Global warming and illegal land reclamation add to severe floods in China
China has perennial flooding in summer but a combination of climate reasons and human behavior over decades of land reclamation and dam-building on nearby rivers, have contributed to a longer-than-usual duration and incessant rainfall in some regions.
Civil war didn’t hurt this Sri Lankan mangrove forest, but shrimp farming might
More than a decade after the end of the civil war, the ecology of the picturesque nature reserve on Vidattaltivu coastal belt in Sri Lanka’s north, is under threat: there are plans to set up a shrimp aquaculture park here, which environmentalists have blasted as “environmental suicide…”
Most polar bears to disappear by 2100, study predicts
Melting Arctic sea ice could cause starvation and reproductive failure for many as early as 2040, scientists warn.
Seas quieted by pandemic could reduce stress, improve health in whales
Scientists have a rare chance to study a marine world largely free of humans and their noisy machines.
Audubon files lawsuit to protect coastal areas from sand mining
A lawsuit was filed filed against the Trump administration to defend the Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA) against Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt’s unlawful ‘Excavation Rule,’ which allows taxpayer money to be used for dredging sand from protected coastal areas…
Crowds removing sea creatures from San Pedro tide pools put delicate ecosystem at risk
An unprecedented number of people have been harvesting edible sea creatures. In prior years, animal harvesting was far less common, and tidal pool etiquette held that creatures should not be disturbed.
Abandoned tanker could spill 4 times more oil than Exxon Valdez, U.N. official warns
The U.N. environment chief said Wednesday that “time is running out” to avert an environmental, economic and humanitarian catastrophe from a deteriorating oil tanker loaded with 1.1 million barrels of crude oil that is moored off the coast of Yemen.
Caribbean: Measures taken against Zeelandia sand-mining
In recent years, large scale sand-mining, which is banned in St. Eustatius, has taken place at Zeelandia beach. Although efforts were made to block vehicle access to the beach, individuals have, through the removal of vegetation, created a path in between the sea grapes to drive onto the beach.
How overreach by Trump administration derailed big pipeline projects
The demise or delay of several major oil and gas pipelines in recent weeks, including the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, demonstrate how the Trump administration’s zeal for fossil fuel projects and flaunting of environmental laws has backfired and handed key victories to environmentalists.