Just over twelve years ago, the Ogoni activist and writer Ken Saro-Wiwa was murdered by the military junta in Nigeria for campaigning against the ecological destruction of his homeland and for asking for a greater share of the oil wealth. Twelve years after his death, the Niger Delta remains in deep trouble. As Reuters reported … Read More
Two more warnings about climate change– this one and another one from Al Gore (see above). The world’s climate is “clearly out of balance and is warming”, the world’s largest society of Earth and space scientists has said in a statement. The American Geophysical Union (AGU) has warned that changes to the Earth’s climate system … Read More
Several green groups have sued Shell Oil and its affiliates, claiming the oil giant has for years released pollutants from its suburban Houston refinery that are well above state and federal limits. In their federal lawsuit, the Sierra Club and Environment Texas claim the excess air pollutants, including toxic chemicals benzene and 1,3-butadiene, are a … Read More
For many in the UK, the Summer of 2007 was a wash-out with severe flooding, but this hasn’t stopped 2007 being declared the second warmest year on record, according to figures released by the Met Office. The average mean temperature across the UK was 9.6C – slightly cooler than in 2006, but continuing the recent … Read More
Great article from Charlie Cray in the Huffington Post:”It felt like I’d just walked onto the set of the sequel to Jurassic Park. There was an industry dinosaur who I’d thought was gone for good.” He continues: “But no. Former ExxonMobil CEO Lee Raymond, and his colleagues at the National Petroleum Council, an industry committee … Read More
Anyone who read yesterday’s blog on oil sands will know it’s a fuel with serious ecological and social problems. Well, Canadian oil sands producers should brace for further bad news – this time from south of the border. David Pumphrey, a former official in the Department of Energy and now a senior fellow at the … Read More
China has acknowledged an alarming rise in birth defects, amid concern that heavy pollution is damaging the country’s children. Babies born with conditions such as cleft palates and extra fingers and toes now account for up to 6 per cent of births each year, according to statistics published yesterday.
The Arctic is being hit by melting ice, hotter air and dying wildlife, according to a US government report on the impact of climate change there. A new wind circulation pattern is blowing more warm air towards the North Pole than in the 20th Century, scientists found. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) … Read More
So, here we are in Washington, sweating away in what is being called Red October for its record temperatures. Fall is reportedly actually on the way soon, but its looking like a mild winter on the East Coast this year. According to the Wall St. Journal, seasonal forecasts from the the National Weather Service call … Read More
More depressing news from the Arctic. The Independent newspaper leads on the story that parts of the Arctic have recorded temperatures above 20C, about 15C higher than the long-term average. Scientists from Queen’s University in Ontario watched with amazement as their thermometers touched 22C during their July field expedition at the High Arctic camp on … Read More
