Is Science being censored?
Guest post by Blake Wright
Most people think of censoring science as a concept of the past, something only done to protect the church before church and state were separate, however the reality of the situation is censoring still occurs. Perhaps the church no longer has power in the United States, but money does, more specifically, oil money. This censorship focuses on diverting attention from global warming and discrediting scientists who have any facts that may hurt profits and bring public attention to a human impact on global warming. This can be seen back in 2008 as well as in the still ongoing issue with the ‘poster child’ of global warming, the polar bear drownings. However, this problem does not simply stop with global warming, but can be seen with the current issue of ‘fracking’, which has very evident side affects to water and the environment but is still being fought over by regulators and the energy industry.
Filed under environment, global warming, marine life, sustainability, Uncategorized | Tags: global warming, politics, science | Comment (1)Deader then ever…
Interesting story in Time today about the Dead Sea. Apparently, it is losing 3 vertical feet of water each year, exposing 65 ft of seabed along the shore! The usual culprit? Less than 2% of freshwater from the Jordan River makes it into the Dead Sea compared to the amount just a few decades ago.
Filed under Uncategorized | Tags: agriculture, biodiversity, chemicals, climate change, environmental management, geology, groundwater, oceans, sustainability, water, water resources | Comment (0)Mountaintop Removal
Did you know Kentucky is suing EPA to relax regulations on Mountaintop Removal? Another great example of how a state really “looks out” for its people…
Filed under energy, environment, geological hazards, global warming, health, Uncategorized, water pollution | Tags: coal, energy, environment, mountaintop removal, pollution, water pollution | Comment (1)Mountaintop Removal
Mountaintop removal is an extremely destructive strip mining technique used in the Appalachia by coal industry. This method is devastating the pristine landscapes of the Appalachia. It is also destroying several communities that call this area home.
“Not since the glaciers pushed toward these ridgelines a million years ago have the Appalachian Mountains been as threatened as they are today.” Link.
“Today, mountaintop removal is booming again, and the practice of dumping mining debris into streambeds is explicitly protected, thanks to a small wording change to federal environmental regulations.” Link. Link.
“The waste rock—the remains of the mountains—is piled into neighboring hollows in towering earthen dams called valley fills. The largest fills can approach 800 feet in height and swallow more than a mile of streambed.” Link.
I’d like to hear from you about your opinion on this issue.
Filed under Uncategorized | Tags: Appalachia, biodiversity, coal, energy, mountaintop removal, water pollution | Comments (18)"The Afterlife of Cellphones"
Some of us crave the latest/greatest cellphone that catches our eye. And when we do buy the new phone, often we throw the old phone away. Do you ever wonder what happens to your old cellphone that’s been thrown away? Now re-imagine this case with your old computer or your old MP3 player or another of your old electronic gadget that you replaced recently.
A lot of this “E-waste” is being shipped abroad, because we don’t have the space to keep it here! Read the following interesting articles and let us know what you think.
NYTimes, AlterNet, & GreenPeace.
Filed under Uncategorized | Tags: cellphones, e-waste, health, landfills, pollution, recycling | Comments (18)