In The News

World Agriculture Suffers From Loss of Wild Bees

March 18, 2013
Wild bees are better at fertilizing plants than bees managed by humans, and their falling numbers are hurting global agriculture, according to a study in the journal Science, reported on by Health24. Wild bees live in edge habitats, borders between grasslands and forests, which are increasingly targeted by development. The Canadian researchers examined 41 crop systems. “Paradoxically, most...

UK Seabed Resources Joins Deep-Ocean Mineral-Mining Rush

David Shukman March 15, 2013
Technology, including robotics, is allowing more mining firms to explore the ocean floor for oil and minerals, as “surveys have revealed huge numbers of so-called nodules – small lumps of rock rich in valuable metals – lying on the ocean floor south of Hawaii and west of Mexico,” reports David Shukman for BBC News. Another method involves removing material near hydrothermal vents....

Weaning From Fossil Fuels and Growing a Green Economy

Dennis Posadas March 8, 2013
Innovation in renewable energies is taking many directions, though implementation of best practices and policies is naturally slow to follow. It may be unrealistic to expect a global treaty on climate before innovation plays out. “Worldwide implementation may require getting comfortable with many different culturally appropriate approaches,” writes Dennis Posadas, author and fellow of the Climate...

As Sea Ice Melts, Storm Surges Batter Arctic Coasts

Becky Oskin March 7, 2013
As the climate warms and changes, scientists learn more about the planet’s the intricate connections. Rising temperatures not only deliver harsher storms and melt sea ice – the loss of thick sea ice eliminates an obstacle that once slowed Arctic storms, and analysts predict new speed and power behind storm surges and ocean flooding. In turn, rising saltwater is killing off vegetation that...

The Coal Monster: Pollution Forces Chinese Leaders to Act

Bernhard Zand March 7, 2013
Under a haze of smog, China’s economic successes seem less amazing. Bernhard Zand describes acid, bleach, smoke, sulfur, soot and pollutants that assault the senses in China’s cities. “Chinese bloggers are on a rampage, and even the most loyal government newspapers are examining every aspect of the crisis and attacking those responsible for conditions in China with unprecedented ferocity,” Zand...

The World Wants Vancouverism – Shouldn’t Canada?

Doug Saunders March 5, 2013
The city of Vancouver touts its diversity, green initiatives, parks and mass transit and remains a popular destination for immigrants, who account for 40 percent of the metropolitan population. Vancouver has managed fast-growing urbanization with good planning that includes eliminating vast parking lots. “Vancouver has been remade dramatically, rendered into a thickly vertical city jammed with...

Wildlife at the Mercy of International Trade Politics

March 5, 2013
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species regulates trade on endangered wildlife – so far 5000 animals and 29,000 plants. The parties meet about every three years, and at this year’s meeting in Bangkok, the US will propose a ban on trade in polar bears and their parts – a proposal opposed by ally Canada and supported by Russia. The US will also present a joint proposal with...