>> Parks get contaminated by ammonium, which can subtly alter ecosystems. Yellowstone, Glacier, and Rocky Mountain National Parks, plus six other parks, have air that's increasingly contaminated with ammonium, possibly originating in concentrated animal feeding operations, says a report from the National Park Service.
>> Wal-Mart sold portable gas cans not compliant with Cali's clean-air regulations FOUR times in recent years, then settled for a mere $250K with the California Air Resources Board.
>> Radars taken out by global warming.
"The Pentagon is closing down three of the 20 NORAD (North American
Aerospace Defense Command) early-warning radar sites in northern Alaska
because the ground they’re built on in some cases is literally
crumbling into the Arctic Ocean as a result of erosion caused by waves
on ice-free waters."
Bad news is funnier read all in a row:
>> On this day, Dec. 28, in 1973,
The Endangered Species Act was signed into law by President Nixon. Today, the act's constantly in the news -- because political pressures have watered it down.
>> Just last month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service admitted to being "inappropriately influenced"
by political pressure and reversed seven rulings that denied endangered
species -- including the white-tailed prairie dog (right) -- increased
protection.
>> Yesterday, the Center for Biological Diversity sued the Interior Department to get documents about allegedly politically-influenced decisions made about other endangered species.
>> Read the entire Endangered Species Act here.
Photo courtesy of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Bad news is funnier read all in a row --
>> 1,268 toys get tested, and 35% are found to have toxic stuff. To help you find toys sans lead, here's my guide to eco gifts for kids.
>> Jewelry's toxic now too. The California Department of Toxic Substances Control told 11 retail outlets to remove more than a dozen types of jewelry for children. The trinkets all had lead levels beyond the state limit.
>> Smog: Still not good for you, or don't buy a house near a freeway, especially if you have kids.
Photo courtesy of CA Dept. of Toxic Substances Control
 Bad news is funnier read all in a row:
>> Wildfires left us ash with high levels of arsenic, lead and other toxic metals, say U.S. Geological Survey scientists. Hazardous runoff after rain is especially dangerous.
>> Post-wildfires, deer hang out near roads, get killed. Motorists are warned to watch out.
>> Citing wildfire threats, Malibu seeks to ban overnight camping in Malibu parks. Malibu's pretty notorious for barring public access to publicly-owned parks and beaches. The fight now goes to the California Coastal Commission.
Photo by Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times
Bad news is funnier read all in a row --
>> Waterworld circa 2070, sort of. Some 150 million people will be at risk from flooding by 2070, and at-risk coastal property could have a value of $35 trillion, says a report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
>> The number of severe rainfalls and heavy snows is going up, according to an Environment America report.
>> The OC's getting a webcam to help warn residents about flooding. The first one will go up at Santiago Creek; the Malibu Canyon area'll get theirs soon too.
Photo by Peggy Archer via Flickr
Bad news is funnier read all in a row --
>> More than a quarter of US bird species are endangered, according to the U.S. The Watch List 2007, published by the National Audubon Society and American Bird Conservancy. (via grist)
>> Penguins are threated by a diesel spill. A cruise bot hit ice last month, and the surrounding fuel spill site includes breeding grounds for Antarctic and Adelia penguins.
>> Truckers face increased face risks due to diesel pollution as do communities located near major sources of diesel pollution, like ports. So pollution-related health risks near our ports isn't exactly new info, but the National Resources Defense Council's report does include a set of recommendations for dealing with the problem.
>> Meanwhile, Waste Management's diesel truck fleet's costing the company more than $1. The nation's largest trash hauler settled with the California Air Resources Board for failing to properly inspect its diesel truck fleet to assure state emission standards were met.
Photo courtesy of National Audubon Society
Bad news is funnier read all in a row --
>> The EPA tries to exempt more companies from disclosing their toxic chemical use and emissions. In response, Cali and 11 other states sue the EPA.
>> Meanwhile, fear of toxic chemicals grows and people call for more disclosure. Salon's Machinist notes Nintendo's use of PVCs and BFRs, "which cause health and environmental damage and which numerous tech firms have vowed to phase out," and notes the company offers neither a takeback nor recycling program.
>> And a new report finds the cancer risk for people exposed to tritium could be twice as high as previously assumed. Tritium's commonly discharged in large amounts by nuclear plants around the world.
Image courtesy of Greenpeace's Guide to Greener Electronics (PDF)
Bad news is funnier read all in a row:
>> Killer jellyfish. A swarm of jellyfish covering 10 sq. miles wiped out Northern Ireland's only salmon farm. Cause of the unexpected jellyfish attack? "Unusual environmental factors including higher-than-normal water temperatures" had something to do with it. (via grist)
>> Deadly levee repair. Near Rio Vista, Calif., "Thousands of dead fish float belly up atop the water, victims of a federal levee repair project gone wrong."
>> In non fishy news, poor will suffer the worst of global warming, says a new U.N. report. (via grist)
Bad news is funnier read all in a row:
>> Climate change is delaying spring in some areas. It's possible that "some plants need to be exposed to a short cold snap to sprout" -- and this cold snap hasn't really been happening of late.
>> Oceans are headed for a 4.6-foot rise even if factories were shut down today and cars taken off the roads, says the latest report from the the U.N. panel of scientists.
>> India is getting about 5% less sunlight than it did 20 years ago, according to a study at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology. "India is losing out on sunshine because a cloud of tiny air-borne particles released by the nation's industries hovers above the subcontinent, blocking light from reaching the Earth."
 Bad news is funnier read all in a row --
>> We're all tainted with toxic chemicals. "The chemicals, including so-called phthalates, bisphenol A and PBDEs, are found in baby bottles, shower curtains, cosmetics, computers and other products. They leach "out of the products into our bodies," the report states." At least we're in it together? (via Grist)
>> Katrina victims live in trailers that may be tainted with formaldehyde; FEMA warns its employees to stay out of them, but puts off testing the trailers people are living in. It never stops with FEMA, does it. (via Grist)
>> Toys tainted with date rape drug chemical sickens U.S. kids. Beware those Spin Master Aqua Dots, which are "covered with a chemical that metabolizes into the compound gamma hydroxy butyrate -- the so-called date-rape drug."
>> Toxins taint fish and water downstream from Alberta’s huge oil sands projects. Residents think the pollution may be causing higher rates of cancer; Alberta's health department disagrees.
>> The Bay Area gets tainted with thick oil when a huge ship hits the Bay Bridge, spilling about 58,000 gallons of heavy fuel. Beaches close, animals suffer and a state of emergency is declared. All this elicits a super bland comment by a guy from the California Department of Fish and Game: "This is a significant event." No way.
Photo courtesy of aquadotsrecall.com
 Bad news is funnier read all in a row --
>> Shell ad brags about its CO2 emissions -- because it can be used to grow flowers. Britain shut down the ad, saying that the claim is "likely to mislead readers." (via Grist)
>> Fiji brags it'll go carbon-negative -- not by quitting the whole practice of burning lots of fuel to ship water all over the place while getting people to pay for water they can get for near-free from the tap, but by getting some green energy, conserving some water, and -- you guessed it -- buying carbon offsets.
>> “More than half the people in Fiji do not have safe, reliable drinking water. Which means it is easier for the typical American in Beverly Hills or Baltimore to get a drink of safe, pure, refreshing Fiji water than it is for most people in Fiji.”
>> Shipping pollution kills 60,000 every year. Not depressed yet? Then let me add that "unless action is taken quickly to address the problem -– such as by switching to cleaner fuels -– the death toll will climb, researchers warn." Gloomy.
 Bad news is funnier read all in a row --
>> Losing money at the pump? Exxon Mobil isn't. The oil company sees record sales; it "made more in three months than it did in the first nine months of 2002," even if its quarterly income is down by 10%.
>> Yet Exxon and other oil companies are still getting billions in drilling incentives. And now a federal judge in Louisiana has ruled that the government can't suspend these incentives when energy prices are high. "If upheld, the ruling could free companies from paying the government up to $60 billion in royalties for oil and gas produced in publicly owned waters of the Gulf of Mexico."
>> Seafood: Now served stuffed with polluted plastic. Fish and crab are eating worms that are eating plastic grains that are soaking up pollutants linked with cancers and respiratory problems.
>> Greenland gains a strange buoyancy. Because of its shrinking ice cap, "Greenland appears to be floating upwards – its landmass is rising up to 4 centimetres each year, scientists reveal."
Image courtesy of Exxpose Exxon
 Bad news is funnier read all in a row --
>> Halloween bites back: 43,000 sets of novelty teeth have been recalled, among other scary toys. "The teeth were found by independent testers to contain about 100 times the permissible level of lead."
>> Rail trouble: The Expo light rail line is short on funds and now needs $145 million more to stretch to Culver City. Reason: a rapid rise in construction costs. The Exposition Construction Authority has voted to ask the MTA for more money.
>> Penguin trouble: "Antarctic krill is being overharvested to feed farmed salmon, in turn threatening penguins and other marine animals that depend on the shrimp-like creatures."
>> Fire trouble: Southern California wildfires released 6 million to 8 million tons of carbon dioxide. Apparently, this isn't actually a large number -- but the threat of big wildfires and the amount of carbon dioxide they emit are expected to rise.
Photo courtesy of CPSC
 Bad news is funnier read all in a row --
>> The Polluted Olympic games. Athletes in Beijing can get "a super-sized dose of ozone and fine particulates, which can make respiration more difficult and reduce the amount of oxygen that gets to the muscles."
>> Yet China's reliance on coal keeps growing "China mined a record 2.4 billion tons of coal in 2006, up 8.1% from a year earlier." And this year, China became a net coal importer for the first time.
>> BP settles three enviro-related lawsuits for $303.5 million, $50 million, and $20 million, out of the $1.6 billion the company's set aside to settle lawsuits. How green does BP's Helios House sound now?
>> Orangutans and other cute monkeys threatened! "Almost one in three species of primates is facing extinction, a survey by scientists shows. Bushmeat hunting, illegal trade in animals and habitat loss are the biggest threats and have left 29% of primate species in danger of being wiped out." (via grist)
Photo by Kevin Dooley via Flickr
 Bad news is funnier read all in a row --
Happy enviro-headlines hitting my Bloglines today. Perhaps you can see why I'm getting a bit burned out on the doom-and-gloom messaging --
States of Emergency:
>> In California: "More evacuations and new fires" and "Windblown soot, gas and dust pose threats." "Dark gray plumes carry soot particles that can worsen preexisting medical conditions such as lung disease, emphysema, asthma and heart disease." Almost as scary: Bush to visit fire-ravaged areas.
>> In Georgia: Gov. Sonny Perdue declares a state of emergency because of the drought. Perdue "called on President Bush to recognize that the historic drought had created a disaster for 85 counties." (via grist)
Threats of unrest and economic collapse:
>> Steep decline in oil production brings risk of war and unrest, new study says. "The German-based Energy Watch Group will release its study in London today saying that global oil production peaked in 2006" and that "extreme shortages of fossil fuels will lead to wars and social breakdown." (via grist)
>> The Future Is Drying Up. Writes Jon Gertner for the N.Y. Times: "As one prominent Western water official described the possible future to me, if some of the Southwest’s largest reservoirs empty out, the region would experience an apocalypse, 'an Armageddon.'"
>> Delay Now, Pay Dearly Later. "The United States is facing hundreds of billions of dollars in weather-related damage in coming years if it does not act urgently on climate change, the first-ever comprehensive economic assessment of the problem has found." (via grist)
>> Inch by Inch, Great Lakes Shrink, and Cargo Carriers Face Losses. "Water levels in the Great Lakes are falling.... And for every inch of water that the lakes lose, the ships that ferry bulk materials across them must lighten their loads by 270 tons — or 540,000 pounds — or risk running aground." (via grist)
General scary stuff:
>> Carbon Dioxide in Atmosphere Increasing. "Carbon dioxide emissions were 35% higher in 2006 than in 1990, a much faster growth rate than anticipated."
>> Oceans Are Soaking Up Less CO2, Research Shows. "If the oceans soak up less CO2, it means CO2 levels in the atmosphere will rise much faster and the climate could warm more rapidly, the researchers said in a statement."
>> Rising seas threaten 21 mega-cities. "Of the 33 cities predicted to have at least 8 million people by 2015, at least 21 are highly vulnerable, says the Worldwatch Institute." (via grist)
Does all of that incite you into action, or depress you into catatonia?
Photo by Sam Kim via Flickr
 Bad news is funnier read all in a row --
>> L.A. makes the top 15 list -- of asthma capitals, according to the National Resources Defense Council's report, “Sneezing and Wheezing: How Global Warming Could Increase Ragweed Allergies, Air Pollution and Asthma."
>> Part of the problem: The EPA doesn't seem to be on our side. Now California is about to sue the EPA in an attempt to force the EPA to let the state enforce tougher auto emissions rules.
>> Santa Monica is wasting more water and recycling less, says the city's latest Sustainable City Report Card (PDF). On the upside, transportation is improved. (via Carbon Neutral Journal)
Image from NRDC's Map of Ozone and Ragweed Occurrence in the Continental United States (PDF)
 Bad news is funnier read all in a row --
>> Latest in unnecessary one-use products: Disposable undies. Says Amanda of Enviroblog: "The biggest problem with Onederwear is that it's not a joke. The waste, the ultra-consumerism, the sheer laziness, it's all for real."
>> General Mills' big green move: Flat noodles in Hamburger Helper, since they'll take up less space -- and thus less packaging -- than curly ones. Says Shannon Arvizu of TriplePundit: "Smooth noodles sounds like a joke. What are they suggesting? Should we stop eating bow-tie or fusilli pasta on environmental principles"
>> Clean water keeps getting jacked by factory farms because the EPA doesn't seem to care to stop it. At least that problem appears to be mostly along the Mississippi....
>> Closer to home, that same EPA wants to spray the Monterey Peninsula with pesticides -- without disclosing all of what's in it. EPA says, "Trust us. It's safe," while dozens of people say "the initial application left them with asthma-like symptoms, burning eyes, rashes and stomach pains."
 Bad news is funnier read all in a row --
>> Curious George in trouble. The mischievous doll is made with lead, says Environmental Health.
>> Latest greenwashing corporate scheme: Organic water. Leave it to Safeway to try selling bottled water by riding the organic movement --
>> Zero emissions needed to avert 'dangerous' warming. "Only the total elimination of industrial emissions will succeed in limiting climate change to a 2°C rise in temperatures," say some scientists. Dangerous. The world is so dangerous.
Photo by Christina via Flickr
Bad news is funnier read all in a row --
>> Woodland's stinky and we don't know why.The city now has a 24-hour odor hotline, an odor dictionary, and "The Nasal Ranger" -- a field olfactometer to sniff out where the foul smells're coming from.
>> Yogurt can get really messy, especially when Dannon dumps harsh chemicals and wastewater into the sanitary sewer, killing 30,000+ fish. "Few souls above the surface heard the fish's milk-curdling screams."
>> Carcinogenic strawberries, anyone?. The EPA's approved the use of methyl iodide, "a neurotoxin and carcinogen that has caused thyroid tumors, neurological damage and miscarriages in lab animals." Luckily, the stuff won't be used in California -- at least for a few months while the state Department of Pesticide Regulation looks over it. Yum!
>> Pollution's brought Europeans a year closer to death. "Poor air and water quality, and environmental changes blamed on global warming, have cut Europeans' life expectancy by nearly a year, Europe's environmental agency warned Wednesday."
Image courtesy of Dannon
Bad news is funnier read all in a row --
>> Nuclear waste dump's getting 2x bigger and 3x more expensive in the Yucca Mountains in Nevada, if the Department of Energy gets its way. (via Grist)
>> The EPA refused to warn homeowners about the dangers of asbestos,
says the Government Accountability Office. So for years, homeowners
doing DIY work around the house've been unwittingly breathing in the
hazardous stuff. (via Grist)
>> The World Bank's razing Congo forests, which threatens pygmies, says a report on an internal investigation by senior bank staff and outside experts. The Guardian notes that "Findings are embarrassing for British government." No kidding. (via Grist)
Bad news is funnier read all in a row --
>> Punjabis are poisoning themselves. Overuse of pesticides is causing cancer, blindness, and falling farming productivity. Even The Economist seems to be behind the Punjabi government's push for a return to organic farming. (via 3qd)
>> More and more poisonous toy of lead. Useless trinkets bite back! Latest recalls include Pirates of the Caribbean medallion squeeze lights and some aluminum water bottles.
>> Arctic ice sinks to new lows. Average sea-ice coverage last month "was 23% less than the previous record low, set in 2005, and 39% less than the annual average between 1979 and 2000."
Say bye bye to polar bears --
Image courtesy of Energizer
Bad news is funnier read all in a row --
>> Brain-Eating Killer Amoeba get stronger! Groovy Green's list of "The Top 5 Nastiest Creatures Getting Stronger Due To Climate Change."
>> E. coli-burgers! Topps Meat Co. recalls 21.7 million pounds of ground beef, one of the largest meat recalls in U.S. history. (via Accidental Hedonist)
Because bad news is funnier read all in a row --
>> Officials dump poison in Sierra lake to combat northern pike. The move's a sad last-ditch effort to exterminate these invading fish, which could threaten salmon runs and water exports.
>> The deniers are winning the war of words: Climate-skeptic books abound on Amazon's top sellers list. Bjorn Lomborg, who recently spoke at the LA Public Library, tops the list.
>> Tactics questioned in emissions lobbying. EPA administration officials "have worked to rally members of Congress and governors from vehicle-producing states to oppose California's efforts" to impose its own standards on vehicle greenhouse-gas emissions, charges my Rep. Henry Waxman.
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