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From Hova to Happy Meals

H to the two oh Shawn Carter Jigga Hova Jay-Z’s got 99 problems, and clean water is one. “Every 15 seconds a child dies from not having access to clean water,” said the hip-hop mogul, who has teamed up with the U.N. and MTV to raise awareness about the world’s water crisis. “I want people […]

Tim Flannery on Big Picture TV

I don't know how they do it, but Big Picture TV has added author and Australian scientist Tim Flannery to their impressive list of talking heads. Tim Flannery wrote The Weather Makers: How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means For Life on Earth which was reviewed by Grist back in March.

In this four-part series, Flannery chats about the carbon debt, action for solutions, the end of denial, and taxing carbon.

Gun in 60 Seconds

China to protect rare animals by killing them How do you say “cognitive dissonance” in Chinese? This Sunday, Chinese officials will be auctioning off licenses to kill rare wildlife — including some endangered species — to raise funds for … wildlife conservation. Due to the country’s gun laws, only foreigners can bid for permits at […]

Yukon Fool Some of the People Some of the Time

GM builds world’s first LEED-certified auto plant, slows SUV production If BP went Beyond Petroleum, does that mean GM is Greening Motors? The struggling U.S. automaker recently unveiled two nuggets of eco-friendly news. Its brand-spankin’ new Lansing Delta Township assembly plant in Michigan received the U.S. Green Building Council’s gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and […]

Party at Jim’s House!

Idaho governor says no to coal, yes to whoopin’ it up Exhibiting the flair and confidence only a short-timer can afford, Idaho Gov. Jim Risch (R) has announced that the state don’t need no stinkin’ coal. Risch, who took office when Dirk Kempthorne resigned in May to head the Interior Department, will step down when […]

Sheet Happens … Faster

Greenland melting faster than five years ago, study says We hate to give you bad news without some good, so here goes. The bad news from a study published this week in Science is that, by comparing satellite data from 2002-2005 to earlier data, researchers have determined that Greenland’s ice sheet is melting about three […]

Fuel cells take a blow

Via Engineer-Poet, the European Fuel Cell Forum -- who you'd expect to be pro-fuel cell -- has dealt a major blow to the idea of fuel cell cars powered by hydrogen. Noting that hydrogen will, under any reasonable assumption, continue to be less efficient and more costly than electricity, the EFCF has decided to abandon the most prominent form of automotive fuel cell, the proton exchange membrane. They have not, however, abandoned fuel cells altogether:

Finding hope in the world today

Worried about global warming? The acidification of our oceans? D4 (the highest-known level) droughts in the U.S. today? The idea that palm oil biodiesel might be worse than fossil fuels? A Republican plan to rewrite the Official Secrets Act to make talking to the press about government foul-ups a crime?

Well, you have reason to worry. But not to despair, as environmental writer and hero Barry Lopez points out in a terrific interview with Christian Miller in the latest issue of the Georgia Review:

Dolphin sports speedo in Sarasota Bay

I would be derelict in my oceans blogging duties were I not to mention "Scrappy" -- the 10-year-old dolphin that was recently spotted in a speedo. I wish I had a picture to accompany this post, but I guess you'll just have to use your imagination.

It's the type of story any morning show would be happy to report on, but the truth is the speedo hindered Scrappy's ability to hunt food and avoid predators. After at least 28 days of swimming in the suit, a team of volunteers, biologists, and veterinarians freed the underweight dolphin and found multiple shark bites and wounds on the creature. Don't worry: Scrappy is expected to make a full recovery.

But you have to ask yourself what motivates people to rally and fight for the life of one dolphin, when so many others are needlessly killed every day. Such is the wonder of human nature.

A controversial New Orleans landfill is set to close, but eco-disaster still looms

 The logistics of cleaning up New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina are almost beyond comprehension. Louisiana’s Department of Environmental Quality says some 15,000 houses are slated to be torn down, and demolition is the likely fate of 80,000 more. As a result, DEQ estimates, the city will ultimately truck off and dispose of […]