Browsing: Environment

Environmental News Conservation and climate action go together
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Extinction crisis signals that it’s time to change course

Clean air, water and soil to grow food are necessities of life. So are diverse plant and animal populations. But as the human population continues to increase, animal numbers are falling. There’s a strong correlation. A comprehensive report from the World Wildlife Federation and the Zoological Society of London found that wild animal populations dropped by 58 per cent between 1970 and 2012, and will likely reach a 67 per cent drop by 2020 if nothing is done to prevent the decline.

Environmental News interactive-conservation-28-09-16-1
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Interactive Conservation: Australia Part 2

The Whitsundays is a collection of 74 islands off of Australia’s central east coast and part of the majestic world heritage site, the Great Barrier Reef. Second only to Cairns, it is one of the most popular places for tourists to visit the reef. It attracts nearly 600,000 visitors each year with over 300 tour boats in operation. Due to the popularity of this particularly beautiful and accessible part of the reef, much damage has been caused due to the dropping of anchors. This habitat loss has then become one of the most widespread causes of marine species decline on the Great Barrier Reef.

Environmental News david-suzuki-1
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Wild Pacific salmon face an upstream battle for survival

Salmon have been swimming in Pacific Northwest waters for at least seven million years, as indicated by fossils of large saber-tooth salmon found in the area. During that time, they’ve been a key species in intricate, interconnected coastal ecosystems, bringing nitrogen and other nutrients from the ocean and up streams and rivers to spawning grounds, feeding whales, bears and eagles and fertilizing the magnificent coastal rainforests along the way.

Environmental News vic-ferguson-12-09-16
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How The World Federation for Coral Reef Conservation (WFCRC) is Protecting Our Marine Treasures

Something can always be done to help prepare for marine events such as oil spills and coral and if we don’t put efforts in during our lifetime, the current state will not be any better for the next generations to come. We know that all journeys begin with a single step and it has to start somewhere, so at The World Federation for Coral Reef Conservation we work to ensure our actions will see results within years not lifetimes.

Environmental News wolves-rivers-07-09-16
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The simple-minded nature of human super predators

Humans are the world’s top predator. The way we fulfil this role is often mired in controversy, from factory farming to trophy hunting to predator control. The latter is the process governments use to kill carnivores like wolves, coyotes and cougars to stop them from hunting threatened species like caribou — even though human activity is the root cause of caribou’s decline.

Environmental News poppy-gitsham-reefcheck-19-08-16-3
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Interactive Conservation: Australia Part 1

There are so many wonderful conservation projects around the world that support our fragile oceans and marine life, but how many do you know of that you can actually become involved in? Many conservation charities provide you with opportunities to donate money, read about their work and fund raise, but maybe not get involved with the actual work itself. There are always the conservation ‘gap year’ options, which definitely get you more hands on with projects. However, more often than not these trips are very far away, costing a small fortune in fees and flights, where a large amount is received by the travel company rather than the project itself.

Scuba Features super-seagrass-16-08-16
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The Superpowers of Seagrasses

How many times have many of us, myself included, ignored a sign like this during our misspent adolescent years? Now that I am older (so say the majority!) and wiser (so say a small minority!), I realise the purpose of this type of sign is to protect and conserve nature. Nowadays I pay more attention because nature conservation is a subject close to my heart. Being a diver, I am particularly interested in sustainability of the coastal and marine environment.

Scuba Features natasha-fraley-09-08-16
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The Evolution of Molluscs

Shellfish are often on plates in our homes and in restaurants. Many of these are bivalves – clams, oysters, mussels, abalone, and scallops. Think of how difficult it is to get to the tasty meat of some of these animals. Over millions of years, the bivalves evolved formidable defenses in their hard shells

Environmental News ecojustice-10-07-16-1
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Ecojustice, We Did It

We made it! Thanks to all of your help, we surpassed our goal of raising $25,000 in online gifts this month! These gifts were matched dollar-for-dollar by a generous supporter, meaning we’ve raised more than $50,000 to support our fight for a brighter environmental future.

Environmental News david-suzuki-1
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Dark earth could herald a bright future for agriculture and climate

Over the past half century, the world has moved increasingly to industrial agriculture — attempting to maximize efficiency through massive, often inhumane livestock operations; turning huge swaths of land over to monocrops requiring liberal use of fertilizers, pesticides and genetic modification; and reliance on fossil fuel-consuming machinery and underpaid migrant workers. This has contributed to increased greenhouse gas emissions; loss of forests and wetlands that prevent climate change by storing carbon; pollution from runoff and pesticides; antibiotic and pesticide resistance; reduced biodiversity; and soil degradation, erosion and loss.

Environmental News David Suzuki
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South Australia sets an example for the country and the world

First-time visitors to Australia are often drawn to the big city attractions of Sydney and Melbourne or the fabulous beaches of Queensland’s Gold Coast. I’ve always had a soft spot for Adelaide in South Australia, a city built more on a human scale, where downtown can be easily navigated on bike, foot or tram. For me, Adelaide’s greatest attraction is a huge market right in the city’s center.

Environmental News david-suzuki-header
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Feed-in tariffs help renewable energy grow

In the early 1990s, Germany launched Energiewende, or “energy revolution,” a program “to combat climate change, avoid nuclear risks, improve energy security, and guarantee competitiveness and growth.” Renewable energy grew from four per cent in 1990 to more than 27 per cent in 2014, including a significant increase in citizen-owned power projects, according to energy think tank Agora Energiewende.

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