Articles from NaturalNews In-House Writers:
Coral Reefs Being Destroyed by Ocean Acidification from Greenhouse GasesBy David Gutierrez, March 3 2009
(NaturalNews) The acidification of the ocean due to the industrial emission of carbon dioxide is destroying the world's coral reefs, a coalition of marine experts has warned in the recently released Honolulu Declaration.
"Coral reefs are at the heart of our tropics, and millions of people around the world depend on these systems for their livelihoods," said Lynne Hale, director of The Nature Conservancy's Marine Initiative. "Without urgent action to limit carbon dioxide emissions and improve management...
Atmospheric Free Radicals May Cause Lung CancerBy David Gutierrez, February 26 2009
(NaturalNews) Free radicals produced during combustion may last much longer than previously thought, binding to other particles of air pollution and causing a variety of lung diseases including cancer, according to a study conducted by researchers from Louisiana State University and presented at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society in Philadelphia.
Free radicals are electrically charged atoms or molecules that are known to cause cell damage and have been linked to a variety of health...
EPA Sued to Properly Assess Health Risks of Pesticides in the Water SupplyBy David Gutierrez, February 11 2009
(NaturalNews) The nonprofit environmental law firm Earthjustice has sued the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for failing to properly take into account the health and ecological risks of approved pesticides.
"There are several pesticides on the market that pose extreme risks to human health - through the water, air and food," said Earthjustice attorney Joshua Osborne-Klein. "Our lawsuits say that the EPA has not fully assessed these risks."
Of particular concern is the tendency of pesticides...
 EPA Warns of Impending Human Threat Due to Global WarmingBy David Gutierrez, February 8 2009
(NaturalNews) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a strong warning that global warming will have "substantial human health impacts" within the next few decades. The warning came in a report released only days after the same agency declined to regulate global warming-causing greenhouse gases as pollutants under the Clean Air Act.
"Today typifies the climate-change schizophrenia in the Bush administration," said U.S. Rep. Edward J. Markey, chair of the House Select Committee on...
ADM, Monsanto to Study Converting Corn Waste to BiofuelsBy David Gutierrez, February 2 2009
(NaturalNews) Three major agribusiness companies have announced plans to work together on studying whether unharvested corn residue could be used to produce animal feed or biofuels.
Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) Co., Deere & Co. and Monsanto Co. will conduct research into whether it can be economically viable to gather, store and transport the unused leaves, stalks and cobs of corn plants, known as "stover." This scrap is normally left on the ground after harvest to decompose naturally, replenishing...
Movie Review: Wall-E from Pixar is the Best Animated Film of 2008By Mike Adams, January 29 2009
(NaturalNews) Released in the Summer of 2008, the animated feature film "Wall-E" from Pixar is flat out one of the best animated feature films you'll ever see. It easily takes the title of best animated film of 2008, and perhaps of all time. If you haven't seen Wall-E yet, you owe it to yourself to pick up this movie and see what you've been missing.
The film is set in the far future when Earth's climate has been destroyed by humans, and the surviving drifters live on a distant space station,...
 Movement Aims to Give Nature Legal StandingBy David Gutierrez, January 14 2009
(NaturalNews) A growing number of environmentalists and legal scholars are arguing that non-humans such as trees, rivers and animals should have legal standing to defend their rights in court, and that humans should be able to bring lawsuits on their behalf.
"If I've got a right to life, you have a duty not to kill me," said Cormac Cullinan, a South African environmental lawyer and the author of "Wild Law".
"If one thinks of other species in the same way ... they would at least have the right...
 Granite Countertops Release Cancer-Causing Radon GasBy David Gutierrez, December 29 2008
(NaturalNews) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports an increasing number of calls from homeowners and radon inspectors in recent months concerning granite countertops emitting unusually high levels of radiation.
"It's not that all granite is dangerous," said Stanley Liebert, a radon measurement and mitigation technician from CMT Laboratories in Clifton Park, N.Y. "But I've seen a few that might heat up your Cheerios a little."
Liebert carried out testing at the home of pediatrician...
 Eco-Friendly Hotels Gaining PopularityBy David Gutierrez, December 28 2008
(NaturalNews) More and more hotels are billing themselves as "eco- friendly," in response to a growing consumer desire to make more ethical purchasing decisions.
Eleven hotels in the United States have already been certified under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program of the U.S. Green Building Council. The Gaia Napa Valley Hotel in American Canyon, Calif., for example, uses special tubes to magnify sunlight into its hallways and conference room, creating life so bright...
 Study Shows Hawaiian Islands' Reef Fish Are DisappearingBy David Gutierrez, November 29 2008
(NaturalNews) Three out of every four species of fish in Hawaii's coral reefs are in danger of extinction from overfishing, according to a report from researchers at the Oceanic Institute and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and presented at the International Coral Reef Symposium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
"Everything hasn't collapsed yet," said researcher Alan Friedlander. "But we need to protect healthy reefs, because it's so much easier and safer to conserve now than it is...
 Zooplankton Populations Plunge 70 Percent in Four Decades; Alarming Marine BiologistsBy David Gutierrez, November 13 2008
(NaturalNews) Numbers of zooplankton, tiny organisms that form the base of the ocean's food chain, have plummeted 70 percent since the 1960s, according to numbers collected by the British Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
The data were included without further comment in a graph on page nine of DEFRA's 2008-2009 Marine Program Plan. The nonprofit organization Buglife noticed this graph, however, and began sounding the alarm.
"The implications for marine productivity...
 Pollution Increases Allergies in ChildrenBy David Gutierrez, November 1 2008
(NaturalNews) Regular exposure to pollution from traffic increases children's risk of developing allergies by more than 50 percent, according to a study conducted by researchers from the German Research Center for Environment and Health at the Institute of Epidemiology in Munich, and published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
"We consistently found strong associations between the distance to the nearest main road and the allergies disease outcomes," said lead...
 Mercury in Compact Fluorescent Bulbs More Hazardous than Previously ThoughtBy David Gutierrez, October 21 2008
(NaturalNews) Environmental scientists and waste industry officials are warning that a massive shift to compact fluorescent light bulbs will lead to far more mercury contamination than has been widely supposed.
Compact fluorescent light bulbs use mercury and heated gas to generate light, in contrast to traditional incandescent bulbs, which generate light by heating up a wire filament. The fluorescent bulbs have been touted as an important step in reducing energy consumption, because they use only...
 World Health Organization Warns About Health Consequences of Global WarmingBy David Gutierrez, October 18 2008
(NaturalNews) The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that global warming is already unleashing severe health consequences around the world, and that these effects will only worsen if extreme measures are not taken.
"The health impacts of climate change are already evident in different ways: More people are dying from excessive heat than before, changes are occurring in the incidence of vector-borne diseases, and the pattern of natural disasters is altering," said WHO Director Shigeru Omi...
 Air Pollution May be to Blame for Honeybee Population CollapseBy David Gutierrez, October 17 2008
(NaturalNews) Air pollution is making it harder for bees and other pollinating insects to find food, according to a new study conducted by researchers from the University of Virginia.
Pollutants such as ozone (smog) and nitrate radicals, formed mostly as a consequence of car exhaust, are binding with the volatile scent molecules given off by flowers, the scientists found. This chemically alters the molecules so that they no longer carry a sweet scent, and do not attract pollinating insects to...
 Carbon Dioxide Levels in Earth's Atmosphere Rose Sharply Last YearBy David Gutierrez, October 15 2008
(NaturalNews) Atmospheric levels of the two major greenhouse gases leaped in 2007, according to a report by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This increase is part of a wider trend of accelerating greenhouse gas emissions.
"The average [annual rise] over the last five or six years has been 2 parts per million (ppm), and that is actually steeper than it has been in previous decades," researcher Pieter Tans said. "This whole decade the rate of increase has accelerated, and...
 Climate Change Skeptics Rebuffed: Cosmic Rays Have No Link to Cloud Formation on EarthBy David Gutierrez, October 9 2008
(NaturalNews) Cosmic rays do not appear to have any effect on the world's climate, researchers at a meeting of the European Geosciences Union have reported, dealing a blow to climate change skeptics.
Some climate change deniers have said that if the mean temperatures of the planet are rising, it is not due to increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases, but rather to changes in solar radiation. When "solar wind" is strong, supercharged particles known as cosmic rays are not as able to reach...
 Loss of World's Species Means Loss of Potential Breakthrough Medicines, Warn ResearchersBy David Gutierrez, October 8 2008
(NaturalNews) Potential medical treatments for cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis and other health problems may disappear forever if urgent action is not taken to conserve threatened wildlife, according to a new book based on the work of more than 100 health and wildlife experts.
Sustaining Life, whose primary authors come from the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical school, focuses on seven groups of threatened life forms that are believed to provide potential medical...
 Global Warming Causes Oxygen Depletion Zones Across World's OceansBy David Gutierrez, October 3 2008
(NaturalNews) Dead and low-life zones in the world's oceans are expected to expand as global warming continues to raise aquatic temperatures, according to a new report by researchers from the University of Kiel, Germany, and published in the journal Science.
Researchers noted that areas of the world's oceans that have an oxygen content too low to support much or even any life have been growing in central and eastern equatorial Africa and in the equatorial Pacific. Other studies have noted the...
 Commercial Fishing Disaster Declared as Salmon Stocks Plunge, Salmon Fishing BannedBy David Gutierrez, September 29 2008
(NaturalNews) The National Marine Fishery Service has ordered a ban on all salmon fishing along the west coast of the lower 48 United States due to an unprecedented collapse of wild salmon stocks.
The decision was initially recommended by the Pacific Fishery Management Service in response to the collapse of the Sacramento River's Chinook salmon run. While hundreds of thousands of the fish typically swim up the Sacramento River and its tributaries to spawn each year, fewer than 60,000 are expected...
 Smog Exposure Linked to Premature DeathsBy David Gutierrez, September 20 2008
(NaturalNews) Exposure to high levels of smog for less than a day significantly increases a person's risk of death, according to a report by a panel of the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences.
"The committee has concluded from its review of health-based evidence that short-term exposure to ambient ozone is likely to contribute to premature deaths," the panel said. "Studies have yielded strong evidence that short-term exposure to ozone can exacerbate lung conditions, causing...
 Drastic Changes to Life on Earth Caused by Global Warming, Confirm NASA ScientistsBy David Gutierrez, September 19 2008
(NaturalNews) Global warming is already leading to widespread disruptions of the Earth's natural systems, according to a study published in the journal Nature and conducted by some of the climate scientists who were involved in the influential 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report.
"[This] is the first [study] to formally link observed global changes in physical and biological systems to human-induced climate change, predominantly from increasing greenhouse gases," said...
 Air Pollution Causes Blood ClotsBy David Gutierrez, September 7 2008
(NaturalNews) Air pollution produced by the burning of fossil fuels can drastically increase people's risk of developing potentially fatal blood clots, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health and published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
"We have known for some time that air pollution has been associated with increased risk of heart attack and stroke," said Beverley Hunt, medical director of the nonprofit organization Lifeblood. "This study...
 California Air Pollution Found to Kill 24,000 A YearBy David Gutierrez, September 6 2008
(NaturalNews) Particulate pollution from the burning of fossil fuels kills 24,000 people per year in California, according to the newest figures from the California Air Resources Board. This is nearly three times higher than the 8,200 people previously believed by the state to die each year.
"Our report concludes these particles are 70 percent more dangerous than previously thought, based on several major studies that have occurred in the last five years," said the board's chief researcher, Bart...
 Climate Change Causes Global Wheat Shortage, Food Price HikesBy David Gutierrez, September 3 2008
(NaturalNews) Droughts caused by global climate change have led to a drop in wheat production, a worldwide shortage and high food prices around the world.
The global wheat supply is at its lowest point in 50 years, with only an estimated 10 weeks of supply left. This has been one factor pushing the prices of bread, beer and other wheat-containing foods steadily higher. According to Hilton Dinner, a bakery owner from Edmonton, Canada, the price of flour has more than doubled over the past eight...
 Broken Compact Fluorescent Lights Release Mercury Into the Air: Over 100 Times the EPA LimitBy David Gutierrez, August 28 2008
(NaturalNews) Compact fluorescent light bulbs can release dangerous amounts of mercury into the air when they break and must be disposed of very carefully, according to a report by the state of Maine.
Compact fluorescent bulbs, which consume only about a quarter as much energy as traditional incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer, all use mercury to produce light. They do not give off mercury when used properly, but the element can escape into the air if a bulb is broken. Mercury is...
U.S. Southwest to go Dry as Climate Change Spurs DroughtBy David Gutierrez, August 26 2008
(NaturalNews) Global warming will cause rainfall and water supplies in the West to drop drastically in the next 25 to 50 years, especially in the Southwest, according to a new report by the U.S. government.
The new study focused on the next 50 years, in which changes in the emissions of greenhouse gases will not have time to affect the shifts in climate that are already occurring. While it is important to reduce emissions in the long term, the report's authors emphasized, the short-term changes...
 Canada's Oil Sands Declared "Most Destructive Project on Earth" as Eco Disaster LoomsBy David Gutierrez, August 26 2008
(NaturalNews) A report issued by the nonprofit organization Environmental Defense has declared petroleum extraction projects in Canada's oil sands to be "the most destructive project on Earth."
"When even former Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed, who started the Tar Sands ball rolling, is calling for change, you know this is a major disaster," said Aaron Freeman, the group's policy director.
The report accuses the Canadian government of allowing the Tar Sands Project to emit levels of greenhouse...
 Scientists Warn Against Sudden Shift to Biofuels; Climate May be Harmed, not HelpedBy David Gutierrez, August 20 2008
(NaturalNews) Scientists have increasingly warned that a hasty switch from fossil fuels to biofuels may actually accelerate global warming rather than helping to avert it, leading U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown to declare his opposition to new European Union biofuel standards that will soon be going into effect.
Recent studies have suggested that clearing forests to grow biofuel crops would release more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than the fuels' use would save.
"If one started to...
 Using Land to Grow Biofuels a Net Loss for EnvironmentBy David Gutierrez, August 17 2008
(NaturalNews) The production and use of biofuels such as ethanol would contribute to global warming more than simply using gasoline, according to two studies published in the journal Science.
One study, conducted by a scientist from the Nature Conservancy and researchers from the University of Minnesota, concluded that the conversion of the Southeast Asian or Latin American grasslands, savannas, peatlands or forests into biofuel plantations would result in a net increase in greenhouse gas levels...
Carbon Emissions Must be Cut to Near Zero to Avert Climate Disaster, Warn ResearchersBy David Gutierrez, August 16 2008
(NaturalNews) A series of recently published studies have determined that humanity must cease all emission of carbon dioxide by 2050 to avoid catastrophic climate change.
Currently, humans are responsible for roughly 10 billion tons of carbon emissions each year, a rate that continues to rise.
"The question is, what if we don't want the Earth to warm anymore?" said Ken Caldeira of the Carnegie Institute. "The answer implies a much more radical change to our energy system than people are thinking...
 IBM Sued Over Toxic Waste Chemicals at Former Circuit Board PlantBy David Gutierrez, August 2 2008
(NaturalNews) Electronics and computer manufacturer IBM is being sued for causing cancer and birth defects in and around town of Endicott, New York., where the company was founded.
Approximately 90 current and former residents of Endicott and nearby Union filed suit against the company in the New York Supreme Court, claiming that the IBM factory operating in Endicott from 1924 until 2002 released a "toxic plume" into the groundwater that also led to the contamination of the air and soil. According...
 Japanese Whaling Ship Crew Assaults, Kidnaps Anti-Whaling ActivistsBy David Gutierrez, August 2 2008
(NaturalNews) Two anti-whaling activists attempting to deliver a letter requesting that a Japanese whaler desist its illegal activities were seized and held captive for two days, after first being tied out in the cold for 20 minutes.
Earlier this year, Benjamin Potts of Australia and Giles Lane of the United Kingdom steered a rubber raft from the Steve Irwin, flagship of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, to the Japanese whaling ship Yushin Maru II. Their task was to deliver a letter informing...
 Human Race Faces "Oblivion" From Global Warming, Says UN ChiefBy David Gutierrez, July 23 2008
(NaturalNews) United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has warned that without a comprehensive international agreement to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that lead to global warming, humanity faces "oblivion."
"The world's scientists have spoken with one voice: the situation is grim and urgent action is needed," Ban said. "The situation is so desperately serious that any delay could push us past the tipping point, beyond which the ecological, financial and human costs would increase dramatically...
 Half the Amazon Rainforest to be Lost by 2030By David Gutierrez, July 22 2008
(NaturalNews) Due to the effects of global warming and deforestation, more than half of the Amazon rainforest may be destroyed or severely damaged by the year 2030, according to a report released by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
The report, "Amazon's Vicious Cycles: Drought and Fire," concludes that 55 percent of the world's largest rainforest stands to be severely damaged from agriculture, drought, fire, logging and livestock ranching in the next 22 years. Another 4 percent may be damaged by...
 Greenpeace Ranks Eco-Friendliness of Electronics Manufacturers; Nintendo Dead LastBy David Gutierrez, July 17 2008
(NaturalNews) In the most recent version of the Greenpeace Guide to Consumer Electronics, Nintendo became the first brand to ever score a zero out of 10 possible points.
In the quarterly report, Greenpeace ranks a variety of electronics manufacturers on the extent to which they have eliminated toxic materials from their products (five categories) and on the nature of their product takeback and recycling policies (four categories).
The current report was the first to include video game and...
 Ecuador Agrees to Avoid Oil Drilling in Jungle Reserve if Compensated by Western NationsBy David Gutierrez, July 16 2008
(NaturalNews) The South American nation of Ecuador has said that it will refrain from drilling in a world biosphere reserve, but only if the international community compensates the country for the income it would otherwise have gained.
President Rafael Correa has made it clear that Ecuador is seeking money not as charity, but instead as a way for the international community to exercise its "shared responsibility" for protecting biological diversity. Ecuador is asking for at least $350 million...
 EPA Forces California to Abandon New Limits on Automobile EmissionsBy David Gutierrez, July 13 2008
(NaturalNews) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has rejected a petition by California and 12 other states to set stricter standards on greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles than those put in place by the federal government.
Greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere, causing global warming.
In response to the ruling, the affected states and a number of environmental groups have promised to challenge the ruling in court.
Under the Clean Air Act, states must seek a waiver from...
 Discarded Mobile Phones Create an Avalanche of Toxic E-WasteBy David Gutierrez, July 10 2008
(NaturalNews) Thousands of tons of electronic waste hit landfills each year as users upgrade to new mobile phones and discard the old ones.
According to British newspaper The Independent, there are already 11,000 tons of unused cellular phones in the United Kingdom that have not yet been disposed of. Most of these phones will eventually be discarded, along with old laptops, portable music players and video game consoles. These electronic products are made with highly toxic metals and other chemicals...
 Deep Sea Fishing Devastates Ocean Ecosystems, Destroys Fish StocksBy David Gutierrez, July 6 2008
(NaturalNews) Ecologists warn that the most destructive form of fishing is becoming more prevalent, with potentially disastrous consequences for ocean life.
"Industrial fisheries are now going thousands of miles, thousands of feet deep and catching things that live hundreds of years in the least protected place on Earth," said Elliott Norse, president of Marine Conservation Biology Institute. "They are roving bandits using state of the art technologies to plunder."
In the practice of deep sea...
 California Water Reservoirs Contain High Levels of Carcinogenic BromateBy David Gutierrez, July 3 2008
(NaturalNews) Two of the reservoirs supplying the city of Los Angeles with potable water were shut down when an independent laboratory test revealed them to be contaminated with high levels of the carcinogen bromate.
An independent commercial customer conducted laboratory tests on the content of water from the Silver Lake and Elysian reservoirs in October, discovering bromate levels of 68 and 106 parts per billion, respectively.
The maximum average bromate exposure allowed by law is 10 parts...
 Urgent Carbon Emissions Cuts Needed to Save Earth From Climate Change Disaster, Warn ScientistsBy David Gutierrez, June 29 2008
(NaturalNews) Preventing irreversible climate disaster will require carbon dioxide emissions reductions big enough not only to prevent the atmosphere's carbon load from increasing, but to allow the amount of carbon in the atmosphere to actually decrease, according to a warning issued by scientists at the 2007 meeting of the American Geophysical Union.
"We're a lot closer to climate tipping points than we thought we were," said James Hansen, director of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies at...
 Vanishing Topsoil Threatens Sustainability of Human Life on EarthBy David Gutierrez, June 17 2008
(NaturalNews) Earth's topsoil is vanishing at such a rapid rate that scientists worry about the future of human food production.
"Globally, it's clear we are eroding soils at a rate much faster than they can form," said John Reganold, a soils scientist from Washington State University. "It's hard to get people to pay much attention to this because, frankly, most of us take soil for granted."
The Earth is covered with an average of only three feet of topsoil, the layer of dirt that provides...
 Wood Floor Finishes Contaminated with Toxic PCB ChemicalsBy David Gutierrez, June 16 2008
(NaturalNews) A once-popular finish for wooden floors may still be a significant source of toxic chemical exposure more than 50 years later, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Silent Spring Institute and published in the journal Environmental Health.
Between 1999 and 2001, the researchers measured levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the air and dust inside 120 houses in Cape Cod. The houses were inhabited by older women who were taking part in a breast cancer study...
 Natural Disasters Up More Than 400 Percent in Two DecadesBy David Gutierrez, June 5 2008
(NaturalNews) The number of natural disasters around the world has increased by more than four times in the last 20 years, according to a report released by the British charity Oxfam. Oxfam analyzed data from the Red Cross, United Nations and researchers at Louvain University in Belgium. It found that the earth is currently experiencing approximately 500 natural disasters per year, compared with 120 per year in the early 1980s. The number of weather-related disasters in 2006 was 240, compared with...
 Google Pours Massive Investment into Renewable Energy ResearchBy David Gutierrez, May 17 2008
(NaturalNews) Google Inc. has announced plans to invest millions of dollars in order to move into the renewable energy business. "If we achieve these goals, we are going to be in the [electricity] business in a very big way," said Google co-founder Larry Page. "We should be able to make a lot of money from this."
Google's move from Internet services into electricity generation was motivated by a desire to reduce the ecological footprint of the company's massive power needs. While Google's exact...
 Earthquake and Cyclone Victims: How Can We Help End Suffering Now and In the Future?By Mike Adams, May 16 2008
(NaturalNews) I've struggled all week with the question of how I can best help the victims of the recent natural disasters that have devastated populations in China and Myanmar. It is not a simple matter to ponder. How can people in North America (or other western nations) offer remote help to those who live in regions that have been struck by these natural disasters?
What is the appropriate response from us, sitting here in our "rich" nations, in the comfort of a chair, while we stare at images...
 Water Shortage Means City Contemplates Going From Toilet to TapBy Barbara L. Minton, May 8 2008
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 Top 10 Ways to Reduce Plastic ConsumptionBy Staff writer, September 4 2008
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 Indoor Air in Homes Often Contaminated with Formaldehyde from Building MaterialsBy , May 9 2008
(NewsTarget) Many consumers may not be aware that formaldehyde, a toxin and carcinogen commonly used in the embalming process, is also one of the most common ingredients in many materials that make up a normal home. As a result, many household items -- from furniture to bed sheets -- emit formaldehyde fumes that are harmful to the health of families and children.
Formaldehyde may be best known for its use as a tissue preservative, such as in the preservation of animals for dissection in schools...
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