Divorcing Mother Nature

The rising divorce rate doesn’t affect just the family– apparently, it takes a toll on the environment as well. According to a study published Monday at the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, to lessen the toll humans are taking on the earth, it's better for people to stay together.

“A married household actually uses resources more efficiently than a divorced household,” said Jiangua Liu, who authored the study. Liu, an ecologist at Michigan State University, explains households with more people sharing space are more efficient than those with less-– for example, a refrigerator uses the same amount of power whether there is one person using it, or three.

Two households forming from the split of one married household simply doubles the amount of land, water, and energy consumption and usage. Liu calculates divorced households add an extra $6.9 billion in utility costs, as well as an added $3.6 billion for water.

The study stresses it isn’t condemning divorce, as Liu adds that “some people really need to get divorces.” It just aims to show that living with other people reduces the impact of humans on environmental resources.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/D/DIVORCE_ENVIRONMENT?SITE=CAANR&SECTION=SCIENCE&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

A sinking feeling

One morning in Papa New Guinea, the ocean tide came in much higher than anyone had ever expected.

“I don’t know,” said Filomena Taroa when asked about what had happened. She had led her grandkids to higher ground the avoid the water that day. “I’d never experienced it before.”

This is only one of many reports that have been coming in from shorelines around the world. It’s tangible proof of how global warming is affecting us.

A handful of these villagers are going to travel to Bali, Indonesia this week to the U.N. climate conference. They want something done about their coasts and the effect that global warming is making, which is appearing all too real for them.

At the meeting, research group Global Governance Project will propose an international fund for climate refugees.

The ocean’s rising level appears to be rapidly increasing. Between 1993 and 2003, the U.N. climate-science network measured the seas to have risen globally one inch every 10 years; in a study done last year, oceanographers found the sea in parts of the Pacific and Indian oceans, to have risen almost one inch per year.

As the ocean creeps up onto the shoreline, islands are getting smaller and lands are becoming flooded. Ursula Rakova is one of those islanders suffering from the travesty: “We don’t have vehicles, an airport. We’re merely victims of what is happening with the industrialized nations emitting ‘greenhouse gases.’ Rakova lives on the Carteret atoll near Bougainvilla island.

There, villagers depend on the taro root as one of their food staples–so far, the saltwater has ruined their taro gardens. It has also contaminated the well water system. They are now suffering from chronic hunger. In response, the national government presented $800,000 to some families on the island–however, that left 3,000 other islanders empty-handed.

“That’s not enough,” Rakova said.




http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16754919

Penguins aren't enjoying the cruise

The effects of a diesel fuel spill off the coast of Antarctica that happened one month ago may still be hazardous. The accident’s location intersects with the migratory path of several penguin breeds in the area, said Maria Jose Rosello, a Chilean marine biologist. She names the area as a breeding grounds for Antarctic, Adelia and Papua penguins.

The spill may also affect other organisms in the area. Veronica Vallejos, director of the scientific department at the Chilean Antarctic Institute, said the area is a high biodiversity zone, so the danger is even higher for the habitants. Those in danger include sea lions, fish, seals, krill, algae and plankton colonies, which are all integral to the area’s food chain.

The spill occurred when The Explorer, a cruise ship on a 19-day long trip off the coast of Antarctica, hit ice. Onboard were 50,000 gallons of diesel, 6,300 gallons of lubricant and 260 gallons of gasoline.

Diesel oil continues to flow from the ship, which has already sunken 4,800 feet into the ocean.

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environment/la-fg-penguins2dec02,1,4768397.story?coll=la-news-environment&ctrack=1&cset=true

Riding into the future

It won’t quite be Disneyland, but this month at events like the International Electric Vehicle Symposium, attendees will be able to go on rides in over two dozen alternative-fuel vehicles. Features of these events include hydrogen fuel cell-power SUVs and solar paneled hybrid cars. Besides the car demonstrations, the symposium will have panel discussions and seminars. Some topics they’ll wrestle with are battery technology and fuel-cell development.

Additionally, next Saturday (Dec. 8) will be the first annual Renewable L.A. festival. There, event-goers can ride in or drive (it depends on which car) more alternative-fuel vehicles. There won't be any Deloreans, but they’ll have a Volkswagen Jetta powered by biodiesel oil present, along with a Prius equipped with rooftop solar panels.

Planners want to “raise awareness of solar electricity as a clean renewable energy source and to raise awareness of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles,” said Zan Dubin Scott, one of the event organizers.

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environment/la-fi-nutsbolts1dec01,1,7234658.story?coll=la-news-environment