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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: pollution

pollution stories: 84 news summaries

21 - 40 of 84 Stories | << Prev 1 2 3 4 5 Next >>

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 Oysters May 
 Clean East 
 Coast Waters 

Electrified reefs could help restore the population

Oct 12, 08 8:10 PM CDT
(Newser) - Oysters can be shocked into repopulating and cleaning up America's waterways, the Christian Science Monitor reports. A project in New York's East River is using metal reefs, powered by solar panels, to build up limestone and help oysters grow. The upside is that they filter water—up to 50 gallons... More »

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environment • New York City • pollution • electricity • fishing • oysters • Chesapeake Bay

Ecuador Chases Citizens Off Galapagos to Save Islands

UN says too many people on islands is destroying animal habitats

Oct 8, 08 9:48 AM CDT
(Newser) - Ecuador is forcing those without permission to live in the Galapagos to leave, over fears that a growing human population threatens the species that make the islands unique. Even Ecuadorean citizens need special visas to visit the Galapagos, but thousands of mainland migrants have been staying illegally, drawn by high... More »

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endangered species • pollution • tourism • migration • Ecuador • biodiversity • Galapagos Islands

 Smog Bad for
 Your Appendix: Study 

Researchers saw more cases of appendicitis on days with poor air quality

Oct 6, 08 3:38 PM CDT
(Newser) - Pollution may boost your chances of getting appendicitis, the BBC reports. A Canadian study suggests that human tissue—such as the appendix—gets more inflamed on days when the ozone level is high; patients were 15% more likely to be hospitalized on bad-air days, researchers found. Infections can cause appendicitis—... More »

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pollution • surgery • smog • ozone • air pollution • appendicitis

(AP) - About four out of 10 freshwater fish species in North America are in peril, says a major study by US, Canadian, and Mexican scientists. And the number of subspecies of fish populations in trouble has nearly doubled since 1989, the new report says. One biologist called it "silent extinctions"... More »

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environment • pollution • fish • fishing • extinction

Fireflies May Be Succumbing to Light Pollution

Numbers plummeting around the world

Sep 1, 08 8:24 AM CDT
(Newser) - From backyards in Tennessee to river banks in Thailand, fireflies are disappearing. And the lights may be going out, said scientists who gathered last week in Thailand, because of human light pollution. Urban sprawl has caused a loss of habitat, AP reports, but it also may be that bright cities... More »

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pollution • light • insects • fireflies • lightning bugs

US Slow to Hop On Global Biking Boom

Countries that encourage self-propelled commuting see benefits instantly

Aug 31, 08 3:34 PM CDT
(Newser) - The US remains uninspired by nations that have prodded people to save money by biking to work, the Washington Post reports. Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands installed infrastructure years ago to benefit bikers and discourage cars, but America—along with Canada, Australia, and Britain—have not. "It is very... More »

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pollution • traffic • bikes • bicycling • commuting • green transportation • cars

Under Italy's Mob, Toxic
Trash Heaps Growing

Intimidation rife as garbage threatens public health

Aug 30, 08 3:24 PM CDT
(Newser) - Heaps of garbage tower in southern Italy’s legal and illegal dumps, and may even be contributing to cancer and birth defects in the area—but the mafia’s grip on disposal makes it near impossible to fix the problem, the Los Angeles Times reports. “For years the waste... More »

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pollution • Italy • landfill • garbage • Mafia • intimidation • toxins

ANALYSIS

 Recession Makes Us Healthier 

Strapped budgets can help people improve habits

Aug 25, 08 4:35 PM CDT
(Newser) - A slow economy might mean more people are stressed, but research shows that tough times are actually good for us, the Los Angeles Times reports. Rates of illnesses—particularly those related to lifestyle changes, like heart disease—decrease, as do accident and death rates. And while some may drown their... More »

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pollution • heart disease • public health • heart attack • weakening economy

Gadfly Stalls San Francisco Bike Measures

Activist argues that urban cycling results in environmental damage

Aug 20, 08 3:23 PM CDT
(Newser) - San Francisco's plans to make the city more bike-friendly are stuck in the slow lane thanks to litigation from an anti-cycling activist, the Wall Street Journal reports. Rob Anderson believes adding bike lanes causes pollution by clogging up traffic. The progressive city is now unable even to install new bike... More »

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environment • San Francisco • pollution • cycling • bicycle • transport

OPINION

 Must Globetrotting
 Aussies Be Grounded?

Wired blogger responds to Oz travel-bashing

Aug 20, 08 2:54 PM CDT
(Newser) - It's even harder being green if you're Australian, since it takes a long-haul flight to get practically anywhere, Adele Horin observes in the Sydney Morning Herald. Aussies consider globetrotting to be part of their birthright, but Horin thinks it's time her country-mates recognize airplanes for what they are: "toxic... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Australia • pollution • air travel • opinion • greenhouse-gas emissions • Wired

 Beijing Becomes
 Obsessed With Rain

Chinese people want some, but not too much, for Olympics

Jul 31, 08 1:33 PM CDT
(Newser) - Talking about the weather isn’t just idle conversation in Beijing these days—it’s a national obsession, the Washington Post reports. The country is so anxious for a sunny Olympics—with just enough rain to clear the smog, of course—that changes in the forecast have become front-page news.... More »

MORE ABOUT:
China • weather • pollution • Beijing • 2008 Beijing Olympics • air pollution • weather modification • air quality

Beijing Amps Up Anti-Pollution Measures

New cuts on factories, cars as air flunks tests ahead of Olympics

Jul 31, 08 8:28 AM CDT
(Newser) - Beijing today rolled out new emergency measures to ease pollution, with the Olympics just more than a week away. The new rules will close more factories and take more vehicles off the road, in a wider radius around the capital, in the event of “extremely unfavorable weather conditions"—... More »

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China • pollution • Beijing • 2008 Beijing Olympics • air pollution • air quality

 Heavy Smog Greets Olympians

 Despite traffic restrictions, skies hazy as always

Jul 27, 08 5:55 PM CDT
(Newser) - Beijing has just 12 days left to clear its skies before the start of the Summer Olympics and things are still looking mighty smoggy, reports the AP. Visibility was a mere half-mile in some parts of the city and the Athletes’ Village was invisible from the nearby Olympic Green, despite... More »

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pollution • Beijing • 2008 Beijing Olympics • smog • Olympic Games • air pollution

 Oil Spill Snarls Mississippi 

Workers racing river to clean up gigantic  slick near New Orleans

Jul 25, 08 7:28 AM CDT
(Newser) - An oil spill stretching nearly 100 miles along the Mississippi is causing river traffic to pile up, AP reports. Dozens of vessels are stuck in New Orleans waiting to head upriver. Others are waiting to carry cargos of grain downriver from the heartland. Officials say it will be days before... More »

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pollution • New Orleans • oil spill • Mississippi River • shipping • cargo ships

 8 Signs the Animal
 Kingdom Is in Trouble 

On land, at sea, and in sky, planet's woes threaten inhabitants

Jul 21, 08 3:20 PM CDT
(Newser) - Biologists have mounting evidence that human activity is causing real damage to the natural world. LiveScience lists overlooked indications that things are seriously out of whack.
  1. Earlier migration: Several bird species are getting their timing wrong.
  2. Jellyfish rule: The creatures are hitching rides on ships.
More »

MORE ABOUT:
pollution • global warming • migration • penguin • scientist • jellyfish • animal • reptiles

Beijing Launches Pollution Crackdown for Olympics

Officials scramble to clean the air for athletes

Jul 20, 08 5:34 AM CDT
(Newser) - Beijing has launched tough new anti-pollution measures this week in a bid to clean the air for Olympic athletes in time for the games. Officials expect to force nearly half of the city's 3.3 million cars off the road, which will drive commuters onto already-crowded public transport, Reuters reports.... More »

MORE ABOUT:
environment • pollution • 2008 Beijing Olympics • public transportation • factories • taxi driver • traffic jam

 Bush Stuns
 G8 With 'Biggest
 Polluter' Boast 

President leaves other leaders open-mouthed with defiant farewell

Jul 10, 08 8:00 AM CDT
(Newser) - George Bush concluded the last G8 summit of his presidency with a defiant final joke: "Goodbye from the world's biggest polluter," he quipped. The president then punched the air, his mouth fixed in a huge grin, the Daily Telegraph reports. Bush, who has faced international condemnation for years... More »

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environment • pollution • Nicolas Sarkozy • Gordon Brown • G8 summit • George W. Bush

China Falls Behind on Olympic Promises

Despite vows, not much change on air quality, political freedom

Jul 8, 08 2:25 PM CDT
(Newser) - With exactly a month to go before the Olympics, China has not delivered on promises to improve Beijing’s air quality or allow foreign journalists open access, the BBC reports. The government vowed to bring Beijing’s air up to WHO standards when bidding for the Games, but a BBC... More »

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pollution • Beijing • 2008 Beijing Olympics • smog • journalist • air pollution • political freedoms • repression

 Uno: Cooler Than Segway 

One-wheeled 'motorcycle' goes green with electricity—and stylish to boot

Jul 1, 08 3:12 PM CDT
(Newser) - Looking like a tricked out motorbike, the Uno is electric personal transportation with style, the Chicago Tribune reports. Designed by 19-year-old inventor Ben Gulak, the device employs no throttle or brake, relying on its rider's leanings to guide it, and is so intuitive an 8-year-old picked it up instantly at... More »

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environment • pollution • electricity • motorcycle • electric cars • transport • environmental impact • Uno • Segway • Ben Gulak

EU Will Make Airlines Pay
to Pollute

Deal to cap and trade carbon emissions could drive fares up

Jun 27, 08 5:57 AM CDT
(Newser) - The European Union struck a landmark deal yesterday to regulate carbon emissions from airplanes, requiring carriers to buy pollution credits for all flights entering or leaving airports in the EU. The agreement, which should go into effect in 2012, marks the first time that airlines will have to pay to... More »

MORE ABOUT:
pollution • greenhouse gases • European Union • airline industry • airline • air pollution • carbon caps

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