Dog Days Of Winter
Recent Updates
Mar04
Mar03
Milkweed And Monarchs
We have talked before about the huge decline in the population of monarch butterflies. The causes are a combination of factors including illegal logging in Mexico, droughts, wildfires, parasites, and most importantly, the drastic loss of crucial milkweed habitat in the US. Milkweed is the only food plant that monarch caterpillars can eat and modern herbicides like those used on genetically modified crops are wiping it out over large areas.
Mar02
Wave Power
Wave power is produced by the use of electricity generators placed on the surface of the ocean. Energy output is determined by wave height, wave speed, wavelength, and water density. This technology is a fledgling state: there are only a handful of experimental wave generator plants in operation around the world.
Feb27
Fungus Sucks The Life Out Of Hibernating Bats
Common throughout North America, little brown bats keep insect populations in check. Anyone who has spent dusk near a lake has seen the little browns performing acrobatics on the wing as they feast on mosquitoes, midges, and gnats. Each bat can eat thousands of bugs each night.
Feb26
Floating Solar Panels
Japan is an island country with over 125 million people and doesn’t have much land to spare. The country is largely mountainous and has no room for large-scale solar plants. It has long embraced solar power, but has to be creative about where to put the solar panels.
Environmental News
- FEMA settles first wave of NY, NJ Sandy insurance litigation
- Chilean volcano goes quiet after overnight eruption
- Somalia top priority in U.N. agriculture organization funding appeal
- Kenya burns 15 tonnes of ivory in anti-poaching fight, to destroy its stockpile by year-end
- Senate waters down French energy bill, committee to seek compromise
Updated by @EarthWiseRadio