Africa
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Libya is overrun with locusts
Libya is maybe not in the most stable political situation right now. And don’t tell Ron Paul, but when the central government is out for the count, maintenance services tend to break down. One of the things that’s fallen by the wayside in this time of political turmoil? Pest control. Which means parts of Libya […]
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Critical List: More droughts and floods coming; Koch super PAC hits Obama on green energy
The earth’s water cycle is speeding up twice as fast as climate models predicted, which means more droughts and more floods. The Kochs’ super PAC spent $6.1 million — more money than it’s ever spent before on a single ad — on this ad criticizing the president’s green energy spending. Now Peru has a domestic […]
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Renewable hydropower could supply all of Africa’s electricity
In Africa, 587 million people go without electricity — only about two-fifths of the continent’s population has access to a regular supply. But according to a new United Nations report, hydropower — a form of renewable energy — could supply all of Africa’s electricity needs. Right now, only about 32 percent of the continent’s energy […]
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Critical List: State Department working to reduce emissions; transportation bill vote delayed
The State Department is going to announce this morning a program to reduce shorter-lived greenhouse gases, like methane. The House won’t vote on Republicans’ transportation bill of horrors quite yet. Worldwide, 92 percent of freshwater water goes to agriculture. Mining in Mongolia — good for China, maybe not the best idea for the desert environment […]
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OMG tiny chameleon
I’m not usually a sucker for reptiles and amphibians the way I am for, say, sloths — but when they’re the world’s tiniest, who can resist? First we had this ickle mini frogling, and now there’s a wee precious chameleonette.
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Critical List: Cruise ship could leak oil; Chevron rig catches fire
That capsized cruise ship in Italy could leak thousands of tons of fuel into a national maritime park. A four-lane bicycle superhighway could go up between the Swedish cities of Malmo and Lund. Rusty on your climate science? This open University of Chicago course covers climate research without getting too technical. Commercial agricultural projects in […]
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Metal balls apparently falling from sky
This … thingy fell out of the sky over Namibia last month. It's 3.6 feet around, weighs 13 pounds, is hollow, has no markings, and … came out of space? Talk about your extreme weather. Is it space junk? Military equipment? A decades-late Spaceballs promo? (Spaceballs the lunchbox! Spaceballs the breakfast cereal! Spaceballs the mysterious […]
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Samsung’s new Zombocalypse-proof appliances
Samsung's new line of energy-efficient, even solar-powered appliances that are robust in the face of power fluctuations and outages were built for Africa (that’s why they’re called “Built for Africa”), but they have “catastrophist stocking stuffer” written all over them. And Samsung knows it — how else can we explain their promo shots? This girl […]
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Prizewinning research: How to fight elephants with bees
British scientist Lucy King has won a prestigious environmental award for her research, but she should also maybe get a movie deal. The substance of her research is using bees to scare off elephants, which could make an excellent blockbuster, with the addition of a few explosions and maybe a robotic bee carapace. Also, as […]
