Environmental News to Use....more fodder for Meteor Blades to rescue!
Sea life at risk as acid levels rise in oceans. Global warming has increased acidity levels of the oceans by 30 percent and in the decades ahead will create new risks for coral, zooplankton and other creatures. Seattle Times
An island made by global warming. A new island has appeared off the coast of Greenland, suddenly separated from the mainland by the melting of its enormous ice sheet, a development that is being seen as the most alarming sign of global warming. London Independent
UCSF scientist tracks down suspect in honeybee deaths. Tests of genetic material taken from a "collapsed colony" in Merced County point to a once-rare microbe that previously affected only Asian bees. Other scientists are skeptical. San Francisco Chronicle
Strange disorder has scientists, beekeepers buzzing. Entomologists from across the country are meeting in Maryland today to puzzle over a strange phenomenon called Colony Collapse Disorder, where bees in 25 states so far leave their hives and never return. Dallas Morning News
Mutual funds ignore climate change risks: Ceres. U.S. mutual funds are ignoring the business risks of global climate change, said a report on Monday that criticized the industry for abstaining from or opposing shareholder pressure for environmental disclosure. Reuters.
Supreme Court to hear environmental case. The Supreme Court is scheduled to consider an environmental case Monday that could make it easier for many industrial companies to recover some of the millions of dollars they've spent cleaning up hazardous waste sites. Associated Press.
Creating healthy cities responsibility of all. Jakarta's dengue fever epidemic is not surprising; it is a simple reflection of the city's worsening environmental quality. Jakarta Post
Drought or no drought, we all must conserve water. As California faces what could be a serious drought, Santa Clara County's ample supply of underground water is a comfort, but that doesn't mean its residents should get a pass on conservation. San Jose Mercury News
Swedes willing to lower living standards for climate. Four out of 10 Swedes are willing to lower their standard of living to help stop global warming, while seven out of 10 say they are worried about climate change, a study published on Tuesday showed. Agence France-Presse.
EPA accused of flouting Supreme Court.The government proposed a pollution standard for power plants that critics said flouts the spirit of a Supreme Court ruling on clean air enforcement. WaPo.
IVF link feared in Australian birth defects. The number of boys born with genital defects has risen by more than 50% in 2 decades, leading researchers to speculate that in-vitro fertilisation drugs, airborne pollution or agricultural chemicals are playing havoc with hormone levels. Brisbane Times
Democrats press for federal limits on rocket-fuel chemical in water supplies. Without a legal standard limiting the amount of rocket fuel in the nation's drinking water, pregnant women, infants and other people face significant health risks. Riverside Press-Enterprise
A nano Trojan horse. A new study demonstrates that nanoparticles can carry harmful metals into cells. Environmental Science & Technology.
KFC agrees to warning about cancer in California. To resolve a lawsuit by the California attorney general, KFC Corp. agreed yesterday to tell its Kentucky Fried Chicken customers in the state that its fried or baked potatoes contain a suspected carcinogen and pay $341,000 in civil penalties. Louisville Courier-Journal
Alabama throws net on imported fish. State health workers have begun notifying restaurants and food distributors that catfish imported from China has been banned because officials have found large amounts of federally prohibited antibiotics in the catfish. Montgomery Advertiser
What's for dinner?: Mercury takes fish off the menu. Mercury contamination is a serious problem in Utah, so serious that fish consumption advisories have now been extended to nine waterways in the state. Salt Lake Tribune
Unseen particles may confuse climate models. Clouds are surrounded by a 'twilight zone' of diffuse particles, invisible to the naked eye, extending for tens of kilometres around the cloud's visible portion. These vast haloes could have skewed attempts to understand how clouds influence climate. Nature
Prescription for trouble. The FDA should deny a request to use a key human antibiotic on beef cattle. The risks are too great. Los Angeles Times