Another day, another species in trouble because of climate change. First the polar bear, then the koala bear and now the narwhal. New research suggests that the mysterious whale with a long spiral tusk, may be more at risk from climatic change that the better known polar bear. Researchers fear that the narwhal is so … Read More
impact on wildlife
Koalas at Risk from Climate Change
First it was the polar bear, now its the Koala. Both are threatened by climate change. The bears are threatened by the rising level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere because it saps nutrients from the eucalyptus leaves they feed on. According to Ian Hume, emeritus professor of biology at Sydney University, the amount of … Read More
Groups Sue to Stop Arctic Seismic Activity
Alaska Native and environmental groups have sued to stop exploration by oil companies this summer in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas frequented by whales, seals and other marine species. The groups are challenging federal permits that allow Shell and BP to undertake seismic exploration using powerful acoustic devices that can harm marine animals.
Dead Ducks Spoil Ron’s Day
Pity poor Ron Stevens, Alberta’s deputy premier, who is in Washington to spin the oil sands story and tell Congress that the province represents an “environmentally responsible source of energy supply to the United States”. The timing could not have been worse for Ron but the dirty and polluting legacy of oil sands was once … Read More
US Ordered to Act on Polar Bear
A judge has told the US government to decide within weeks whether to list polar bears as an endangered species. The federal judge rejected the Bush administration’s pleas for a further delay, and ordered it to make and implement its decision by 15 May. A listing could restrict oil and gas exploration in the US … Read More
Sakhalin: “Britain ignored risk of whale extinction in rush for oil”
Britain agreed to bankroll controversial drilling for oil and gas off Russia’s Sakhalin island, despite a warning from its own officials of the “potentially devastating effects” on a critically endangered species of whale. The decision to flout their own experts’ advice is revealed in deeply embarrassing documents the British Government fought for three years to … Read More
Land Deal Could Open Alaskan Refuge to Drilling
A controversial land swap proposal could open portions of an Alaska wildlife refuge to oil drilling, but the scheme is already dividing native Alaskans. Supporters of the plan to exchange land in the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge, which lies just south of the more-famous ANWR, want the plan approved before the pro-oil Bush Administration … Read More
US Sued over Failure to Protect Polar Bear
The US government agency responsible for compiling the country’s list of endangered species yesterday faced a new legal challenge over its failure to protect the polar bear. Environmental groups are suing the Bush administration in a federal court in California, claiming the Fish and Wildlife Service is now in breach of its own mandate.
Jaws to Hit Antarctica
Unique marine life in Antarctica will be at risk from an invasion of sharks, crabs and other predators if climate change continues, scientists warn. Crabs are poised to return to the Antarctic shallows, threatening creatures such as giant sea spiders and floppy ribbon worms, says a UK-US team. Bony fish and sharks would move in … Read More
Climate Change: King Penguin Faces Extinction
Another day, another species in trouble. One of the emblems of the Antarctic, the king penguin, could be driven to extinction by climate change, a French scientific study has warned. Second in size only to the emperor penguin, king penguins live on islands on the fringes of Antarctica in the southern Indian Ocean, with an … Read More