micodoc’s Recent Comments

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  Ducked Ape

  The scientific name is Gorilla gorilla beringei,  not Gorilla beringei beringei. Other than changing the animals from a subspecies to a full species, it's great news. Maybe full species status is warranted, though. Scientific committees don't usually let journalists make these decisions, but perhaps Grist could take control through journalistic fiat...On Ducked Ape posted 2 years, 6 months ago 1 Response

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  What can we learn from Brazil?

  If we are to learn something from Brazil's energy policy, it is important to take more than a superficial glance at Brazil's process to energy independence.

  Brazil's push for energy independence, while admirable, has had heavy environmental costs. The huge environmental impacts of sugarcane, for example, are not even mentioned in passing in the article - the clearing of endangered restinga and Atlantic coastal rainforests, heavy use of pesticides, water degradation, etc. Also, increased off-shore drilling (at least in the region where I lived - the state of Rio de Janeiro) has resulted in oil spills. Tourist and fishing industries have been negatively impacted in some some of the most beautiful coastal areas imaginable. In other instances, people have continued to unknowingly swim and fish in oil-industry contaminated waters.

  Learn from Brazil? I hope so. But I hope we take the time to examine the whole lesson first before jumping in.On A biodiesel entrepreneur in Argentina spreads seeds of wisdom posted 2 years, 8 months ago 5 Responses

• Click here to view comment in original post

  What can we learn from Brazil?

  If we are to learn something from Brazil's energy policy, it is important to take more than a superficial glance at Brazil's process to energy independence.

  Brazil's push for energy independence, while admirable, has had heavy environmental costs. The huge environmental impacts of sugarcane, for example, are not even mentioned in passing in the article - the clearing of endangered restinga and Atlantic coastal rainforests, heavy use of pesticides, water degradation, etc. Also, increased off-shore drilling (at least in the region where I lived - the state of Rio de Janeiro) has resulted in oil spills. Tourist and fishing industries have been negatively impacted in some some of the most beautiful coastal areas imaginable. In other instances, people have continued to unknowingly swim and fish in oil-industry contaminated waters.

  Learn from Brazil? I hope so. But I hope we take the time to examine the whole lesson first before jumping in.On What Brazil can teach the U.S. about energy and ethanol posted 2 years, 8 months ago 5 Responses

• Click here to view comment in original post

  What can we learn from Brazil?

  If we are to learn something from Brazil's energy policy, it is important to take more than a superficial glance at Brazil's process to energy independence.

  Brazil's push for energy independence, while admirable, has had heavy environmental costs. The huge environmental impacts of sugarcane, for example, are not even mentioned in passing in the article - the clearing of endangered restinga and Atlantic coastal rainforests, heavy use of pesticides, water degradation, etc. Also, increased off-shore drilling (at least in the region where I lived - the state of Rio de Janeiro) has resulted in oil spills. Tourist and fishing industries have been negatively impacted in some some of the most beautiful coastal areas imaginable. In other instances, people have continued to unknowingly swim and fish in oil-industry contaminated waters.

  Learn from Brazil? I hope so. But I hope we take the time to examine the whole lesson first before jumping in.On The strangest biofuel sources you've never heard of posted 2 years, 8 months ago 5 Responses

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  Batting a thousand

  I wonder if soon it will be the "lowly" horseshoe bats' turn to go the way of the palm civet - first hunted relentlessly as a delicacy and then eradicated as a disease vector. There was so little public comment, let alone outcry, when the Chinese govenmnent instituted its search and destroy policies on civets. Has there been a concurrent campaign of any size to educate the Chinese public about the dangers of trapping and consuming these species? Civets and bats are only a small part of this industry. For example, already vulnerable wild tiger populations (all of them) have been driven to the brink of extinction, largely due to the trade in tiger parts for food and "medicinal" purposes. What chance does wildlife have? On Scientists trace SARS to bats, blame human mucking with nature posted 4 years, 1 month ago 2 Responses