The Omnivore’s Dilemma - A Natural History of Four Meals asks: “What are the consequences of being able to eat whatever you choose?”. Michael Pollan looks at industrial and alternative agricultures, and foraging, hunting and growing our own food. He concludes that our decisions on what to eat can have serious hidden consequences for our own health, and the health of the planet. Eating is a political act.
A free taster of the book - the introduction and first chapter - are available as a free PDF file.
From BBC News website…
Pollution-laden clouds may be partly to blame for India’s dwindling rice harvests, according to research.
A US team found brown clouds, which cloak much of South Asia, have a negative impact on rice output by reducing sunlight and rainfall.
They discovered elevated levels of greenhouse gases also reduced yields.
The study, reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, came a day after researchers said new crops adapted to a warmer climate are needed.
Read the full article:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6206766.stm
Does anyone else see the hypocrisy in this report - particularly that this arms manufacturer has someone in the position of director of corporate social responsibility?
British arms manufacturer producing green weapons
One of the world’s biggest arms manufacturers, British Aerospace, is investing heavily in eco-friendly weapons. Soldiers and civilians may now be blown up by a recyclable explosive, hit by a reduced-toxin rocket, or bombed by a fuel-efficient fighter jet. Biodegradable land mines and their victims both turn into compost over time. Quieter warheads reduce noise pollution, less smoky grenades reduce air pollution, and reduced-lead bullets, if left in the environment, “do not cause any additional harm,” says Deborah Allen, director of corporate social responsibility at British Aerospace. Meanwhile, British troops will stay safe in their armored vehicles — hybrid, naturally. “No company, regardless of what they make, can now just make a product, bung it out there, and then forget about it,” says Allen. “We all have a duty of care to ensure that from cradle to grave products are being used appropriately and do not do lasting harm.”
From Friends of the Earth:
UK Carbon dioxide emissions rose in the first half of 2006, and are now at their highest level since Labour came to power, Friends of the Earth analysis of new Government energy figures reveals today [1]. UK Government energy consumption figures for the first six months of 2006 are 2.1 per cent higher than the same period last year. And, if this trend is reflected in the second half of the year, carbon dioxide levels will be approximately 4.4 per cent higher than 1997 [2]. Continue Reading »
NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientists report this year’s ozone hole in the polar region of the Southern Hemisphere has broken records for area and depth.
From September 21-30, 2006 the average area of the ozone hole was the largest ever observed, at 10.6 million square miles. This image, from Sept. 24, the Antarctic ozone hole was equal to the record single-day largest area of 11.4 million square miles, reached on Sept. 9, 2000. Satellite instruments monitor the ozone layer, and we use their data to create the images that depict the amount of ozone. The blue and purple colors are where there is the least ozone, and the greens, yellows, and reds are where there is more ozone. (Credit: NASA)
The ozone layer acts to protect life on Earth by blocking harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun. The “ozone hole” is a severe depletion of the ozone layer high above Antarctica. It is primarily caused by human-produced compounds that release chlorine and bromine gases in the stratosphere. Continue Reading »
A new RSPB report called, “Force Feeding the Countryside,” which looks at the effects of nutrients on birds and other biodiversity, is “sensationalist,” says the NFU.
The report claims the UK countryside is being force-fed “dangerous” levels of nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorous, and says the increased use of inorganic fertiliser on farms is one of the main causes, the NFU said. Continue Reading »
From LiveScience.com
Areas that researchers have declared the most polluted in the world are typically little known even in their own countries. Yet they in total afflict more than 10 million people, experts reported today.
Battery recycling in the Domican Republic has created lead contamination.
The kinds of pollution in these areas not only lead to cancers, birth defects, mental retardation and life expectancies approaching medieval levels, but are also often found all around the globe.
“They cause an enormous amount of misery and harm, especially to children,” Richard Fuller, founder and director of the Blacksmith Institute, the New York-based environmental group who released a report on these areas today, told LiveScience. Continue Reading »