Digg | River - Environment

Home » Science » Environment

The World’s Electronic-Waste Dump (509 diggs) Guiyu was once a peaceful rice-growing village located in the eastern province of Guangdong, southern China – that is - until a surge of broken computers and laptops arrived from the Western World. Since then, Guiyu has been proclaimed the World’s electronic-waste capital.

Scarcity of Land & Water will Lead to more Violent Conflicts (411 diggs) The problem of population.The world will experience a growing risk of conflicts over food, energy and water in coming years. The population rises each year by about 80 million people, with most of the increase in impoverished regions already facing environmental stress.

Experts Think China’s Wind Energy Could Grow 1667% by 2020 (547 diggs) At present, China produces just over 6 Gigawatts (GW) of wind energy, making it 5th in the world for total wind energy. However, with China ’s massive push for 21st Century renewable technologies, we shouldn’t be surprised if China achieves 100 GW by 2020 say energy experts.

Tom Friedman Calls For Green Revolution (262 diggs) The book's main argument is that the convergence of global warming, global flattening (the rise of middle classes all over the world), and global crowding (the population boom) is driving five key trends that will define the 21st century.

Earth Observer: Fires in California (410 diggs) The first major wildfires of the season in California got underway in the first week of summer 2008 when thunderstorms brought lightning but little rain to drought-stricken forests and chaparral in the state. The fires continued to rage in early July. This natural-color image was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)

10 Ways Methane Could Brake Global Warming or the Planet (315 diggs) Methane is a paradox. It increases global warming at the same time that it promises abundant alternative energy. The gas is all around the planet, from the atmosphere to deep below seabeds. Here are 10 trends and discoveries that may determine methane's ultimate roll in the health of the environment:

Only Seven Years Left for Global Warming Target (456 diggs) The head of the UN's Nobel-winning panel of climate scientists on Friday said only seven years remained for stabilising emissions of global-warming gases at a level widely considered safe.

Environmentalism Meets Reality (1,034 diggs)

Save the Planet, Save Cash: 25 Best Ways to Green Your Green (612 diggs) "Going eco- friendly.....doesn't that cost extra?" Tired of hearing that line? So are we. So let's bury this assumption once and for all! Here's how to save a ton of cash.

12 Tips To Help You Become an Armchair Environmentalist (487 diggs) Become an environmentalist + increase my home energy savings without having to change my lazy lifestyle? Now we're talking!

Your Laptop's Dirty Little Secret (533 diggs) But the tech industry has a dirty little secret: it has toxic waste of its own. Phones and computers contain dangerous metals like lead, cadmium and mercury, which can contaminate the air and water when those products are dumped.

CO2 Pollution Could Erase Coral Reefs for Millions of Years (500 diggs) Coral reefs, nature's most lively architecture, could come tumbling down and it could take millions of years for them to return, if carbon dioxide emissions aren't cut quickly, scientists warned today. "What we're doing in the next decade could mean that for the next two million years, there are no coral reefs in the ocean."

Tesla Building 225-mile Electric Sedan (700 diggs) In that magical year for electric car 2010 – Tesla plans to have a 5-passenger electric Sedan out and on the road. The Model S is to have a 225 mile range on a single charge, not too shabby! But as is the case with Tesla vehicles, buyers had better have padded wallets as the price is expected to be around $60,000, and likely to higher near release.

LCD TVs Are 17,000 Times More Harmful to Our Planet Than CO2 (747 diggs) LCD TVs, praised as being greener than old-style tellies because they consume much less power, may actually be speeding climate change, a chemical expert has warned. Researcher Michael Prather believes that exploding demand for HD TVs around the world has created a huge need for Nitrogen Trifluoride, and that's sending emission levels sky high.

Move to Canada to survive Climate Change (579 diggs) At the other end of the scale, Canada is the best place to move to if you want to be a climate change survivor in the decades ahead (although Britain is also a good place to be as a warming atmosphere takes hold).

Hawaii First State to Require Solar Water Heaters (787 diggs) The state of Hawaii has become the first in North America to require solar water heaters in new homes. The bill, signed into law by Republican Governor Linda Lingle this week, prohibits issuing building permits for single-family homes that do not have solar water heaters.

10 Easy Ways To Reduce Food Waste (558 diggs) Follow these tips to help you reduce food waste, save money and protect the environment.

I'm Doing My Inconsequential Part For The Environment (540 diggs) Every day, without fail, I meticulously organize my recyclables into five distinct categories, thereby subtracting an eyedropper's worth of garbage from the countless tons of waste that ferment in our landfills. It only takes a few extra minutes, but just think of the impact it totally lacks.

“Global Disruption” More Accurately Describes Climate Change (452 diggs) Leading scientist John Holdren says ‘global warming’ is not the correct term to use, he prefers ‘global disruption.’ “Global warming] is misleading, it implies something that is mainly about temperature, that’s gradual, and that’s uniform across the planet,” says Holdren. “In fact, temperature is only one of the things that’s changing

Wildlife Extinction May be 100 Times Faster Than We Thought (578 diggs) Endangered species may become extinct 100 times faster than previously thought, scientists warned today, in a bleak re-assessment of the threat to global biodiversity. Leading ecologists claim that methods used to predict when species will die out are seriously flawed, and dramatically underestimate the speed at which plants/animals will be extinct

Solar Power Goes BOOM in Nevada (671 diggs) The American Southwest has some of the best solar resources on the globe. Nevada, with abundant land and sunshine is becoming a hot bed for the solar industry. The result is green jobs and billions of investment dollars.

Leaked Report: Biofuels Are the Cause of Global Food Crisis (885 diggs) Biofuels have forced global food prices up by 75% — far more than previously estimated — according to a confidential World Bank report obtained by the Guardian. The damning unpublished assessment is based on the most detailed analysis of the crisis so far, carried out by an internationally-respected economist at global financial body.

U.S. Allowing New Solar Again (952 diggs) After the ridiculous announcement that the BLM (the agency that regulates all of America's sunniest lands) wouldn't be able to approve applications for solar development for a full 22 months, there was significant public outcry. Today, in response to that outcry, the BLM is lifting the moratorium. YAY!

U.S. Solar Energy Industry Blasts Recent Government Decision (595 diggs) Leaders in the U.S. solar energy industry blasted the Bureau of Land Management's decision to put a freeze on applications for new solar projects on public land in six Western states, in order to conduct an 'extensive' study looking at the environmental, social & economic impacts of solar energy in the United States.

WALL-E: A World Without Us (757 diggs) Stores are overfilling with WALL-E merchandise that will soon clog our landfills. Yet this new Disney movie bills itself as pro-environment.