have repeatedly leaked, sending dangerous chemicals and waste gurgling to the surface or, on occasion, seeping into shallow aquifers that store a significant portion of the nation’s drinking water.


Source: Pro Publica

http://www.propublica.org/article/injec ... beneath-us

[winston]

South Korea under pressure to scrap whaling plan by Park Chan-Kyong

South Korea came under pressure Thursday from outraged governments and environmentalists to scrap plans to kill whales under a "scientific" research programme denounced as a sham.

Critics of Seoul's decision, announced Wednesday at an International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting in Panama, said so-called scientific whale catches were just an excuse for commercial whaling.

An IWC moratorium on whaling introduced in 1986 permits lethal research on whales, with the meat then allowed to be used for consumption. This loophole is already widely used by Japan.

Australia and New Zealand told their ambassadors to raise concerns with Seoul.

"I'm very disappointed by this announcement by South Korea. We are completely opposed to whaling, there's no excuse for scientific whaling," Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard told reporters.

http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?a ... &buid=3281

[winston]

SHAKE RATTLE & ROLL By Leon Watson

If you are looking for somewhere safe from an earthquake, this might help.

For this map shows the where every major quake has struck since 1898, and as you can see, the edge of the Pacific Ocean appears particularly dangerous.

In total there are a staggering 203,186 of them, dotted all over the world.


http://www.theburningplatform.com/?p=37168

[winston]

500 penguins found dead on Brazil beaches

More than 500 penguins have been found dead on beaches of Brazil's southern Rio Grande do Sul state, authorities said Friday.

http://www.france24.com/en/20120713-500 ... il-beaches

[winston]

Singapore named 'bird-laundering point'

Singapore has been named as a key laundering point for tens of thousands of illegally caught birds from the Solomon Islands, one of the world's major wildlife exporters.

Source: Jakarta Post

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012 ... point.html