It’s that time of year. Holiday decorations line the streets, days are getting short, and temperatures are falling (well, theoretically at least, it’s still been in the 50’s and 60’s here in Washington). It’s also the time to step back and reflect on what’s happened since the last time the earth was on this side […] … learn more→
Tag Archives: environment
Tropical Forests in 2012: A Year in Review
Doha is worthwhile, but real decisions are elsewhere
The irony of the world’s climate change negotiators meeting in Doha this week cannot be lost on anyone taking an interest in climate change. Qatar is hardly a model of the low carbon economy. With annual per capita carbon emissions of more than 50 tonnes, it has the highest footprint of any nation. The country’s […] … learn more→
Study maps pollution’s pathway to the Arctic, sets path for future research
It\’s been more than a decade since global leaders met in Stockholm, Sweden, to sign a treaty with the goal of eliminating persistent organic pollutants making their way into our food chain — such as harmful pesticides like DDT that nearly wiped out the American Bald Eagle. While leaders have come a long way in […] … learn more→
Why we need to forget about the environment
Calls to “protect the environment” ring out across issues as diverse as climate change, biodiversity loss, deforestation, water conservation and chemical contamination. I believe it is time to abandon this type of thinking. Time to forget about the environment and start thinking more about yourself! Your ecological self, that is. The idea of protecting the […] … learn more→
Analysis of global fire risk shows big, fast changes ahead
Climate change is widely expected to disrupt future fire patterns around the world, with some regions, such as the western United States, seeing more frequent fires within the next 30 years, according to a new analysis led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, in collaboration with an international team of scientists. By the […] … learn more→
Greening up JFK
A layover at JFK International Airport could actually be quite refreshing if you could breathe cleaner air in a literally green room. That is Carnegie Mellon University architecture student Anna Rosenblum\’s idea: an airport terminal extension that uses walls and roofs made of aeroponic plants that filter and clean the polluted outdoor air before it […] … learn more→
A glimpse of Africa’s future? Botswana’s conundrum of spectacular growth with hunger
GABORONE, BOTSWANA. You wouldn’t know there’s a food crisis in Botswana, one of Africa’s wealthiest and most stable countries, because it’s a silent one. This is not the doom and gloom Africa that we often hear sensationalized in the media as a place of coups, famines and corruption. No, Botswana is a model African state […] … learn more→
Great things about green paint
Rick Perry, was once quoted as saying: “The air we breathe, the water we drink, and the land we inhabit are not only critical elements in the quality of life we enjoy – they are a reflection of the majesty of our Creator.” Given that the current governor of Texas and former candidate for US […] … learn more→
Lime-sun mixer makes drinking water safe
Adding lime juice to water being treated with a solar disinfection method removes detectable levels of harmful bacteria such as E. coli significantly faster than solar disinfection alone, researchers say. “For many countries, access to clean drinking water is still a major concern,” says Kellogg Schwab, professor of environmental health science at Johns Hopkins University […] … learn more→
Cities will drive the green industrial revolution
The debate over how to green industry remains locked into national and regional settings. However, it is really at the level of cities that progress is likely to be achieved. Increasingly, the focus of efforts to green the current fossil-fuelled industrial system, as it spreads relentlessly worldwide, will have to focus at the city level […] … learn more→