Masai Mara, 95% of giraffes are gone forever
by Alan Harten
Kenya is widely known for its wildlife reserves, but a study by the International Livestock Research Institute raises concern for the animals that are housed in the most famous wildlife preserve of Masai Mara National Preserve. According to the results, which studied species presence from 1989-2003, several animal populations are dramatically disappearing from Kenya, with some species such as the giraffe and warthogs showing a 95% and 65% decrease respectively. Other ...
Which? says recyclables still being dumped
by Alan HartenThere is rising concern about recyclables after the Which? Consumer group released a detailed report that claims 230,000 extra tons of contaminated recycling was placed in landfills last year instead of being processed. A contaminated recyclable is an item that is tainted such as dirty nappies, food, or other similar items. Which? claims that the cost of landfill dumping per ton is £40, costing resident tax payers over £12 million each ...
Coal power plants get go ahead with carbon capture
by Alan Harten
With a £90 million budget extension in 2009 the Government has announced that Britain will have four completed CCS (carbon capture and storage) coal burning plants constructed by 2020. The move comes accompanied by a varying degree of opposition as environmentalists protest that the CCS technology has not been entirely proven to release lower carbon emissions. There is also considerable worry that the coal plants will not properly store carbon emissions. The ...
Barrier reef coral makes surprise recovery
by Alan Harten
Scientists are surprised but pleased to announce that the sections of the Great Barrier Reef that were damaged in 2006 by bleaching are now almost virtually recovered. Generally, if a reef is able to recover, it can take over one or two decades to complete the process which is dependent on coral sexual reproduction from other healthy reefs. To see the results in three years is astounding stated Chairman Sector of ...
Flood Forecasting Centre will warn of danger
by Alan HartenResidents who are in imminent danger from incoming floods will have more warning now that the government has opened the Flood Forecasting Centre, after allotting £10 million to its creation. The Flood Forecasting Centre is the result of a recommendation made by Sir Michael Pitt following the deaths of 13 people in June and July of 2007. 44,600 homes were affected by the floods during this time period. According to Pitt, the ...
Aid agencies can’t cope with climate change disasters
by Alan Harten
Unless the world readjusts the way it handles natural disasters the amount of people who die in climate related catastrophes is expected to rise dramatically by over 50% more in the year 2015. It is estimated that over $11 billion more will be have to spent each year, compared with $14 billion spent in 2006, in order for the deaths that accompany climate related disasters to remain the same. Due ...
UK’s first carbon budget ‘inadequate’ and ‘disappointing’
by David Masters
Christian Aid said today that it is 'disappointed' with the lack of ambition shown by the government in its first ever carbon budget. The social justice charity said the government has thrown away its chance to demonstrate international leadership in the fight against climate change. "Producing the first national carbon budget in the world was a huge opportunity for the UK to prove its determination to tackle climate change and provide leadership ...
Tesco and Primark accused of profiting from poverty
by David Masters
Social justice charity, War on Want, has slammed leading British retailers Tesco and Primark for cashing in on the credit crunch by selling cheap clothes made by exploited, overseas sweatshop workers. Employees that make clothes for the two high street firms are paid as little as £13.97 per month, whilst the average workers' pay is just £19.16 per month, War on Want revealed. This is compared to the £44.82 per month that ...
Government injects big cash into bee research
by Alan Harten
Environment changes have been threatening mankind for the last several decades, but now bees and other small insects are feeling the effects of a polluted planet as well. Recent studies report that there are now 12-15% less bees in Britain than in previous years due to a medical condition known as “colony collapse disorder”. While the economic recession is on most people’s minds, the threat of adding bees to the endangered ...
Charles to slam business over green issues
by Alan Harten
Harmony, due out from Harper Collins in 2010, is a book penned by the Prince of Wales in an effort to promote the green cause. The Prince aims to upset the current mindset of the world which tends to place industry and commerce above nature, which he believes will lead to the destruction of nature and the ecosystem. According to the Prince, people tend to place their own needs above nature or ...
The world’s big rivers are drying up
by Alan Harten
The National Centre for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) is about to release a study in the May 15th issue of the Meteorological Journal of Science in America, that shows that climate change has affected the flow of some of the world’s largest rivers. According to the NCAR, over two thirds of the 925 rivers that were studied from 1948-2005 have reduced water flow as a direct result of global warming and climate ...
Endangered frog airlifted from deadly fungus
by Alan Harten
An epidemic disease spreading on the Caribbean island of Montserrat has recently threatened the already endangered frogs commonly referred to as mountain chicken frogs. These frogs, nicknamed for their chicken like taste, are currently only found in their natural environment in Montserrat and Dominica. Dominica is the first place to feel the effects of the rampant disease, chytrid fungus, as it has battled the fungi since 2002. It is only ...
Africa needs £183bn per year to fight climate change
by David Masters
Countries in the majority world will need at least $267 billion (£183 billion) a year to fight climate change and adapt to rising seas, flooding, droughts, and heat waves, according to a new report by 50 African nations. The figure is more than double the development aid currently given by rich world countries, although the African Group, who authored the report, point out that it is just 0.5% of the gross ...
Energy firms the worst for inaccurate bills
by David Masters
More than nine million UK households have been sent at least one incorrect energy bill in the past two years, new research by uSwitch.com has discovered. The price comparison site found that energy suppliers are the worst culprits for supplying incorrect bills, ahead of the Inland Revenue, local councils, and mobile phone companies. Six million households have been sent incorrect energy bills on more than one occasion, whilst 42% of those polled ...
Forests threaten to defect in battle against climate change
by David Masters
Forests could start producing carbon dioxide rather than absorbing the global warming gas because of the rising temperatures caused by climate change. A study by the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) found that forests could belt out swathes of carbon dioxide if global temperatures rise 2.5C above pre-industrial levels. Forests currently absorb around 25% of global carbon emissions, helping to regulate the temperature of the earth's atmosphere However, if global warming ...
Wildlife reserve residents foaming about pollution
by Alan Harten
Fish, duck and other wildlife have been found dead at a massive pollution site outside Manchester. The source has been isolated, and is an outflow pipe from a detergent factory near Middleton on the River Irk. Environment Agency inspectors have ensured that the outflow from the pipe is now diverted into a containment vehicle and are satisfied that no more detergent pollution will enter the waterway, and a permanent block will soon ...
Barack calls for fast track on rail
by Alan Harten
US President Barack Obama today announced his intention to create high speed rail systems for the nation’s ten most congested transport corridors. Acknowledging that the nation’s transport system had aged and needed upgrading, yhe President stated that the new transport infrastructure would ease congestion that cost the country $80 billion in lost productivity. In line with several other national leaders, Obama has decreed that the global economic downturn can be transformed into ...
Nuclear power, coming to a neighbourhood near you?
by Alan Harten
The government today released a list of prospective sites for the development of new nuclear power stations. Spread across England and Wales, the eleven sites under consideration are Hartlepool, Heysham, Dungerness, Hinkley Point, Kirksanton, Braystones, Wylfa Peninsula on Anglesey, Sellafield, Bradwell and Oldbury. Interestingly, all but two of these sites currently have nuclear power plants, or have had them at some time in the past. The site assessment obviously placed value ...
Birds facing impossibly longer migratory trek
by Alan Harten
The trials and challenges facing migratory birds are highlighted by the famous Monty Python Holy Grail skit about crossing the Bridge of Death, but this was made at a time when the migration habits of birds were so reliable that Monty Python could make a joke out of it. However the ravages of climate changes are no laughing matter. Recent investigations have concluded that the annual journey north for some species ...
David Attenborough wants lower population growth
by Alan Harten
The man who has dedicated his life to the beauty of the world has become the patron to a group dedicated to reducing the growth of the human population. The iconic champion of the natural world believes that the greatest threat to wildlife is man himself and that the population explosion will have devastating effects on nature and all of its splendour. The Optimum Population Trust believes that both governments and “green” ...