environment – News Stories About environment - Page 13

Upside of Oil Prices: Days of Clamshell Packaging May Be Numbered

Upside of Pricey Oil: Packages Easier to Open

Jun 2, 2011 2:29 PM CDT

Upside of Pricey Oil: Packages Easier to Open

Expensive 'clamshell' containers may be phased out

(Newser) - The rough economy has its benefits—chief among them the fact that it’s becoming easier to open your new lightbulbs. With oil prices soaring, manufacturers and retailers are looking to cut down on plastic packaging, the New York Times reports. One potential casualty: the clamshell package, which is notoriously...

World Premiere of 'Seven Songs for Planet Earth' is 'Call to Action' for Environmental Change

Yes, Classical Music Can
Still Change the World

OPINION

May 21, 2011 3:14 PM CDT

Yes, Classical Music Can Still Change the World

New symphony a 'call to action' on the environment: DB Grady

(Newser) - Before YouTube or Twitter, composing a symphony was a great way to get your revolution going—the French one inspired Beethoven's Symphony No. 3, and Shostakovich wrote such controversial music that he would wait outside for the Soviet regime to arrest him so his family wouldn't be disturbed....

Save the World: Eat a Spider

Apr 19, 2011 5:14 AM CDT

Save the World: Eat a Spider

Spiders, ants, locusts so much easier on the environment than cattle

(Newser) - It sounds creepy, but one of the best ways to save the world could be turning to creepy crawlies. Western gourmands generally find dining on bugs unpalatable, but for some 2.5 billion people in the world, especially in tropical regions, spiders and insects have long been part of the...

Bolivia to Give Nature
Same Rights as Humans

Bolivia to Give Nature Same Rights as Humans

Nation will create ministry of mother earth

(Newser) - Bolivia will soon put in place a first-of-its-kind law that gives Mother Nature the same rights as humans. The idea behind the Law of Mother Earth is to try to rein in pollution and the exploitation of natural resources, reports the Guardian . It grants nature several rights, including the "...

Yellowstone Sits
on 'Supervolcano'

Apr 14, 2011 3:45 PM CDT

Yellowstone Sits on 'Supervolcano'

Underground volcanic material spans larger area than previously believed

(Newser) - The volcanic plume that powers Yellowstone’s geysers and hot springs may be bigger than we thought, and it could someday erupt—not for the first time. The “hotspot” unleashed three major blasts long ago, covering a huge portion of the continent with ash, the BBC reports. Researchers made...

Marijuana Farms Eat Up 1% of America's Electricity

Pot Farms Eat Up 1%
of Nation's Electricity

Apr 11, 2011 2:51 PM CDT

Pot Farms Eat Up 1% of Nation's Electricity

Smoking joint like leaving light on all day

(Newser) - Bad news for eco-conscious stoners: That joint you just smoked hurt the planet. Marijuana grown indoors accounts for 1% of America’s yearly electricity consumption, or $5 billion worth of energy, a study finds. That’s equivalent to the annual energy bills of 2 million homes. And in terms of...

Arctic Ozone Took
40% Hit This Winter

Apr 5, 2011 6:51 AM CDT

Arctic Ozone Took 40% Hit This Winter

Up from previous record of 30%

(Newser) - The ozone layer above the Arctic withered by 40% this winter, according to the UN's weather agency, a stark increase from the previous seasonal record of 30%. The loss was driven largely by frigid conditions in the stratosphere—though surface temperatures were actually warmer than normal—and lingering chemicals banned...

Ethics, Science
Both Inconvenient
for Climate Deniers

paul krugman

Apr 4, 2011 12:51 PM CDT

Ethics, Science Both Inconvenient for Climate Deniers

High stakes demand high seriousness, not 'cynical careerism': Krugman

(Newser) - Climate change deniers aren’t just flouting scientific evidence—they’re flouting morals, writes Paul Krugman in the New York Times . Case in point: Last week, Republicans invited a pair of scientists to testify at a Congressional hearing on climate science. When Berkeley’s Richard Muller, a climate change skeptic,...

Lights Dim for Earth Hour

Mar 26, 2011 10:21 AM CDT

Lights Dim for Earth Hour

It's that time of year again: 8:30pm local

(Newser) - Earth Hour is back for the fifth year, with cities around world dimming the lights at 8:30pm local time. Last year, nearly 130 nations took part, and National Geographic thinks the number could be bigger this year. The idea is to raise awareness of energy conservation: Click to read...

'Earth Hour' Is a Joke

Bjorn Lomborg

Mar 24, 2011 11:08 AM CDT

'Earth Hour' Is a Joke

We need real green solutions, not just 'feel-good' movements: Bjorn Lomborg

(Newser) - This Saturday night, environmental activists are calling on the world to dim the lights for “Earth Hour”—a nice idea, but one that may actually be counterproductive. Look at it this way: "If everyone in the world participated in this year's Earth Hour, the result would be...

USDA Sinks $60M Into Trio
of Climate Change Studies

Mar 21, 2011 2:12 PM CDT

USDA Sinks $60M Into Trio of Climate Change Studies

3 projects seek adaptable agriculture for specific regions

(Newser) - The USDA is sinking $60 million into a trio of studies that will investigate how climate change affects crops and forests. The three studies will focus on specific crops in specific regions—Midwestern corn, Northwestern wheat, and pine forests in the South—and aim to help farmers and foresters continue...

Why Plastic Isn't Evil

OPINION

Mar 18, 2011 12:44 PM CDT

Why Plastic Isn't Evil

It's just the way we use plastic that's the problem: Susan Freinkel

(Newser) - Plastic is the material environmentalists love to hate, but it's getting a bad rap, writes author Susan Freinkel in the New York Times . These days, plastic is equated with junk and litter because we waste it on things like shopping bags and drinking straws. "If we understood plastic’s...

Thanks to Obama, My Toilet Won't Flush: Rand Paul

Mar 11, 2011 7:07 AM CST

Thanks to Obama, My Toilet Won't Flush: Rand Paul

Senator slams administration's energy-efficiency rules

(Newser) - Sen. Rand Paul yesterday ripped into the Energy Department's efficiency rules, which he says require Americans to buy poorly-flushing toilets and unwanted light bulbs, reports USA Today . "My toilets don't work in my house. And I blame you and people like you who want to tell me what I...

Latest Arctic
Warning Sign:
Early Blooms
of Plankton

Mar 7, 2011 5:12 PM CST

Latest Arctic Warning Sign: Early Blooms of Plankton

Essential organisms affected by melting ice: study

(Newser) - Melting Arctic ice has spurred tiny organisms in the region to bloom far earlier, a study suggests—a shift which could have disastrous results for the entire Arctic ecosystem. Phytoplankton are at the root of the food web there: zooplankton subsist on them, fish eat the zooplankton, birds eat the...

Save the Economy:
Ride a Bike

OPINION

Mar 2, 2011 1:55 PM CST

Save the Economy: Ride a Bike

You'll save money, and local businesses get a boost

(Newser) - Think of it as the "bicycle economy," writes Elly Blue in Grist . Ditching your car for a bike not only saves you thousands of dollars every year, it boosts local businesses. "It's amazing how much money can stay in your community when it isn't being pumped into...

San Francisco Battles
Odor of Low-Flow Toilets

Mar 1, 2011 2:29 PM CST

San Francisco Battles Odor of Low-Flow Toilets

It's going to start treating wastewater with lots of bleach

(Newser) - The good news is that San Francisco's embrace of low-flow toilets has cut annual water consumption by 20 million gallons. The bad news is the smell. Because the water doesn't have enough oomph to push waste out of sewer pipes, a not-so-pleasant odor wafts throughout the city at times, explains...

Rising Sea Could Sink Parts of 180 US Cities by 2100

study says

Feb 17, 2011 6:09 AM CST

Rising Sea Could Sink Parts of 180 US Cities by 2100

Miami, New Orleans among most endangered

(Newser) - By the end of the century, 180 coastal US cities could be partially submerged thanks to rising seas, finds a new study that looked at cities in the Lower 48 with populations of at least 50,000. The climbing sea poses a risk to, on average, 9% of the land...

Hundreds of Yellowstone's Bison May Be Slaughtered

Feb 4, 2011 7:31 AM CST

Hundreds of Yellowstone's Bison May Be Slaughtered

And a $3.3M habitat-expansion program looks doomed

(Newser) - Yellowstone National Park's iconic bison herds are suffering their worst winter in several years, with almost 400 of the animals being held for possible slaughter—as an effort to expand their habitat seems poised to fail, the AP reports. Some 368 bison have been captured and placed in government corrals...

Vintners Will Genetically Engineer Wine Grapes

Jan 23, 2011 5:54 PM CST

Vintners Will Genetically Engineer Wine Grapes

Pesticide bans will require pest-resistant plants

(Newser) - If you enjoy a nice glass of wine every now and again, take note: The species of grape that provides many of the most popular varieties of vino will probably need to be replaced or, at best, enhanced a little, the BBC reports. The EU—the source of 70% of...

Africa Rapidly Breaking in Two

Jan 21, 2011 9:55 AM CST

Africa Rapidly Breaking in Two

Quakes widen fissure at rarely-seen speed: scientists

(Newser) - Africa is gradually breaking apart—and in the past several months, the process has accelerated. Now, amid earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, it’s happening exceptionally quickly, reports Der Spiegel . Water is threatening to flood a fracture between Ethiopia and Mozambique, scientists say; while it will be millions of years before...