The outcome for wildflowers doesn’t look good in a warmer climate. See the rest here: Premature Wildflower Bloom Linked to Global Warming  Read More →

Tiny marine algae, known as phytoplankton, are the backbone of the marine food chain, yet a new study in Nature has found that this backbone is disintegrating. Researchers discovered that since 1950 phytoplankton has declined by approximately 40 percent across the Northern Hemisphere, a decline that... 

Forest fires swept across central Russia on Friday, killing at least eight people and forcing the evacuation of thousands during the hottest summer since records began 130 years ago. Fanned by strong winds, raging fires ripped through woods and fields already scorched by the heatwave. The emergencies... 

by Agence France-Presse. WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday voted to overhaul offshore-drilling safety rules and protect whistleblowing workers in a sweeping response to the disastrous Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The White House-backed legislation would end a $75 million cap... 

by Jonathan Hiskes. Do people care less about global warming during recessions? University of California economists Matthew Kahn and Matthew Kotchen have a new paper that uses three interesting measurements to suss out the relationship between ” Environmental Concern and the Business Cycle .”... 

by Agence France-Presse. NEW ORLEANS — Incoming BP boss Bob Dudley vowed on Friday that the British energy giant would not abandon Gulf residents for years to come, as engineers fine-tuned plans to kill a ruptured well for good. Making his first trip to the region since he was named to take over... 

by Jonathan Hiskes. More fallout from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s opposition to Property Assessed Clean Energy : California pulled funding for its home solar and energy-retrofit loans yesterday in response to federal mortgage overseers’ negative ruling on the program. The California Energy... 

by Randy Rieland. There’s an oil spill in Michigan and the energy bill’s now a little slip of a thing , but a lot of other stuff happened this week that didn’t grab big headlines. Here are 10 stories from the greenosphere that you might have missed: A really, really mighty wind:  Read More →

Wild populations of the iconic Mekong giant catfish will be driven to extinction if hydropower dams planned for the Mekong River go ahead, says a new report by WWF. Current scientific information suggests the Mekong giant catfish migrate from the Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia up the Mekong River to spawn... 

Just when you thought it was safe to go in the water… Sharks can be scary to encounter when swimming in the ocean. But they are not the most dangerous threat one can face at the beach. A new study from the University of Miami suggests that microbes in the water should be of much greater concern,... 

Spider silk is a protein fiber spun by spiders. Spiders use their silk to make webs or other structures, which function as nets to catch other animals, or as nests or cocoons for protection for their offspring. Spider silk is as strong as many industrial fibers. There is commercial interest in duplicating... 

by David Roberts. Barring something unexpected, Democrats are expected to move to cloture on the Senate energy bill on Monday, for a vote on Wednesday. A last-minute campaign is upping the pressure to restore the renewable electricity standard (RES) to the bill. It’s too late to get it in the... 

From California to Siberia, huge wildfires in forests and peat bogs are raging. NASA has captured images of these seven fires sending huge plumes of smoke into the atmosphere. See the original post: 7 of the Summer’s Biggest Wildfires, as Seen from Space  Read More →

This past June and July have been some of the hottest months ever for the northeastern United States. The unwelcome heat wave has not only raised the mercury, but also the concentration of ground-level ozone. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has predicted that the elevated ozone will significantly... 

The Arctic still has unmapped and unknown areas. In particular, there is the continental shelf that extends out from the American and Canadian northern lands. Who controls it? Who has the right to drill for example which then leads into the complicated morass of environmental rules and controls. American... 

Melting glaciers, more humid air and eight other key indicators show that global warming is undeniable, scientists said on Wednesday, citing a new comprehensive review of the last decade of climate data. Without addressing why this is happening, the researchers said there was no doubt that every decade... 

The Galapagos Islands have been removed from the UNESCO list of sites endangered by environmental threats or overuse. The island chain, about 620 miles off Ecuador’s coast, is home to unique animal species that inspired Charles Darwin’s ideas on evolution. View post: Galapagos Removed From... 

by Todd Woody. Judging by the comments on my previous post comparing the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid and Nissan Leaf electric car, more than a few readers are suffering sticker shock at the price of greening their rides. Now there’s another option for those wanting to take the occasional trip... 

by Randy Rieland. On Tuesday, ground was broken for what will likely become the largest wind farm in the country — 600-some turbines in the Mojave Desert north of Los Angeles that will eventually provide electricity to 600,000 homes in Southern California. Clearly, renewable energy is taking off... 

by Agence France-Presse. CHIGAGO — A new oil spill is sullying waters in Michigan after a pipeline leak sent more than a million gallons of crude into a river tributary, officials said Wednesday. The Environmental Protection Agency said the spill began Monday when a 30-inch pipe in Marshall, Mich.,...