Earth Island Journal articles from June 2009

Earth Island Journal archives from June 2009

A numbers game.(FROM THE EDITOR)(Editorial)
June 22, 2009... At least since the days of Malthus, people have wondered when the planet will be too full of people. During the last several generations as the number of humans has grown exponentially and our use of resources has skyrocketed the question has...

What about the gators?(LETTER & E-MAILS)(Letter to the editor)
June 22, 2009... I grew up in Canada and thought the article about the annual Canadian seal hunt ("Kill Them with Kindness," Around the World, Spring) took a very complicated issue and reduced it to a one-note shriek. If the hunt were to stop, what would...

Ecological economics.(LETTER & E-MAILS)(Letter to the editor)
June 22, 2009... Elaine Miller Bond's article "Net Benefits" (Spring) illustrates what is wrong with efforts to correct many environmental problems in this case, overfishing. Capitalism encourages behavior motivated by greed. It should be no surprise when...

ITQs an investment mess?(LETTER & E-MAILS)(Letter to the editor)
June 22, 2009... Your article on individual take quotas ("Net Benefits") swallows the arguments in their favor hook, line, and sinker, when some probing would reveal that ITQs are more than a little fishy. Take the analogy to cap-and-trade systems: Emission...

Peak bagged.(LETTER & E-MAILS)(Letter to the editor)
June 22, 2009... Thank you for the article "For Peak's Sake" (Spring) about the effort to rename the 14,000-foot North Palisade in the Sierra Nevada after Dave Brower. I first climbed the peak at age 17, in 1939, with Dave himself. It was also in 1939 that...

Maligned algae.(LETTER & E-MAILS)(Letter to the editor)
June 22, 2009... I noticed a scientific error in Jeffrey Marlow's cover story on jellyfish blooms: "The algae suck oxygen out of the water and block sunlight from reaching other plankton lower in the water column." Actually, algae produce oxygen and are one of...

[Cartoon].(LETTER & E-MAILS)(Cartoon)
June 22, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] We share 99% of our DNA with humans, but there are 6 billion of them & we're nearly extinct. What's the difference? We're pacifists. BIZARRO.COM Dist by King Features [c] Dan Piraro!

Gas masked.(AFRICA)(gas flaring at oil wells)
June 22, 2009... In a long-overdue victory for communities in the dangerous and dirty Niger Delta, the Nigerian government has pledged to phase out gas flaring at oil wells, a procedure that contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and human health problems. ...

Fin icky eaters.(ASIA)(demand of shark fins)
June 22, 2009... Shark fin soup is considered a symbol of wealth and prestige in Chinese culture, and has been a popular and often expected item at Lunar New Year's parties and wedding banquets. While the soup may symbolize great things for its diners, the...

Wheeling and dealing.(ASIA)(car ownership and the environment)
June 22, 2009... In India, a country of 1.1 billion people, tiny motor scooters far outnumber conventional automobiles. Given that the average income in India is roughly $500 per year, this isn't surprising. Tata Motors, an Indian car manufacturer, plans to...

Polluted city seeks mayor for dirty job.(ASIA)(looking for a mayor for Linfen city )(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... The Chinese city of Linfen has a soiled reputation when it comes to health and safety issues. Home to more than four million people, this city in Shanxi province is notorious for its foul air and deadly mining accidents. A haze often envelops...

Honey, don't leaf me.(ASIA)(couples who wants to get married as well as divorce needs to provide trees for the government reforestation program)(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... Couples in the Garut district of western Java must provide 10 trees to the local authorities in order to be considered legally married. And anyone in the region who leaves a spouse will be sapped for more than just alimony payments; couples can...

Radioactive reserve.(EUROPE)(Chernobyl exclusion zone)
June 22, 2009... Perhaps even a deadly nuclear meltdown can have an upside. At least, that's the view of naturalists in Belarus and Ukraine who are studying the remarkable comeback of wildlife in the 865-square-mile "exclusion zone" surrounding the damaged...

Out of our genes!(EUROPE)(ban on genetically modified corn)(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... In what environmentalists are hailing as an important victory for consumers and farmers, a majority of European Union nations have refused to force Austria and Hungary to allow the planting of genetically modified corn. The European...

Shell game.(EUROPE)(Royal Dutch-Shell PLC will no longer pursue wind and solar energy generation)
June 22, 2009... After spending more than a decade and millions of dollars in ads trumpeting its pursuit of clean energy technologies, Royal Dutch Shell says it is scrapping any further large-scale investments in wind and solar electricity generation. From...

Sealing the deal.(EUROPE)(seal hunting bans and restrictions)
June 22, 2009... In many countries, opposition to the annual Arctic harp seal hunt has resulted in bans and restrictions on the practice. In early March, a European Parliamentary committee endorsed a bill seeking a ban on all seal products, whether imported...

Razing cane.(NORTH AMERICA)(spraying herbicide to kill carrizo cane)
June 22, 2009... A community backlash has forced the US Border Patrol to drop a controversial plan to aerially spray the broad-spectrum herbicide imazapyr along a stretch of the Rio Grande as part of a program to clear vegetation along the increasingly...

Kiwi lifeboat.(OCEANIA)(immigration of Britons to New Zealand)(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... Worried that climate change will eventually lead to food shortages and a destabilization of the global economy, some Britons are moving to New Zealand, convinced that the nation's temperate climate, isolation, and small population will make it...

Don't spray it.(SOUTH AMERICA)(pesticide use in Brazil)(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... During the last two decades, Brazil has emerged as a global agricultural powerhouse. A longtime force in the coffee and sugar industries, the country is also a major producer of soybeans, citrus, beef, and chicken. Brazil's agricultural...

Crime and punishment.(SOUTH AMERICA)(murder case of Dorothy Stang)
June 22, 2009... In April, a Brazilian court ordered the arrest and retrial of an Amazon rancher who had been acquitted of ordering the murder of Dorothy Stang, an American nun who worked tirelessly to protect the rainforest and its inhabitants. Stang's family...

Who, us?(TEMPERATURE GAUGE: Notes from a warming world)(Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries says that oil consumption is not to be blame for climate change)(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... Our relentless consumption of oil is not to blame for climate change. This news flash comes to you courtesy of... the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). In a statement that gives new meaning to the word "chutzpah,"...

More crocodile tears.(TEMPERATURE GAUGE: Notes from a warming world)(sea levels expected to rise)(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... Once you're finished feeling bad for the petrol-crats, you might want to turn your sympathy to the suffering bankers on Wall Street. As if being submerged by billions of dollars of bad debts from mortgage-backed securities, credit default...

Not it.(TEMPERATURE GAUGE: Notes from a warming world)(cost of capping carbon emissions )(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... So who should pay for the costs of capping carbon emissions and ensuring that stockbrokers won't be making trades wearing floaties? The core question of who bears responsibility for carbon emissions continues to bedevil international...

Planet girth.(SPYHOPPING: A whale's act of coming out of the water to examine its surrounding)
June 22, 2009... Every environmental problem has a population angle. Remember the idea --taken from chaos theory--about how a butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil could cause a tornado in Texas? Well, that Lepidoptera is nothing compared to a million Ford...

CSAW.(EARTH ISLAND PROJECT NEWS)(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... CSAW successfully beat back an attempt to weaken Alaska's cruise pollution law in the recently completed legislative session. The cruise fines amassed a huge fleet of lobbyists to try and strike from Alaskan law the ban on mixing zones for...

Big Wildlife.(EARTH ISLAND PROJECT NEWS)(Big Wildlife, Alaska Wildlife Alliance, and Raincoast Conservation urged eBay to stop the auctions of trophy hunts )(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... In February, Big Wildlife, Alaska Wildlife Alliance, and Raincoast Conservation urged eBay to halt the sale of trophy hunts of lions, leopards, bears, and other large predators on its Web site. The online auction and shopping site regularly...

The Altai Project.(EARTH ISLAND PROJECT NEWS)(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... The helicopter poaching incident reported by The Altai Project in the Spring issue of EIJ became the subject of a federal criminal investigation on May 4. Oleg Mitvol, the former deputy head of Russia's nature protection oversight agency,...

The Adaptation Network.(EARTH ISLAND PROJECT NEWS)(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... In April, The Adaptation Network co-sponsored a one-day seminar on adjusting to climate change entitled "Plan to Protect: How Communities Can Prepare for Climate Change." The workshop showcased examples from communities that are engaging in...

KIDS for the BAY.(EARTH ISLAND PROJECT NEWS)(KIDS for the BAY is the recipient of Outstanding Service to Environmental Education Award)(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... KIDS for the BAY recently received its third national award: the 2008 "Outstanding Service to Environmental Education Award" from the North American Association for Environmental Education. KIDS for the BAY is thankful for this national...

Project Coyote.(EARTH ISLAND PROJECT NEWS)(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... Project Coyote led a successful effort in Maine to amend a hotly contested bill--LD 303--by removing the portion of the bill that would have extended coyote night hunting in the state by three months. In its efforts to foster respect for and...

Bay Localize.(EARTH ISLAND PROJECT NEWS)(Brief article)
June 22, 2009... Bay Localize has made tremendous strides recently working in partnership with allies to advance strong energy efficiency and local clean energy goals in the cities of Berkeley and Oakland. Thanks in part to the advocacy of Bay Localize, the...

Energy action: victory by degrees.(EARTH ISLAND PROJECT NEWS)
June 22, 2009... Blaine O'Neil believes he and his friends are onto something big--namely; saving the world. "Climate change is more than a life-or-death issue--it's a life-or-death issue for the next infinite generations," says the 19-year-old, a biology...

Women's Earth Alliance: when women thrive, communities thrive.(EARTH ISLAND PROJECT NEWS)
June 22, 2009... Environmental issues are women's issues. The pollution of our water and the poisoning of our lands usually affect women hardest. While carrying these burdens, women are uniquely positioned to conceive the solutions to those threats, as it is...

Restoration initiatives: economic crisis whacks CA programs.(EARTH ISLAND PROJECT NEWS)(California ecological restoration programs)
June 22, 2009... In the course of my travels around California, I often get an overwhelming feeling that we humans have really done a number on the Earth. I feel sorry for the bird that searches for food on beaches littered in plastic bits and cigarette butts....

Sex sells: a tiny nonprofit uses mass media to encourage family planning.(Population Media Center)
June 22, 2009... Fikrite is a girl in trouble. Her grandfather has just died and now a neighbor, a man named Damte, has taken over the house and is trying to turn the place into a bar and brothel. Fikrite says she won't allow it, so Damte starts spreading...

A population bomb: too many people and too few resources lead to bloodshed in the Philippines.
June 22, 2009... In Mindanao's Davao del Norte province, there is a narrow highway of crumbling blacktop that slices through the fertile fields, land acquired more than four decades ago by multinational corporations and wealthy Filipinos to grow export-quality...

Trash compactor.(1,000 words)(eco-artist Tim Gaudreau )
June 22, 2009... On average, each American discards more than four pounds of garbage every day. Our throwaway society generates enough trash each year to cover 82,000 football fields six feet deep in compacted garbage, or, put another way, enough refuse to fill...

Border war: immigration is a political minefield. Can environmentalists have a reasoned debate on the issue?
June 22, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Suburban sprawl eating up wetlands and woodlands. National parks crammed with enough visitors to block out the scenery. Highways jammed with greenhouse gas-spewing vehicles. Wildlife driven into cities or becoming...

Hold steady.(population growth)
June 22, 2009... It's highly unlikely that life as we know it--or want it--can continue for long unless we rein in population growth. Too many measures indicate that the great mass of us burning fossil fuels, gobbling up renewable resources, and generating...

The division over multiplication.(population)
June 22, 2009... Among the growing ranks of the eco-aware, it's commonly understood that many environmental problems, as well as their solutions, are linked to individuals' choices. For example, the car you drive contributes to the planet's level of greenhouse...

Lester Brown.(CONVERSATION)(Interview)
June 22, 2009... Lester Brown started his career as a farmer. At the age of 14, he and a brother rented some land, bought an old tractor, and began growing tomatoes. The small enterprise eventually grew to become New Jersey's largest tomato producer. ...

The vindication of a public scholar: forty years after the population bomb ignited controversy, Paul Ehrlich continues to stir debate.
June 22, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It is 3:30 on a February afternoon at the Hyatt Classic Residence, an elegant retirement home adjacent to the Stanford University campus, and the auditorium is packed with people listening with rapt attention to a...

Last stand in the kunuku: one woman's battle to save her island's plants and culture.(Dinah Veeris)
June 22, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "This is the loki loki. It is a nice plant. When you have very much sun, it will close the leaves and make its own shade. We put a small bit behind the ear to help against headache." So explains Dinah Veeris, a...

Fuel.(Movie review)
June 22, 2009... Fuel Directed by Josh Tickell; Josh Tickell Productions 89 minutes [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It would be wonderful if there was no need for Fuel, a feature-length documentary on biodiesel and alternative fuels, to have been...

Going Green.(Book review)
June 22, 2009... Going Green Edited by Laura Pritchett, 209 pages, University of Oklahoma Press, 2009 The kids had been traveling all day. and were bone fired, but their morn, eager for a little adventure and a chance for some hands-on pedagogy,...

Deeply Rooted.(Book review)
June 22, 2009... Deeply Rooted by Lisa Hamilton 306 pages, Counterpoint Press, 2009 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Lisa Hamilton's detail-packed descriptions of her visits to traditional farms reveal the science of "alternative" agricultural...

More: Population, Nature, and What Women Want.(Book review)
June 22, 2009... More: Population, Nature, and What Women Want by Robert Engelman 303 pages, Island Press, 2008 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Many people associate the advent of birth control with the introduction of the Pill. Since it was approved...

The kindest cut.(VOICES)(vasectomy)
June 22, 2009... Last year, I became [begin strikethrough]castrated impotent[end strikethrough] sterile. That is, I had a vasectomy. While it's actually a very common procedure (nearly 500,000 are performed every year in the US), it raises eyebrows--and a lot...