environmental damage

How to build crops that can beat aluminum's toxic effects

harminka — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 12:31:09 -0500

Researchers may have found the key to engineering plants capable of thriving in environments laden with toxic aluminum, according to a report published online on October 2nd in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication.

Green firms rewarded by financial markets

harminka — Fri, 30 May 2008 06:46:19 -0500

When a company improves its environmental performance, it is common to think that the accompanying economic improvements are based on the company’s more efficient use of resources. However, a new study appearing in Strategic Management Journal reveals that financial markets reward firms for going green because those firms are seen as less risky.

Some biofuels might do more harm than good to the environment

harminka — Tue, 27 May 2008 14:05:51 -0500

Biofuels based on ethanol, vegetable oil and other renewable sources are increasingly popular with government and environmentalists as a way to reduce fossil fuel dependence and limit greenhouse gas emissions.

Lake Van in Turkey May Disappera In Decade

admin_huliq — Thu, 15 May 2008 09:37:18 -0500

Scientists in Turkey have warned that Lake Van in the southeastern part of the country will disappear in the next 10-15 years if no radical measures are applied to save it. Lake Van is regarded the fifth biggest lake in Europe.

Mining Resumes in Goa Despite Opposition From Environmentalists

seher — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 10:19:01 -0600

Mining, along with tourism, forms the economic backbone of India's seaside state of Goa. Environmental concerns recently halted much of the iron ore extraction, but the way has been now cleared for resumption of mining, in a way that is supposed to be environmentally friendly. VOA's Steve Herman reports from Goa.

New study assesses ecological costs of human activities

harminka — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 06:06:32 -0600

The environmental damage caused by rich nations disproportionately impacts poor nations and costs them more than their combined foreign debt, according to a first-ever global accounting of the dollar costs of countries' ecological footprints.

Disguising environmental harm eases only our conscience

harminka — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 01:49:37 -0600

We can disguise environmentally harmful practices and dress them up in words to help ease our consciences, argues Albert Bandura of the Department of Psychology at Stanford University, but such practices will have a negative impact on the planet and the quality of life of future generations, no matter how we label them.

Indonesia's corals threatened by climate change

Dinka — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 12:03:39 -0600

It is a country with some of the world's richest coral reefs, but scientists fear many of Indonesia's psychedelic reefs, already significantly damaged by blast fishing and pollution, now face an even graver threat: global warming.

Government plan to revive “Dead Zone” in Gulf of Mexico could backfire

harminka — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 10:39:31 -0600

The potential revision to the government’s approach for rejuvenating a huge “Dead Zone” in the Gulf of Mexico is potentially dangerous and should be reconsidered, scientists in Michigan are reporting in a study scheduled for the Dec. 1 issue of ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology, a semi-monthly journal.

Gaia guru urges ocean pipes climate fix

Dinka — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 04:37:55 -0500

The scientist behind the Gaia theory wants a series of giant pipes in the oceans to mix surface and deeper water as an emergency fix for the Earth's damaged climate system.

Asia Struggles to Balance Economic Needs Against Environmental Damage

Dinka — Sun, 06 May 2007 10:24:17 -0500

Japan is devoting a sizable sum of money to making Asia's use of energy more earth-friendly. Tokyo's announcement came at the meeting of the Asia Development Bank in the Japanese city of Kyoto, where bank officials and government leaders are struggling to strike a balance between the need for strong economic growth and the devastating environmental effects of fossil fuel consumption.

Dutch consider tough criteria for importing sustainable biofuels

Dinka — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 11:58:50 -0500

It's the new climate change dilemma: finding alternatives for oil and gas without doing more harm than good. In the rush to develop biofuels, forests are burned in Asia to clear land for palm oil, and swaths of the Amazon are stripped of diverse vegetation for soya and sugar plantations for ethanol.