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archive: Nov-Dec 2006
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Eco-news archive: November-December 2006
Huge Arctic ice break discovered
(Dec 30, 2006)
Scientists have discovered that an enormous ice shelf broke off
an island in the Canadian Arctic last year, in what could be sign
of global warming. It is said to be the largest break in 25 years,
casting an ice floe with an area of 66 sq km (25 square miles).
It occurred in August 2005 but was only recently detected on satellite
images.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Failure in Yangtze dolphin search
(Dec 18, 2006)
A freshwater dolphin found only in China is "effectively extinct",
an expedition has declared following a fruitless six-week search.
The Yangtze River dolphin, or baiji, was listed as "critically
endangered" on the Red List of Threatened Species. It has been
dying out due to habitat degradation, overfishing, pollution and
ship traffic - which confounds the sonar the animal uses to find
food.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Arctic sea ice 'faces rapid melt'
(Dec 12, 2006)
The Arctic may be close to a tipping point that sees all-year-round
ice disappear very rapidly in the next few decades, US scientists
have warned. The latest data presented at the American Geophysical
Union Fall Meeting suggests the ice is no longer showing a robust
recovery from the summer melt. Last month, the sea that was frozen
covered an area that was two million sq km less than the historical
average.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Ebola virus threatens to wipe out gorilla
population
(Dec 8, 2006)
The Ebola virus has killed more than 5,000 western lowland gorillas
in the past four years according to scientists who warn that the
world's largest ape is suffering a dramatic population decline
that could soon lead to its total extinction. The virus is one
of the deadliest infectious agents known to man. It also affects
other primate species and its rapid spread among chimps and gorillas
in parts of central Africa has alarmed conservationists.
Read
more. Source: Independent |
Rainforest gets protected status
(Dec 5, 2006)
Vast tracts of rainforest in Brazil are to get a new protected
status. The segments of land in the northern Para state together
cover 15 million hectares (57,915 sq miles), an area of land that
is bigger than England. Thousands of wildlife species inhabit
the pristine forest, including jaguars, anteaters and colourful
macaws.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Carbon emissions show sharp rise
(Nov 28, 2006)
The rise in humanity's emissions of carbon dioxide has accelerated
sharply, according to a new analysis. The Global Carbon Project
says that emissions were rising by less than 1% annually up to
the year 2000, but are now rising at 2.5% per year. It says the
acceleration comes mainly from a rise in charcoal consumption
and a lack of new energy efficiency gains.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Study hopeful for world's forests
(Nov 14, 2006)
A new technique for measuring the state of the world's forests
shows the future may not be as bad as previously feared. An international
team of researchers say its Forest Identity study suggests the
world could be approaching a "turning point" from deforestation.
The study measures timber volumes, biomass and captured carbon
– not just land areas covered by trees.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Carbon emissions rising faster than
ever
(Nov 12, 2006)
Far from slowing down, global carbon dioxide emissions are rising
faster than before, said a gathering of scientists in Beijing
on Friday. Between 2000 and 2005, emissions grew four times faster
than in the preceding 10 years, according to researchers at the
Global Carbon Project, a consortium of international researchers.
Read
more. Source: New Scientist |
Global climate efforts 'woeful'
(Nov 12, 2006)
Efforts to help developing nations adapt to the impacts of climate
change have been called "woefully inadequate" by a UN-commissioned
report. Rich countries have focused on ways to reduce carbon emissions
but have largely ignored helping poor nations cope with the consequences,
it says.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
'Only 50 years left' for sea fish
(Nov 2, 2006)
There will be virtually nothing left to fish from the seas by
the middle of the century if current trends continue, according
to a major scientific study. Stocks have collapsed in nearly one-third
of sea fisheries, and the rate of decline is accelerating. Writing
in the journal Science, the international team of researchers
says fishery decline is closely tied to a broader loss of marine
biodiversity.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
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