Colibri's story links

Perhaps best known for its wetsuits, the water sports company Body Glove has partnered with Reef Check and surfline.com to help rally support for the protection of coral reefs.

“We often hear of environmental catastophes but almost never meet the people who suffer the consequences.”

Those are some of the introductory words of Lou Dematteis, one of the authors and photographers of the new photo book Crude Reflections: Oil, Ruin, and Resistance in the Amazon Rainforest.

Just kiddng. We aren't running out of coffee. But Colombia now says worldwide demand will exceed production next year. Will this mean more habitat destruction as farmers rush to clear land to help meet the demands of coffee drinkers?

After revising estimates, Cuba now claims it has double the amount of oil in its offshore reserves than previously thought. If the estimates are accurate, Cuba would have just as much oil as the U.S. This discovery, coupled with initiatives to develop alternative energy projects, such a brand new biogas factory, will put Cuba on the fast track to achieving energy independence.

As coral reefs around the world continue to disappear, one Florida town has taken the initiative by investing $60,000 to stimulate coral reef growth using electricity. While there is not yet peer-reviewed evidence to suggest that using a low powered electrical current works, scientists are not dismissing the idea. The company that has been hired to make the reefs claims that they have had many prior successes.

With the economy tanking, several wars being fought abroad, climate change producing devastating hurricanes, and strengthened calls for a sustainable economy, energy has become one of the strong links that binds all of these issues.

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Exit polls indicate that a majority of Ecuadorians have voted yes to a new constitution. The constitution is the first in the world’s history to grant nature legal rights, and also to allow individuals to sue on nature’s behalf in courts. It is a major victory for Ecuador’s President, Rafael Correa.

Toyota is donating 5 hybrid cars and $500,000 to help support Grand Canyon National Park’s educational programs and safety efforts.

Researchers and officials from the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Park Service on Tuesday presented the findings of a 4 year study that estimated the population of grizzly bears in Montana.

A team of researchers in Costa Rica’s Alberto Manuel Brenes Reserve have been searching for plants that might help cure the mosquito-transmitted disease known as malaria. While not a common disease in Costa Rica, the country’s tropical rainforests have a wide diversity of plants that sometimes cannot be found elsewhere in the world– and some of these species might contain medicinal properties to help stop malaria and other diseases. An estimated 1-3 million people die each year from malaria.

The latest political celebrity scuttlebutt is that famous American actor Val Kilmer might be considering a run for Governor of New Mexico in 2010. Kilmer has lived part-time in New Mexico for over 20 years, but reportedly hasn’t ever voted since registering in 1992.

A federal judge has banned snowmobiles from Yellowstone National Park.

A team of scientists on an expedition to study frogs has found the “rarest frog in the world” in Costa Rica. Thought to be extinct for over 20 years, last year hope was renewed when an individual male from the species was found by one of the team’s researchers. Last week the team found a pregnant female, suggesting that this species is still reproducing and has not been made extinct by a deadly skin fungus that is decimating amphibian populations.

This Friday, John C. Mankins, a former NASA employee who is an expert on space solar power will make a big announcement about a potentially huge alternative energy breakthrough. The basic idea is that satellites in space will collect solar energy and beam it down to the earth.

Collectively a group of scientists, environmental groups, and former members of Australia’s navy have urged for the creation of a gigantic reserve that would ban fishing in a pristine 400,000 square mile area known as the Coral Sea– if approved, it will be the world’s largest protected marine area.

Yesterday, Congo’s government chose to withdraw more than 1,000 troops from an area in eastern Congo near Virunga National Park. Despite an ongoing conflict, the military has agreed to depart in an effort to help protect the park’s valuable natural resources, which include the endangered mountain gorilla.

Summaries and links to several of the more interesting ecologically-related stories to come out of South American countries in the past month.

Everglades National Park has obtained approval to proceed with a plan to redesign the most developed area of the park with an emphasis on promoting sustainability. Through building design, alternative energy, and improved transportation systems, the park area known as “Flamingo” will be reborn as an example for other parks to follow.

The big environmental news coming out of Peru this past week was that a huge waterfall previously unknown to the greater world was “discovered” in the country’s Amazon Rainforest region.

It’s hard to watch television or browse the internet these days without hearing regular stories about how celebrities are “going green.” Will Ferrell recently built an eco-house with solar panels according to one article. But should we care?

In a paper that is available online and will be published in an upcoming issue of The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Goldberg and his colleagues write about how a basalt formation off of the coast of Oregon and Washington could potentially store anywhere from 120-150 years of carbon produced by the United States in its cavities (assuming current U.S. emission rates do not increase).

A new machine that pasteurizes milk by using solar energy was recently installed in Nicaragua, thanks to researchers from the Agrarian University of Nicaragua and Spain’s University of Lérida. The primary goal for the machine is to help communities to save money. With its use of clean energy, it will also help to curtail global warming and perhaps will eventually help Nicaraguans to start new businesses.

In late March of this year, Chavez announced his plan to fund “an energy revolution” in Venezuela. The most notable and measurable success to date has been Venezuela’s effort to change out standard light bulbs across the country for CFLS. So far, 72.3 million light bulbs have been changed. But the story is not that simple.

This story describes why DVDs are not rented in Peru, and how the subsequent increase in DVDs ending up in the trash will contribute to pollution in the country.

Republican Senator Chuck Hagel has been buddying around with Obama on Obama's world tour. Some people like the prospect of a dual party ticket. But what does Hagel's record and his words tell us about his environmental views?

The European Union has made a stand toward nations that kill seals using inhumane methods-- like Canada.

A Turkish man according to one article has successfully predicted an earthquake by studying the behavior of ants in his home. This article reports on the story and also a research study that serendiptiously was able to examine the question of whether or not ants can help predict earthquakes.

As animals invade urban areas in greater frequencies due to habitat loss, this article suggests 3 unique ways we all can help protect urban wildlife.

Starting things off with a bang, Chile declared a permanent ban on whaling on the opening day of the International Whaling Commission’s annual meeting. The Pacific Ocean-bordering country is playing host to the conference, where tensions are running high.