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Not cool

Via Jonathan at PastPeak, this horrifying story from the Chicago Tribune about the melting arctic:

And they’re rising, not falling

China's sulfur dioxide emissions in 2005 totalled 25.5 million tonnes, the highest volume of any country in the world in 2005, according to Li Xinmin, Deputy Director General of the Department of Pollution Control under the State Environment Protection Administration (SEPA), who was speaking at a press conference in Beijing on August 6.

Far from reaching its goal under the 10th Five Year Plan (FYP) to reduce SO2 emission by 20% between 2001 and 2005, Li said SO2 emissions actually increased by 27% over that period. The target for the 11th FYP is to reduce SO2 emissions by 10% to 22.95 million tonnes.

A superb series on India and water

There is an excellent series about India and water in The New York Times (and its global sister publication The International Herald Tribune), including separate articles by Somini Sengupta about the immense problems of flooding during monsoon rains, an intensifying agricultural crisis as wells dry up, and the Indian government's systemic inability to deliver sufficient water to the immense and growing populations of its cities, a crisis once largely limited to the urban poor but now broadly afflicting even the middle class in New Delhi, India's capital and richest city.

We can all just get along

I was poking around on the net the other day and stumbled across a hybrid-vs.-diesel debate. It was beautiful. Guys were trying to convince other guys that their choice of car was better. They were doing what most guys do, compete with each other. What I loved about it was that they were competing over gas mileage and emissions instead of horsepower and load capacity. Here's an example:

Short summaries of three new eco-books

Seeing as how my last Under the Covers column was a summer reading list, and now it's an entirely different season, I think it's time I return with more eco-reading selections for what must be my terribly book-hungry audience.

First up, a delightful-looking book put together by the Fundação O Boticário, a conservation organization in Brazil. The book itself is titled Brazil naturally: A 15 year mosaic of conservation histories, but I can't seem to find it on Powells or Amazon. It may be available on the organization's website, but (during my brief search involving a few clicks here and there, all willy-nilly-like) I couldn't find it, what with most of the site being in Brazilian Portuguese. But say you were able to get your hands on a copy, it could be a great coffee-table book. It's full of colorful pictures of wildlife including jaguars, birds, whales, and alligators. And it's all printed on recycled paper!

Not how it works

I missed this when it first came out, but check out the Zogby poll on global warming:

And their environment commissioner is pissed

Canada's federal environment commissioner Johanne Gelinas recently completed an audit of the country's efforts to address climate change.

She's not happy:

Japanese dolphin hunt underway

Last week, I told you about the annual dolphin hunt in Japan. It's now underway, which may explain why videos like this one are getting hundreds of thousands of hits on YouTube:

Watch

Despite my best efforts, I can never get the videos on Big Picture TV to work. (I wish everyone would just switch to Flash, a la YouTube.) But perhaps you can. If so, go check out the three clips of Bill McKibben they just put up.

And let me know if they're any good.

Here’s your coupon code for a discount on the ecopod

Ever felt what your home really needs is "the sweet sound of compaction"? Have I got a deal for you.

As mentioned in The Grist List today, ecopod is so much more than just a compacter for your recycled goods. The company's raison d'etre is to make recycling simple and rewarding. And now they're offering to make it just a little bit cheaper, too. Grist readers interested in purchasing an ecopod -- that's you! -- will receive a 10 percent discount by entering the coupon code GOGRIST in the "Promotion Code" box during checkout.

For now, the ecopods are still on the assembly lines, but orders will start shipping this November on a first-come, first-served basis -- so get your order in soon! This is a great way to support a fledgling company and take some positive action at the same time. And I know how y'all love to recycle.