Home

On:

While we’re well aware of the ongoing plight of honeybees that are facing colony collapse disorder, and the potential impact on crops that depend on our little apian allies for pollination, it’s important to remember that there are a large number of plant species that we use for food that rely on species other than bees, both invertebrate and vertebrate. Toward that end, a new study, commissioned by the United Nations, has been released, warning that a shocking number of these alternate pollinators are at risk of extinction.
read more

On:

Long-term regional droughts are, unfortunately, a common occurrence on our little planet. Typically though, only droughts that are long-term in their duration are reported on, giving us the impression that the problem is relegated to particular geographies, and not generally widespread. However, a new study from the Netherlands has incorporated short-term droughts into the picture, revealing water scarcity as a much more widespread problem.
read more

On:

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has released an animation on their website that illustrates how average global surface temperatures have risen since record-keeping started in the late 19th century. The video helps to visually illustrate the rise of Earth’s temperatures, spanning a 135-year period from when temperature records were first recorded, in 1880, through 2015, the hottest year on record.

The baseline average used in the video was derived from temperature averages from 1951 through 1980, with blue colors representing below-average trends, and orange representing above average temperatures.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also released a similar video, showing the same warming trend over the past 135 years. read more

On:

Renowned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking has stated a warning to humankind: , in light of all of the potential events that could spell the extinction of the human species, we must find a way to migrate into space. Citing numerous potential extinction events that could occur over the next few thousand years, both environmental and man-made, Hawking believes that it is too risky to have mankind’s fate depend solely on the health of a single planet.
read more