Ecology // Current TV

The Hot Dog Stand: How Much Would You Charge?

by Amaterasu Solar Let Us presume a world where free energy is available to all.... more

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Enbridge revives plan to build New England tar sands pipeline-

Enbridge, the Canadian oil giant responsible for a massive tar sands oil spill into... more

JanforGore
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25 days ago
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Researchers create nanosponges to suck up oil spills

By Eric W. Dolan Tuesday, April 17, 2012 20:41 EDT Nanosponges created by... more

KB723
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1 month ago
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Wadi Hanifah: An oasis where Saudi citizens can really relax

The fertile Wadi Hanifah valley running through part of Riyadh was for years a rubbish... more

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Responsible Living

Yes, I know what you are thinking, “Responsible? What exactly do you mean by... more

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7 days ago
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EARTH MEANDERS Raping Kids and Earth

What kind of sickos destroy children and ecosystems? Well actually, a surprising... more

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15 days ago
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Worldwide Hippies Digest Friday: Free-Hugs, Queen Jane Fonda and Greenpop Reforest Fest

Greenpop Reforest Fest 2012 Jane Fonda is hippie queen in new movie Local woman... more

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18 days ago
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Sound The Alarm

A 2005 shot of Brendan Margison surfing in front of the now-damaged nuclear power... more

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23 days ago
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Last Call At The Oasis; The global water crisis

A new movie highlighting the importance of water to our lives and the global crisis we... more

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Ecosystem effects of biodiversity loss rival climate change, pollution

Loss of biodiversity appears to affect ecosystems as much as climate change, pollution and other major forms of environmental stress, according to results of a new study by an international research team.

The study is the first comprehensive effort to directly compare the effects of biological diversity loss to the anticipated effects of a host of other human-caused environmental changes.

The results, published in this week's issue of the journal Nature, highlight the need for stronger local, national and international efforts to protect biodiversity and the benefits it provides, according to the researchers, who are based at nine institutions in the United States, Canada and Sweden.

"This analysis establishes that reduced biodiversity affects ecosystems at levels comparable to those of global warming and air pollution," said Henry Gholz, program director in the National Science Foundation's Division of Environmental Biology, which funded the research directly and through the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis.

"Some people have assumed that biodiversity effects are relatively minor compared to other environmental stressors," said biologist David Hooper of Western Washington University, the lead author of the paper.

"Our results show that future loss of species has the potential to reduce plant production just as much as global warming and pollution."

Studies over the last two decades demonstrated that more biologically diverse ecosystems are more productive.

As a result, there has been growing concern that the very high rates of modern extinctions--due to habitat loss, overharvesting and other human-caused environmental changes--could reduce nature's ability to provide goods and services such as food, clean water and a stable climate.

Until now, it's been unclear how biodiversity losses stack up against other human-caused environmental changes that affect ecosystem health and productivity.

"Loss of biological diversity due to species extinctions is going to have major effects on our planet, and we need to prepare ourselves to deal with them," said ecologist Bradley Cardinale of the University of Michigan, one of the paper's co-authors. "These extinctions may well rank as one of the top five drivers of global change."

More at the linkLoss of biodiversity appears to affect ecosystems as much as climate change, pollution... more

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First evaluation of the Clean Water Act effects on coastal waters reveals major successes

Levels of copper, cadmium, lead and other metals in Southern California's coastal waters have plummeted over the past four decades, according to new research from USC.

Samples taken off the coast reveal that the waters have seen a 100-fold decrease in lead and a 400-fold decrease in copper and cadmium. Concentrations of metals in the surface waters off Los Angeles are now comparable to levels found in surface waters along a remote stretch of Mexico's Baja Peninsula.

Sergio Sanudo-Wilhelmy, who led the research team, attributed the cleaner water to sewage treatment regulations that were part of the Clean Water Act of 1972 and to the phase-out of leaded gasoline in the 1970s and 1980s.

"For the first time, we have evaluated the impact of the Clean Water Act in the waters of a coastal environment as extensive as Southern California," said Sanudo-Wilhelmy, professor of Biological and Earth sciences at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.

"We can see that if we remove the contaminants from wastewater, eventually the ocean responds and cleans itself. The system is resilient to some extent," he said.

The USC researchers compared water samples from roughly 30 locations between Point Dume to the north and Long Beach to the south to samples taken in the exact same locations in 1976 by two researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz: Kenneth Bruland and Robert Franks.

"We wanted to assume that the Clean Water Act was working, but we needed good data to allow us to compare water conditions 'before and after,'" he said.

"Fortunately for us, we have the data generated by Bruland and Franks. That gave us a rare opportunity to see the impact of cleaning our sewage and see the effect on the coastal ocean. The population of Southern California has increased in the last 40 years, the sewage treatment has been improved, and the levels of metals in the coastal ocean have declined."

Sanudo-Wilhelmy's team-which includes USC doctoral researcher Emily A. Smail and Eric A. Webb, associate professor at USC Dornsife-published its findings this month in Environmental Science and Technology.

More at the linkLevels of copper, cadmium, lead and other metals in Southern California's coastal... more

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27 days ago
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Peru investigates deaths of more than 500 pelicans

A virus or seismic oil exploration are being examined as possible causes The... more

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28 days ago
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Seeds Of Change to donate 25 million seeds to support organic school gardens

Seeds of Change®, an organic seed and food company, is celebrating spring with the launch of the "Sowing Millions, Growing Minds" initiative and will donate 25 million seeds to help school children nationwide plant organic school gardens. Organic school gardens are a growing trend nationally and offer children valuable lessons in science, health, conservation, nutrition education and life skills. Beyond the individual level, increased numbers of school gardens can help expose entire communities to healthy foods and eating, which is especially important in communities that have little or no access to healthy food choices, known as food deserts. It can also help make a dent in public health issues such as childhood obesity.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120425/CG94690)

"At Seeds of Change, we are passionate about growing good food. We are committed to helping teach children where food comes from and how it is grown," said Tricia Lang, brand manager for Seeds of Change. "As part of these efforts, we are kicking off the 2012 spring gardening season with this exciting donation. We want kids to get their hands dirty and learn about the joy of eating organic produce fresh from the garden."

To announce the donation program, Seeds of Change hosted an event in partnership with Green City Market, a not for profit supporting local, sustainable agriculture. The event took place in Chicago at the Edible Gardens at Lincoln Park Zoo's Farm in the Zoo. To further demonstrate their commitment to organic gardening and education in Chicago, Seeds of Change awarded a grant to the Green City Market that will make it possible for hundreds of Chicago Public School students to visit the Edible Gardens on field trips to learn about organic gardening first hand. In addition, Seeds of Change donated gardening tools to the Edible Gardens.

As part of the festivities to launch the "Sowing Millions, Growing Minds" initiative, Seeds of Change and Green City Market invited children from the Garden Club at Yates Elementary School located in Chicago's Humboldt Park neighborhood to participate. The area is known for its staggering statistics related to childhood obesity and lack of fresh food access, and the students are doing their part to educate their classmates and the community about gardening. Jeanne Nolan, an organic gardening expert and director of the Edible Gardens program, led a planting demonstration and helped the students plant the first seeds of 2012. The students planted lettuce, radishes, broccoli, carrots and more, as they learned about the benefits of organic gardening, and techniques they can apply at school and at home. The students also enjoyed a cooking demonstration led by Seeds of Change executive chef, Chris Skolmutch. He taught the children simple recipes using organic vegetables and herbs they can grow in their own gardens to further reinforce healthy eating.

"It's such a thrill for me to see kids roll up their sleeves, plant seeds, watch them grow and taste the fruits of their labor," said Nolan. "Numerous studies have shown the connection between gardening, eating habits and school performance, and I'm a full believer in the many gifts gardening can offer students."

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/04/25/4442105/seeds-of-change-to-donate-25-million.html#storylink=cpy

http://img.scoop.it/ZpgkfMSRH5v7vDsKkT08VDl72eJkfbmt4t8yenImKBVaiQDB_Rd1H6kmuBWtceBJSeeds of Change®, an organic seed and food company, is celebrating spring with the... more