Tar sands - Thursday, October 29th, 2009
Canada’s oil-drenched sands give it the second-largest oil reserves in the world. Using the “tar sands” pollutes air and water, destroys forests and could cause cancer. Should we leave oil sands alone?
The ozone layer protects Earth from UV rays: Twenty-two years after a treaty to protect ozone, how is the layer doing? What has happened to the ozone hole above Antarctica?
As Earth warms, we may need huge geoengineering projects to fight climate change. Would adding iron to fertilize ocean plants withdraw enough carbon dioxide to slow warming? Could the plan backfire?
Three giant new reserves, extend 50 miles out from shore, will protect coral reefs, fish, clams, and other life forms. But how effective are marine protected areas?
Carbon tax or carbon trading? Can economics battle global warming? As the United Nations gets set for (another!) pow-wow on global warming, policy wonks are focusing on two mechanisms to reduce carbon pollution. Which gets more control at a lower price: carbon tax or carbon cap-and-trade?
Decay is part of life, and death. When garbage decays in a landfill, or manure decays in a tank, the result is methane. Is this natural gas a problem — or an opportunity?
When too much fertilizer reaches the Gulf of Mexico through the Mississippi River, a vast area gets robbed of oxygen. What can be done to reduce the dead zone that appears each summer?
Hybrid cars and fuel cells increase auto efficiency and reduce pollution, but it’s a long struggle from the idea to the reality.
Could a walk in the park be good for you? Could looking out a window at a park be good for you? Can nature lower stress and promote healing? For centuries, philosophers, mystics and tree-huggers have talked up the benefits of nature.
Woman is rescued in wilderness after 5-week ordeal. What is so great about wilderness, and why do so many people think they need it to soothe their souls?
