In The News

7-Square-Mile Ice Sheet Breaks Loose in Canada

August 1, 2008
A seven mile long Canadian ice sheet has broken off an ice shelf in the Arctic, which is the largest piece shed by one of Canada's ice shelves since the Ayles shelf broke loose in 2005 from the coast of Ellesmere. Ice shelves, formed by snow and freezing water, are large platforms of thick, ancient sea ice that float on the ocean's surface. Research suggests that the current Arctic...

Beijing Olympics: Emergency Anti-Smog Plan Announced for “Greyjing”

Jonathan Watts July 28, 2008
A choking haze smothers the host city for the Olympics and China is taking drastic new steps to eliminate the smog before the games begin. The city has already removed more than a million cars from its streets and closed hundreds of factories, reports Jonathan Watts from Beijing. Sporting organizers express concern about the pollution’s effect on the health and capabilities of athletes...

California Adopts Stiff Pollution Rules for Ships

Margot Roosevelt July 25, 2008
Almost half of all freight headed to the US passes through California, and starting in 2009, large ships operating within 24 nautical miles of the state’s coast will be required to burn a special low-sulfur diesel rather than cheaper fuels. The ruling applies to container ships, oil tankers and cruise ships. “Because prevailing winds blow from west to east in California, ship exhaust accounts for...

Parallel Universe

Nayan Chanda July 22, 2008
At the Tallberg Forum in late June, it became apparent that politicians and scientists are often on different wavelengths. Scientists accept with much certainty that the Arctic ice sheet is melting and that temperatures are rising. Others worry about the increasing amounts of fossil fuels being emitted into the atmosphere. Scientists recognize that the current situation will lead to droughts,...

McCain, Obama and Hot Air

Bjorn Lomborg July 17, 2008
Both John McCain and Barack Obama have focused their climate-change policies on efforts to reduce carbon emissions. The controversial Bjorn Lomborg, however, argues that reducing carbon emissions will cause great harm to the world economy while doing little to stop global warming. Instead, Lomborg proposes increasing investments in alternative energy until carbon emissions can be replaced, and...

More Pressure on Global Fish Stocks as Scientists Warn of Underreporting of Catches

Tim Radford July 17, 2008
Scientists have long known that global fish stocks were in trouble. Countries overfish and deplete stocks without thought to long-term consequences and population collapses. Researchers from the Sea Around Us, an international research group based at the University of British Columbia, visited 20 locations, talked to locals and estimated the amount of fish that were caught. They reached the...

Time to Cut the Knot

July 9, 2008
Ideally, the US would possess its own energy sources, thus ensuring energy independence and stability. Unfortunately, a dependence on fossil fuels leads to drilling around pristine beaches and using technologies that exacerbate global warming. During a presidential- election year, politicians are less willing to take a firm stance on environmental protection – and pursue any short-term measures...