Some of the more interesting environmental stories from the nation and the world. For news with a more local focus, visit our BEAT News page, or subscribe to our weekly e-newsletter, the BEAT News. Links open in a new window so that you can easily return to this page.
March set many heat records in the U.S., but globally it wasn’t a record setter. (4/17)
After sometimes violent demonstrations, tunnel through Italian Alps for high-speed rail may become a reality. (4/17)
Group plans a cross country-trip in an electric car. (4/12)
Warm, dry spring gets fire season off to an early start. (4/12)
New rule from FDA says farmers now need a prescription to get antibiotics for livestock. The intent is to slow the indiscriminate use of antibiotics. (4/12)
Officials in Maryland are offering bounties on the northern snakehead. (4/12)
Researchers are trying to find out why some polar bears are developing lesions and losing their fur and whether the problem is related to seal deaths. (4/12)
Much of the waste from Pennsylvania’s natural gas drilling is shipped to Ohio and pumped underground where it is suspected of causing earthquakes. (4/12)
Canadian government says nation’s greenhouse gas emissions unchanged from a year ago. (4/12)
Indonesia quake passes without major tsunami. (4/12)
Earlier studies saying pigeons navigate with the aid of magnetic particles in their beaks may have been wrong. (4/12)
Collapse of commercial oyster farm in Oregon linked to ocean acidification. (4/12)
New analysis says an effective way to limit the use of coal is to buy coal deposits in third world countries. (4/12)
The hunt for new oil and gas reserves is focusing on Africa. (4/11)
Illegal logging is booming in the Peruvian Amazon. Much of the wood goes to the U.S. (4/11)
NASA makes available a fascinating video of worldwide ocean currents. (4/11)
The Dead Sea is drying up, but it’s not the first time. (4/11)
March was warmest March on record. January to March was the warmest first quarter on record. (4/10)
Early spring has a downside for farmers. (See also here.) (4/10)
White-nose fungus that is killing bats came from Europe relatively recently. (4/10)
Marketing of a new, genetically altered pig halted in Canada. (4/5)
Starting on Earth Day, Whole Foods will no longer sell overfished species. (4/5)
Slow lorises being sold openly and illegally in Indonesia for pet trade. (4/5)
Atmospheric aerosols linked to multidecadal temperature oscillations in the North Atlantic and to global weather events. (4/5)
Autism rates rise again, hitting new highs. (4/5)
Gas flare on North Sea oil rig extinguished, reducing the fear of explosion. (4/3)
As sea ice melts, zoos move to keep more polar bears in captivity to preserve the gene pool. (4/3)
U.S. approves 20 firms to make higher-blend E15 ethanol biofuel (15% ethanol). (4/3)
New report on the spread of radiation from Fukushima into the ocean. (4/3)
Puberty before age 10 is the new normal. Contributing factors include estrogens and estrogen mimics in the environment. (4/2)
Oil scare has FedEx looking for new ways to increase fuel efficiency. They’re looking at hybrid and electric vehicles, biofuels, and natural gas. (4/2)
U.S. opts not to ban BPA in canned foods. (4/2)
Temperature records going back more than a century indicate that the deep ocean is also experiencing temperature rise. (4/2)
Some coral could be better able to cope with ocean acidification than previously thought. (4/2)
Task force recommends that to protect the food web, we should cut in half the global catch of small prey species of fish such as anchovies, herring, and menhaden. (4/2)
Experts say it may take six months to fix the gas leak that has led to the evacuation of a North Sea oil rig. An explosion is feared. (3/30)
Emerging fungal infection in desert regions of the U.S. mimics cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, and diverticulitis. (3/30)
UN says 15 million people are facing food shortages in the Sahel region of North Africa due to war and a worsening drought. (3/30)
Bees that survive pesticide exposure have trouble reproducing. (3/30)
Fighting mosquitoes by attacking their breeding grounds has benefits over fighting mosquitoes by spraying them and us. (3/30))
Increasing water scarcity in California is interfering with regional ecosystem management and restoration plans. (3/30)
Fires are burning in a Sumatran preserve recently granted to palm-oil plantation developers. The area is home to a dense population of orangutans. (3/28)
NASA image shows decline in arctic sea ice. (3/28)
New EPA emissions standards for new coal-fired power plants effectively puts an end to any new construction. (3/28)
Ice shelves in West Antarctic are losing their grip on adjacent ice walls. May soon be unable to hold back upstream ice. (3/28)
Species of frog not seen since 1949 and feared extinct found in Burundi. (3/28)
Dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico are in serious trouble. Problems are likely a result of the BP oil spill. (3/27)
North Sea oil rig evacuated after gas leak. (3/27)
Only 1 of Japan’s 54 nuclear plants is currently operating. (3/27)
Earth warming faster than reported in most recent IPCC report. (3/27)
Obama administration plans to propose first nationwide standards for CO2 emissions from new power plants. (3/27)
Despite their economic crisis, the European Union (EU) is leading the way when it comes to climate issues. (3/27)
Exxon Valdez, renamed the Oriental Nicety, heads for the scrap yard. (3/27)
New report links fracking with increased acute and chronic health risks, including cancer. (3/27)
Study shows that oil from Gulf spill is affecting deep-ocean corals. Magnitude of spill sends oil where other spills haven’t. (3/27)
More than 130 people arrested at office of Vermont Yankee nuclear plant on its first day of operation after expiration of its license to operate. (3/23)
White House says President Obama will order fast-track permitting of XL Pipeline’s southern section today. (3/22)
World Bank says fighting illegal logging needs to be a high priority. (3/22)
Supreme Court ruling allows land owners to challenge EPA decisions earlier in the process. (3/22)
Venice is still sinking and sea levels are still rising. Frequency of flooding is also rising. (3/22)
Decline in monarch butterfly population continues. (3/22)
AP study finds that more U.S. drilling is not correlated with lower gas prices. (3/22)
Decline of monarch butterflies linked to genetically modified crops, increased use of Roundup, and decline of milkweed plants. (3/21)
Deforestation of Congo rainforest has increased sharply since 1990. (3/21)
Study shows that oil from BP’s Gulf oil spill made it into the food chain through zooplankton. (3/21)
New crystalline compound is able to capture nuclear ions. Shows promise for nuclear clean-ups. (3/21)
Trees across the northeast are flowering early in response to unusually warm March. (3/20)
As much of the country enjoys an early spring, Arizona is under a winter storm warning. (3/19)
Chevron executives barred from leaving Brazil as criminal charges are filed in an environmental law suit. (3/19)
Scientists predict the boom-and-bust cycle of acorns and white-footed mice will lead to an increase in Lyme Disease this year. (3/19)
Carbon map for tropical forests released online. (3/19)
Startup company looks to recycle plastic into oil. (3/19)
Federal Appeals Court rejects suit brought by conservation groups and allows wolf hunts in northern Rockies. (3/16)
One of the worst poaching massacres in decades. Poachers from Sudan and Chad kill half the elephants in a Camaroon national park in order to raise money for weapons. (3/16)
Pet trade in rare and endangered species is threatening Jamaica’s wildlife. (3/16)
South Africa to introduce carbon tax. (3/16)
Scientists say proposed palm-oil plantation, surrounded by conservation land, will destroy Cameroon rainforest, imperil endangered species, and create discord in local communities. (3/16)
Study shows that rising sea level is a growing threat to coastal U.S. (3/15)
Three U.S. retailers pledge not to offer Chilean sea bass (a.k.a. Antarctic toothfish) or other fish from Antarctica’s Ross Sea. (see also) (3/15)
Plant used medicinally in the Peruvian Amazon may become a fully natural alternative to current dental anesthetics. (3/15)
Corn insecticide linked to springtime die-off of honeybees. (3/15)
North Dakota shale-oil operation is visible from space. (3/14)
New species of frog found in New York City. (3/14)
Farming communities in California face drinking-water crisis caused by nitrate pollution. (3/13)
Scientists are studying the effects of climate change and of the omega-3 dietary supplement trade on krill populations. (3/13)
Group plans to build underground eco-park under New York City’s Lower East Side. (3/13)
New study says Canadian tarsands operations will destroy almost 75,000 acres of peatlands. Previous carbon-emissions estimates are low. (3/13)
Ohio’s Department of Natural Resources says earthquakes in that state were caused by fracking. (3/12)
http://thebeatnews.org/thoughts/2011/07/15/where-are-our-priorities/
