Brazilian Government Largest Illegal Logger in the Amazon

BRASILIA, Brazil, September 30, 2008 (ENS) - A Brazilian government agency that provides land to settlers is the largest illegal logger in the Amazon rainforest and could face criminal prosecution, Environment Minister Carlos Minc said Monday. Minc blamed Institute of Colonization and Agrarian Reform, or Incra, for occupying the top six places on a new [...] continue reading world news

Greening the Desert

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Mexican Marijuana Cartels Sully US Forests, Parks

Mexican marijuana cartels use pesticides, herbicides that pollute US parks, forest landsA member of Kentucky’s state marijuana strike force cuts down marijuana in rural Breathitt County, Ky. (AP Photo)National forests and parks - long popular with Mexican marijuana-growing cartels - have become home to some of the most polluted pockets of wilderness in America because [...] continue reading world news

With Spotlight on Pirates, Somalis on Land Waste Away in the Shadows

Above, a severely malnourished baby lay unresponsive on Thursday as the mother and father sat nearby in a feeding center in Afgooye, Somalia.AFGOOYE, Somalia - Just step into a feeding center here, and the sense of hopelessness is overwhelming.Dozens of women sit with listless babies in their laps, snapping their fingers, trying to get a [...] continue reading world news

The Next Collapsing Industry: Fishing

Unsustainable practices cost the global fishing industry $50 billion every year, and have wasted some $2 trillion in the last three decades, says a joint report from the World Bank and United Nations.The numbers might not seem like much when compared to the ongoing economic crisis or the cost of deforestation — $1.5 trillion lost [...] continue reading world news

Longest, hottest drought on record, says Bureau of Meteorology

THE long drought affecting southern Australia is officially the worst on record.Bureau of Meteorology head of climate analysis David Jones said the 12-year drought that was devastating southwest Western Australia, southeast South Australia, Victoria and northern Tasmania was “very severe and without historical precedent”.Drought has gripped the Murray-Darling Basin since late 2001. It has worsened [...] continue reading world news

Eruption of 3 volcanoes has scientists asking questions

PUZZLE: Is there a common thread or were events just coincidence?How likely is it that three neighboring volcanoes would all erupt at the same time — as the Kasatochi, Okmok and Cleveland volcanoes in the Aleutians did this summer?About as likely as a storm that only appears once in a thousand years, says Anchorage volcanologist [...] continue reading world news