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What A Week It Was: Apocadocuments from

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Species Collapse:	(8)
Plague/Virus:	(1)
Climate Chaos:	(8)
Resource Depletion:	(4)
Biology Breach:	(4)
Recovery:	(6)

This Week's Top Ten Very Scary Tags:
climate impacts ~ anthropogenic change ~ global warming ~ contamination ~ ecosystem interrelationships ~ overfishing ~ stupid humans ~ pesticide runoff ~ weather extremes ~ smart policy ~ deforestation

ApocaDocuments (31) gathered this week:
Sun, Oct 18, 2009 from San Francisco Chronicle: Tribe teams with Google to make stand in Amazon The chief of an endangered Amazon tribe will unveil today the product of an unusual partnership with Google Inc. that pairs high tech with indigenous knowledge in an effort to rescue ancient rain forests and a dying culture....The data-rich maps include layers of videos, pictures, text and historical markers gathered by tribe members. It promises to underscore the importance of the land and propel the Surui people's efforts to become self-sufficient.... "Forests are very important for the welfare of the indigenous people and for the world," [Chief Almir] said. "We want to show concretely, practically that you can have quality of life and economic development, with an intact forest." ...	Have you caught my shadow puppet show about Bhopal? ApocaDoc permalink
Sun, Oct 18, 2009 from New Orleans Times-Picayune: Global warming suit gets go-ahead A group of Mississippi landowners can pursue their lawsuit against more than 30 major oil, electric and coal companies they say have created global-warming pollutants that contributed to rising sea levels and increased Hurricane Katrina's destruction. A three-judge panel of the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday overturned a U.S. District Court ruling that said the defendants could not sue the companies for claims that their emissions caused damage under Mississippi public and private nuisance, trespass and negligence statutes. Gerald Maples, lead attorney for the landowners in the class-action lawsuit, said he filed the suit 22 days after Katrina to get the attention of energy officials about greenhouse gas emissions. ...	How can I get ME one of those snazzy global warming suits? ApocaDoc permalink
Sun, Oct 18, 2009 from Reuters: U.S. hunters, anglers lobby for climate bill ...Hunters and anglers are mainly a Republican Party constituency representing tens of millions of votes in the U.S. heartland and could help swing crucial votes as the Senate tries to pass legislation to cut carbon output. Twenty national hunting and fishing groups urged senators in a letter last month to ensure "the climate legislation you consider in the Senate both reduces greenhouse gas emissions and safeguards natural resources." Among those calling for "comprehensive" legislation were groups not usually associated with liberal causes, like the Dallas Safari Club, the National Trappers Association and Pheasants Forever. ...	Which way you want to go, little buddy? ApocaDoc permalink
Sun, Oct 18, 2009 from Toronto Star: European cod stocks collapsing Cod is slipping closer to disappearing from key European fishing grounds, officials warned Friday, saying that only steep catch cuts will prevent the disappearance of a species prized for centuries for its flaky white flesh. The European Union's executive body called for sharp cuts in the amount of cod fisherman can catch next year -- up to 25 per cent in some areas. The European Commission said recent studies showed cod catches in some areas are far outstripping the rate of reproduction of a fish that fed coastal communities for centuries. ...	Cod help us all. ApocaDoc permalink
Sat, Oct 17, 2009 from Bloomberg News: Minnesota Pigs Tested for H1N1, May Be First in U.S. (Update2) Three pigs from the Minnesota state fair have been "tentatively identified" as having swine flu in what may be the first U.S. cases of the H1N1 virus among domestic livestock. The pigs were tested at the fair from Aug. 26 to Sept. 1 and "have probably gone to slaughter," Gene Hugoson, the commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, said today on a conference call with reporters. The pigs, which did not exhibit flu symptoms at the fair, were tested as part of a university project.... The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the World Health Organization have said the H1N1 virus is not transmitted through properly handled pork. Concern over the illness has eroded pork demand and U.S. exports of the meat, sending hog futures down 25 percent since April 23, when the outbreak started. China, once the second-largest importer of U.S. pork, has blocked shipments. ...	[insert hilarious pig pun here] ApocaDoc permalink
Sat, Oct 17, 2009 from Tel Aviv University via ScienceDaily: Thermometer For The Earth According to climate change experts, our planet has a fever -- melting glaciers are just one stark sign of the radical changes we can expect. But global warming's effects on farming and water resources is still a mystery. A new Tel Aviv University invention, a real-time "Optical Soil Dipstick" (OSD), may help solve the mystery and provide a new diagnostic tool for assessing the health of our planet...his soil dipstick will help scientists, urban planners and farmers understand the changing health of the soil, as well as its agricultural potential and other associated concerns. ...	Would this be considered oral or rectal? ApocaDoc permalink
Sat, Oct 17, 2009 from Forbes: Bad Buzz For Bayer A documentary on the declining population of bees worldwide is causing a migraine for German drug company Bayer. In Vanishing of the Bees, which opened in British theaters this month, beekeepers blame neonicotinoids, a class of pesticides produced by Bayer ( BAYRY.PK - news - people ), for so-called Colony Collapse Disorder. They theorize that neonicotinoids disrupt bees' navigational abilities, making them dizzy and unable to find their way back to the hive. There's more at stake than honey on your cereal. Without bee pollination, a third of the earth's food crops would fail. ...	If only the bees had cellphones, equipped w/ GPS. ApocaDoc permalink
Sat, Oct 17, 2009 from Richmond Review: Richmond makes pesticides illegal Using pesticides to spruce up lawns and gardens on all residential property and most city property is now illegal in Richmond. In a final vote this week, city council enacted the Pesticide Use Control Bylaw, giving bylaw enforcement officers power to fine homeowners up to $1,000 for using products like Roundup, Killex and Weed 'N' Feed.... Bylaw officers can write tickets to those who break the rules -- $100 for first offence, $500 for second and $1,000 for third. Tuesday's council vote thrilled members of the Richmond Pesticide Awareness Coalition, which has long lobbied for a bylaw. The coalition's Michelle Li said she hopes the city will now work to educate homeowners and lawn care companies of alternatives. ...	Is there a pesticide to get rid of bylaw officers? ApocaDoc permalink
Fri, Oct 16, 2009 from ABC News (Australia): Bluefin tuna stocks close to collapse The prized southern bluefin tuna industry, worth hundreds of millions of dollars to Australia, could be heading for a major collapse unless a moratorium on fishing the species is adopted.... The global marine program leader for TRAFFIC, Glenn Slant, puts the situation more bluntly: "The southern bluefin tuna is at an all-time low, below 10 per cent of its original population size, and what that means is at any time it could collapse."... Australian tuna fishermen are angry the benefits that should have flowed from large cuts to the quota in 1990, and then by 50 per cent in 2006, were cancelled out by years of illegal overfishing by Japan. Several years ago, the Japanese Government admitted it had illegally taken more than 120,000 tonnes of tuna above their total allowable catch (TAC). The figure is believed to be closer to 200,000 tonnes. ...	I weep at the rising cost of bluefin sushi. ApocaDoc permalink
Fri, Oct 16, 2009 from Wall Street Journal: Aspen Trees Die Across the West [A] mysterious ailment -- or perhaps a combination of factors -- is killing hundreds of thousands of acres of the trees from Nevada, New Mexico and Arizona through Utah, Colorado, Wyoming and into Canada, according to the U.S. government and independent scientists.... That phenomenon was named Sudden Aspen Decline, or SAD, but scientists say they don't fully understand it. It could get worse. "SAD is progressing at an exponential rate," said Wayne Shepperd, who led research into aspen decline at the U.S. Forest Service before retiring to teach at Colorado State University. And it has left many locals reeling. "My God, it was a sad year," said landscape photographer Richard Voninski. ...	Great acronym, guys! ApocaDoc permalink
Fri, Oct 16, 2009 from Independent Online (South Africa): Playing roulette with our water South Africa's water crisis lies in the country's persistent denial that there is a problem, says Dr Anthony Turton, water expert. "It lies in the pitiful fact that we are dooming future generations to the misery of poverty by failing to recognise that what we have done thus far can no longer be done in the future, simply because the assumptions on which previous solutions were based are no longer valid," he said.... Turton told the Sunday Independent that the water crisis was "way bigger than any ordinary person will ever realise".... We have simply failed to translate what scientists have known for decades... so now we have no solutions and are left at the vagaries of nature... It is Russian Roulette and soon the loaded round will be in the chamber when we pull the trigger," said Turton. ...	That loaded round is just a theory. ApocaDoc permalink
Thu, Oct 15, 2009 from Agence France-Presse: 'Toxic legacy' seeps from melting Alpine glaciers Swiss researchers have found that Alpine glaciers melting under the impact of climate change are releasing highly toxic pollutants that had been absorbed by the ice for decades. They warned in a study abstract published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology that it could have a "dire environmental impact" on "pristine mountain areas" as global warming accelerates. Much of the pollution was dumped on Europe's biggest mountain range by atmospheric currents from further afield, according to the researchers at three Swiss scientific institutes. ...	What goes around, comes around. ApocaDoc permalink
Thu, Oct 15, 2009 from Toronto Globe and Mail: Why people are chilled by warming Tim Flannery, the well-known Australian environmentalist, was on CBC Radio the other day to issue more alarms about global warming. He was more pessimistic than ever. "It's now or never," he said. "We have about 20 years to address climate change or else our entire future is in jeopardy." He painted an apocalyptic picture of drought, flooding, famine and war. But global warming -- or rather, the massive action demanded to address it -- has become a tougher sell... Why are people cooling on warming? One reason is surely the apocalyptic language of Mr. Flannery and others. When they say we are doomed unless we radically change our way of life by the end of next week, people figure the problem is exaggerated -- or else far too big to fix. They're being "stunned into inaction," said Nigel Winser of Earthwatch. ...	"Inaction," of course, except for burning carbons, overconsuming and farting! 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!
Thu, Oct 15, 2009 from Environmental Science and Technology: UN update: climate change hitting sooner and stronger With a handful of weeks remaining before the climate convention meeting in Copenhagen, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has released an updated summary of the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The report, Climate Change Science Compendium 2009, warns that many predictions that were at the upper ranges of 2007 IPCC forecasts are increasingly likely, and some events that were seen previously as probable over the long term are on the verge of occurring or are occurring already. "The pace and the scale of climate change is accelerating, along with the confidence among researchers in their forecasts," UNEP Director Achim Steiner states in the document. The analysis incorporates results from more than 400 major studies published since 2007 and addresses impacts on Earth systems, glaciers and ice sheets, oceans, and ecosystems. Increasingly, scientists are framing some of these transformations as "commitments"--inevitabilities that will play out even after the climate stabilizes. ...	The only thing that seems to be going SLOWER is our ability to respond to the crisis! ApocaDoc permalink
Thu, Oct 15, 2009 from NOAA, via DesdemonaDespair: Global Temperature Anomalies, August 2009 Sea surface temperatures (SST) during August 2009 were warmer than average across much of the world's oceans, with cooler-than-average conditions across the higher-latitude southern oceans and the northern parts of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The August 2009 worldwide ocean SST ranked as the warmest on record for a third consecutive month -- 0.57°C (1.03°F) above the 20th century average of 15.6°C (60.1°F). This broke the previous August record set in 1998, 2003, and 2005. Meanwhile, the worldwide land surface temperature represented the fourth warmest August on record. During the month of August, warmer-than-average temperatures were present across large portions of the world's land areas with the exception of cooler-than-average conditions across Japan, the central contiguous United States, parts of Canada, western Alaska, and western Russia. ...	Climate chaos makes such pretty pictures! ApocaDoc permalink
Thu, Oct 15, 2009 from Telegraph.co.uk: Arctic will be ice-free in a decade, according to Pen Hadow The explorer trekked more than 269 miles towards the North Pole this winter in temperatures below -40 degrees C to measure the depth of the ice. The average thickness of ice floes was 1.8 metres, suggesting the ice sheet is now largely made up of first year ice rather than "multiyear" ice that will have built up over time.... An analysis by Cambridge University has concluded that the Arctic is now melting at such a rate that it will be largely ice free within ten years, allowing ships to cross the Arctic Ocean. Further analysis by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) warned that the "irreversible trend" will cause dangerous feedback because water absorbs more heat from the sun than ice, therefore further speeding up the global warming process. The melting of the ice could also trigger extreme weather patterns as the ocean currents change and release even more greenhouse gases stored under the ice. ...	Whoo-ee! We are kicking Nature's ass! ApocaDoc permalink
Wed, Oct 14, 2009 from NCBI, via DKGreenroots.com: First human-caused extinction of a cetacean species? An intensive six-week multi-vessel visual and acoustic survey carried out in November-December 2006, covering the entire historical range of the baiji in the main Yangtze channel, failed to find any evidence that the species survives. We are forced to conclude that the baiji is now likely to be extinct, probably due to unsustainable by-catch in local fisheries. This represents the first global extinction of a large vertebrate for over 50 years, only the fourth disappearance of an entire mammal family since AD 1500, and the first cetacean species to be driven to extinction by human activity. Immediate and extreme measures may be necessary to prevent the extinction of other endangered cetaceans, including the sympatric Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides asiaeorientalis). ...	Hey, we're getting really good at this. ApocaDoc permalink
Wed, Oct 14, 2009 from Greenwire: EPA Releases Bush-Era Endangerment Document U.S. EPA released a long-sequestered document on global warming today showing the George W. Bush administration had concluded in December 2007 that greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles were endangering public welfare and needed to be regulated under the Clean Air Act. The 29-page EPA analysis (pdf) -- labeled "Deliberative, Do Not Distribute" -- ticked through the climate-changing effects that heat-trapping gases have on air pollution, precipitation patterns, sea-level rise, glacial melting and wildlife patterns.... congressional investigators last year determined that Bush ultimately backed down after hearing counterarguments from the office of Vice President Dick Cheney, the Office of Management and Budget, the Transportation Department, Exxon Mobil Corp. and others in the oil industry (E&E Daily, July 18, 2008). ...	I propose that Cheney, Bush and co. be prevented from emitting carbons for the rest of their pitiful lives! ApocaDoc permalink
Wed, Oct 14, 2009 from London Times: Marine plant life holds the secret to preventing global warming Life in the ocean has the potential to help to prevent global warming, according to a report published today. Marine plant life sucks 2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere every year, but most of the plankton responsible never reaches the seabed to become a permanent carbon store. Mangrove forests, salt marshes and seagrass beds are a different matter. Although together they cover less than 1 per cent of the world's seabed, they lock away well over half of all carbon to be buried in the ocean floor. They are estimated to store 1,650 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year -- nearly half of global transport emissions -- making them one of the most intense carbon sinks on Earth. Their capacity to absorb the emissions is under threat, however: the habitats are being lost at a rate of up to 7 per cent a year, up to 15 times faster than the tropical rainforests. A third have already been lost. ...	"Preventing global warming...?" Can we build a time machine from marine plant life? ApocaDoc permalink
Wed, Oct 14, 2009 from Los Angeles Times: Analysis of cellphone studies finds tumor risk The answer to the question of whether cellphones increase the risk of brain, head and neck tumors is truly a matter of whom you ask. An analysis published Tuesday of data from 23 epidemiological studies found no connection between cellphone use and the development of cancerous or benign tumors. But when eight of the studies that were conducted with the most scientific rigor were analyzed, cellphone users were shown to have a 10 percent to 30 percent increased risk of tumors compared with people who rarely or never used the phones. The risk was highest among those who had used cellphones for 10 years or more. ...	But it's sooooo worth it! ApocaDoc permalink
Wed, Oct 14, 2009 from USGS, via EurekAlert: Report documents the risks of giant invasive snakes in the US Five giant non-native snake species would pose high risks to the health of ecosystems in the United States should they become established here, according to a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) report released today. The USGS report details the risks of nine non-native boa, anaconda and python species that are invasive or potentially invasive in the United States. Because all nine species share characteristics associated with greater risks, none was found to be a low ecological risk. Two of these species are documented as reproducing in the wild in South Florida, with population estimates for Burmese pythons in the tens of thousands.... In addition, he said, most of these snakes can inhabit a variety of habitats and are quite tolerant of urban or suburban areas. Boa constrictors and northern African pythons, for example, already live wild in the Miami metropolitan area. ...	Those snakes should have stayed on the plane. ApocaDoc permalink
Wed, Oct 14, 2009 from UPI: Climate change may be faster than expected A team of U.S. scientists has, for the first time, successfully incorporated the nitrogen cycle into global climate change simulations.... "We've shown that if all of the global modeling groups were to include some kind of nutrient dynamics, the range of model predictions would shrink because of the constraining effects of the carbon nutrient limitations, even though it's a more complex model," Oak Ridge scientist Peter Thornton said. By taking the natural demand for nutrients into account, the authors demonstrated the stimulation of plant growth during the coming century might be two to three times smaller than previously predicted. Since less growth implies less carbon dioxide absorbed by vegetation, the CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere are expected to increase. ...	We don't even know how much we don't even know. ApocaDoc permalink
Tue, Oct 13, 2009 from PhysOrg.com: Overfishing: Are there really plenty of fish in the sea? Worldwide fishing catches grew 400 percent between 1950 and 1994, following centuries of increasingly intensive commercial fishing, but it couldn't last forever. Big fisheries began crashing by the late 20th century, and global production leveled off in 1988. U.S. catches peaked six years later at 5.2 million tons, more than double the country's 1950 total, and by 2008 they had fallen back down to 4.1 million, despite rising demand.... When Newfoundland's cod fishery collapsed in 1992 and Canada closed it for rehabilitation, many expected a quick recovery since cod reproduce so prolifically. But something went wrong, and Newfoundland cod still haven't returned to their pre-collapse numbers, despite a decade-long moratorium on fishing that was upgraded to outright closure in 2003.... "That's not to say the U.S. doesn't have challenges and problems, but there has been steady improvement in recent years," he says. "The chronic overfishing problems we've had will be addressed in the next few years. We should see several of those stocks come off the list." ...	I can see the corner from here! It's just up ahead... ApocaDoc permalink
Tue, Oct 13, 2009 from AAP, via Sydney Morning Herald: Queenslanders recruited to count koalas Queenslanders are being asked to count a koala as the RSPCA tries to determine whether koala numbers are climbing or falling. The koala count takes place on the weekend of October 24 and 25, and while the RSPCA wants information from southeast Queensland's urbanised areas, people all over the state are being asked to report koalas wherever they're seen.... "As our population grows we're pushing further and further into their habitat." Habitat destruction means koalas have to travel on the ground as they hunt for suitable eucalyptus leaves or mates.... ...	When you have to count them, the number's too effing small. ApocaDoc permalink
Tue, Oct 13, 2009 from The Australian: Scientists back law to limit farm runoff to Great Barrier Reef SCIENTISTS have backed the Queensland government's crackdown on farm runoffs to the Great Barrier Reef, describing new laws to limit the chemicals on sugar crops and pastures as "the right answer". Conservation groups have swung behind the measures, after producer organisations and individual farmers branded them unnecessary and a sop to the green lobby.... "The state is taking its responsibility to the reef very seriously ... I think we have to do everything we can." Marine scientists have warned that vast sections of the reef are threatened by the coral bleaching associated with rising sea temperatures caused by climate change.... Ms Jones's spokesman pointed out that high concentrations of the nutrients associated with fertiliser runoff were being detected up to 50km offshore. ...	Scientists and specialists weighing in on policy? What? Isn't more study needed? ApocaDoc permalink
Mon, Oct 12, 2009 from Treehugger.com: What do Sharks Have to do With Sustainable Seafood? So, if you're not eating sharks, why do you have to worry about shark safe food? The Center for Oceanic Awareness, Research and Education developed their Shark Safe Certification Program so that businesses and restaurants can demonstrate their commitment to shark protection to their customers. Members of the program must demonstrate that they are not selling any shark products and that seafood that is offered, be cause with shark safe techniques, such as no "longlines, fish aggregating devices, gillnets or trawl netting." Applicants to the program, which was developed by scientists and researchers around the globe based on the Monterey Aquarium's Seafood Watch Program, must undergo an application process to document their non-use or sale of shark products.... Sharks are at the top of the food chain, which means that they have few predators. Therefore sharks mature slower than other species and have fewer young, making them easier to wipe out. ...	But... sharks are s-s-s-scary! 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.
Mon, Oct 12, 2009 from Telegraph.co.uk: Hunters shoot bear dead in front of horrified tourists Pamela Locke, her husband and 13-year-old son were among the tourists -- some just four years-old -- left shocked by the hunters in Alaska.... They parked with the other vehicles and walked to the guardrail to see a young male brown bear in the river below the embankment. An Alaska State Trooper patrol car was also at the scene. Mrs Locke said another vehicle parked in the lay-by and two men in camouflage armed with hunting rifles got out and started heading toward the bear.... She said the men shot the bear twice in the backside, and it rolled down the hill and up by the side of the highway. She added: "He wasn't dead at that point, with all of us standing there with a wounded brown bear on the highway.... Mrs Locke said the troopers got into their patrol car to leave after the bear was dead, but she flagged them down.... "It was like you could have been wearing a clown suit and shot this bear. It was not a hunt. I equate it to shoving my way through a zoo and shooting a bear in a cage. "I'm just disgusted at the whole situation. My family supports ethical hunting, but this is anything but sportsmanlike. And any decent hunter knows if you don't have a clean shot you don't shoot. It took at least five shots to put it down, aiming up the hill while it was running away. ...	Harold! Not in front of the children! ApocaDoc permalink
Mon, Oct 12, 2009 from Cleantech Blog: Energy Efficiency: How NOT To Do It On October 5, First Energy (NYSE: FE) announced a planned energy efficiency program, involving the delivery of two compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) to each of its residential and small commercial customers in Ohio.... the plan would have had each customer pay $21.60 on bill surcharges over 36 months for this package of two CFLs -- whether they were used or not, or even wanted or not.... The $21.60 in extra charges not only covered the cost to First Energy of acquiring and delivering the two CFLs, but also would reimburse First Energy for the reduction in revenue associated with the use of these more efficient CFLs in lieu of traditional incandescent bulbs. ...	Paying for energy not used! What a great idea! ApocaDoc permalink
Mon, Oct 12, 2009 from Great Falls Tribune: Toxic coal ash piling up in ponds in 32 states, analysis shows An Associated Press analysis of the most recent Energy Department data found that 156 coal-fired power plants store ash in surface ponds similar to one that ruptured last month in Tennessee. On Friday, a pond at a northeastern Alabama power plant spilled a different material. Records indicate that states storing the most coal ash in ponds are Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Georgia and Alabama.... AP's analysis found that in 2005, the most recent year data is available, 721 power plants generating at least 100 megawatts of electricity produced 95.8 million tons of coal ash. About 20 percent --or nearly 20 million tons -- ended up in surface ponds. The remainder ends up in landfills or is sold for use in concrete, among other uses.... "There has been zero done by the EPA," said Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W. Va., chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee. ...	That was the past. Now we have clean coal. Right? ApocaDoc permalink
Mon, Oct 12, 2009 from Times Online: Man-made noise is blamed for driving whales to their deaths Scientists are blaming not just military sonar, but a large range of man-made noises that they fear are driving the normally deep-water animals to shore.... The noise of oil exploration (which uses loud underwater explosions to help geologists search for undiscovered reserves), wind farm construction and shipping are all possible culprits. "It seems military sonar caused the mass beaching of dolphins we saw in Cornwall last year, but this is different," said Dr Simmonds.... Fish farms use 'Acoustic Harassment Devices' in an effort to dissuade seals from looting from their nets. While designed to be used intermittently, it appears that at least some fish farms leave theirs running continually. "It's an awful siren sound -- very, very loud." ...	Aren't the whales smart enough to just ignore us? ApocaDoc permalink
Mon, Oct 12, 2009 from Diversitas, via EurekAlert: World will miss 2010 target to stem biodiversity loss, experts say The goal was agreed at the 6th Conference of Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in April 2003. Some 123 world ministers committed to "achieve, by 2010, a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss at the local, national and regional levels, as a contribution to poverty alleviation and to the benefit of all life on Earth."... "Yet changes to ecosystems and losses of biodiversity have continued to accelerate. Since 1992, even the most conservative estimates agree that an area of tropical rainforest greater than the size of California has been converted mostly for food and fuel. Species extinction rates are at least 100 times those in pre-human times and are expected to continue to increase." However, she adds, "the situation is not hopeless. There are many steps available that would help but we cannot dawdle. Meaningful action should have started years ago. The next best time is now." ...	I hate goals that merely reduce the current rate of loss. ApocaDoc permalink