Topic: Nature Conservancy

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Global News Blog
In an island nation, living in fear of the water

In the Bahamas, 80 percent of the population can't swim, despite the fact that in the nation of 29 islands, you're never far from the ocean.
Climate change: Species climbing higher and migrating north, study says

Organisms are responding to climate change at a pace much faster than scientists estimated about a decade ago, according to a new study in the journal Science.
Raging wildfires: Climate changes to blame for record season?

Many scientists suggest that climate changes could be causing certain kinds of wildfires for which the West's forests are not well adapted. This year could help researchers better understand and fight the trend.
How long does it take species to go extinct? Longer than previously thought.

Habitat destruction drives species extinct more slowly than previously thought, according to a new model described in this week's Nature. 'We have bought a little time for saving species,' says scientist.
Midwest flooding: What's at stake in plan to blast open Missouri levee

A judge on Friday gave the go-ahead to the US Army Corps of Engineers to blow an opening into a Missouri levee. Advocates say it's the best way to prevent worse flooding downriver, but residents could be affected.
Plants search high and low in response to global warming

For years researchers have watched plants and animals migrate to cooler quarters in response to global warming. But a new study suggests some plants are moving downhill, drawn by increased precipitation.
Real or artificial? The great debate about Christmas trees in 2010.

Christmas trees are one of the latest items to join the list of consumables that Americans scrutinize for environmental, economic, and political correctness.
Climate change negotiators in Cancun look to bridge gaps

There's an expanding rift between developed and developing countries over whether to extend the 1997 Kyoto Protocol goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions beyond the 2012 limits.
Climate change talks in Cancun: What can be accomplished?

The two-week negotiations begin on Monday and carry far lower expectations than did last December's climate change talks in Copenhagen.
New energy: climate change and sustainability shape a new era

A new energy revolution – similar to shifts from wood to coal to oil – is inevitable as climate change and oil scarcity drive a global search for sustainability in power production. But even the promise of renewable energy holds drawbacks.
Biodiversity study sounds an extinction alert (for things with spines)

Biodiversity researchers warn that 20 percent of vertebrate species are threatened with extinction, largely because of human damage to habitats. But conservation efforts, they say, are effective.
Donald Marron
What is fresh water worth?

Water funds in South America and New York pay those who live upstream to keep the water pure for their downstream neighbors.
Florida panther comeback a success story with many asterisks

The population of Florida panthers has increased from 25 adults in 1995 to 100 today thanks to human intervention. But without continued intervention, the species will become extinct.
Freedom

Jonathan Franzen’s latest is already the year’s biggest novel.
Post-Copenhagen quest for global warming accord stuck in reverse

Negotiators seeking to lay the groundwork for a global warming summit in Mexico in November appear to be moving further from consensus.
Ex-rangers ride to the rescue of the world's national parks

Retired U.S. National Park Service workers formed Global Parks to share their expertise abroad.
Timber companies agree on conservation plan for Canadian forests

Timber officials inked a deal with nine environmental groups. Increasingly, boreal-forest preservation has been considered as vital as tropical-forest preservation in efforts to fight global warming.
In Gulf oil spill, how helpful – or damaging – are dispersants?

The one BP is using to break up the Gulf oil spill has been approved by the EPA. But it's an older mixture that contains toxic ingredients, and it's not among the top tier of recommended dispersants.
Buying carbon offsets may ease eco-guilt but not global warming

Voluntary carbon offsets are a 'Wild West' market ripe for fraud, exaggeration, and poorly run projects that probably do little to ease global warming.
Native plants give way to European and Asian 'invaders'

The American landscape is becoming less American as plants from Europe and Asia invade open spaces, crowding out native species and lessening the nation's biological diversity.
Kyoto to Copenhagen: Why UN's glacial global warming talks need overhaul

Some specialists are calling for an overhaul of the UN global warming process, which yielded only modest progress in Copenhagen.
Clinton promises aid to poor nations – but China may resist

At the Copenhagen climate talks Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the US could provide billions in aid to help poorer nations convert to clean technologies. But that's only if countries like China agree to monitoring of their climate change efforts.
At Copenhagen, many global warming issues likely to be unresolved

As the Copenhagen global warming talks head into their final days, observers say many climate change issues are likely to be left unresolved.
Copenhagen talks suspended over rich-poor divide

Negotiations on a deal to curb greenhouse gas emissions and head off global warming were suspended Monday morning in Copenhagen, with poorer countries charging wealthier nations aren't prepared to make necessary cuts in CO2 emissions.
Global warming talks spark friction between US and China

After the first week of global warming talks in Copenhagen, disagreements between nations are still evident, particularly between industrial heavyweights the US and China.