thepolarbearblog:

Bid to ban international trade of Polar Bear parts fails

Today delegates at the CITES meeting in Thailand rejected the proposal to protect polar bears from the commercial trade of their body parts. The proposal was put forward by the US with support from Russia but was opposed by Canada, the only country to allow the exporting of polar bear parts.

Unfortunately the proposal failed to win the two-thirds needed to pass. The results ended with 38 countries voting in favour of the US proposal, 42 against and 46 refrained.

“Limiting commercial trade in this species would have addressed a source of non-climate stress to polar bear populations and contributed to long-term recovery,” said the statement from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “Each year, an average of 3,200 items made from polar bears - including skins, claws and teeth - are reported to be exported or re-exported from a range of countries. Polar bear hides sell for an average of $2,000 to $5,000, while maximum hide prices have topped $12,000.”

The rejection of the proposal means that the export of polar bear skins, teeth and paws from Canada will continue.

[Photo credit: Martin Lopatka]

We have a situation where no significant reform can be enacted in our congress without getting approval from the special interests first.

Al Gore, talking to Brian Lehrer about money in politics, fracking, China, free trade and more. Listen (via wnyc)

Gore is plugging his new book, The Future: Six Drivers of Global Change. Much talk about China’s new carbon tax and carbon trading pilot programs. Worth listening to.

“Invasive Species.” A clever tree made it onto Canada’s currency.

“It’s a species that’s invasive in Eastern Canada and is displacing some of our native species, and it’s probably not an appropriate species to be putting on our native currency,” Blaney told CBC News. Sean Blaney, senior botanist of the Atlantic Canada Conservation Data Centre, said he never expected to see the Norway maple leaf on a $20 bill.

The bank’s response is equally amusing…

Al-Jazeera buys Current TV from Al Gore ›

reuters:

New Jersey Transit’s struggle to recover from Superstorm Sandy is being compounded by a pre-storm decision to park much of its equipment in two rail yards that forecasters predicted would flood, a move that resulted in damage to one-third of its locomotives and a quarter of its passenger cars.

That damage is likely to cost tens of millions of dollars and take many months to repair, a Reuters examination has found.

The Garden State’s commuter railway parked critical equipment - including much of its newest and most expensive stock - at its low-lying main rail yard in Kearny just before the hurricane. It did so even though forecasters had released maps showing the wetland-surrounded area likely would be under water when Sandy’s expected record storm surge hit. Other equipment was parked at its Hoboken terminal and rail yard, where flooding also was predicted and which has flooded before.

Among the damaged equipment: nine dual-powered locomotive engines and 84 multi-level rail cars purchased over the past six years at a cost of about $385 million.

EXCLUSIVE: New Jersey railway put trains in flood zone despite warnings

Sudan, Africa still in famine conditions.  “Famine” 2009 by Radhika Chalasani.

Does it matter that Al Gore makes money from investing in green-tech companies?

Update: Many positive responses. But, the argument the right is making is that Al Gore has an agenda with his talks. That he’s talking up saving the environment as a rouse ruse to get people to invest in companies that he has stakes in. This is the same style of argument the left has used against politicians on the right - manipulating both markets and public-thought for personal gain. Dick Cheney, for the most egregious example, was hounded by the left for funneling contracts to Halliburton and the Carlyle Group, both of which Cheney had stakes in. In fact, some have argued his investments were an impeachable offense. I get that Gore is on the side of “good”. I understand that argument. But, it doesn’t really address the accusation that he’s talking up environmental regulations that would benefit a select group of ‘green’ companies. Thoughts? 

Not for the weak, this video shows a Guardian investigation into illegal elephant trade in Burma and Thailand. Hundreds(!) of elephants are newly enslaved each year to entertain millions of tourists.

More from The Guardian Environment Network

Towns in Ohio, Texas, Mississippi, Colorado, etc., consider fracking natural gas under cemeteries. Gas co's willing to pay premiums. ›

Every big pharmaceutical stocks’ prices were up Friday, shortly after SCOTUS ruling on ACA.

I posted this some months back. Seems to have gained traction recently. Hundreds of parks are being closed across the country, and they don’t need much money to stay open. Meanwhile, police departments are getting new tanks, drones, sound canons, and other testosterone bullshit.

jtotheizzoe:

The First 70: Closing Parks In California

The state of California is set to close 70 state parks in an effort to save money (which is a bad idea in itself and probably won’t work). This means that thousands of acres of natural history and beauty will no longer be maintained.

But the parks will not be erased. Instead, they will just lose their protectors, left to rot and deteriorate. How will we save them from polluters now? From vandals? From fire? How will we preserve these unspoiled lands and the life they contain?

The First 70 is a film project to draw attention to this misguided effort. Visit their site to find out how you can see the film and what you can do to help.

(via kqedscience)

planetmoney:

Food in the U.S. has become much, much cheaper. 

For more graphics and information on our spending on groceries, go here. 

(via kiplinger)

New Jersey Sued Over Cap and Trade Reversal ›

Kiplinger's: What are YOU reading? ›

(via cloudberryfinn-deactivated20130)