8/10/2004 —
Catch Zero - What can be done as marine ecosystems face a deepening crisis? - Science News Give a man a fish, goes the Chinese proverb, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime. If he catches too many fish, however, he may leave few fish behind for his children's table. It has taken less than a generation for modern industrial-scale fishing, once it's deployed in an ocean area, to exhaust the vast majority of that area's edible bounty. These massive harvests have left behind devastated ecosystems and depleted economic opportunities. 8/4/2004 —
EPA Study Finds Mercury in Every Fish Sample from America’s Lakes: Controversial Bush Plan Would Delay Cleanup for at least 10 Years — Common Dreams WASHINGTON - August 3 - In recent U.S. EPA tests of fish caught from America’s lakes, every fish sample tested was contaminated with mercury, 55 percent contained mercury levels that exceed EPA’s “safe” limit for women of childbearing age, and 76 percent exceeded the safe limit for children under age three, according to a new Clear the Air report released today. 6/7/2004 —
Drowning in an Ocean of Plastic - Wired News The United Nations has turned its attention to the oceans for World Environment Day, and one of the main evildoers is a familiar one -- plastic. 6/2/2004 —
Biodiesel Boom Well-Timed - Wired News Biodiesel fueling stations are sprouting like weeds across America, where production of the alternative fuel rose 66 percent in 2003. Experts say the rapid growth of the renewable fuel will stretch the country's tenuous petroleum supply while helping people breathe a little easier. 5/20/2004 —
Greenpeace Cleared in U.S. Ship-Boarding Case - Common Dreams MIAMI - A U.S. judge on Wednesday acquitted environmental protection group Greenpeace on charges it conspired to break the law by sending activists aboard a freighter carrying illegally felled mahogany two years ago.
5/19/2004 —
NC court reverses decision to allow quarry near Appalachian Trail- Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. - The state Mining Commission acted within its authority in revoking a permit for a proposed quarry near the Appalachian Trail, the state Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday. 5/19/2004 —
"Ashcroft Fishes Out 1872 Law in a Bid to Scuttle Protester Rights" Justice Department might in effect be attempting to shut Greenpeace down. - Common Dreams "The matter goes to trial next week in a federal district court in Miami, and if Greenpeace loses, the organization could be fined $20,000 and placed on probation. The money's no big deal; outraged supporters would probably turn such a verdict into a fundraising bonanza. But the probation would be. The group might well be prevented from engaging in any acts of civil disobedience for years to come. If it crossed the line, the group's officers might be jailed and its assets seized. Since civil disobedience is what Greenpeace does best, the Justice Department might in effect be shutting the group down." 3/19/2004 —
Hydrogen: Less Bang for the Buck The Department of Energy says that switching from gasoline- to hydrogen-fueled cars is an important way to ensure national security by reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil. But the thought of driving a vehicle that contains a highly pressurized hydrogen tank could make some drivers uneasy.
To reduce the risk of accidentally releasing hydrogen that could ignite and cause an explosion, scientists have developed new storage systems that "sponge" up the gaseous hydrogen and store it inside metal as a solid.
3/19/2004 —
Native Species Going, Going, Gone WASHINGTON -- A steep decline in birds, butterflies and native plants in Britain supports the theory that humans are pushing the natural world into the Earth's sixth big extinction event and the future may see more and more animal species disappearing.
3/15/2004 —
Damage from Warming Becoming 'Irreversible,' Says New Report WASHINGTON -- Ten years after the ratification of a United Nations treaty on climate change, greenhouse gas emissions that lead to global warming are still on the rise, signaling a "collective failure" of the industrialized world, according to the Washington-based World Resources Institute (WRI), a leading environmental think-tank. 3/10/2004 —
Administration "Sabotaging Endangered Species Act" Defenders of Wildlife 12/3/03, December 3, 2003
WASHINGTON , DC -- The Bush administration is engaged in a systematic attempt to weaken the Endangered Species Act (ESA), engaging in a pattern of illegal acts, rigged science and flagrant disregard of court orders to undermine the law, a new report today by Defenders of Wildlife charges. Sabotaging the Endangered Species Act is the third in a series of reports from Defenders' Judicial Accountability Project, and includes analysis of more than 120 ESA cases in which administration officials influenced legal strategy and outcome of the case.
3/10/2004 —
Analysis: Endangered Species Act turns 30 BOULDER, Colo., Dec. 1 (UPI) -- President Richard Nixon signed the Endangered Species Act into law in December of 1973. In the 30 years since, it has remained both one of the most popular and one of the least popular pieces of legislation ever passed by Congress. 3/9/2004 —
For Wildlife, Migration Is Endangered Too - The New York Times - Requires Registration By Jim Robbins
Around the world, many great overland migrations have ended as more and more habitat is converted to human use. 2/14/2004 —
Two New Shows Will Bring Dr. Goodall's Message to Millions - www.janegoodall.org Discovery’s Animal Planet channel will air two specials in coming months that will introduce millions to the fascinating story of Jane Goodall and to the desperate plight of great apes today.
