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New Marine Motto: Semper Die
Marine life is severely threatened by climate change, according to a new report from the Marine Conservation Biology Institute and the World Wildlife Fund. Among other problems, warming oceans seem to be causing declines in sea critters low on the food chain, which harms fish, whales, and other animals high on the food chain. The […]
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For Fish, a Key Reserve
A remarkable consensus in Florida is pushing to set aside 185 square nautical miles near the Florida Keys to create the largest marine reserve in the U.S. and one of the largest in the world. A proposal for the reserve emerged last month from an advisory committee representing a broad range of interests in the […]
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Crowded Today, Hot Tamale
Dramatic demographic changes are underway in Mexico, which has seen a massive reduction in fertility, from seven children per woman in 1965 to 2.5 per woman today. Still, the population is projected to reach 100 million next year and to continue to add about 1 million people a year over the next three decades. For […]
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Star Warnings
The Brits are spearheading the biggest investigation into the Earth’s climate, a $640 million Living Planet program under the European Space Agency that will use satellites to study weather systems. The first project under the program will study the effects of global warming on polar ice caps, to be started in 2002.
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Afghan Forests No Longer Blanket the Country
Increasing deforestation in war-ravaged Afghanistan is a major concern, the U.N. warned last week. The environmental degradation facing the nation is among the most severe in the world, according to Stephanie Bunker of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of the Humanitarian Assistance to Afghanistan, and the country is in danger of losing all its […]
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Fusing over Fusion
After years of discouraging setbacks, specialists in hydrogen fusion research are banding together to revive the effort to harness energy from thermonuclear fusion. Believers say fusion energy could become a reality in the mid-21st century. Next month, scientists and engineers from around the world will convene in Snowmass, Colo., at a first-of-a-kind meeting of fusion […]
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Oil's Well in California
A battle is brewing over oil drilling off the coast of California, and the controversy is likely to become an issue in the 2000 presidential race. Federal officials are expected this month to give oil companies permission to develop 40 offshore oil leases. California Gov. Gray Davis (D), California Sens. Barbara Boxer (D) and Dianne […]
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Supreme Court A-Noise Enviros
The Supreme Court today refused to hear a case from environmental groups that want the feds to act more quickly to reduce noise in the Grand Canyon from sightseeing planes. The Federal Aviation Administration is developing rules that would control air traffic over the park and reduce noise by 2008, but seven enviro groups had […]
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Royal Flushed over Frankenfoods
Britain’s Prince Charles has bucked the royal tradition of political neutrality by loudly voicing his opposition to genetically modified crops, pitting him against Prime Minister Tony Blair. Charles, a committed organic farmer, wrote an article for the widely circulated Daily Mail posing “10 unanswered questions” about the safety, ethics, and effectiveness of gene-modification technology. Opinion […]
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DDT-Free Willy
Some killer whales in the Gulf of Alaska have dangerously high concentrations of DDT and PCBs in their blubber, according to a new scientific study. Scientists worry that several pods of whales in the area could die off because of the industrial contamination, which may interfere with their reproduction. Both DDT and PCBs are banned […]
