A BNA blog posted in December discussed a report released by the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) urging countries to increase efforts to combat climate change and cited the rate at which glaciers are melting as the most critical piece of evidence so far to back up its position. UNEP, according to the blog post, said that the different rates of glacial melting, and the fact that some areas are experiencing small expansion of glaciers, underscores the multiple factors at work in determining the rate at which glaciers melt... Read more [...]

According to ecoworld.com: “One of the most compelling reasons to report on the oceans is because it is here that sweeping changes are happening now, not in 50-100 years. The final destruction of the major ocean reef habitats as well as the collapse of major fish populations is well underway. As of 2007, both may be destroyed beyond repair within a few years.” That’s the bad news. The good news, the site states, is that this doesn’t have to happen. “Where coral reefs have been protected from destructive fishing practices, they have often begun to show signs of revitalization within a few years. Read more [...]

In an industry with no more stories left to tell, a small innovative company named GreenDustries is making a big name for itself by revolutionizing the foodservice packaging industry. GreenDustries is changing the way people eat fast food with its two proprietary packages: the PleatPak (for burgers and sandwiches) and the Magic Bag (for French fries and finger foods)... Read more [...]

“Rains that are almost biblical, heat waves that don’t end, tornadoes that strike in savage swarms—there’s been a change in the weather lately. What’s going on?” Peter Miller, National Geographic. There’s been a change in the weather. “Extreme events like the Nashville flood—described by officials as a once-in-a-millennium occurrence—are happening more frequently than they used to. A month before Nashville, torrential downpours dumped 11 inches of rain on Rio de Janeiro in 24 hours, triggering mudslides that buried hundreds. About three months after Nashville, record rains in Pakistan caused flooding that affected more than 20 million people. In late 2011 floods in Thailand submerged hundreds of factories near Bangkok, creating a worldwide shortage of computer hard drives. Read more [...]