biodiversity

Image from Greenpeace

It's bad enough fish already have to deal with the consequences of overfishing; now, according to a new study authored by a team of UBC fisheries scientists, dozens will be faced with the prospect of extinction by 2050. Even slight fluctuations in temperature could cause many cold water species to perish as they attempt to seek out new, more am...

Photo credit: Hector Tobar/ LAT

Criminal mafias have long been associated with environmental destruction in countries around the world including Mexico and Liberia. A recent story in Los Angeles Times reveals that narcotraficantes, or drug traffickers, are clearing land in protected areas in Guatemala's Peten region, an area known for its exquisite biodiversity and ecological wealth.

According to the repor...

From Motown to Growtown
The growing international food crisis, coupled with spiralling energy costs, is without doubt causing much suffering. But there is a silver lining – as the unsustainability of business-as-usual becomes apparent, alternatives are beginning to gain traction in mainstream consciousness. Detroit provides the perfect example of the need for change – once the thriving hub of the US motor industry, the city has seen a massive exodus of its population and major industries, leaving vacant plots e...

Islanders to Plant 20,000 Fruit and Nut Trees for Security
We’ve already celebrated as the Transition Towns movement reached Australia, but it looks like the people of New Zealand are also getting stuck into preparing for a post-petroleum future. The above video comes from Waiheke Island’s Fabulous Fruit Tree initiative, which is aiming to plant 20,000 fruit and ...

Credit: Getty Images

Doctors at the Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit of Johns Hopkins University are seeking volunteers for a study assessing the therapeutic value of the psychoactive substance, psilocybin, in sacred mushrooms (aka magic mushrooms). Volunteers with a current or past diagnosis of cancer are being sought. Our source notes: "Publicizing this trial has been very challenging so we are asking for your assistance to help us get the word out." We can imagine, given that "spaced out" and the "hemp effect" come immediately to mind upon su...

Thursday night at Town Hall, the Natural Resources Defense Council presented E.O. Wilson interviewed by the author and New Yorker staff writer Elizabeth Kolbert. Father of biodiversity, "Darwin's Natural Heir", Pulitzer Prize winner, author of 25 books, ecologist, and humanist...

It’s been a while since we checked in on Peak Moment TV, the innovative public access TV show bringing you “Community Responses for a Changing Energy Future”. In the episode above, Peak Moment explores White Sage Gardens, an Oregon experiment in backyard permaculture-informed sustainability created by Scott McGuire. Unfortunately the website for White Sage appears to be down right now, but for more informa...

Never did I think I’d find myself nestled in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon, sitting cross-legged in a jungle bungalow with local hero—Dr. Eugenio Netto. Eugenio is a medical doctor and the founder of Projeto Saude e Alegria, or, The Health and Happiness Project, a Brazilian NGO that has been working to restore health and social equality for at-risk indigenous Amazonian communities since 1987.

As we sip Capirhinas under the soft glow of kerosene lamps, it’s easy to let my thoughts drift and lead me to believe I’m on a glamorous Amazonian expedition. But all it takes is a firm and passionate reminder ...

We all know that healthy soils are a central part of sustainability. From carbon sequestration to increased crop production, it’s hard to overestimate the contribution good soil can make to our collective well-being (or the damage that can be done by abusing this most precious of resources). Contrary to common misconceptions, he...