Savvy godwit up to climate challenge

The bar-tailed godwit, the bird world's long-distance champion, is probably smart enough to cope with any ill winds blown up by climate change, researchers believe.

via BBC News - Science & Environment http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25274483#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa Label: Climate Change

‘Forest Giraffe’ Now Endangered: Okapi Populations Drop 50 Percent in 18 Years

‘Forest Giraffe’ Now Endangered: Okapi Populations Drop 50 Percent in 18 Years





via Scientific American Blog: Extinction Countdown

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/11/25/okapi-endangered/

Sunday Species Snapshot: Rothschild’s Giraffe

Sunday Species Snapshot: Rothschild’s Giraffe





via Scientific American Blog: Extinction Countdown

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/11/24/sunday-species-snapshot-rothschilds-giraffe/

Deadlock in fractious climate talks

UN talks on climate change taking place in Warsaw have been extended as delegates remain deadlocked on key issues.

via BBC News - Science & Environment http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25067180#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa Label: Climate Change

Hope for climate talks' final hours

Negotiators were preparing for a long final session at the National Stadium in Warsaw as UN talks on climate change crawled to a conclusion.

via BBC News - Science & Environment http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25054376#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa Label: Climate Change

The Incredible Mr./Mrs. Limpet: The Endangered, Sex-Changing Sea Snail

The Incredible Mr./Mrs. Limpet: The Endangered, Sex-Changing Sea Snail





via Scientific American Blog: Extinction Countdown

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/11/22/sex-changing-sea-snail/

VIDEO: How to rear genetically modified flies

VIDEO: How to rear genetically modified flies

Researcher Martha Koukidou from Oxitec explains how to rear GM fruit flies in preparation for the first European field trial of the insects.



via BBC News - Science & Environment

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24958489#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

Company bids to trial GM insects

Company bids to trial GM insects

UK company awaits a decision on its application to carry out the first European field trial of a genetically modified insect.



via BBC News - Science & Environment

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24958488#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

UN talks locked on 'loss and damage'

UN climate negotiations are bogged down in a dispute over who will take legal responsibility for the loss and damage caused by climate change.

The rich countries that caused the problem, and continue to cause the problem MUST accept their liability. Emerging economies that 
are increasing their CO2 emissions are doing so mainly to satisfy demand from wealthy countries for cheap products manufactured offshore to reduce their own carbon footprint. 

The growing inequality between rich and poor must be rebalanced, we cannot shirk our responsibilities. 

via BBC News - Science & Environment http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25010515#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa Label: Climate Change

Conservation’s Holy Grail: ‘Asian Unicorn’ Sighted in Vietnam

Conservation’s Holy Grail: ‘Asian Unicorn’ Sighted in Vietnam





via Scientific American Blog: Extinction Countdown

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/11/18/holy-grail-asian-unicorn/

Typhoon shows need for action - DEC

The UK's Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) has urged countries to take urgent action on climate change, as UN talks enter their second week.

via BBC News - Science & Environment http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24975106#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa Label: Climate Change

Jamaican Iguana Conservation Program Marks 20 Years of Success, Faces Worries about Next 20 Years

Jamaican Iguana Conservation Program Marks 20 Years of Success, Faces Worries about Next 20 Years





via Scientific American Blog: Extinction Countdown

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/11/14/jamaican-iguana/

How the Western Black Rhino Went Extinct

How the Western Black Rhino Went Extinct





via Scientific American Blog: Extinction Countdown

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/11/13/western-black-rhino-extinct/

Sunday Species Snapshot: Sociable Lapwing

Sunday Species Snapshot: Sociable Lapwing





via Scientific American Blog: Extinction Countdown

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/11/10/sunday-species-snapshot-sociable-lapwing/

Beautiful but Rarely Seen Cat Species Photographed in Borneo [Video]

Beautiful but Rarely Seen Cat Species Photographed in Borneo [Video]





via Scientific American Blog: Extinction Countdown

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/11/07/bay-cat-borneo-video/

Fossil fuel subsidies 'are reckless'

A new study suggests the world is spending seven times more money subsidising fossil fuels than fighting climate change in developing countries.

via BBC News - Science & Environment http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24833153#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa Label: Climate Change

A fine day for shooting elephant

 See it yonder, by those trees.

Now to sneak up on it, ready to shoot.

What a beast! Wouldn't that head look fine mounted on the wall?

And with the final shots, the elephant is captured in pixels for eternity.

Sunday Species Snapshot: White-Cheeked Gibbon

Sunday Species Snapshot: White-Cheeked Gibbon





via Scientific American Blog: Extinction Countdown

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/11/03/sunday-species-snapshot-white-cheeked-gibbon/

How Much Did the U.S. Spend on the Endangered Species Act in 2012?

How Much Did the U.S. Spend on the Endangered Species Act in 2012?





via Scientific American Blog: Extinction Countdown

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/11/01/endangered-species-act-2012/

Halloween Scares: A Graveyard for Extinct Species

Halloween Scares: A Graveyard for Extinct Species





via Scientific American Blog: Extinction Countdown

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/10/29/halloween-graveyard-extinct-species/

Sunday Species Snapshot: Bali Myna

Sunday Species Snapshot: Bali Myna





via Scientific American Blog: Extinction Countdown

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/10/27/sunday-species-snapshot-bali-myna/

Squeaking By: Frog Species Rediscovered in Ghana, but Invasive Devil Weed Threatens Its Survival

Squeaking By: Frog Species Rediscovered in Ghana, but Invasive Devil Weed Threatens Its Survival





via Scientific American Blog: Extinction Countdown

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/10/25/frog-ghana-devil-weed/

Good Dads Help Rare Haitian Frogs Breed in Captivity

Good Dads Help Rare Haitian Frogs Breed in Captivity





via Scientific American Blog: Extinction Countdown

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/10/24/good-dads-haitian-frogs/

Sunday Species Snapshot: Tasmanian Devil

Sunday Species Snapshot: Tasmanian Devil





via Scientific American Blog: Extinction Countdown

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/10/20/sunday-species-snapshot/

Century-Old Egg Answers Mystery about Critically Endangered Bird

Century-Old Egg Answers Mystery about Critically Endangered Bird





via Scientific American Blog: Extinction Countdown

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/10/17/egg-mystery/

Soon the Only Place to See This Nearly Extinct Bird May Be on Samoan Currency

Soon the Only Place to See This Nearly Extinct Bird May Be on Samoan Currency





via Scientific American Blog: Extinction Countdown

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/10/16/samoa-manumea/

GM rice opponents wicked - minister

GM rice opponents wicked - minister

Opponents to the development of a type of genetically modified rice enriched with vitamin A are criticised as "wicked" by the environment secretary.



via BBC News - Science & Environment

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24515938#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

Hemlock Extinction Looms Over Tennessee Forests

Hemlock Extinction Looms Over Tennessee Forests





via Scientific American Blog: Extinction Countdown

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/10/11/hemlock-extinction-looms/

GM yeast brews fuel from rubbish

GM yeast brews fuel from rubbish

Food science researchers from the USA have developed a GM yeast that turns rubbish into fuel.



via BBC News - Science & Environment

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24489800#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

IPCC's evil CO2 mantra

I can't believe people are still making up this nonsense:

The IPCC's catastrophic AGW hypothesis - and the entire climate change alarmist community - is getting hammered from all sides by the growing research that points to natural climate variation (ie, oscillations, patterns, cycles) being the principal causes of warming since the 1950s.

The latest evidence is coming from satellites that monitor the world's clouds and energy inflows.

As the adjacent charts depict (information derived from the RSS and CERES satellite datasets) at least one-third of ocean heating could be explained by the simple change in cloud cover over the oceans for a recent 20-year span.

Combine this natural cloud-induced warming with other earthly/cosmic/solar factors, which also would contribute to the modern warming trend, and it does not leave much of the recent modern warming being a direct result of the IPCC's evil CO2 mantra.

Source: http://www.c3headlines.com/2013/10/evidence-mounts-that-natural-climate-change-is-responsible-for-major-portion-of-modern-warming.html

What's worse is people are gullible or desperate enough to believe it.

Endangered Species Success Stories: How Many More Are We Likely to See?

Endangered Species Success Stories: How Many More Are We Likely to See?





via Scientific American Blog: Extinction Countdown

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/10/04/endangered-species-success-stories/

How Will Climate Change Affect Mountain Gorillas?

How Will Climate Change Affect Mountain Gorillas?





via Scientific American Blog: Extinction Countdown

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/10/01/climate-change-mountain-gorillas/

Global warming now 'unequivocal'

Global warming is now unequivocal, according to a key report by the UN's panel on climate change.

via BBC News - Science & Environment http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24292615#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa Label: Climate Change

VIDEO: Climate change 'even more certain'

A report published on Friday aims to answer questions regarding the extent of global warming, and how much of the problem is man-made.

via BBC News - Science & Environment http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24289500#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa Label: Climate Change

Dig This: Decline of Australian Digging Mammals Impacts Entire Ecosystems

Dig This: Decline of Australian Digging Mammals Impacts Entire Ecosystems





via Scientific American Blog: Extinction Countdown

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/09/25/australian-digging-mammals/

Piping Plovers in Migration: Foraging for Their Lives

Piping Plovers in Migration: Foraging for Their Lives





via Scientific American Blog: Extinction Countdown

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/09/24/piping-plovers-migration/

Pause 'central' to climate report

A 15-year slow down in temperature increases is said to be at the heart of a key report on climate change.

via BBC News - Science & Environment http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24173504#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa Label: Climate Change

22 Links for World Rhino Day as Poaching Levels Shoot Past 2012′s Deadly Record

22 Links for World Rhino Day as Poaching Levels Shoot Past 2012′s Deadly Record





via Scientific American Blog: Extinction Countdown

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/09/22/world-rhino-day/

Banned Pesticide DDT Is Still Killing California Condors

Banned Pesticide DDT Is Still Killing California Condors





via Scientific American Blog: Extinction Countdown

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/09/20/banned-pesticide-ddt-is-still-killing-california-condors/

The 5 Biggest Myths about the Endangered Species Act

The 5 Biggest Myths about the Endangered Species Act





via Scientific American Blog: Extinction Countdown

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/09/18/endangered-species-act-myths/

Viper Collectors Nearly Wiped Out This Rare Turkish Snake; Saint Louis Zoo Helps to Save It

Viper Collectors Nearly Wiped Out This Rare Turkish Snake; Saint Louis Zoo Helps to Save It





via Scientific American Blog: Extinction Countdown

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/09/12/viper-collectors/

'Climate change' killed off mammoths

Researchers have found the strongest evidence yet that climate change rather than humans was the main factor that drove the woolly mammoth to extinction.

via BBC News - Science & Environment http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24034954#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa Label: Climate Change

U.S. to Destroy 6 Tons of Confiscated Ivory, Sending Message to Poachers

U.S. to Destroy 6 Tons of Confiscated Ivory, Sending Message to Poachers





via Scientific American Blog: Extinction Countdown

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/09/10/destroy-ivory/

Rare Tree, Dependent on Fire, to Leave Endangered Species List

Rare Tree, Dependent on Fire, to Leave Endangered Species List





via Scientific American Blog: Extinction Countdown

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/09/05/rare-tree-fire-endangered-species-list/

Fire Salamanders in the Netherlands Wiped Out by Newly Discovered Fungus

Fire Salamanders in the Netherlands Wiped Out by Newly Discovered Fungus





via Scientific American Blog: Extinction Countdown

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/09/02/fire-salamanders-netherlands-fungus/

Hellbender Head Start: Raising Giant Salamanders in the Bronx

Hellbender Head Start: Raising Giant Salamanders in the Bronx





via Scientific American Blog: Extinction Countdown

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/08/28/hellbender-salamanders-bronx/

Coastal change 'risk' to wildlife

Coastal species such as puffins and little terns could be "seriously affected" by climate change, the National Trust says.

via BBC News - Science & Environment http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23803520#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa Label: Climate Change

World’s Largest Owl Needs Equally Large Trees and Forests (But It’s More Complex Than That)

World’s Largest Owl Needs Equally Large Trees and Forests (But It’s More Complex Than That)





via Scientific American Blog: Extinction Countdown

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/08/22/worlds-largest-owl/

Egg Swap for Operatic New Zealand Birds a Success, but Invasive Predators Create Discord

Egg Swap for Operatic New Zealand Birds a Success, but Invasive Predators Create Discord





via Scientific American Blog: Extinction Countdown

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/08/19/egg-swap-new-zealand-birds/

Scots red deer 'breeding earlier'

Scientists studying the impact of climate change on Scotland's red deer say the breeding season for the species is getting earlier.

via BBC News - Science & Environment http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-23726965#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa Label: Climate Change

Sea Snake

Reposting of an old blog post:

Back to the renewable energy theme, this time with the Pelamis Sea Snake.  The amount of electricity generated by this technology will be variable to a certain extent depending on the swell of the sea but it is likely to be more constant than wind energy and (hopefully) its variability will beat to a different rhythm.

The first film shows how the wave motion is converted to electricity and the second shows the first fully commercial implementation of this device at Aguçadoura n Portugal.

Rare Monkey Population up 50 Percent in China and Tibet

Rare Monkey Population up 50 Percent in China and Tibet





via Scientific American Blog: Extinction Countdown

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/08/15/rare-monkey-china-tibet/

Giant Tortoises and Baobab Trees: Imperfect Apart

Giant Tortoises and Baobab Trees: Imperfect Apart





via Scientific American Blog: Extinction Countdown

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/08/13/giant-tortoises-baobab-trees/

Shark Attack

Image via: Joe Chernov

'Golden rice' GM trial vandalised

'Golden rice' GM trial vandalised

Protestors have destroyed a trial plot of genetically modified rice in the Philippines just weeks before a safety evaluation.



via BBC News - Science & Environment

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23632042#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

Pangolins in Peril: All 8 Species of Scaly Anteaters Endangered by Illegal Trade

Pangolins in Peril: All 8 Species of Scaly Anteaters Endangered by Illegal Trade





via Scientific American Blog: Extinction Countdown

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/08/07/pangolins-peril-illegal-trade/

Virunga - Draw the Line

Since news of Soco's intention to drill in the Virunga National Parkin the Congo broke on the 1st of August, the big hitters have stepped up to the mark in the form of a WWF campaign to prevent oil exploration going ahead.

Some may argue that the revenue earned from oil exploitation will help develop local communities.  Given the political situation in the country, local communities are likely to be treated as poorly as those in the Niger Delta by the large oil companies. As centrepiece of the campaign, WWF have published a report which shows the value of the reserve ($350 million/year) based on eco-tourism and other sustainable developments without the need to extract oil.

Please support this campaign by signing the WWF Draw the Line petition here.  At least 94,348 people have signed it already, will you be 100,000?

http://www.wwf.org.uk/how_you_can_help/virunga/

GM rice approval 'edging closer'

GM Rice Approval 'edging closer'

Scientists in the Philippines are weeks from submitting a genetically modified variety of rice to the authorities for biosafety evaluations.

This is an ethical minefield.  The rice in question is Golden Rice which has enhanced Vitamin A. Will this genetically modified rice really address the problems of malnutrition? If there is a chance it will reduce malnutrition, what right do we over-nourished Westerners have to stop it, despite the risks to the environment?

There are obviously other, better ways of tackling malnutrition while so many developed countries waste tremendous quantities of food. Ways which cover a broad spectrum of nutrients rather than focusing on only one vitamin.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23581877

Related Posts:
Aphid Resistant GM Wheat
The Time is Right for GM Crops
Can Organic Agriculture Feed the World?

Film Fakery: Does Shark Week Harm Conservation Efforts?

Film Fakery: Does Shark Week Harm Conservation Efforts?





via Scientific American Blog: Extinction Countdown

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/08/05/film-fakery-shark-week/

The Grey Long Eared Bat

This isn't such a good news story.

The Grey Long Eared Bat is listed as "least concern" on the IUCN Red List but it is not faring well in the UK.

Results of research and a conservation management plan recently published by Dr Orly Razgour of Bristol University show that there may be as few as 1000 of them left in the UK. While bat roosts are highly protected, their foraging grounds are not.  Changes to agricultural practices in over the past half century have had the biggest effect on the abundance and accessibility of food. Changes to planning rules which allow developers to build on valuable habitat as long as they create habitat elsewhere could also harm the species as both the foraging and roosting sites must be close.

Image from the Bat Conservation Trust (http://www.bats.org.uk)

Once Extinct in the Wild, Galapagos Giant Tortoises Return to Pinzon Island

Another good news story. After a programme to eradicate invasive rats which brought the tortoises to the verge of extinction, the species has been successfully reintroduced:

Once Extinct in the Wild, Galapagos Giant Tortoises Return to Pinzon Island

via Scientific American Blog: Extinction Countdown 

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/08/02/extinct-galapagos-tortoises-return/

Leaping Bengal Tiger Numbers

A good news story as the number of wild royal Bengal tigers in Nepal has increased to 198, a 63.6 per cent rise in five years. The only down side is the increased number of villagers killed by Tigers.

Royal Bengal tiger numbers in Nepal leap to 198 via The Independent

Oil Threat to Virunga National Park

Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the last refuges of the mighty Mountain Gorilla. Decades of civil war and armed resistance had taken its toll on gorilla numbers but the latest threat is resource exploitation, oil in particular.

'Oil threat' to Africa's oldest park via the BBC

The forest in the Congo basin is second only to the Amazon and is one of the planet's lungs.  It must be protected at all costs. But the DRC is a desperately poor country and its fragile government does not have control over many parts of the country.  We must therefore provide viable and sustainable alternatives to widespread resource exploitation.

Time

We can't stop it.

We can't buy it.

We can't make more of it, no matter how many rare and precious resources we use.

We are all equal in that we all have only twenty four hours of it in a day.

And there lies the problem.

Work has been taking me away from home more often over the past few months so when I am at home I want to spend more of my time with family and friends.  Something has to give.

It is the EcoWarriorMe blog that has suffered most and, unfortunately, it looks like I will have limited time and opportunity to research and write posts for the next few months. This does not mean that I have given up on the environment. I will continue to campaign and raise awareness of issues and most importantly try to live a greener, more sustainable life. 

EcoWarriorMe Express contains a mixture of shorter posts and filtered feeds from other sites relevant to energy, climate change and conservation. 

As always, all comments are welcome.