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What A Week It Was: Apocadocuments from

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Species Collapse:	(4)
Plague/Virus:	(1)
Climate Chaos:	(5)
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This Week's Top Ten Very Scary Tags:
alternative energy ~ hunting to extinction ~ marine mammals ~ global warming ~ melting glaciers ~ smart policy ~ climate impacts ~ ocean acidification ~ albedo effect ~ toxic sludge ~ death spiral

ApocaDocuments (20) gathered this week:
Sat, Jun 27, 2009 from Western Morning News (UK): Marine life 'at risk' from CO2 THE Arctic Ocean could become corrosive to marine life within a matter of decades, according to leading scientists who will be attending a critical meeting in Plymouth next week. More than 100 marine scientists specialising in ocean acidification will gather at the Plymouth University on Monday to discuss their research into the dramatic effects of excess carbon dioxide being absorbed from the atmosphere into the oceans. Ocean acidification, often referred to as "the other C02 problem", is a relatively recently recognised consequence of C02 emissions and threatens to corrode shell or skeleton-forming marine organisms. The oceans are a natural sink for C02 and, because of their sheer collective size, were once thought too big to be affected by humans.... Dr Carol Turley, senior scientist at Plymouth Marine Laboratory, said: "Ocean acidification is real, it's happening and it's happening now, so it is essential for us to gain as much insight as possible to help us understand and plan for the effects that are inevitable. "Even small changes are likely to have major impacts on the ocean and its food webs, including the oxygen we breathe and the fish we eat, and that means it will affect all of us." ...	"The other CO2 problem"?? ApocaDoc permalink
Sat, Jun 27, 2009 from BBC: Whale chief mulls ending hunt ban The outgoing chair of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) has suggested whale conservation could benefit from ending the commercial hunting ban. Dr William Hogarth's remarks came at the end of this year's IWC meeting, which saw pro- and anti-whaling nations agree to further compromise talks.... The 1982 commercial whaling moratorium is one of the conservation movement's iconic achievements, and environment groups and anti-whaling nations are, at least on the surface, lined up four-square behind it. But Dr Hogarth, a US fisheries expert who led the compromise talks for the last year, suggested it could now be a problem for whale conservation. "I'll probably get in trouble for making this statement, but I am probably convinced right now that there would be less whales killed if we didn't have the commercial moratorium," he told BBC News immediately after the meeting ended. ...	I'm "probably convinced" you're in the pocket of the whaling industry. ApocaDoc permalink
Sat, Jun 27, 2009 from New Scientist: Financial crisis may have been good for the climate The financial crisis and high oil prices caused the growth of greenhouse gas emissions to drop by half in 2008. That is the conclusion of an analysis of preliminary data released yesterday by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (NEAA). The data, from oil giant BP, also show that for the first time developing nations were responsible for pumping more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than developed nations and international transport combined. But Jos Olivier of the NEAA warns that it is difficult to say whether the slowing trend of emissions will continue next year. Emissions grew by 1.7 per cent in 2008, compared to 3.3 per cent in 2007. The agency's analysis suggests that this was mostly because fossil fuel consumption decreased globally for the first time since 1992. ...	I'm not sure that "slowing the growth" really constitutes good news. ApocaDoc permalink
Fri, Jun 26, 2009 from New Scientist: Ozone hole has unforeseen effect on ocean carbon sink The Southern Ocean has lost its appetite for carbon dioxide, and now it appears that the ozone hole could be to blame. In theory, oceans should absorb more CO2 as levels of the gas in the atmosphere rise. Measurements show that this is happening in most ocean regions, but strangely not in the Southern Ocean, where carbon absorption has flattened off. Climate models fail to reproduce this puzzling pattern. The Southern Ocean is a major carbon sink, guzzling around 15 per cent of CO2 emissions. However, between 1987 and 2004, carbon uptake in the region was reduced by nearly 2.5 billion tonnes -- equivalent to the amount of carbon that all the world's oceans absorb in one year. ...	Good grief -- this is good for ocean acidification, bad for global warming... or is it the other way around? ApocaDoc permalink
Fri, Jun 26, 2009 from University of Wisconsin, via EurekAlert: Projected food, energy demands seen to outpace production With the caloric needs of the planet expected to soar by 50 percent in the next 40 years, planning and investment in global agriculture will become critically important, according a new report released today (June 25).... "We are at a crossroads in terms of our investments in agriculture and what we will need to do to feed the world population by 2050," says David Zaks, a co-author of the report and a researcher at the Nelson Institute's Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment. By 2050, world population is expected to exceed 9 billion people, up from 6.5 billion today. Already, according to the report, a gap is emerging between agricultural production and demand, and the disconnect is expected to be amplified by climate change, increasing demand for biofuels, and a growing scarcity of water. ...	But I'll still be able to have Ho-Ho's, right? ApocaDoc permalink
Thu, Jun 25, 2009 from Inhabitat: 15 Year Old Invents Algae-Powered Energy System The high school student developed a fully featured algae-powered energy system that combines a dozen new and existing technologies to treat waste, produce methane and bio-oil for fuel, produce food for humans and livestock, sequester greenhouse gases, and produce oxygen. Dubbed the VERSATILE system, the project is this year's winner of the annual Invent Your World Challenge $20,000 scholarship.... According to Fernandez-Han, the modular system is targeted at developing countries that need self-contained sources of power and waste disposal. The budding inventor envisions African villages lit up by the Playpump's LEDs, with excess methane to sell for income, reduced air pollution -- thanks to methane burning stoves, and increased affordability of goats, pigs, and fish due to the availability of algae as feed. A scaled-down version of the system for a small house or apartment could cost as little as $200. ...	Why isn't this kid doing something useful, like buying iTunes? ApocaDoc permalink
Thu, Jun 25, 2009 from Irish Times: Political paralysis as clock ticks on climate change ... And that's why we have scientists. Their job is to collate and then make sense of the physical data gleaned from close observation of the world around them. They are by training a cautious, sceptical, even prickly bunch with a notoriously low tolerance for fools. As Thomas Huxley memorably put it: "The great tragedy of science -- the slaying of a beautiful hypothesis by an ugly fact." Which is why the findings of a poll of scientists attending a climate conference in Denmark in March were so alarming. About 60 per cent of respondents said that yes, in theory it was still possible to prevent global average temperature rises exceeding 2 degrees C -- the accepted point beyond which runaway climate chaos awaits. There is however a yawning chasm between scientific necessity and what is politically acceptable. Some 86 per cent believed the 2-degree threshold will in fact be crossed. Most reckoned an apocalyptic 4-5 degrees this century is on the cards. In other words, they believe humanity can still save itself, but will choose not to. Scientists are not themselves robots. As one respondent commented: "My optimism is not primarily due to scientific facts, but to hope." Another explained: "As a mother of young children, I choose to believe there's a chance, and work hard towards it." ...	Just don't raise my taxes!!! ApocaDoc permalink
Thu, Jun 25, 2009 from Foreign Policy: Climate change will soon be the world's greatest health crisis ... [C]limate change is also a public health issue, one whose profound effects on the lives and wellbeing of billions of people are just beginning to be understood. A major new report launched jointly by The Lancet and University College London, which I coauthored, has concluded that climate change is the biggest global health threat of the 21st century. Our findings strongly suggest that health experts and advocates ought to be at the forefront of calling for action on climate change. Their help is urgently needed: plans need to be put in place immediately to manage the worst effects, requiring unprecedented levels of international cooperation.... As temperatures rise, there will be an increased risk of transmission of insect-borne diseases like dengue fever and malaria. As many as 260 to 320 million more people may be affected by malaria by 2080 as mosquitoes spread into newly warm areas. Pathogens also mutate faster at higher temperatures, making treatment more difficult. ...	Time to invest in Big Pharma? ApocaDoc permalink
Thu, Jun 25, 2009 from Telegraph.co.uk: Sharks threatened with extinction The first assessment of the global fortunes of 64 species of pelagic, or open ocean, sharks and rays found 32 per cent were under threat including the great white shark and basking shark. The study by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) blamed tuna and swordfish fisheries that often catch sharks as accidental "by-catch". Sharks are also being increasingly targeted themselves to supply growing demand for shark meat and fins. The valuable fins are used for shark fin soup � a delicacy in Asia. To supply the market the wasteful process of "finning" often takes place, in which the fins are cut off the shark and the rest of the body is thrown back into the sea. Bans on the practice have been introduced in most international waters but are seldom enforced according to Sonja Fordham, deputy chairwoman of the IUCN shark specialist group. ...	I want to know: what about the Jets? ApocaDoc permalink
Wed, Jun 24, 2009 from Grist: Frogs in the forest: the new canaries in the coal mine We sat down with conservation biologist Dr. Kerry Kriger of the newly minted nonprofit Save the Frogs! -- one of several stops he's making in Seattle during a country-wide speaking tour. As one of the lone voices raising the alarm for amphibians, Kriger dished about the worst disease ever to hit wildlife, why it's such a big deal that one-third of amphibians are threatened with extinction, and just how many people actually are having frogs for lunch.... "Frogs have been around 250 million years," he said. "They�ve outlived the dinosaurs ... But in the last thirty, forty, fifty years, they're now going extinct." Because thin-skinned frogs live both on land and in the water, they are biological indicators of the planet's health -- the proverbial canaries in the coal mine. With over one-third of these species in imminent danger of extinction, what's really alarming is that most of us have no idea what�s going on. ...	If only they were warm and fuzzy, instead of cold and slimy. ApocaDoc permalink
Wed, Jun 24, 2009 from Reuters: Swiss glaciers melting faster than ever before: study Switzerland's glaciers shrank by 12 percent over the past decade, melting at their fastest rate due to rising temperatures and lighter snowfalls, a study by the Swiss university ETH showed Monday. "The last decade was the worst decade that we have had in the last 150 years. We lost a lot of water," said Daniel Farinotti, research assistant at the ETH. "The trend is definitely that glaciers are melting faster now. Since the end of the 1980s, they have lost more and more mass more quickly," he said. ...	So, Switzerland -- still "neutral" about this stuff? ApocaDoc permalink
Wed, Jun 24, 2009 from World Wildlife Fund, via EurekAlert: Disappearing dolphins clamour for attention at whale summit Madeira, Portugal: Small whales are disappearing from the world's oceans and waterways as they fall victim to fishing gear, pollution, and habitat loss � compounded by a lack of conservation measures such as those developed for great whales, according to a new WWF report. Small cetaceans: The Forgotten Whales, released today, states that inadequate conservation measures are pushing small cetaceans -- such as dolphins, porpoises and small whales -- toward extinction as their survival is overshadowed by efforts to save their larger cousins.... For example, the hunt of 16,000 Dall's porpoises every year in Japan is considered unsustainable. Yet several of the pro-whaling nations taking part in the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting this week object to discussing small cetacean conservation. ...	Ah, Flipper, we hardly knew ye. ApocaDoc permalink
Tue, Jun 23, 2009 from SolveClimate: Surprise: Nissan's Electric Cars to Be Made in the USA Japanese motor giant Nissan will begin building electric vehicles and batteries in the United States as soon as 2010, thanks to U.S. government incentives announced today. The news carries a promise of green jobs for a struggling section of Tennessee. It also means that a cut of the $25 billion auto stimulus package that Congress passed last September will be going to a foreign company. Nissan won approval from the Department of Energy (DOE) for $1.6 billion in special low-interest loans earmarked for making American vehicles greener. Ford and electric car start-up Tesla Motors were the other recipients, landing loans of $5.9 billion and $465 million, respectively. The decision by the DOE to include the Tokyo-based automaker is yet another sign of Japan's rising clout in the world's nascent EV market. Under the plan, Nissan will invest its loan dollars in building electric car assembly lines at its Smyrna, Tenn. plant. The factory will be capable of churning out 50,000 to 100,000 electric vehicles a year by 2012. ...	Now that's stimulus I can believe in! ApocaDoc permalink
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Tue, Jun 23, 2009 from Oregon State University, via EurekAlert: 'Bycatch' whaling a growing threat to coastal whales Scientists are warning that a new form of unregulated whaling has emerged along the coastlines of Japan and South Korea, where the commercial sale of whales killed as fisheries "bycatch" is threatening coastal stocks of minke whales and other protected species.... Their study found that nearly 46 percent of the minke whale products they examined in Japanese markets originated from a coastal population, which has distinct genetic characteristics, and is protected by international agreements. It will be published in a forthcoming issue of the journal Animal Conservation. Their conclusion: As many as 150 whales came from the coastal population through commercial bycatch whaling, and another 150 were taken from an open ocean population through Japan's scientific whaling. In some past years, Japan only reported about 19 minke whales killed through bycatch, though that number has increased recently as new regulations governing commercial bycatch have been adopted, Baker said. ...	What: whoops, I caught a whale! My bad...? ApocaDoc permalink
Tue, Jun 23, 2009 from New York Times: Justices Say Waste Can Be Dumped in Lake The Supreme Court ruled Monday that the Clean Water Act does not prevent the Army Corps of Engineers from allowing mining waste to be dumped into rivers, streams and other waters. In a 6-to-3 decision that drew fierce criticism from environmentalists, the court said the Corps of Engineers had the authority to grant Coeur Alaska Inc., a gold mining company, permission to dump the waste known as slurry into Lower Slate Lake, north of Juneau. "We conclude that the corps was the appropriate agency to issue the permit and that the permit is lawful," Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote for the majority. The corps permit, issued in 2005, said that 4.5 million tons of waste from the Kensington mine could be dumped into the lake even though it would obliterate life in its waters. The corps found that disposing of it there was less environmentally damaging than other options. ...	"Greed is good." Technically. ApocaDoc permalink
Tue, Jun 23, 2009 from Mongabay: Wind could power the entire world Wind power may be the key to a clean energy revolution: a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science finds that wind power could provide for the entire world's current and future energy needs.... They imagined 2.5 megawatt turbines crisscrossing the terrestrial globe, excluding "areas classified as forested, areas occupied by permanent snow or ice, areas covered by water, and areas identified as either developed or urban," according to the paper. They also included the possibility of 3.6 megawatt offshore wind turbines, but restricted them to 50 nautical miles off the coast and to oceans depths less than 200 meters. Using this criteria the researchers found that wind energy could not only supply all of the world's energy requirements, but it could provide over forty times the world's current electrical consumption and over five times the global use of total energy needs. Turning to the world's two largest carbon emitters, China and the United States, the researchers found that wind power has the potential to easily supply both nations. ...	The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind. ApocaDoc permalink
Tue, Jun 23, 2009 from PNAS, via SolveClimate: Study Confirms Growing Threat of Super Greenhouse Gases A new study published today by the National Academy of Sciences confirms unequivocally that a class of gases, whose use is expected to skyrocket in the developing world as living standards improve, poses an unforeseen and potentially grave threat by worsening global warming. These "super greenhouse gases" known as hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, were originally developed to replace the use of ozone-depleting aerosols and are now commonly found in refrigerators, air conditioners and automobile cooling systems. If left unchecked, their build-up in the atmosphere could negate current efforts to reduce carbon dioxide to safe levels by 2050. This emergency within the climate emergency has largely escaped public notice, but the new study is expected to raise its profile. ...	These emergencies within emergencies just keep on emerging. ApocaDoc permalink
Mon, Jun 22, 2009 from University of Buffalo, via EurekAlert: Ice sheets can retreat 'in a geologic instant,' study of prehistoric glacier shows Modern glaciers, such as those making up the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, are capable of undergoing periods of rapid shrinkage or retreat, according to new findings by paleoclimatologists at the University at Buffalo. The paper, published on June 21 in Nature Geoscience, describes fieldwork demonstrating that a prehistoric glacier in the Canadian Arctic rapidly retreated in just a few hundred years. The proof of such rapid retreat of ice sheets provides one of the few explicit confirmations that this phenomenon occurs. Should the same conditions recur today, which the UB scientists say is very possible, they would result in sharply rising global sea levels, which would threaten coastal populations. "A lot of glaciers in Antarctica and Greenland are characteristic of the one we studied in the Canadian Arctic," said Jason Briner, Ph.D., assistant professor of geology in the UB College of Arts and Sciences and lead author on the paper. "Based on our findings, they, too, could retreat in a geologic instant." ...	And that studied glacier didn't even have coal plant spewage to deal with! ApocaDoc permalink
Mon, Jun 22, 2009 from Canadian Press, via Daily Gleaner: Unusual numbers of swine flu patients end up in ICU "You don't see rows and rows of patients on ventilators because they have respiratory failure, a viral pneumonia kind of thing. It's unusual." At last count, Manitoba hospitals had 30 respiratory distress patients in the ICU, some confirmed swine flu cases, others for whom tests are still pending. In most people, swine flu behaves like regular flu -- it makes you feel miserable, you head to your bed and in time you recover. But in an as-yet-unknown proportion of cases, the virus seems to quickly trigger severe illness. A report compiled by the World Health Organization said between two and five per cent of confirmed cases require hospitalization. But no one yet knows how big a portion of the iceberg is above water (the confirmed cases) and how much remains submerged (cases that never come to the attention of medical authorities). ...	It just takes your breath away, doesn't it? ApocaDoc permalink
Mon, Jun 22, 2009 from EarthTronics: Introducing the Honeywell Wind Turbine The Honeywell Wind Turbine eliminates traditional wind turbine gear box, shaft and generators. The Honeywell Wind Turbine is a gearless, �free wheeling�� turbine that generates power from the blade tips (where the speed lies) rather than through a complex slow center shaft. By practically eliminating mechanical resistance and drag, the Honeywell Wind Turbine creates significant power (2000 kWh/yr) operating in a greater range of wind speeds (2-45 mph) than traditional wind turbines. The highest output, lowest cost per kWh installed turbine ever made. ...	A chicken in every pot! A turbine on every roof! ApocaDoc permalink