Related Links:

Annie Leonard misses the mark in her new video, “The Story of Cap-and-Trade”

Lomborg v. Monbiot: liveblogging the Munk debate on climate change

Copenhagen climate summit (part 1): the expectations

Oil Spill off Pakistan's Coast Threatens Marine Life

Hundreds of dead turtles and fish are washing ashore near Pakistan's port city of Karachi -- victims of an oil spill emanating from a Greek tanker that ran aground nearby late last month. A massive oil slick from the ship has hit the shore, despite workers' efforts to contain the spill. The tanker, which was carrying more than 67,000 tons of crude oil, is splitting down the middle and could soon break in two; authorities today abandoned efforts to save the vessel, fearing that it could explode. Environmental experts warned that the disaster could be devastating for the area's marine life and the people who depend on it for food and livelihoods.

Related Links:

Ask Umbra on ditching dirty things

Congressional watchdog issues update on coal ash regulation efforts

As Philadelphia goes, so goes the nation

Kashmir, once renowned for its lush landscape and abundant wildlife, has for decades served as a battle zone between India and Pakistan, and all the turmoil has taken a heavy toll on the region's environment as well as its people. "Cross-border bombardment is damaging the forests and wildlife beyond imagination," said Farooq A. Niazi, head of the Jammu Kashmir Human Rights Movement. And illegal logging is rampant, often instigated by soldiers on both sides of the conflict. Since 1947, when Pakistan broke off from India, forest cover in the Pakistan-controlled portion of Kashmir has diminished by two-thirds. Snow leopard populations in the region have shrunk dramatically, migratory birds no longer return to the area, and other animals, including black bears, ibex, striped hyenas, and lynx, are suffering as well. "It's an environmental disaster," said Sardar Anwar Khan, president of the Pakistan-controlled Azad Jammu Kashmir.

Related Links:

Copenhagen climate summit (part 1): the expectations

India aims for 20 gigawatts solar by 2022

More power, less roadkill: How one professor’s landscape has shifted

The threat of nuclear war between India and Pakistan seems to have abated slightly -- for the moment -- but what about the consequences of India's nuclear testing? Four years after the country exploded nuclear devices in underground tests in the Thar desert near the Pakistan border, villagers are questioning the government's pat assurance that no radioactivity was released. In Khetolai, a village about two miles from the military test range, cows are giving birth to blind and diseased calves. In an area where no crops can grow, the cows are the villagers' livelihood; they cannot survive without them. But the government hasn't compensated them for their losses, and what little money did come in after the testing ($100 to $200 to fix cracks in homes and water cisterns) was insufficient. Residents weren't evacuated during the nuclear testing, and little to no medical examinations and care have been offered.

Related Links:

Copenhagen climate summit (part 1): the expectations

India aims for 20 gigawatts solar by 2022

Ask Umbra on ditching dirty things

A court in Pakistan ruled yesterday that Britain's Premier Oil can go ahead with plans to test for natural gas in the country's largest national park, which is home to rare urial sheep, ibex, and chinkara gazelle. Shehri-Citizens for a Better Environment and Friends of the Earth International say Premier's exploratory surveys would threaten the animals and disturb the 20,000 tribal people living in the park. They plan to appeal the ruling to the country's Supreme Court. For its part, Premier says it will minimize the environmental impact of the operation, going so far as to travel by camel where there are no roads.

Related Links:

More power, less roadkill: How one professor’s landscape has shifted

Top 25 reasons to give a damn about climate change

Tweet for the bees