The Project for PostApocology: News and Information Feed

[Resource Depletion] Wind Energy Bumps Into Power Grid's Limits

When the builders of the Maple Ridge Wind farm spent $320 million to put nearly 200 wind turbines in upstate New York, the idea was to get paid for producing electricity. But at times, regional electric lines have been so congested that Maple Ridge has been forced to shut down even with a brisk wind blowing.... The dirty secret of clean energy is that while generating it is getting easier, moving it to market is not. The grid today, according to experts, is a system conceived 100 years ago to let utilities prop each other up, reducing blackouts and sharing power in small regions. It resembles a network of streets, avenues and country roads. "We need an interstate transmission superhighway system," said Suedeen G. Kelly, a member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Punchline: Or maybe fewer giant producers, and lots more smaller producers. [entry{1219851595}]

[Species Collapse] Polar Bears Found Swimming Miles From Alaskan Coast

An aerial survey by government scientists in Alaska's Chukchi Sea has recently found at least nine polar bears swimming in open water -- with one at least 60 miles from shore -- raising concern among wildlife experts about their survival.... "As climate change continues to dramatically disrupt the Arctic, polar bears and their cubs are being forced to swim longer distances to find food and habitat."... Satellite images indicate that ice was absent in most of the region where the bears were found on August 16, 2008, and some experts predict this year's sea ice loss could meet or exceed the record set last year. Punchline: At least the water they're swimming in
is warm. [entry{1219850161}]

[Resource Depletion] Eating rats to beat global food crisis

Rat meat has become such a popular alternative to other dearer meats in Cambodia that its price has increased fourfold. As inflation pushes the price of beef beyond the reach of the poor, increased demand for rat meat has pushed up rodent prices.... This month, an Indian official said eating rats was a way to beat rising global food prices. Vijay Prakash, the secretary of Bihar's welfare department, said regular rat snacks would also translate into fewer rodents eating precious grain stocks, 50 percent of which are lost in the north-eastern Indian state every year to the creatures. Punchline: Mmmm. Protein. [entry{1219845850}]

[Climate Chaos] World's Marine Parks 'May Not Save Corals'

They warn that many existing 'no take areas' (NTAs) in the Indian Ocean and around the world, while effective in protecting local fish, may not be much help in enabling reefs to recover from major coral bleaching events caused by ocean warming. The research, published in the journal PLoS ONE, is the largest study of its kind ever carried out, covering 66 sites in seven countries in the Indian Ocean and spanning over a decade. Punchline: I wish we could say the tide was turning. [entry{1219845387}]

[Species Collapse] Drugs firms told to do more to prevent vulture extinctions

The Indian government has ordered a crackdown on companies selling the drug [Diclofenac] responsible for the near-extinction of vultures.... [A study] showed that the population of White-rumped Vultures Gyps bengalensis in India was dropping by more than 40 percent every year. The species's numbers have dropped by 99.9 percent since 1992 to about 11,000, from tens of millions. Populations o... Punchline: May those veterinarians find their own kidneys failing. [entry{1219844542}]

[Recovery] Go green and stay out of the red

Environmental measures could be the answer to combating the downturn with new research launched today showing that waste prevention, using less raw material and energy recovery will be crucial to saving UK companies money in the face of economic recession.... The research, says Envirowise, shows growing recognition that waste minimisation and resource efficiency have become business imperatives... Punchline: Ah -- there are costs associated with rampant waste. [entry{1219844126}]

[Biology Breach] New research finds higher-than-expected levels of pesticides in hives
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulates agricultural pesticide use, but this regulation does not account for the interaction of these chemicals that inevitably takes place through the bees' pollination processes. Some of these combinations of pesticides have been found to have a synergistic effect hundreds of times more toxic than any of the pesticides individually, says James L.... Punchline: Sort of like mixing gin and tequila.
Only lots worse. [entry{1219843915}]

[Biology Breach] Federal agency: Cancer cluster exists between Tamaqua, McAdoo
The federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry on Monday confirmed something that residents of an area at the intersections of Schuylkill, Carbon and Luzerne counties have felt sure of for many years -- that an unusually high number of people there are suffering from a rare blood cancer.... The report found three environmental similarities in common in the cluster areas: hazardous... Punchline: Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble, eye of newt and hazardous brew. [entry{1219843446}]

[Species Collapse] Ecological Society of America Criticizes Bush Administration's Overhaul of t...
"The concept of independent scientific review has been in practice since the 18th century and is crucial to ensuring that ideas and proposed work are scientifically sound," said Alison Power, president of the Society and professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Cornell University. "This overhaul of the Endangered Species Act would place the fate of r... Punchline: What, you think scientific expertise should be involved? Where have you been the last seven years? [entry{1219783283}]

[Recovery] Slow Food movement could finally be picking up speed in the United States
Slow Food USA is about to make its first major foray into the U.S. cultural and political scenes. Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend Slow Food Nation over Labour Day weekend in San Francisco, a Woodstock-like festival and symposium meant to underscore the connection between planet and plate. It's the first serious test of whether Slow Food - a philosophy born in Europe and often hobbled by a snob factor - can evolve into a movement capable of altering the appetite of the average American.... Punchline: Can I get my slow food to go, please?
I'm in a hurry. [entry{1219778190}]

[Species Collapse] Bush administration cuts spotted owl habitat 23 percent
The Bush administration has decided that the Northern Spotted Owl can get by with less old growth forest habitat as it struggles to get off the threatened species list. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Tuesday it would cut by 23 percent the federal forest land designated as critical habitat for the owl in Washington, Oregon and Northern California. Designating critical habitat for protection is a requirement of the Endangered Species Act. Meanwhile, owl numbers are dropping by 4 percent a year. Punchline: Hoo-ha! We're whuppin' that spotted owl! [entry{1219774292}]

[Plague/Virus] West Nile virus Engulfs First Human Life in California
The extremely infectious West Nile virus has continued to surge in parts of California, claiming its first human victim this year in Orange County in Southern California, the state Department of Public Health announced on Monday. A 72-year-old Buena Park woman has become the first person in California this year to die of the WNV infection.... The health officials are worried about a possible repeat of cases such as what happened in 2004, when Southern California experienced 710 human West Nile virus cases with 21 fatalities. Punchline: Lucky for us, the bird vector is diminishing, as they die off. [entry{1219764060}]

[Biology Breach] Canada's Oil Sands Declared "Most Destructive Project on Earth&...
The report accuses the Canadian government of allowing the Tar Sands Project to emit levels of greenhouse gases that far outstrip any reductions made in other areas. "Ottawa is letting the Tar Sands hold Canadians hostage on global warming," said Program Manager Matt Price.... The group also says that the project has contaminated rivers and groundwater with toxic chemicals, caused an increase in acid rain and created "health sacrifice zones" in the surrounding region. Punchline: "Health sacrifice zones" sound a lot like "collateral damage" to me. [entry{1219762934}]

[Species Collapse] Prize-winning author warns humans could be headed for extinction
Margaret Atwood, the novelist, has warned that the planet is at a "crisis moment" and the human race could be headed towards extinction.... The Canadian said although the "cockroaches will always be fine", humans may not.... Atwood said she thinks the crisis involves climate change, deforestation, overfishing, declines in bird populations and production of energy. Punchline: But for now, let's keep on partying! [entry{1219762664}]

[Species Collapse] Fish or Foul
The world's oceans are being transformed, and not for the better.... Scientists now know that the eating habits of a single species, Homo sapiens, are driving these changes. By knocking out the chain�s upper levels (which include predatory fish like tuna, swordfish, and shark) through violent overfishing, and skimming off the middle and bottom for industrial use, we are changing, perhaps permanent... Punchline: Overfishing is just a theory.
The ocean still looks the same to me. [entry{1219762279}]

[Recovery] PANIQuiz for August 18-25 now available
What is Ecojel? Why has the Natural Resources Defense Council filed suit against the EPA? What does Carbonfootprint.com have to say about Madonna's world tour carbon footprint? According to the Institute of Polar Environment, how is arsenic getting into Antarctic soil? These questions and more, for your entertainment and dismay. Punchline: That's right, it's our news! [entry{1219689597}]

[Climate Chaos] Global warming time bomb trapped in Arctic soil: study
Climate change could release unexpectedly huge stores of carbon dioxide from Arctic soils, which would in turn fuel a vicious circle of global warming, a new study warned Sunday. The study, published in the British journal Nature Geoscience, found that the stock of organic carbon "is considerably higher than previously thought" -- 60 percent more than the previously estimated. This is roughly equivalent to one sixth of the entire carbon content in the atmosphere. And that is just for North America. Punchline: Feedback is only fun in rock concerts. [entry{1219685068}]

[Climate Chaos] Carbon Emissions Across the United States
"Electric power production and transportation are the two largest sources of carbon emissions in the United States. But there are big differences in emissions between companies, and from state to state, that may make it harder to reach any agreement on cuts." State-by-state graphic. Punchline: Texas I would have guessed, but not Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Florida as the others in the "top five."
Let's make this a race to the bottom! [entry{1219684259}]

[Species Collapse] Why wind turbines can mean death for bats
Ninety percent of the bats they examined after death showed signs of internal hemorrhaging consistent with trauma from the sudden drop in air pressure (a condition known as barotrauma) at turbine blades. Only about half of the bats showed any evidence of direct contact with the blades.... All three species of migratory bats killed by wind turbines fly at night, eating thousands of insects�i... Punchline: So the turbines suck the life out of them. Sucks indeed. [entry{1219683704}]

[Biology Breach] Heavy metal link to mutations, low growth and fertility among crustaceans in Syd...
Heavy metal pollutants are linked to genetic mutations, stunted growth and declining fertility among small crustaceans in the Parramatta River, the main tributary of Sydney Harbour, new research shows. The finding adds to mounting evidence that toxic sediments and seaweeds in Sydney Harbour are a deadly diet for many sea creatures.... Earlier this year, UNSW scientists revealed that copper-contaminated seaweeds in Sydney Harbour were killing 75 percent of the offspring of small crustaceans that feed on a common brown seaweed. Punchline: Golly! Who would have imagined that toxic sediment could affect sea life? [entry{1219683311}]

[Recovery] Future for clean energy lies in 'big bang' of evolution
Dramatic progress has been made over the last decade understanding the fundamental reaction of photosynthesis that evolved in cyanobacteria 3.7 billion years ago, which for the first time used water molecules as a source of electrons to transport energy derived from sunlight, while converting carbon dioxide into oxygen.... For humans now there is the tantalising possibility of tweaking the phot... Punchline: Bacteria to the rescue! [entry{1219683128}]

[Climate Chaos] Drier, Warmer Springs In US Southwest Stem From Human-caused Changes In Winds
Since the 1970s the winter storm track in the western U.S. has been shifting north, particularly in the late winter. As a result, fewer winter storms bring rain and snow to Southern California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, western Colorado and western New Mexico. "We used to have this season from October to April where we had a chance for a storm," said Stephanie A. McAfee. "Now it's from October to March".... McAfee's co-author Joellen L. Russell said, "We're used to thinking about climate change as happening sometime in the future to someone else, but this is right here and affects us now. The future is here." Punchline: "The future is here"?
Don't tell me that! [entry{1219682814}]

[Resource Depletion] Urgent Steps Needed To Combat Food Wastage - Report
"The United States and some other developed states throw away nearly a third of their food each year, according to a report that said on Thursday the world was producing more than enough to feed its population... The authors said that in the United States, up to 30 percent of food, worth some $48.3 billion, is thrown away each year. "That's like leaving the tap running and pouring 40 trillion litres of water into the garbage can -- enough water to meet the household needs of 500 million people," the report said." Punchline: Let them eat food scraps. [entry{1219589468}]

[Recovery] New rays of hope for solar power's future
"From five miles away, the Nevada Solar One power plant seems a mirage, a silver lake amid waves of 110 degree F. desert heat. Driving nearer, the rippling image morphs into a sea of mirrors angled to the sun. As the first commercial "concentrating solar power" or CSP plant built in 17 years, Nevada Solar One marks the reemergence and updating of a decades-old technology that could play a large new role in US power production, many observers say... Spread in military rows across 300 acres of sun-baked earth, Nevada Solar One�s trough-shaped parabolic mirrors are the core of this CSP plant � also called a "solar thermal" plant. The mirrors focus sunlight onto receiver tubes, heating a fluid that, at 735 degrees F., flows through a heat exchanger to a steam generator that supplies 64 megawatts of electricity to 14,000 Las Vegas homes." Punchline: As long as that sea of mirrors doesn't blind any extraterrestrials! [entry{1219588698}]

[Resource Depletion] After 5 years of war, Iraqis desperate for water
"At a communal water station in a Baghdad slum, a young boy's skinny arms fly up and down as he uses a bicycle pump to coax water from the dry ground. His efforts produce a languid stream that will tide over his family -- and the families of the children waiting near him to fill their cooking pots -- until the next day. This is a daily ritual for millions of Iraqis who lack access to sufficient clean water and proper sewage five years after the U.S.-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein." Punchline: Let them drink oil. [entry{1219588019}]

[Biology Breach] Nuclear waste containers likely to fail, warns 'devastating' report
"Thousands of containers of lethal nuclear waste are likely to fail before being safely sealed away underground, a devastating official report concludes. The unpublicised report is by the Environment Agency, which has to approve any proposals for getting rid of the waste that remains deadly for tens of thousands of years. The document effectively destroys Britain's already shaky disposal plans just as ministers are preparing an expansion of nuclear power." Punchline: Has anyone considered using Tupperware? [entry{1219587746}]

[Climate Chaos] Beauty spots to be devoured by sea
"Some of Britain's most famous coastal landmarks will be radically changed or even lost because it is no longer possible to hold back rising seas and coastal erosion, according to the National Trust. The castle of St Michael's Mount off the coast of Cornwall, the white cliffs of Birling Gap in East Sussex, Studland beach in Dorset and the dunes of Formby, near Liverpool, are among the ... Punchline: As long as my liver spots, sun spots and age spots are removed along with them! [entry{1219587579}]

[Climate Chaos] Madonna's carbon footprint under scrutiny
"Madonna may have headlined last year�s Live Earth concert promoting climate change, but her carbon footprint for her world tour has come under scrutiny. The emissions generated by the singer�s 45 date tour is the equivalent to that created by 160 Britons in an entire year. Punchline: "Madonna's carbon footprint" ... I dunno, it sounds kinda sexy to me! [entry{1219507338}]

[Resource Depletion] "Water Mafias" Put Stranglehold on Public Water Supply
"Worldwide corruption driven by mafia-like organizations throughout water industries is forcing the poor to pay more for basic drinking water and sanitation services, according to a new report. If bribery, organized crime, embezzlement, and other illegal activities continue, consumers and taxpayers will pay the equivalent of U.S. $20 billion dollars over the next decade, says the report, released this week at the World Water Week conference in Stockholm, Sweden." Punchline: Water ... is an offer ... we can't refuse. [entry{1219506017}]

[Biology Breach] Superfood rice bran contains arsenic
"Rice bran � a so-called "superfood" � might contain dangerous amounts of a natural poison. A new study suggests that rice bran, the shavings left over after brown rice is polished to produce white rice grains, contains "inappropriate" levels of arsenic. Andrew Meharg at the University of Aberdeen, UK, and colleagues found that the levels of arsenic in rice bran products a... Punchline: 'Bout time we're getting back at the Chinese for all that lead in our kids' toys! [entry{1219505665}]