Archive for April, 2009

  • Carbon neutrality in Key West’s future?

    Key West Mayor Morgan McPherson hopes to make Key West a carbon-neutral destination, create a new industry on the island and reach out to Cuba to work together on ocean conservation, all in one fell swoop. More

  • Biologists Call on Obama Administration to Overturn Bush Rules That Cut Science Out of Endangered Species Decisions

    WASHINGTON - April 27 - More than 1,300 federal and independent scientists with biological expertise and three leading scientific societies today called on the Interior and Commerce departments to overturn rule changes made in January that weaken the scientific foundation of the Endangered Species Act. In a letter, the scientists urged the department secretaries to rescind changes to Endangered Species Act regulations that allow federal agencies to decide for themselves if their own projects -- such as roads, dams and mines -- would threaten imperiled species. Previously, federal agencies were required to consult with biologists at the U.S. Fish and

  • Friday Cocktail: The Conflagration: Splash the G-Word, 1 Shot of Rainforest, Light My Fire & Pass the Ganga

    As Steve Allen said: Do not allow children to mix drinks. It is unseemly and they use too much vermouth. Round 1: The G-word punched through the media membrane this week. Geoengineering. Big word for the headlines. Uttered by none other than John Holdren, Obama's chief scientific adviser. He was referring to the possibility that we might be well advised to at least talk about some potential solutions to climate change that involve mitigating the shitstorm coming our way. You'd think he'd just come out in favor of pedophilia. Pour that man a drink. He's going to need

  • Reserves found to be ‘effective tool’ for reducing fires in Brazilian rainforests

    DURHAM, NC – Rainforest reserves – even those disturbed by roads – provide an important buffer against fires that are devastating parts of the Brazilian Amazon, according to a new study by a trio of researchers at Duke University published April 8 in the open-access, peer-reviewed journal PLoS ONE. "Our findings show that reserves are making a difference even when they are crossed by roads," said lead author, Marion Adeney, a PhD candidate at Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment. "We already knew, from previous studies, that there were generally fewer fires inside reserves than outside – what we didn't