A little hope for orangutans
There’s a little glimmer of hope for the orangutans living in the rainforests of Indonesia. Back in February 2007 Vicki told us about the critical situation of these animals in Borneo and Sumatra: “their habitat is under constant attack from illegal logging, forest fires and mining… not to mention the ever-encroaching oil palms and the…
Climate change – good news for agricultural research?
The agricultural research drought – in need of a little climate change? This morning, office banter here at CABI turned to the post 9/11 affliction that affected newspaper and magazine columnists for many months, if not several years, after the event. For quite some time it seemed almost impossible to read a Sunday supplement without…
Isn’t it about time we start running our cars on ethanol like they do in Brazil?
After reading the news on the end of the 48-hour strike by employees at the Grangemouth oil refinery in Scotland last month, I was quite relieved. I have to use my car to go to work and didn’t want to see another increase in petrol prices, or worse still no petrol in the pumps. I’ve…
No, your car won’t glow in the dark
‘But will your car glow in the dark’ was the headline of an Irish newspaper article a few months ago describing a joint project between Irish-based company Greenfield Project Management, the Belarussian government and Swedish-based Chematur Engineering. The aim is to produce fuel ethanol from grain crops and sugarbeet grown on land contaminated by the…
Science and Hollywood: An Inconvenient Truth
I wonder how many of us have watched Al Gore’s film An Inconvenient Truth and thought "wow, that really is terrifying, I’d better start making a few changes". And more to the point, how many of us have then done something about it. If you’re like Sarah and you’ve started cycling to the supermarket, well…
Every frog has its day
As I flicked through the latest issue of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust magazine ‘On the edge’ I came a cross an article on the mountain chicken, a large endangered frog that unfortunately happens to taste a bit, well, a bit like chicken. Now I’m not the greatest fan of amphibians but I couldn’t help…
Easier being green…
Last Saturday, I cycled to Tesco’s*. It’s around five miles away from where I live, so wasn’t a huge effort and, to be fair, I could use the extra exercise. I stress this because I’m about to mention the environment. Before you head off to the ‘post comment’ box below, I must stress that my…
Earth Day – What’s Your Story?
Fuel shortages, Famine, Disease, Extinction, Floods, Drought…So this is ‘Earth Day’. Hardly something to look forward to is it? At CABI, we work tirelessly under the assumption that most people we’re likely to come across believe that ‘saving the planet’ is a Good Thing. But what are we really trying to save? Are we saving…
NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
The sound of despondent Handpicked bloggers rang through the air at CABI this morning. The corridors were reverberating in despair at the New Zealand Herald‘s frightening headline ‘Climate change could see pubs run dry‘. Streuth! Pedants among you who have checked the link will have noted that the story appeared in last week’s Herald, but…
Natural England launches the Future of Farming awards 2008
Natural England are inviting farmers and farm managers across England (UK) to enter Natural England’s 2008 Future of Farming Awards. The award scheme, which opened for registration on Monday 7 April, recognises and celebrates farmers in England who have integrated wildlife, landscape and access management with more sustainable farming production on their farms. The awards…