ECOLOGY

CHERRY BLOSSOM TREE BLOOMS IN NEW YORK ON JANUARY 2

CBS - Whether it's because of global warming, El Nino, or just a really
long warm spell, weather in New York City this winter has been awfully
strange. With temperatures continually hovering around the 50 degree
mark and even occasionally nearing 60, perhaps the most bizarre
weather-related incident happened in Brooklyn where cherry blossoms
decided to make an early appearance. At the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, it
hardly seems like the dead of winter. Most cherry blossoms don't bloom
until the beginning of spring when the winter chill finally begins to
warm up. But there hasn't been a winter chill for most of the season,
and for that reason, a cherry blossom tree was in practically full bloom
on this the second day of January. "It's very unusual. We have thousands
and thousands of flowers on this tree," Dr. Mark Tebbitt told CBS 2.

The cherry blossom tree isn't the only confused species in the area.
Turtles that are supposed to be hibernating right now are still going
for a daily swim. Birds are plentiful, and the park still receives many
visitors -- something they typically don't see during the winter.

http://wcbstv.com/watercooler/local_story_002184822.html

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India's PM Says West Is Environmentally Wasteful
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/010407EA.shtml
Slamming the West for its "environmentally wasteful lifestyle," Indian Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh called on Wednesday for industrialized nations to look
at alterative energy sources to save the environment.

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The Baltimore Sun | Shut Out of the Forests
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/010407EB.shtml
"The (Bush) administration has decided to simply eliminate the bothersome
environmental reviews previously applied to management plans for the 193 million
acres of national forest," writes the Baltimore Sun.

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Carbon-Offsetting: All Credit to Them
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/010407EC.shtml
Some dismiss carbon-offsetting as a way of buying a clear conscience. These
Indian farmers disagree. James Hopkirk sees how Western "guilt money"
transformed their lives.

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