Himalayan glaciers melt rate is uncertain – More consistent data needed
Around 1.3 billion people in the Himalayan river basins rely on both snowmelt water from glaciers and monsoon waters to sustain their livelihoods. In fact, seasonal snowmelt water from the Himalayan glaciers is one of the main sources of freshwater reserves that directly sustain people living in the region, especially in arid and semi-arid…
IUCN releases list of 100 most threatened species – priceless or worthless?
In the beginning of this year, the Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) published the Red List of Threatened Species, which showed that the world’s rich diversity is disappearing at a frightening fast rate, with 1 in 4 mammals, 1 in 3 amphibians, 1 in 3 corals, and 1 in 8 birds being at risk…
Record-breaking Arctic ice melt – causes and implications
Image credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. NASA satelite pictures and a BBC News item on the latest data from the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) showed that the Arctic sea ice has thawed to record levels this year. It is well known that the Arctic ice thaws annually during the summer months, when the temperature is…
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Belo Horizonte – the first Latin America city to implement TRACE energy saving tool
Belo Horizonte image by Vera Barbosa. The Tool for Rapid Assessment of City Energy (TRACE), developed by the World Bank’s Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP), has already been implemented in various cities around the world, but Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais, was the first city in Latin America to implement the World…
Tiger tourism: to ban or not to ban?
Both as a wildlife enthusiast and a writer on tourism, I've been following with interest over the last month or so the ongoing debate in India over whether tourism should be banned from core areas of the country's tiger reserves. On Tuesday 24 July, India's Supreme Court temporarily banned any form of tourism in the…
Will the Sweet Potato be giving Usain Bolt a run for his money at the next Olympics?
First blog from our guest blogger, Hollie Gibson, who is studying Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia, UK. As the London Olympics came to an end on the 12th of August 2012, plans for the next Olympics which will be held in Rio, 2016 are already in full swing. This time however it…
Are the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games the most sustainable ever?
Photo taken by Vera Barbosa A report has just been published to update the 2005 BioRegional, WWF and London 2012 framework report on producing the most sustainable Olympic and Paralympic Games ever. The 2005 report, Towards a One Planet Olympics, became part of London’s bid and then part of London’s promise to the world. Towards…
Plant problems? No problem…
At CABI we’re always trying to deliver useful, relevant and timely scientific research, as well as help you find that needle of information in the haystack of data. Today we’re releasing another resource which does that – and it’s free! Today CABI announce the launch of a new online resource with information for all involved…
Mythbusting sports and exercise products
The Olympics are now only a week away, and watching the world's top athletes in action may inspire less elite sports participants to look for ways in which they can boost their own performance. There is a large industry offering all kinds of products claiming to do just that: sports drinks and supplements, shoes and…