Environment Memo

There’s big press lately about the methane-release study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and led by good people at the University of Texas. From the headlines you’d think things are looking up for the fracking industry, but upon closer inspection, it’s clear that is not the case. As noted in […]

What manufacturer in China isn’t polluting? China does have environmental laws and regulations on the books, mind you, but obviously there’s no enforcement and no incentive to follow them. Just as obviously, products are far less expensive to manufacture when pollution controls are not a factor. Ring that register! Reports by the WSJ and others […]

This might be an example of everybody trying to get a piece of the environmental act. Now there’s a study out of UC Berkeley, with results apparently demonstrating that conflict, including domestic violence and ethnic violence, was heightened as temperatures rose.

Huffpost reports that Procter and Gamble will be phasing out microbeads, tiny plastic balls used in products like facial scrubs, body washes and toothpastes. They scrub away dead skin, similar to using a sponge, and are designed to wash down the drain. They don’t biodegrade, they’re going to be taken up by fish and other […]

The Keystone XL project is in the news again today, with Obama saying he won’t approve it if it will lead to further global climate change. That’s just about a no-brainer, since we need to produce, refine and burn fewer hydrocarbons, not more. But it’s as good a rationale as any to can this turkey. […]

I never knew there were so many phobias, until I found The Phobia List.  It’s a loooong list. A few samples: Androphobia- Fear of men. Apeirophobia- Fear of infinity. Chorophobia- Fear of dancing. Gynephobia or Gynophobia- Fear of women. Hamartophobia- Fear of sinning. Mycrophobia- Fear of small things. Novercaphobia- Fear of your step-mother. Nucleomituphobia- Fear […]

Glaciers move downhill under the weight of packed snow and ice. I’d missed this one back in February about the Lyell Glacier: the largest glacier in Yosemite National Park, has stagnated, or ceased its downhill movement, according to a recent study

This is pretty cool. The experiment was set up in 1944, and finally we can see the drop fall  for the first time on camera.

So, Lisa Jackson, formerly head of the EPA, will be Apple’s new top level executive to oversee its environmental efforts