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The Fertile Depressant
Nitrogen fertilizer is in short supply |
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30 Apr 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 5:02 PM on 30 Apr 2008 Yet another phenomenon tightly tied to soaring food prices: the price and availability of fertilizer. Global consumption of cheap chemical fertilizer has leapt an estimated 31 percent from 1996 to 2008, boosting modern agriculture around the world. But now, fertilizer is pricey and in short supply, leaving farmers scrambling to sufficiently feed their crops. "Putting fertilizer on the ground on a ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, food, news (all these topics) |
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Getting Hard to Carrion
Wild Asian vultures going the way of the dodo |
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30 Apr 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 1:24 PM on 30 Apr 2008 Wild Asian vultures are likely going to the way of the dodo, a new study says. The white-backed vulture population has plunged by nearly 99.9 percent in India since 1992, and two other vulture species have seen a drop of 97 percent, say researchers publishing in the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. Researchers blame diclofenac, a drug given to livestock and ingested by the birds ... |
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| Topics: endangered species, health, India, news, scientific research, toxics, wildlife (all these topics) |
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Cool as a Still-Warming Cucumber
Next decade could be cooler than expected, says study |
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30 Apr 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 11:56 AM on 30 Apr 2008 Natural shifts in ocean circulation may trump human-caused warming over the next decade, causing global temperatures to cool slightly, says new research published in the journal Nature. But hang on to your pessimism: "Just to make things clear, we are not stating that anthropogenic climate change won't be as bad as previously thought" over the long run, says research ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate science, news (all these topics) |
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Aw, Shucks
Food prices are high, and so are Big Ag's profits |
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30 Apr 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 10:29 AM on 30 Apr 2008 Food prices hitting you hard in the pocketbook? Agriculture giant Archer Daniels Midland feels for you, it really does -- but gee, its profits jumped 42 percent this quarter, so it can't really empathize. ADM's grain-processing division is doing lively business keeping up with the bumper corn crop. And, they'll have you know, high food prices are due to high oil prices, not to the ethanol push. Backing ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, biofuels, business, energy, food, industrial ag, news (all these topics) |
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You Animals!
Independent report calls for major reforms to industrial animal farming |
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30 Apr 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 5:51 AM on 30 Apr 2008 Photo: FarmSanctuary.org Industrial animal farming in the United States needs to make many major reforms in order to protect public health and the environment, an independent two-and-a-half-year study by the Pew Charitable Trusts and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has concluded. The report criticized the widespread use of antibiotics to promote animal growth, sa ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, food, news, scientific research, United States (all these topics) |
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Word of Bronner
Dr. Bronner's says competitors aren't really organic |
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29 Apr 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 4:53 PM on 29 Apr 2008 Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps has filed a lawsuit accusing competitors in the personal-care industry of falsely advertising products as organic. The word "organic" is not federally regulated for personal-care products. Dr. Bronner's, the soap company known for its basic ingredients and rambling messages, voluntarily follows the USDA organic standard for food, which requires 95 percent org ... |
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| Topics: business, green living, green products, litigation, news (all these topics) |
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A Tough Drill to Swallow
President Bush stumps for ANWR drilling and dirty-energy expansion |
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29 Apr 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 3:17 PM on 29 Apr 2008 In a speech Tuesday, President Bush aimed to pacify Americans' concerns about skyrocketing fuel and food prices with the assurance that it's all Congress' fault. Bush advocated tackling energy prices by throwing environmental protection to the winds (in not quite those words), urging Congress to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling and rah-rah-ing new ... |
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| Topics: Arctic Refuge, coal, dumbassery , energy, George Bush, news, nuclear power, oil and gas drilling, politics (all these topics) |
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Health Bent
EPA chemical-review process sucks, says GAO |
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29 Apr 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 1:32 PM on 29 Apr 2008 U.S. EPA reviews of the health risks posed by ubiquitous chemicals are hampered by extensive nonscientist involvement, says a report from the Government Accountability Office. The EPA review process, rejiggered by the White House in 2004, is cloaked in secrecy, causes years of delay, and has lost credibility, the GAO says. The Defense Department, Energy Department, and NASA, all of which have a vested inter ... |
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| Topics: Government Accountability Office, health, news, politics, toxics, US EPA (all these topics) |
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May of Reckoning
Polar-bear listing decision must be made by May 15, says judge |
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29 Apr 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 9:55 AM on 29 Apr 2008 The last time we checked in with the laggardly Interior Department, it was saying it needed until June 30 to decide whether to place polar bears on the endangered-species list. But the department had better find its Decider Pants soon, as a federal judge has sided with green groups to impose a new deadline of May 15. "Other than the general complexity of finalizing the rule, def ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change impacts, Department of Interior, endangered species, litigation, news, polar bears, politics, wildlife (all these topics) |
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How I Spent My Summer Tax Vacation
McCain, Clinton support summer gas-tax rollback |
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29 Apr 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 5:39 AM on 29 Apr 2008 Hillary Clinton. Photo: Marc Nozell U.S. presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and John McCain have said they support temporarily suspending the federal excise tax on gasoline and diesel fuel over the summer to ease the impacts of high fuel prices on consumers. McCain indicated he would shift revenue from other sources to cover the estimated $9 billion dip in highway infrastruct ... |
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| Topics: Barack Obama, elections, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, news, oil, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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Perry and Thrust
U.S. should back off from biofuels to bring down food prices, says Texas guv |
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28 Apr 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 4:56 PM on 28 Apr 2008 Has the U.S. push for biofuels contributed to rising global food prices? Well, yes, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Monday: "There has been apparently some effect, unintended consequence from the alternative fuels effort." But, she hastened to add, "biofuels continue to be an extremely important piece of the alternative energy picture" and & ... |
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| Topics: ag policy, ag subsidies, agriculture, biofuels, economy, energy, food, news, politics, state politics, Texas (all these topics) |
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Putting Down Roots
Ousted L.A. gardeners continue to farm |
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28 Apr 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 3:17 PM on 28 Apr 2008 In June 2006, a land dispute led to the shutdown of the South Central Community Garden in Los Angeles. Weeks of protest and tree-sitting by celebrities and regular folk proved unfruitful, and the 14-acre garden, tended by 350 low-income families in the middle of one of L.A.'s poorest neighborhoods, was bulldozed. Nearly two years later, with legal wrangling over the land's ownership ongoing, the gardeners ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, California, food, gardening, Los Angeles, news, placemaking, sustainable ag (all these topics) |
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The Gray Area
Gray wolves under attack, groups want them re-listed |
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28 Apr 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 1:03 PM on 28 Apr 2008 Saying that their concerns about trigger-happy hunters have been validated, 12 conservation and animal-rights groups have sued to get the gray wolf re-listed as an endangered species. The 1,500 wolves that roam through Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho were delisted on Mar. 28 and can now be shot at will; a total of 37 have been killed in the last month. Conservation groups filed suit Monday, saying th ... |
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| Topics: animal welfare, endangered species, Idaho, litigation, Montana, news, wildlife, Wyoming (all these topics) |
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Reunion Tour
Live Earth is back, so get ready to rock |
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28 Apr 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 10:02 AM on 28 Apr 2008 Mark your calendars for Oct. 5: Live Earth is back and ready to rock. Kevin Wall, founder of last summer's international concert extravaganza, says that the October shows will be held on U.S. college campuses, and the focus will be on pushing the presidential candidates to address environmental issues. Locations, bands, and all other specifics are yet to be determined, but will Dreamy Al be involved again? Sa ... |
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| Topics: Al Gore, climate, green living, music, news (all these topics) |
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Jack 'Em Up 'Phenol Na Na Nay, Jack 'Em Up 'Phenol-A
Congress investigating industry's role in bisphenol-A health studies |
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28 Apr 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 5:41 AM on 28 Apr 2008 Democrats in Congress are investigating the chemical industry's influence in regulating the chemical bisphenol A, which is widely used in many plastic products and the lining of food cans. Over the years, plenty of evidence has surfaced that bisphenol A can potentially harm human health as it can mimic the effects of estrogen and has been sho ... |
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| Topics: Congress, news, toxics, United States (all these topics) |
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The Horn of a Dilemma
Narwhals more at risk than polar bears, says study |
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25 Apr 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 3:10 PM on 25 Apr 2008 Polar bears get all the press, but climate change may be even harder on the narwhal, says new research. Narwhals, the whales whose long spiral tusks kick-started the myth of unicorns, top a list of 11 at-risk Arctic marine mammals published in the journal Ecological Applications. Hooded seals, bowhead whales, and walrus rounded out the top five, while ringed seals and bearded seals, which a ... |
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| Topics: Arctic, climate, climate change impacts, endangered species, news, scientific research, wildlife (all these topics) |
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Happy Trails
National parks will get spruced up |
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25 Apr 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 2:25 PM on 25 Apr 2008 The National Park Centennial Initiative has announced its first round of funding for various projects and programs in -- surprise! -- national parks. Seventy-six parks in 38 states will see a total $51 million in federal and privately donated funding. The projects will run the gamut of everything from hiking-shelter improvements to wildlife protection to forest restoration to education. The park-system centennial i ... |
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| Topics: habitat protection, national parks, news (all these topics) |
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If At First You Don't Succeed, Perhaps It Was a Bad Idea
Third try at coal-plant bill heads to Kansas governor |
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25 Apr 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 12:46 PM on 25 Apr 2008 With firm belief in the power of try, trying again, Kansas legislators have sent another coal-plant proposal to the desk of veto-happy Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. The governor has twice shot down legislation to allow a new two-unit coal plant to be built in her state, but legislative leaders say the new plan is a compromise: it would reduce the size of the ... |
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| Topics: coal, energy, Kansas, legislation, news, politics, state politics (all these topics) |
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The Moth-Ban Prophecies
Bay Area escapes aerial spraying, for now |
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25 Apr 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 10:48 AM on 25 Apr 2008 A plan to spray Santa Cruz County with synthetic pheromones must be postponed until an environmental review is completed, a county judge ruled Thursday. The spraying, an attempt by agriculture officials to curb the invasion of the crop-gobbling light brown apple moth, was to begin in Santa Cruz County in June and expand to seven other Bay Area counties in August. But many of the 7 million resident ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, California, health, news, toxics (all these topics) |
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Time to Move to Mars
Are fixing the climate and the ozone layer mutually exclusive? |
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24 Apr 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 3:59 PM on 24 Apr 2008 A geoengineering scheme to solve climate change could hurt the Antarctic ozone layer, while recovery of the ozone hole could increase Antarctic warming, new research suggests. A study published Thursday in Science decries suggestions to solve climate change by spewing sulfur into the atmosphere, saying that such a scheme would wipe out the Arctic ozone layer and delay the healing ... |
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| Topics: Antarctica, climate, climate change mitigation, geoengineering, news, ozone, scientific research (all these topics) |
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By a Whisker
Northwest sea lions granted stay of execution |
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24 Apr 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 3:03 PM on 24 Apr 2008 Sea lions all set to gobble their last salmon supper at a Northwest dam have been granted a stay of execution by a U.S. appeals court. Judges granted an injunction, requested by the Humane Society, that a lower court had denied last week. It's only a partial victory for the Humane Society, however, as the court did OK the transfer of the whiskery rascals to zoos and aquariums; state officials planned to ... |
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| Topics: animal welfare, dams, endangered species, litigation, news, Oregon, Washington (all these topics) |
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Now We've Heard Udall
Green groups announce support for Senate campaigns |
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24 Apr 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 1:00 PM on 24 Apr 2008 A coalition of large green groups has pledged to support Mark Udall, Tom Udall, and Jeanne Shaheen in their campaigns to become senators in 2008. Colorado Representative Mark Udall and his cousin, New Mexico Representative Tom Udall, will run for Senate seats in their respective states; Shaheen is the former governor of New Hampshire, and will run there. All three are Democrats. The green g ... |
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| Topics: Colorado, elections, environmental movement, League of Conservation Voters, New Hampshire, New Mexico, news, politics, Sierra Club, state politics, US Senate (all these topics) |
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The Beetles Revolution
Mountain pine beetles fueling climate change via tree deaths |
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24 Apr 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 9:38 AM on 24 Apr 2008 Ravenous populations of mountain pine beetles in Canada's forests are contributing significantly to climate change through killing off large numbers of trees, according to a study in the journal Nature. So far, the beetles have killed trees in over 50,000 square miles of forests in western Canada, and hundreds of thousands of square miles in the western United States. "When ... |
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| Topics: Canada, climate, deforestation, news, scientific research (all these topics) |
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Interference and Loathing in Washington, D.C.
Over 800 EPA scientists report political interference in their work, survey says |
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24 Apr 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 6:35 AM on 24 Apr 2008 More than 800 U.S. EPA scientists reported some form of political interference in their work in the last five years, according to a survey of EPA staff by the Union of Concerned Scientists. UCS sent out some 5,500 questionnaires to EPA scientists and received some 1,580 responses; over half the respondents asserted they had experienced p ... |
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| Topics: news, United States, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Do Not Pass Go
Monopoly game gets hip to renewable energy |
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23 Apr 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 4:31 PM on 23 Apr 2008 Photo: goat_girl via Flickr Refuse to play Monopoly because you fear Electric Company sources its power from coal? Fear not! Game-maker Hasbro is updating everyone's favorite interminable game, and in the Here and Now: World Edition, Water Works and Electric Company will be replaced with Wind Energy and Solar Energy. It's "a nod to the efforts of countries worldwide to increase the effectiveness and ... |
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| Topics: energy, green living, news, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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