Interior’s Approval of Shell’s Arctic Drilling Plan Threatens Climate, Ocean

The Interior Department today approved Royal Dutch Shell’s Chukchi Sea exploratory drilling plans, clearing the way for its drilling rigs to operate off Alaska for the first time since 2012 – when one Shell rig had to be scrapped after running aground off Kodiak Island and another incurred a $12 million fine for breaking maritime law.

After Oil Spill, Unique Mangrove Forest Faces More Threats

On December 9, 2014, a wrecked tanker released approximately 94,000 gallons of heavy fuel oil into the Shela River, which runs through the Sundarbans. Now another shipping disaster is unfolding, as a capsized cargo vessel, Jabalenoor, leaks 200 tonnes of potash fertilizer into the Sundarbans’ Bhola River, southeast of the earlier oil spill.

Beach Erosion Put Resorts in Hopkins at Risk, Belize

The pristine beaches of Hopkins, on Belize eastern coast, have always attracted visitors, but recently the region’s appeal has drastically changed due to accelerated beach erosion. It has been determined that the problem was being caused by a groyne built by Hopkins Bay.