Ecuador's Yasuni-ITT Proposal: Precedent and Practicality

Time is ticking for Yasuni in Ecuador, one of the most bio-diverse forests on the planet. Ecuador's historic proposal to keep its largest crude oil reserve beneath the iconic Yasuni National Park permanently in the ground in exchange for half of its forgone revenues has inspired a range of opinion that runs the gamut from fierce skeptic to devout believer. Only a small percentage of the funds have been raised, and President Rafael Correa has set December 2011 as the final deadline to meet the financial goal before enacting a "Plan B" to begin drilling.

Another ordinary day in the Arctic

Whenever there are people out on the ice, it’s necessary for a couple of people at least, and more if there’s fog, to be keeping a look out. On these occasions there’s usually one person up on the wings of the bridge, another person up in the crow’s nest, and somebody else out on the helipad. There’s a rota so nobody has to stand for hours on end and get too cold, but today I did an hour in the heli slot.

Arctic sea ice meltdown continues

We sometimes feel like we're repeating ourselves when we talk about Arctic sea ice - because we are. In recent months, sea ice extent has been again reaching record lows - right now, it's at a second-low record, just behind the 2007 record. The past five years have seen the five lowest sea ice extents recorded. If this isn't a worrying downward trend, I don't know what is.
We are causing this melt. There is just no going around it. If data and graphs and scientific research don't quite bring the point home, how about a really, really, really big piece of art?

Brazil, After a Long Battle, Approves an Amazon Dam

"This is a tragic day for the Amazon," said Atossa Soltani, executive director of Amazon Watch. 
Brazil's environmental agency gave final approval on Wednesday for a giant hydroelectric power plant in the Amazon rain forest that has been at the center of a protracted battle between the government and environmentalists over the fate of indigenous people.