Elizabeth Barrette (ysabetwordsmith) wrote,
Elizabeth Barrette
ysabetwordsmith
  • Mood: busy

Environmental News Collage

Here are some articles about the environment and efforts to protect it ...

Jeff Biggers | Reckoning at Coal River
Jeff Biggers, CommonDreams.org: "A historic reckoning is taking place on Coal River in West Virginia this week - and in Washington, DC, on Thursday. On June 25, Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Maryland), chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Water and Wildlife Subcommittee, will hold the first bipartisan hearing in a generation to address the impact of mountaintop removal mining operations."


Ripping the tops off of mountains is not good for America nor for Americans. Let us hope that someone manages to see over the wall of cash to that clue.

House Democrats Reach Deal on Climate Change Bill
Richard Cowan, Reuters: "Democrats in the House of Representatives on Tuesday said they had reached a deal on difficult agriculture issues in a climate change bill, clearing the way for a vote and probable passage in the chamber this week."


*sigh* It sounds like this bill has been watered down to the point where it will do little good for the environment, delay other things that might do better, and hand money to people who don't need more of it. I will not be surprised if it also raises energy prices as Republicans claim.

Boy Discovers Microbe that Eats Plastic
It's not your average science fair when the 16-year-old winner manages to solve a global waste crisis. But such was the case at last month's May's Canadian Science Fair in Waterloo, Ontario, where Daniel Burd, a high school student at Waterloo Collegiate Institute, presented his research on microorganisms that can rapidly biodegrade plastic.


Microbes adapt fast; breeding them to eat our garbage faster is smart. Geeks may yet save the world. It certainly won't be politicians.
Tags: environment, news
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  • 2 comments
tuftears

tuftears

June 25 2009, 18:49:57 UTC 12 years ago

The bacteriae that eat plastic actually worry me, since so much of our infrastructure depends on plastic - I mean, sure, it could be a way to get rid of garbage, but look at how many things around you are made of plastic in one way or another. If the bacteriae were to become spreadable by air...
ysabetwordsmith

Hmm...

ysabetwordsmith

June 26 2009, 02:39:23 UTC 12 years ago

I see the concern. These bacteria were bred and developed in a special environment, and the idea was to create waste processing plants to biodegrade the plastic. While it's always possible for bacteria to start doing something troublesome on their own, it took a lot of human pushing to get them to eat plastic this fast. So I think that the risk is fairly low.