Louisiana’s Cajun country braces for historic flooding
Battered by recent hurricanes and last year’s BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, residents of Louisiana’s Cajun country are now bracing for the biggest river flood the area has seen in over eighty years.
Environmental and Health Hazards of Chemicals in Plastic Polymers, A Swedish Study
Many plastic products contain hazardous chemicals that can leach to the surroundings. In studies conducted at the University of Gothenburg, a third of the tested plastic products released toxic substances.
Obama announces steps to speed US oil production
Amid growing public unhappiness over gas prices, President Barack Obama is directing his administration to ramp up U.S. oil production by extending existing leases in the Gulf of Mexico and off Alaska’s coast and holding more frequent lease sales in a federal petroleum reserve in Alaska.
Iran expert alarmed by critical Caspian Sea pollution
Exploitation of oil fields and traffic of large oil tankers dumps 122,350 tonnes of potentially cancerous oil pollutants into the world’s largest inland sea annually.
Marine Lab Research Tracks Pollutants in Dolphins and Beluga Whales
Bottlenose dolphins and beluga whales, accumulate more chemical pollutants in their bodies when they live and feed in waters near urbanized areas.
Action Needed to Manage Climate Change Risks: U.S. Response Should Be Durable, but Flexible, Experts Urge
The nation’s options for responding to the risks posed by climate change are analyzed in a new report and the final volume in America’s Climate Choices, a series of studies requested by Congress.
The Cherry Blossoms will Soon Be Blooming: Japan’s Recovery Efforts in the Wake of the 2011 Tsunami, by Mark Edward Harris
Japan was rocked by the strongest earthquake in its recorded history on the afternoon of March 11, 2011. Yet it was the ensuing tsunami that brought the most devastation. A poignant testimony, written and photographed by Mark Edward Harris.
Quake shifted Japan; towns now flood at high tide
The March 11 earthquake that hit eastern Japan was so powerful it pulled the entire country out and down into the sea. The mostly devastated coastal communities now face regular flooding, because of their lower elevation and damage to sea walls from the massive tsunamis triggered by the quake. Scientists say the new conditions are permanent.
Chilean Patagonia: a Way of Life Under Threat by Dams
A controversial project to dam two of the world’s wildest rivers for electricity, has won approval from a Chilean government commission despite a groundswell of opposition.