ECOLOGY

Hawking Warns: We Must Recognize the Dangers of Climate Change
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/011807EA.shtml
"Climate change stands alongside the use of nuclear weapons as one of the
greatest threats posed to the future of the world," the Cambridge cosmologist
Stephen Hawking said.

Global Warming Tops Democratic Legislative Agenda
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/011807EB.shtml
Putting power in the hands of members who are more active on environmental
problems, Speaker Nancy Pelosi is creating a special committee to recommend
legislation to cut greenhouse gases.

Beluga Whales Faltering in Alaskan Waters
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/011807EC.shtml
A new count by the National Marine Fisheries Service puts the Beluga whale
population at 302, less than half the number in 1994 and well below the 1,000 to
2,000 believed to have been swimming in earlier years in the glacier-fed channel
that runs from Anchorage to the Gulf of Alaska.


California Under Water by 2100?
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/012607EA.shtml
The seas have been rising for 18,000 years, but the pace has quickened. While
any rise is likely to be gradual and could be modest, especially if
greenhouse-gas emissions are curtailed, scientists worry that there will be
catastrophic surprises, such as huge ice sheets sliding into the oceans.

Report Warns of Obstacles to Sustainable Biofuels Sector
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/012607EB.shtml
The benefits of biofuel made from beets, sugar cane and other crops may be
weakened if the sector continues to expand without controls and trade
agreements.

Bush's "Clean Fuel" Move May Cause More Harm
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/012507EB.shtml
Environmentalists are unimpressed with George Bush's pledge to develop
alternative sources of energy - accusing him of failing to confront the real
issues driving climate change.

The New York Times | Energy Rhetoric, and Reality
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/012507EC.shtml
"For six years, off and on, President Bush has been talking about the need for
alternative fuels and conservation to make the country less beholden to
unreliable sources of foreign oil. Yet, all he has to show for it is a growing
dependence on foreign oil, a growing climate problem and an increasingly cynical
public," critiques the New York Times.

Mercury Found in All Fish Tested in the West
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/012407EA.shtml
A sweeping study by Oregon scientists has found mercury-contaminated fish
throughout the West. In the most widespread survey of mercury in the nation's
streams, four Corvallis researchers with the US Environmental Protection Agency
and Oregon State University sampled more than 2,700 fish in Oregon, Washington
and 10 other Western states. They found detectable - and in some cases high -
amounts of mercury in every fish sampled from 626 randomly selected rivers and
streams that flow nearly 190,000 miles.

Japan Meeting Seeks to Save Tuna From Extinction
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/012407EB.shtml
Illegal fishing has depleted global stocks of tuna, and governments need to take
bold action to save some critically endangered species, the WWF conservation
group said. Japan's insatiable appetite for tuna has been a key factor behind
the threat to stocks, and now increasing demand from other countries is adding
to the pressure.

Pioneering US Renewable Energy Lab Is Neglected
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/012407EC.shtml
Funding for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the primary national
laboratory for developing renewable fuels, is actually less than it was when the
Bush administration took office. The lab's fitful history reflects a basic
truth: Americans may have a growing love affair with renewables, with cutting
oil imports, and with conserving energy, but it's a fickle one.