Deforestation

Mountaintop Removal Destroys Wildlife and the Way of Life for Local Residents

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 13:12:59 -0400

by Nell Levin

Imagine earth-shaking explosions, rock and debris flying through the air, and mountains blasted to smithereens by explosions 100 times more powerful than those that blew up the federal building in Oklahoma City.

When the dust settles, the remaining land looks like another planet: no trees, no plants, no animals - just a barren moonscape.

These are the shocking images of Jeff Barrie's documentary, Kilowatt Ours, that prompted me to write the song, "Don't Blow Up the Mountain."

Corporate Curriculum: Teaching the 'Science of Death'

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 10:48:37 -0400

by John F. Borowski

For more than a decade, writing for numerous newspapers, magazines and websites, I have attempted to cast a light on "industrial strength" science curriculum: "that curriculum of the corporation, by the corporation and for a corporation's profits...shall indeed hasten the rate of destruction of the earth's resources and indeed, people may perish from the earth." I have been an utter failure at convincing many in the environmental community of the importance of reaching out to these 55 million students as future voting citizens that must be ecologically literate and that

Pay-To-protect Forest Plan Gets Cautious Welcome

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 10:27:58 -0400

by John Vidal

A proposal for a giant global fund to pay the owners of the world's forests not to cut them down has received a guarded welcome from environmental groups. They warn of the risks of giving rich nations a cheaper alternative to cutting their own greenhouse gas emissions and to the human rights of the tens of millions of people who live in or who depend on forests for their livelihoods.

Battle for The Amazon

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 11:40:51 -0400

by Conor Foley

Brazil's new environment minister, Carlos Minc, announced this week that he will be pressing for criminal charges against 100 of the worst individuals or companies responsible for most of the deforestation since 2005. New figures just released show that the rate of deforestation has increased by 133% since last month in the nine states of the Amazon region, which is an increase of 228% compared to a year ago.

The Sierra Forests Can Prevent Global Warming

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 10:34:27 -0400

by Todd J. Paglia

California's Global Warming Solutions Act is a landmark attempt to cap greenhouse gas emissions across all sectors of the state's economy. Signed into law in September 2006, the California Air Resources Board is figuring out the precise formula by which the state will reduce emissions 25 percent by 2020.

Imagine a grand formula that somehow left out - cars. Or industrial manufacturing. Leaving out one of these huge emissions sources would render any climate legislation toothless.

Conservation: Rise In Illegal Logging Threatens Butterflies

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 12:19:07 -0400

by Jo Tuckman

The traditional wintering site for tens of millions of monarch butterflies in central Mexico is under continuing threat after conservationists failed to halt the onslaught of illegal logging in the area.

The butterflies are in the middle of their annual journey of up to 2,800 miles from eastern Canada to the small area of evergreen fir forest that acts as their wintertime sanctuary. But, despite an unprecedented drive to protect it, deforestation is threatening the Monarch Biosphere Reserve and its visitors.

Bees, Trees, Wind and Dynamite

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 12:28:17 -0400

by Kevin Grandia

There's a showdown in West Virginia today pitting old dirty energy against renewables -- and one side is armed with explosives.

Coal giant Massey Energy is planning as early as today to begin blowing up the mountains in the Bee Tree Branch area of Coal River Mountain, West Virginia. More specifically, Massey is planning to blow off the top of a local mountain, push all the debris into the surrounding valleys and repeat until they hit a big fat coal seam.

New Hope for Sumatra's Elephants and Tigers as Indonesia Doubles Size of Key National Park

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:59:14 -0400

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 28, 2008

World Wildlife Fund (WWF)

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) hailed today's commitment by the government of Indonesia to more than double the size of Sumatra's Tesso Nilo National Park, one of the last havens for endangered Sumatran elephants and critically endangered Sumatran tigers.

Tesso Nilo National Park was created in 2004 but only 94,000 acres of forest were included. With today's declaration, the government of Indonesia will extend the national park into 213,000 acres by December 2008 and integrate an additional 47,000 acres into the national park management area of 250,000 acres.