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The week in environmental news – April 01, 2016

  • A study recently published by Nature Climate Change, suggests that sea-level rise could disrupt the lives of more than 13 million people in the United States.
  • Environmental groups have filed a lawsuit against the Food and Drug Administration for failing to consider all of the environmental risks involved with the approval of GMO salmon.
  • Scientists and environmental groups have asked the Obama administration to designate the first national marine monument in the Atlantic Ocean.

The United States and China have made an official, joint statement to sign Paris Agreement [BBC]

This Thursday, the U.S. and China issued a joint statement regarding their commitment to signing the Paris Climate Agreement in April. They are encouraging other countries to also sign the document at the UN headquarters this month, as it requires at least 55 countries representing 55% of emissions to sign the agreement in order to bring it into force.

Rising seas could affect three times the people projected in current estimates [NY Times]

A study recently published by Nature Climate Change, suggests that sea-level rise could disrupt the lives of more than 13 million people in the United States and that current projections are seriously underestimating the number of people at risk because they do not account for population growth.

Worries of huge liabilities surrounding hundreds of polluted mine sites in the U.S. are building [Washington Post]

The nation’s biggest coal companies are facing an increasing financial crisis that could result in U.S. taxpayers picking up the tab for hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars to cleanup closed mining sites that spread from Appalachia to the Northern Plains.

Mountain lion (Puma concolor) in Belize. Photo by Rhett Butler.
Mountain lion (Puma concolor) in Belize. Photo by Rhett Butler.

Researchers show that our fears surrounding mountain lions may be misguided [NPR]

A wildlife biologist with Panthera’s Puma Program has been studying mountain lions for 15 years and has collected thousands of videos of mountain lions in their natural habitat that not only reveals a secret world among these big cats, but debunks some popular myths surrounding them as well.

Environmental groups are suing U.S. health regulators over the approval of GMO salmon [Reuters]

Groups such as the Center for Food Safety, Food and Water Watch and Friends of the Earth, filed a lawsuit this week against the Food and Drug Administration for failing to consider all of the environmental risks that genetically engineering salmon could have on the fish.

Leonardo DiCaprio was threatened with deportation from Indonesia this week [Mongabay]

On Thursday following the Hollywood actor’s visit to the embattled Leuser Ecosystem, one of Southeast Asia’s last great swaths of intact rainforest, Indonesian officials accused DiCaprio of running a “black campaign” to discredit the country’s palm oil industry, whose rapid expansion is eating away at the archipelago’s rainforests even as it drives economic growth.

Humpback whale breaching in Alaska's Inside Passage, Alaska United States. Photo by Rhett Butler.
Humpback whale breaching in Alaska’s Inside Passage, Alaska United States. Photo by Rhett Butler.

How noise pollution is impacting our marine life [Yale e360]

In an interview with marine scientist, Christopher Clark, he explains how noise pollution, most of it from ship traffic, severely disrupts marine life, especially among whales, which communicate and orient themselves through sound.

Is Antarctica’s wildlife at risk due to tourism? [Deutsche Welle]

Antarctica is becoming increasingly popular with tourists. Around 40,000 of them arrive each year to see penguins, whales, seals, and albatrosses, among other creatures and spend quite a lot of money to do so. But while Antarctic cruises aren’t cheap, the numbers continue to rise with each passing year.

The next national monument may be in the Atlantic Ocean [National Geographic]

The cold waters off the coast of New England are home to a unique variety of species that conservationists say are in need of protection from fishing. Scientists and environmental groups have asked the Obama administration to designate the first national marine monument in the Atlantic Ocean as a way of assisting with the protection of the species.

King penguins, photo by Rhett Butler.
King penguins, photo by Rhett Butler.

 

MONGABAY HIGHLIGHTS

How rescued orangutans help assure species survival

Agribusiness is rapidly razing the prime forest habitat of Sumatra’s 14,600 remaining orangutans; replacing it with vast stretches of oil palm plantation. The species’ population is predicted to plummet unless a way is found to protect their habitat.

For the first time, white-nose syndrome has been confirmed in western U.S.

The fatal white-nose syndrome (WNS) that has decimated bat populations across North America has now made its way to the western United States. Experts say the detection suggests that humans are most likely responsible for the spread of the disease.

Giving an adult male orangutan a health check in North Sumatra, Sumatra Indonesia. Photo by Rhett Butler.
Giving an adult male orangutan a health check in North Sumatra, Sumatra Indonesia. Photo by Rhett Butler.

Five reasons why many conservation efforts fail

One aim of conservation projects is to protect wild habitats and prevent species extinction. But managing natural resources is complex. Despite striving for years, conservation groups — both big and small — often struggle to find that perfect recipe for success.

Japan has killed 333 whales, including 200 pregnant females

Japan’s whaling ships kill hundreds of whales almost every year. This year is no exception. The latest hunt brought in a harvest of 333 Antarctic Minke whales, including 200 pregnant females and seems to be in apparent violation of the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) 2014 ruling ordering Japan to halt all whaling.

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