Apocadocuments, for the week of

[About the Project]
[About the ApocaDocs]
[About Equal Share]
[TwitterFollow: apocadocs]

Explore:

Play:

It's weekly, funny, and free!

Play:

Click for paper-free fun!

	Ads for potentially microfunding this site:

What A Week It Was: Apocadocuments from

View By Scenario:
Species Collapse:	(10)
Plague/Virus:	(1)
Climate Chaos:	(14)
Resource Depletion:	(4)
Biology Breach:	(9)
Recovery:	(10)

This Week's Top Ten Very Scary Tags:
overfishing ~ global warming ~ dead zones ~ endangered list ~ carbon emissions ~ bisphenol A ~ amphibian collapse ~ stupid humans ~ climate impacts ~ anthropogenic change ~ endocrine disruptor

ApocaDocuments (48) gathered this week:
Sun, Oct 19, 2008 from Sacramento Bee: Yosemite glacier on thin ice ...As signals of climate change begin to come into focus in the Sierra Nevada, its melting glaciers spell trouble in bold font. Not only are they in-your-face barometers of global warming, they also reflect what scientists are beginning to uncover: that the Sierra snowpack -- the source of 65 percent of California's water -- is dwindling, too. More of the Sierra's precipitation is falling as rain instead of snow, studies show, and the snow that blankets the range in winter is running off earlier in the spring. And snow in the Sierra touches everything. Take it away and droughts deepen, ski areas go bust and fire seasons rage longer. ...	God forbid the ski areas would go bust. ApocaDoc permalink
Sun, Oct 19, 2008 from UN IRIN: SOMALIA: Poor rains intensify human suffering and deprivation The situation in Somalia has deteriorated into an "unfolding humanitarian disaster" with shocking levels of human suffering and deprivation, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned. "Rates of malnutrition in most of southern and central Somalia are above emergency threshold levels of 15 percent and in many areas greater than 20 percent and increasing," said an analysis prepared by FAO's Food Security Analysis Unit (FSAU). ...	The Horn of Africa is playing 'Taps'. ApocaDoc permalink
Sun, Oct 19, 2008 from Los Angeles Times: Migrating Alaskan pollock are creating the potential for a new dispute with Russia America's biggest catch lands here and at nearby ports every year: more than 2 billion pounds of Alaskan pollock to feed a global appetite for fish sticks, fast-food sandwiches and imitation crabmeat.... Yet the careful management that helped make Alaskan pollock a billion-dollar industry could unravel as the planet warms. Pollock and other fish in the Bering Sea are moving to higher latitudes as winter ice retreats and water temperatures rise. Alaskan pollock are becoming Russian pollock, swimming across an international boundary in search of food and setting off what could become a geopolitical dispute. ...	Traitors. ApocaDoc permalink
Sun, Oct 19, 2008 from New York Times: Candidates Agree on Need to Address Global Warming Senator John McCain and Senator Barack Obama part company on many issues, but they agree that the Bush administration's policies on global warming were far too weak. Both candidates say that human-caused climate change is real and urgent, and that they would sharply diverge from President Bush's course by proposing legislation requiring sharp cuts in greenhouse gas emissions by midcentury. ...	Too bad we lost eight valuable years. ApocaDoc permalink
Sat, Oct 18, 2008 from Christian Science Monitor: Climate change's most deadly threat: drought ...Brian Fagan believes climate is not merely a backdrop to the ongoing drama of human civilization, but an important stage upon which world events turn... In his new book, The Great Warming: Climate Change and the Rise and Fall of Civilizations, Fagan ... makes an original contribution ... by summoning attention to what he calls "the silent elephant in the room": drought. As polar icecaps melt and glaciers disappear, thus causing seas to rise, low-lying coastal areas may indeed be inundated, creating millions of environmental refugees. But it is the inland agricultural breadbasket regions that feed the world that stand to suffer the greatest upheaval if reliable precipitation patterns vanish. ...	The breadbasket will become a basketcase! ApocaDoc permalink
Sat, Oct 18, 2008 from University of Chicago Press Journals via ScienceDaily: Global Warming Threatens Australia's Iconic Kangaroos As concerns about the effects of global warming continue to mount, a new study published in the December issue of Physiological and Biochemical Zoology finds that an increase in average temperature of only two degrees Celsius could have a devastating effect on populations of Australia's iconic kangaroos.... The most significant effects of climate change are not necessarily on the animals themselves, but on their habitats -- specifically, in amounts of available water. ...	Not long before we'll see these kangaroos carrying bottled water in their pouches! ApocaDoc permalink
Sat, Oct 18, 2008 from New York Times: E.P.A. Toughens Standard on Lead Emissions; Change Is the First in 3 Decades The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday set stringent new standards for airborne lead particles, following the recommendations of its science advisers and cutting the maximum allowable concentrations to a tenth of the previous standard. It was the first change in federal lead standards in three decades. But the cleanup of areas with excessive lead levels is not required for more than eight years, and the system of monitors that detect the toxic contaminant is frayed. Currently, 133 monitors are in operation nationwide, down from about 800 in 1980, an E.P.A. spokeswoman, Cathy Milbourn, said. The agency is working on rebuilding this network, to include more than 300 monitors, Ms. Milbourn said. ...	Eight years?! Get the lead out! ApocaDoc permalink
Sat, Oct 18, 2008 from SciDev.net: Himalayan pollution 'could impact monsoon cycle' Researchers have shown that pollution from China, India, Nepal and Pakistan can reach altitudes of over 5,000 metres in the Himalayas, contributing to the warming of the atmosphere and potentially affecting the South-East Asian monsoon cycle. They also found that new aerosol particles -- ultrafine particles suspended in the atmosphere -- can form at these heights.... "This study is remarkable as it can explain the phenomenon of the melting of glaciers that we have started to observe in the Himalayas," says Ngamindra Dahal, a hydrometeorologist at the National Trust for Nature Conservation, Nepal. ...	Are those the winds of change blowing way up there? ApocaDoc permalink
Sat, Oct 18, 2008 from Natural News: Cell Phones May be Wiping out Bees and Affecting Health of Humans But one of the most popular theories is that electromagnetic radiation given off by cell phones and other hi-tech gadgets is causing this worrying phenomenon. The theory is that radiation interferes with bees' navigation systems, preventing them from finding their way back to the hive, which is a hallmark trait of bees. And there is actual evidence to back this up. German research has long shown that bees change their natural patterns of behavior near power lines. In addition, a study at Landau University has found that bees do not go back to their hives when cell phones are placed nearby. Dr Jochen Kuhn, who carried it out, said this could provide a "hint" to a possible cause. [Editor's note: from International Herald Tribune: "Good story for sure, except that the study in question had nothing to do with mobile phones and was actually investigating the influence of electromagnetic fields, especially those used by cordless phones that work on fixed-line networks, on the learning ability of bees. The small study, according to the researchers who carried it out too small for the results to be considered significant, found that the electromagnetic fields similar to those used by cordless phones may interrupt the innate ability of bees to find the way back to their hive."] (Thanks, Bud) ...	The subscriber you are trying to reach is not available in its hive. ApocaDoc permalink
Sat, Oct 18, 2008 from Calgary Sun (Canada): Ban on BPA begins today Canada will be the first country to limit the use of bisphenol A today when it formally declares the chemical a hazardous substance. The federal government published its decision to place BPA on its list of toxic substances in the Canada Gazette. The decision comes six months after Health Minister Tony Clement announced plans to limit use of the chemical. The Conservatives said they will now move to ban the importation and sale of baby bottles containing BPA. ...	Why can't our conservatives do something like that? ApocaDoc permalink
Fri, Oct 17, 2008 from Associated Press: Armyworms attacking pastures, wheat in Texas Texas farmers are once again battling armyworms and the voracious creatures are attacking fields and pastures in formidable numbers.... The armyworm, which is actually the caterpillar or larva of the night-flying moth, do the most damage in the fall, when they're at their peak, nearly fully grown at about an inch-and-a-half long. They'll chomp on any plant, but prefer grasses, especially the lush and well-fertilized hay meadows and pastures in North, East and Central Texas. ...	All we are saying ... is give peas a chance. ApocaDoc permalink
Fri, Oct 17, 2008 from Associated Press: Government declares beluga whale endangered The federal government on Friday placed the beluga whales in Alaska's Cook Inlet under the protection of the Endangered Species Act, concluding that a decade-long recovery program has failed to ensure their survival... The findings by NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service conflict with claims by Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who has questioned scientific evidence that the beluga whale population in the waters near Anchorage continues to decline. ...	It almost onomatopoetically sounds like the alarm siren for threatened species: beLUga! beLUga! ApocaDoc permalink
Fri, Oct 17, 2008 from NOAA, via Mongabay: NOAA offers 'dramatic evidence' of Arctic warming Fall air temperatures 9 degrees F (5 degrees C) above normal, the second lowest-ever extent of summer sea ice, and the melting of surface ice in Greenland are signs of continued warming in the Arctic, according to the Arctic Report Card, an annual review of Arctic conditions by U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and its partners. "Changes in the Arctic show a domino effect from multiple causes more clearly than in other regions," said James Overland, an oceanographer at NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory in Seattle and a lead author of the report. "It's a sensitive system and often reflects changes in relatively fast and dramatic ways." ...	I wish I could transfer the icy chill I'm feeling in my spine to the Arctic. ApocaDoc permalink
Want more context? Try reading our book FREE online: Humoring the Horror of the Converging Emergencies! More fun than a barrel of jellyfish!
Fri, Oct 17, 2008 from Guardian (UK): US climate change activists go on trial Eleven climate change activists are due in court today on criminal charges after they blockaded a planned $1.8bn coal-fired power plant, providing an American echo of the Kingsnorth Six trial. The activists were arrested last month in rural Wise County, Virginia, at the gates of a power plant being built by Dominion, the No 2 utility in the US. The 11 chained themselves to steel barrels that held aloft a banner, lit by solar panels, challenging the utility to provide cleaner energy for a region ravaged by abusive coal mining. ...	Can such creativity be illegal? ApocaDoc permalink
Fri, Oct 17, 2008 from Science Daily (US): Microbes Useful For For Environmental Cleanup And Oil Recovery BioTiger� resulted from over eight years of extensive work that began at a century-old Polish waste lagoon. "DOE had originally funded us to work with our Polish counterparts to develop a microbe-based method for cleaning up oil-contaminated soils," explains Dr. Robin Brigmon, SRNL Fellow Engineer. From that lagoon, they identified microbes that could break down the oil to carbon dioxide and other non-hazardous products. "The project was a great success," Dr. Brigmon says. "The lagoon now has been cleaned up, and deer now can be seen grazing on it." ...	Not sure that CO2 is exactly "non-hazardous," but this is still a good trend line. ApocaDoc permalink
Fri, Oct 17, 2008 from Concord Monitor: No frost yet isn't good Global climatic change has its short-term upside. It's not instant gloom and doom. And, sure, a 70-degree October day has weather explanations. By itself its not indicative of climate change. Unfortunately, the climate is changing. The frosts and the winter are later. We'd expect a frost around Labor Day. Now it's more than a month later, and still not close. October is more like September. November is more like October. People used to bet on the day of ice out on the big lakes, like Winnipesaukee and Champlain. Now they may not be totally frozen over at all. Two winters ago I kayaked on a still unfrozen Mountain View Lake at the foot of Mount Sunapee around Jan. 1. ...	We're starting to see it on the ground -- or not see it. ApocaDoc permalink
Fri, Oct 17, 2008 from Courier-Mail (Australia): Narangba toxic waste still unknown, admits company A company treating dangerous toxic waste admits it does not know exactly what chemicals are stored on its site at the Narangba Industrial Estate. A cleanup of previous contamination at the BCD Technologies plant is still months away from being completed, despite the spill being discovered late last year.... The Environmental Protection Agency has confirmed that an audit it conducted found drums of unidentified material left by the previous owner of the company. Some drums were later found to contain carcinogenic polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs. ...	The former company didn't keep records? How handy for them. ApocaDoc permalink
Thu, Oct 16, 2008 from Mansfield News Journal: Ohio average temperatures up 2 degrees Climate change has sent the region's average temperature up 2� since 2000, according to a new report. Things are heating up across Ohio, the report from the Environment Ohio Research and Policy Center in Columbus showed, leading environmentalists to call for more efforts to combat global warming. ...	It can't help to have all this attention on the hot race for the presidency focused on Ohio. ApocaDoc permalink
Thu, Oct 16, 2008 from Brown University, via ScienceDaily: Coastal Dead Zones May Benefit Some Species, Scientist Finds Coastal dead zones, an increasing concern to ecologists, the fishing industry and the public, may not be as devoid of life after all. A Brown scientist has found that dead zones do indeed support marine life, and that at least one commercially valuable clam actually benefits from oxygen-depleted waters.... The reasons appear to be twofold: The quahogs' natural ability to withstand oxygen-starved waters, coupled with their predators' inability to survive in dead zones. The result: The quahog can not only survive, but in the absence of predators, can actually thrive. ...	Quahogs are a funny silver lining. ApocaDoc permalink
Thu, Oct 16, 2008 from University of Georgia: UGA study reveals ecosystem-level consequences of frog extinctions A University of Georgia study that is the first to comprehensively examine an ecosystem before and after an amphibian population decline has found that tadpoles play a key role keeping the algae at the base of the food chain productive.... Without tadpoles swimming along the streambed and stirring up the bottom, the amount of sediment in the stream increased by nearly 150 percent, blocking out sunlight that algae need to grow... The UGA research team is continuing to monitor the health of the streams to get valuable, long-term data. So far the stream has not rebounded. "It's still sad going back," Connelly said, to which Pringle added: "Once the frogs die, it's like an incredible silence descends over the whole area. It's eerie." ...	Silent streams, silent screams. ApocaDoc permalink
Thu, Oct 16, 2008 from Ohio State University: New solar energy material captures every color of the rainbow Researchers have created a new material that overcomes two of the major obstacles to solar power: it absorbs all the energy contained in sunlight, and generates electrons in a way that makes them easier to capture.... At this point, the material is years from commercial development, but he added that this experiment provides a proof of concept -- that hybrid solar cell materials such as this one can offer unusual properties. ...	We're all impatient! Let's get going! ApocaDoc permalink
Thu, Oct 16, 2008 from Portland Business Journal: Businesses cite high costs in toxic-regulation plan A state proposal that would more strongly regulate the disposal of toxic products has unnerved many Oregon businesses. The "product stewardship" rules, drafted primarily by Oregon�s Department of Environment Quality, seek to better regulate disposal of such goods as rechargeable batteries, certain paint types, carpet and items containing mercury. Oregon lawmakers could consider the new rules during the 2009 legislative session. ...	Where did our free lunch go? ApocaDoc permalink
Thu, Oct 16, 2008 from Bloomberg News: Obama to Declare Carbon Dioxide Dangerous Pollutant Barack Obama will classify carbon dioxide as a dangerous pollutant that can be regulated should he win the presidential election on Nov. 4, opening the way for new rules on greenhouse gas emissions. The Democratic senator from Illinois will tell the Environmental Protection Agency that it may use the 1990 Clean Air Act to set emissions limits on power plants and manufacturers, his energy adviser, Jason Grumet, said in an interview. President George W. Bush declined to curb CO2 emissions under the law even after the Supreme Court ruled in 2007 that the government may do so. ...	Wonder how the coal industry feels about this. ApocaDoc permalink
Thu, Oct 16, 2008 from Plenty: Coal and clear skies: Obama's balancing act When Barack Obama arrived in Washington as a newly elected senator in early 2005, he landed in the middle of an environmental firestorm. Obama had been assigned a seat on the Senate's Environment and Public Works committee - and the first order of business was the Clear Skies Act. The brainchild of the Bush administration, the CSA was presented as an initiative to reduce air pollution and boost the economy; it was applauded by industry groups, but drew sharp criticism from environmentalists and many Democrats, who said the move would weaken existing clean-air regulations, loosen caps on a range of air pollutants, delay the enforcement of smog and soot standards, and exempt power plants from rules requiring them to comply with modern emission standards... In the end, of course, Obama voted against Clear Skies, deadlocking the Environment committee and effectively killing the legislation. ...	Clear skies... smiling at me... nothing but clear skies ... do I see! ApocaDoc permalink
Wed, Oct 15, 2008 from McClatchy Newspapers: Memos tell wildlife officials to ignore global-warming impact New legal memos by top Bush administration officials say that the Endangered Species Act can't be used to protect animals and their habitats from climate change by regulating specific sources of greenhouse gas emissions, the cause of global warming. The assessment, outlined in memos sent earlier this month and leaked Tuesday, provides the official legal justification for limiting protections under the Endangered Species Act. One of the memos, from the Interior Department's top lawyer, concluded that emissions of greenhouse gases from any proposed project can't be proved to have an impact on species or habitat, so it isn't necessary for federal agencies to consult with government wildlife experts about the impact of such gases on species as stipulated under the Endangered Species Act. ...	Humans aren't the only ones anxious for this administration to end! ApocaDoc permalink
Wed, Oct 15, 2008 from San Francisco Chronicle: Some bottled water toxicity shown to exceed law Bottled water brands do not always maintain the consistency of quality touted in ads featuring alpine peaks and crystalline lakes and, in some cases, contain toxic byproducts that exceed state safety standards, tests show. The Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit organization with offices in Oakland, tested 10 brands of bottled water and found that Wal-Mart's Sam's Choice contained chemical levels that exceeded legal limits in California and the voluntary standards adopted by the industry. ...	Say it ain't so, Sam! ApocaDoc permalink
You're still reading! Good for you! You really should read our short, funny, frightening book FREE online (or buy a print copy): Humoring the Horror of the Converging Emergencies! We've been quipping this stuff for more than 30 months! Every day! Which might explain why we don't get invited to parties anymore.
Wed, Oct 15, 2008 from George Monbiot, The Guardian: This stock collapse is petty when compared to the nature crunch This is nothing. Well, nothing by comparison to what's coming. The financial crisis for which we must now pay so heavily prefigures the real collapse, when humanity bumps against its ecological limits.... As we goggle at the fluttering financial figures, a different set of numbers passes us by. On Friday, Pavan Sukhdev, the Deutsche Bank economist leading a European study on ecosystems, reported that we are losing natural capital worth between $2 trillion and $5 trillion every year as a result of deforestation alone.... The two crises have the same cause. In both cases, those who exploit the resource have demanded impossible rates of return and invoked debts that can never be repaid. In both cases we denied the likely consequences. ...	Can't we just borrow some more Nature from somebody? ApocaDoc permalink
Wed, Oct 15, 2008 from Physiological and Biochemical Zoology, via EurekAlert: Global warming threatens Australia's iconic kangaroos As concerns about the effects of global warming continue to mount, a new study published in the December issue of Physiological and Biochemical Zoology finds that an increase in average temperature of only two degrees Celsius could have a devastating effect on populations of Australia's iconic kangaroos. "Our study provides evidence that climate change has the capacity to cause large-scale range contractions, and the possible extinction of one macropodid (kangaroo) species in northern Australia," write study authors Euan G. Ritchie and Elizabeth E. Bolitho of James Cook University in Australia. ...	And there's nowhere to hop... ApocaDoc permalink
Wed, Oct 15, 2008 from Telegraph.co.uk: Wild cat parts trade is growing in Burma There is an organised and growing trade in wild cat parts in Burma, wildlife investigators have found. Skins and body parts from almost 1,200 animals were found openly on sale in markets. They included parts of at least 107 Tigers and all the eight species of wild cats found in Burma, which is also known as Myanmar. ...	Tiger, tiger, burning out/in the forests nort' and sout' ApocaDoc permalink
Wed, Oct 15, 2008 from Daily Press: Still no answers: A new study doesn't tell us what to do about oysters and the bay The study's failure to endorse the Asian oyster is bound to disappoint those who think it's the salvation of an industry that has been devastated right along with the creature it depends on. Once so abundant that heaps of oysters broke the surface of local waters, the native oyster has become rare indeed, due to disease, poor water quality and over-fishing. ...	No pearls of wisdom from the scientists. ApocaDoc permalink
Tue, Oct 14, 2008 from 350.org: Send an invitation to the next U.S. President Dear Sen. Obama/Sen. McCain: I'm writing with a simple request: attend the UN Climate Meetings this December and rejoin the world's fight against the climate crisis. The need for an international deal has never been greater. NASA's top climate scientists have said that to avoid disaster the planet needs a plan both to cut carbon emissions sharply and immediately, and to steer a long term path back below 350 parts per million Carbon Dioxide. ...	And if the candidate you DON'T want wins, you can send him to the moon! ApocaDoc permalink
Tue, Oct 14, 2008 from World Wildlife Fund via ScienceDaily: Climate Change To Devastate Or Destroy Many Penguin Colonies Half to three-quarters of major Antarctic penguin colonies face decline or disappearance if global temperatures are allowed to climb by more than 2 degrees C. A new WWF report -- 2 degrees C is Too Much -- shows that the colonies of 50 percent of the iconic emperor penguins and 75 per cent of the Adelie penguins are under threat. ...	No more happy feet. ApocaDoc permalink
Tue, Oct 14, 2008 from Discovery News: Ozone Pollution to Worsen Under Climate Change Surface-level ozone, a poisonous gas that claims tens of thousands of lives annually, could get much worse thanks to the effects of climate change, according to new research... "It's the third most important greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide and methane," David Fowler of the National Environmental Research Council in the United Kingdom said. "But it's not the biggest one, and it's not the biggest threat to human health -- particulates in the atmosphere are worse. So it's a sort of Cinderella gas that has been mostly ignored." ...	If only we could find some giant slipper to capture and sequester this ozone. ApocaDoc permalink
Tue, Oct 14, 2008 from Digital Journal: Is Toxic Waste Behind Somali Piracy ? Somali pirates are accusing European firms of dumping toxic waste off the coast of Somalia and this is why they are holding a ship for ransom. European firms are being accused of dumping toxic waste off the Somali coast. This is the claim that the Somalia pirates, who are demanding an $8m ransom for the return of a Ukrainian ship, are making. The pirates say the money will go towards cleaning up the waste... Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the UN envoy for Somalia said there is "reliable information" that European and Asian companies are dumping toxic waste, including nuclear waste, off the Somali coastline. ...	Arrrr, matey! Robin Hoods for the seas! ApocaDoc permalink
Tue, Oct 14, 2008 from Reuters: Global Hunger Index 2008: hunger situation in 33 countries is 'very serious' to 'grave' "Almost a billion starving people is a scandal for the world. In contrast to the banks, they themselves are not guilty for their plight. The general rethinking about the role of the state and the international community, brought about by the financial crisis, must be extended to also cover the hunger crisis. The world needs a rescue package to combat global hunger, and we therefore demand that funding for the development of agriculture in developing countries be increased by at least ten billion euros every year and that fairer trading conditions should be created." ...	Let them eat cake. ApocaDoc permalink
Tue, Oct 14, 2008 from Current Biology, via EurekAlert: In a last 'stronghold' for endangered chimpanzees, survey finds drastic decline In a population survey of West African chimpanzees living in Cote d'Ivoire, researchers estimate that this endangered subspecies has dropped in numbers by a whopping 90 percent since the last survey was conducted 18 years ago. The few remaining chimpanzees are now highly fragmented, with only one viable population living in Taii National Park, according to a report in the October 14th issue of Current Biology.... This alarming decline in a country that had been considered one of the final strongholds for West African chimps suggests that their status should be raised to critically endangered, said Genevieve Campbell of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. ...	Who will Tarzan be able to befriend? ApocaDoc permalink
Tue, Oct 14, 2008 from Guardian (UK): Bleak warning that UK fish face extinction A hidden catastrophe is unfolding off the coasts of Britain which could leave our seas filled with only algae and jellyfish, a leading conservation organisation warns today. The Marine Conservation Society says severe overfishing is the biggest environmental threat facing Britain and is having a profound effect on marine ecosystems. The warning comes in Silent Seas, a report released as the government prepares its marine bill for parliament.... Simon Brockington, head of conservation at the MCS, said: "There's a moral imperative: we simply shouldn't be living in such a way that drives species to extinction." ...	Not only other species, Simon: ourselves, too. ApocaDoc permalink
Tue, Oct 14, 2008 from CBC News (Canada): Methane hydrates: Energy's most dangerous game All the energy America needs for the next 100 years lies under the sea off the coast of South Carolina. One problem: Digging it out could cause a global climate disaster. Welcome to the final frontier in fossil fuels, the wild card in climate change theories and the dark horse in the scramble to secure access to clean energy. Meet methane hydrates, the world's most promising and perilous energy resource.... In other words, the extraction process, if done improperly, could cause sudden disruptions on the ocean floor, reducing ocean pressure rates and releasing methane gas from hydrates. A mass release of methane into the sea and atmosphere could have catastrophic consequences on the pace of climate change. More than 50 million years ago, undersea landslides resulted in the release of methane gas from methane hydrate, which contributed to global warming that lasted tens of thousands of years. ...	Exxon: Heck, we'll be careful, don't worry. ApocaDoc permalink
Tue, Oct 14, 2008 from Daily Mail (UK): Rick Stein vows to continue using endangered fish in his restaurants Rick Stein, Britain's top seafood chef, has vowed to go on using endangered species of fish in his acclaimed restaurants despite warnings of over-fishing. The 61-year-old claimed following government and fishery guidelines would lose him 80 per cent of his menus and he would not be able to keep his four restaurants in Padstow going. And, controversially, he questioned whether the fish stocks situation is really as bad as the government and marine conservationists are saying. ...	Now or later, Rick. Now or later. Idiot. ApocaDoc permalink
Mon, Oct 13, 2008 from CNN International: Illegal marijuana growing pollutes U.S. national parks Weed and bug sprays, some long banned in the U.S., have been smuggled to the marijuana farms. Plant growth hormones have been dumped into streams, and the water has then been diverted for miles in PVC pipes. Rat poison has been sprinkled over the landscape to keep animals away from tender plants. And many sites are strewn with the carcasses of deer and bears poached by workers during the five-month growing season that is now ending. "What's going on on public lands is a crisis at every level," said Forest Service agent Ron Pugh.... "People light up a joint, and they have no idea the amount of environmental damage associated with it," said Cicely Muldoon, deputy regional director of the Pacific West Region of the National Park Service. ...	Whoa. Dude! ApocaDoc permalink
Mon, Oct 13, 2008 from Toledo Blade: Climate change called certain and most predictions are bad Agriculture could become more difficult, with crop yields harder to maintain because of drier soils and more insects -- and too much rain at the wrong times.... The frequency of thunderstorms could be doubled, yet soil is expected to be drier and more prone to drought because of the increased rate of evaporation.... Expect more sneezing from pollen and ragweed, plus a variety of other health issues from more mushroom spores, mold, and poison ivy, he said. Portions of North America are now being affected by dust clouds emanating as far away as Africa's expanding deserts. ...	More poison ivy? Now it's really getting serious. ApocaDoc permalink
Mon, Oct 13, 2008 from New York Times: 'Black Silicon' increases efficiency Black silicon has since been found to have extreme sensitivity to light. It is now on the verge of commercialization, most likely first in night vision systems. "We have seen a 100 to 500 times increase in sensitivity to light compared to conventional silicon detectors," said James Carey, a co-founder of SiOnyx who worked on the original experiments as a Harvard graduate student.... As a result of his research, a number of academic and corporate research groups are still exploring the material, which absorbs about twice as much visible light as normal silicon... ...	Leeeet the sun shine.... leeet the sun shine in...! ApocaDoc permalink
Mon, Oct 13, 2008 from JAMA, via EurekAlert: Research shows link between bisphenol A and disease in adults A research team from the Peninsula Medical School, the University of Exeter, the University of Plymouth and the University of Iowa, have found evidence linking Bisphenol A (BPA) to diabetes and heart disease in adults.... BPA is used in polycarbonate plastic products such as refillable drinks containers, compact disks, some plastic eating utensils and many other products in everyday use. It is one of the world's highest production volume chemicals, with over 2.2 million tonnes (6.4 billion pounds) produced in 2003, with an annual growth in demand of between six and 10 per cent each year. ...	Let's see if we can shift that equation. ApocaDoc permalink
Mon, Oct 13, 2008 from Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft: Using electrons to treat organic seeds Sales of organic products are booming: Consumers want their food to be untainted. To avoid the use of fungicides yet nevertheless protect plants from disease, researchers have developed a method that involves bombarding seeds with electrons to kill fungal spores and viruses.... So what happens when the electrons hit the seeds? "It's not unlike cooking. For instance, when you make strawberry jam, the germs are killed by the high temperature -- and your jam will keep for years. The electrons destroy the chemical bonds that hold together the molecules in the fungal spores and other pathogens, but without generating heat. You might say that they cause the molecules to explode," explains Roder. ...	Exploding molecules doesn't sound very organic. ApocaDoc permalink
Mon, Oct 13, 2008 from Daily News (South Africa): Mystery virus came from mice Test results have shown that the disease which has killed at least three people in Johannesburg hospitals is one of the rodent-borne Arena viruses -- a family of viruses that includes Lassa fever. The Arena virus is carried by wild rodents (multimammate mice) and is shed in urine or droppings. The tests were conducted at US Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta and the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) in Johannesburg and the results were made public yesterday. ...	The Black Plague was carried by rats -- let's hope this is a smaller plague. ApocaDoc permalink
Mon, Oct 13, 2008 from Mongabay: Armageddon for amphibians? Frog-killing disease jumps Panama Canal Chytridiomycosis -- a fungal disease that is wiping out amphibians around the world -- has jumped across the Panama Canal, report scientists writing in the journal EcoHealth. The news is a worrying development for Panama's rich biodiversity of amphibians east of the canal.... While scientists don't yet know the origin of the fungus, they suspect it might be the African clawed frog, a species that has been shipped around the world for research purposes. The fungus is highly transmissible and has spread to at least four continents, in some cases probably introduced unintentionally by humans in the treads of their shoes. As it spreads, the disease lays waste to more than 80 percent of amphibians across a wide range of habitats, including those that are undisturbed by humans. Some researchers have suggested that climate change could be creating conditions that exacerbate the impact of the pathogen -- which predominantly affects highland species -- although the theory is still controversial. ...	Ribbit. Ribbi. Ribb. Ri. R... ApocaDoc permalink
Mon, Oct 13, 2008 from Telegraph.co.uk: Climate change targets could end farming as we know it -- NFU New targets to cut the UK's greenhouse emissions by at least 80 per cent will cripple agriculture in the UK, according to farmers.... The [National Farmers Union] said it would be "nigh on impossible" for farming to make the cuts without a massive reduction in livestock farming -- which produces methane, and cultivating the land -- which produces nitrous oxide.... "We simply do not know how to produce the current volume of food produced using 80 per cent less greenhouse gases," he added. ...	Obstructionism "as we know it" will also have to end. ApocaDoc permalink
Mon, Oct 13, 2008 from Innovations Report: Copper catalyst recycles carbon dioxide RIKEN chemists have developed a catalyst that should allow carbon dioxide to be used as a versatile synthetic chemical.... Zhaomin Hou... along with colleagues Takeshi Ohishi and Masayoshi Nishiura, has now developed a copper catalyst that helps the boron compounds to react with carbon dioxide without destroying sensitive chemical groups.... "One of our goals is to find a catalyst that can transform CO2 in exhaust gasses of automobile vehicles or chemical plants into useful materials." ...	Think of CO2 as a renewable resource. ApocaDoc permalink