pollution

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Smog Bad for Your Appendix: Study

Researchers saw more cases of appendicitis on days with poor air quality

(Newser) - Pollution may boost your chances of getting appendicitis, the BBC reports. A Canadian study suggests that human tissue—such as the appendix—gets more inflamed on days when the ozone level is high; patients were 15% more likely to be hospitalized on bad-air days, researchers found. Infections can cause appendicitis—...

4 in 10 North American Fish Species in Peril

(Newser) - About four out of 10 freshwater fish species in North America are in peril, says a major study by US, Canadian, and Mexican scientists. And the number of subspecies of fish populations in trouble has nearly doubled since 1989, the new report says. One biologist called it "silent extinctions"...

Fireflies May Be Succumbing to Light Pollution

Numbers plummeting around the world

(Newser) - From backyards in Tennessee to river banks in Thailand, fireflies are disappearing. And the lights may be going out, said scientists who gathered last week in Thailand, because of human light pollution. Urban sprawl has caused a loss of habitat, AP reports, but it also may be that bright cities...

US Slow to Hop On Global Biking Boom

Countries that encourage self-propelled commuting see benefits instantly

(Newser) - The US remains uninspired by nations that have prodded people to save money by biking to work, the Washington Post reports. Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands installed infrastructure years ago to benefit bikers and discourage cars, but America—along with Canada, Australia, and Britain—have not. "It is very...

Under Italy's Mob, Toxic Trash Heaps Growing

Intimidation rife as garbage threatens public health

(Newser) - Heaps of garbage tower in southern Italy’s legal and illegal dumps, and may even be contributing to cancer and birth defects in the area—but the mafia’s grip on disposal makes it near impossible to fix the problem, the Los Angeles Times reports. “For years the waste...

Recession Makes Us Healthier
 Recession Makes Us Healthier 
ANALYSIS
Aug 25, 2008 4:35 PM CDT

Recession Makes Us Healthier

Strapped budgets can help people improve habits

(Newser) - A slow economy might mean more people are stressed, but research shows that tough times are actually good for us, the Los Angeles Times reports. Rates of illnesses—particularly those related to lifestyle changes, like heart disease—decrease, as do accident and death rates. And while some may drown their...

Gadfly Stalls San Francisco Bike Measures

Activist argues that urban cycling results in environmental damage

(Newser) - San Francisco's plans to make the city more bike-friendly are stuck in the slow lane thanks to litigation from an anti-cycling activist, the Wall Street Journal reports. Rob Anderson believes adding bike lanes causes pollution by clogging up traffic. The progressive city is now unable even to install new bike...

Must Globetrotting Aussies Be Grounded?
 Must Globetrotting
 Aussies Be Grounded?
OPINION
Aug 20, 2008 2:54 PM CDT

Must Globetrotting Aussies Be Grounded?

Wired blogger responds to Oz travel-bashing

(Newser) - It's even harder being green if you're Australian, since it takes a long-haul flight to get practically anywhere, Adele Horin observes in the Sydney Morning Herald. Aussies consider globetrotting to be part of their birthright, but Horin thinks it's time her country-mates recognize airplanes for what they are: "toxic...

Beijing Becomes Obsessed With Rain

Chinese people want some, but not too much, for Olympics

(Newser) - Talking about the weather isn’t just idle conversation in Beijing these days—it’s a national obsession, the Washington Post reports. The country is so anxious for a sunny Olympics—with just enough rain to clear the smog, of course—that changes in the forecast have become front-page news....

Beijing Amps Up Anti-Pollution Measures

New cuts on factories, cars as air flunks tests ahead of Olympics

(Newser) - Beijing today rolled out new emergency measures to ease pollution, with the Olympics just more than a week away. The new rules will close more factories and take more vehicles off the road, in a wider radius around the capital, in the event of “extremely unfavorable weather conditions"—...

Heavy Smog Greets Olympians
 Heavy Smog Greets Olympians
Jul 27, 2008 5:55 PM CDT

Heavy Smog Greets Olympians

Despite traffic restrictions, skies hazy as always

(Newser) - Beijing has just 12 days left to clear its skies before the start of the Summer Olympics and things are still looking mighty smoggy, reports the AP. Visibility was a mere half-mile in some parts of the city and the Athletes’ Village was invisible from the nearby Olympic Green, despite...

Oil Spill Snarls Mississippi
 Oil Spill Snarls Mississippi 
Jul 25, 2008 7:28 AM CDT

Oil Spill Snarls Mississippi

Workers racing river to clean up gigantic slick near New Orleans

(Newser) - An oil spill stretching nearly 100 miles along the Mississippi is causing river traffic to pile up, AP reports. Dozens of vessels are stuck in New Orleans waiting to head upriver. Others are waiting to carry cargos of grain downriver from the heartland. Officials say it will be days before...

8 Signs the Animal Kingdom Is in Trouble

On land, at sea, and in sky, planet's woes threaten inhabitants

(Newser) - Biologists have mounting evidence that human activity is causing real damage to the natural world. LiveScience lists overlooked indications that things are seriously out of whack.
  1. Earlier migration: Several bird species are getting their timing wrong.
  2. Jellyfish rule: The creatures are hitching rides on ships.

Beijing Launches Pollution Crackdown for Olympics

Officials scramble to clean the air for athletes

(Newser) - Beijing has launched tough new anti-pollution measures this week in a bid to clean the air for Olympic athletes in time for the games. Officials expect to force nearly half of the city's 3.3 million cars off the road, which will drive commuters onto already-crowded public transport, Reuters reports....

Bush Stuns G8 With 'Biggest Polluter' Boast

President leaves other leaders open-mouthed with defiant farewell

(Newser) - George Bush concluded the last G8 summit of his presidency with a defiant final joke: "Goodbye from the world's biggest polluter," he quipped. The president then punched the air, his mouth fixed in a huge grin, the Daily Telegraph reports. Bush, who has faced international condemnation for years...

China Falls Behind on Olympic Promises

Despite vows, not much change on air quality, political freedom

(Newser) - With exactly a month to go before the Olympics, China has not delivered on promises to improve Beijing’s air quality or allow foreign journalists open access, the BBC reports. The government vowed to bring Beijing’s air up to WHO standards when bidding for the Games, but a BBC...

Uno: Cooler Than Segway
 Uno: Cooler Than Segway 
Jul 1, 2008 3:12 PM CDT

Uno: Cooler Than Segway

One-wheeled 'motorcycle' goes green with electricity—and stylish to boot

(Newser) - Looking like a tricked out motorbike, the Uno is electric personal transportation with style, the Chicago Tribune reports. Designed by 19-year-old inventor Ben Gulak, the device employs no throttle or brake, relying on its rider's leanings to guide it, and is so intuitive an 8-year-old picked it up instantly at...

EU Will Make Airlines Pay to Pollute

Deal to cap and trade carbon emissions could drive fares up

(Newser) - The European Union struck a landmark deal yesterday to regulate carbon emissions from airplanes, requiring carriers to buy pollution credits for all flights entering or leaving airports in the EU. The agreement, which should go into effect in 2012, marks the first time that airlines will have to pay to...

Wash. State Bans Some Dishwasher Detergents

Officials worry about phosphorous runoff

(Newser) - Washington state will soon begin phasing in a ban on some big-name dishwater detergents because they contain too much phosphorus, the Bellingham Herald reports. Detergents such as Cascade and Electrasol, which contain more than 0.5% phosphorous, will be banned in Whatcom and Spokane counties July 1 and in the...

Green Bands Can't Stop Fans From Polluting

Rock armies have to reach the show somehow

(Newser) - It's not easy being a green band. While touring musicians try to cut their carbon footprints with biodiesel buses and recycling, fans wreak environmental havoc, reports Rolling Stone. The venues arena rockers need sit miles outside of city centers, forcing concertgoers to gas up and hit the road. And the...

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