Aqua-Explore

SOUTHERN AFRICA: Adapt or Perish (external link)

A changing climate will prompt changes in behaviour across Southern Africa. And when it comes to adaptation, Swazi farmer Bongani Phakathi is a frustrated man a few steps ahead of his neighbours.

Mexican Fishers Throw a Lifeline to Lobsters (external link)

Faced with the voracious international demand for lobsters from the Mexican Pacific and Atlantic, fishers and environmental organisations have come together to institute sustainable lobstering practices -- although the financial benefits are slow in coming.

ENVIRONMENT: South Still Battling to Stop North's Biopiracy (external link)

The United Nations declared 2010 the Year of Biodiversity. But 17 years after the Convention on Biological Diversity was adopted at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, the issue of biopiracy is still pitching North against South.

Time Running Out Faster Than Water, Experts Warn (external link)

A major weeklong international water conference opened in the Swedish capital Monday with an ominous warning: time is running out faster than fresh water.

Poor Thirst as Nile Taps Run Dry (external link)

The midday sun punishes a group of veiled women as they wait in line to fill their buckets and jerrycans. They have travelled on foot to a rusty tap on the outskirts of Cairo that gushes irrigation water never intended for human consumption.

As Greenland Melts (external link)

The Greenland ice sheet is a vast body of ice covering 660,235 square miles, roughly 80% of the surface of Greenland. It is the second largest ice body in the World, after the Antarctic Ice Sheet. The ice sheet is almost 1,500 miles long in a north south direction, and its greatest width is 680 miles at a latitude of 77°N, near its northern margin. Scientists investigating the geophysical and hydrological conditions beneath the Greenland ice sheet say their analysis will be vital for helping understand how the massive ice sheet will respond to climate change.

The Role of Clouds on Earth's Climate (external link)

Modeling for climate change is an extremely complex process because Earth's climate is so complex. It is an interrelated system that involves the atmosphere, biosphere, land, and oceans. A change in one can cause a chain reaction in all the others. By studying ancient climate change patterns, scientists are better able to predict what might happen in future events. However, one factor that remains far from understanding is the role of clouds — how they will react to and influence a changing climate.

Giant Greenland Iceberg -- Largest in the Northern Hemisphere -- Enters Nares Strait (external link)

ScienceDaily (Sep. 3, 2010) — ESA's (European Space Agency) Envisat satellite has been tracking the progression of the giant iceberg that calved from Greenland's Petermann glacier on 4 August 2010. A new animation shows that the iceberg, the largest in the northern hemisphere, is now entering Nares Strait -- a stretch of water that connects the Lincoln Sea and Arctic Ocean with Baffin Bay.

4 Reasons To Eat Pomegranate During the Jewish New Year (external link)

With Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashana) around the corner, certain traditional foods are expected to appear at the table. There are many different recipes, but there are several which are universal, including honey cake and certain fruits. One of these fruits, originating in the Middle East, is the pomegranate.

Tropical Storm Hermine slams into far northeastern Mexico (external link)

Tropical Storm Hermine slammed into northeastern Mexico near the Texas border on Monday, dumping heavy rain on a region still recovering from Hurricane Alex's visit in June. Hermine, the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, was expected to weaken as it moved ashore but could trigger deadly flooding and tornadoes, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Authorities in Tamaulipas state where the storm made landfall evacuated 3,000 people from high-risk areas but had no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The storm's forecast path kept it away from major oil and natural gas installations in the Gulf of Mexico, and energy companies said there had been no affect on their operations.

Biggest protest march in living memory (external link)

We expected 20,000. We HOPED for 30,000. We got nearly double that. In the biggest protest march in living memory, 50,000 turned out on Queen Street today to march against the Government?s mining plans.

Cool IT Leaderboard shows growing divide between talk and action on developing climate solutions  (external link)

The newest version of our Information Technology (IT) industry climate ranking reveals how a few global tech companies are taking the lead. They're demonstrating the potential of IT solutions to help reduce energy wastage and greenhouse gas emissions, while others seem unable to decide if IT climate solutions are a significant business opportunity or a mere marketing strategy.

Save whales, not whaling (external link)

A proposal to keep the dying whaling industries on life support has just been unveiled by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) -- instead of a concrete plan to safeguard whales.

GE: a 'recipe' for disaster (external link)

A GE-free future is getting closer: half a million signatures have been collected asking the EU commission to stop GE crops from being grown in Europe. With 1 million signatures this petition will become an official request!

Activists 'drop' in to Nestlé shareholder meeting (external link)

Thirty activist 'orang-utans' greeted shareholders as they arrived for Nestle's Annual General Meeting today asking them to give Indonesia's rainforests a break and stop profiting from destroying rainforest, threatening biodiversity and accelerating climate change.

Solar plane plans first flights across Switzerland (external link)

GENEVA (AFP) - The team which successfully conducted a round-the-clock flight powered by the sun, Solar Impulse, said Tuesday it is planning three test flights across Switzerland as it ramps up preparations for long-haul journeys.

Drought in Brazil's Amazon basin forest, Pantanal (external link)

RIO DE JANEIRO (AFP) - Brazil's Amazon basin forest and the Pantanal area, both home to a rich variety of flora and fauna, are experiencing a severe drought, officials said Monday.

Contamination leaves 1.2 million Malaysians without water (external link)

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - More than 1.2 million Malaysians were without piped water Tuesday, authorities said, as contamination from a landfill forced a treatment plant to close.

HSBC Boss Appointed As Trade Minister (external link)

HSBC chairman Stephen Green has been appointed as Trade Minister in David Cameron's Government.

Italian 'green' mayor killed in suspected Camorra murder (external link)

ROME (AFP) - The environmentalist mayor of a small town in southern Italy was shot dead in what a magistrate said on Monday was an execution by the Camorra, the powerful mafia syndicate operating around Naples.