Algae surface again
…not as harmful blooms but as biofuel feedstocks. A 20-year study by the Aquatic Species Program, funded by the US Department of the Environment, concluded in July 1998 that even with the most optimistic lipid yields, production of biodiesel from algae would only become cost-effective if petrodiesel prices rose to twice the 1998 levels. And…
The United Nations Climate Change Conference in Poznań, 1-12 December 2008
The 14th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC and the 4th meeting of Parties to the Kyoto Protocol opened today in Poznan, Poland. The conference will draw almost 11000 participants, including government delegates from the 187 Parties to the UNFCCC and representatives from business and industry (See announcement video by the UNFCCC Executive Secretary on…
People still eat sugar in a recession
Last week I went for my annual trip to the London Docklands for the International Sugar Organization seminar about the economics of the sugar industry. Despite the world’s economic problems, the sugar industry doesn’t seem too gloomy. Although Michael Whitehead of Rabobank said that the capital-intensive nature of the sugar industry would cause problems —…
Underground invasion threatens North American forests
An underground invasion of European earthworms in glaciated forests in North America has compounding impacts on the capacity of the soil to provide nutrients and sequester carbon. Kyungsoo Yoo, University of Delaware, and colleagues Anthony Aufdenkampe of the Stroud Water Research Center and Cindy Hale, an ecologist at the University of Minnesota Duluth, were recently…
Bringing the mammoth back from the dead
In a very interesting news feature in Nature, Henry Nicholls discusses the real possibilities of inverting the course of evolution by bringing the mammoth back to life.During the last decades, hundreds of animal genomes have been published and the genome of the charismatic extinct Mamuthus primignenius has very recently joined the list. Henry Nicholls’s paper…
Science and technology mitigating the impact of tropical cyclones
When intense winds blow over large surfaces of water, such as the sea, the seawater piles up against the coast causing flooding that threatens lives and crops, as well as infrastructure and property. This happens especially where water is bounded by shallow basins. Storm surges are serious hazards along the east coast of Bangladesh, India…
High risk of increase in pollutant mobilisation through water erosion due to climatic change
It is currently estimated that 2.2 million tons of topsoil are eroded in the UK annually. When contaminated sites are eroded away by water erosion it is the off-site impacts which are a problem because the sediment produced is transported to water courses, lakes, estuaries and coastal zones. A recent survey by DEFRA showed that…
Making tourism sustainable – there is no plan B
The World Travel Market (WTM) is being held in London this week, and yesterday I was able to attend as editor of Leisuretourism.com. Two issues appear to be centre-stage at this years event. One is the impact of the economic downturn on the travel industry. The other is the need for tourism to be sustainable…
Will Barack Obama’s victory bring about changes to the US environmental policy?
A change in leadership usually results in changes in policies or at least in some policies; it’s only natural as a new leader will surely aspire to improve on his/her predecessor’s achievements and try to succeed where he/she failed. According to an article in the Guardian, Obama is no different; his advisors told the Guardian…
Beekeepers March on Whitehall
<!– /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Arial; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} –> Wallingford is not only where our community of bloggers resides, but it is also home to Rowse Honey, the ‘UK’s…