- Baby penguins are washing up dead on the shores of Brazil. Penguin experts interviewed feel pretty confident that somehow humans caused this. Probably yes, but actually no one knows the reason(s) yet. If it is climate change, and now there are dying penguins and polar bears, I predict a solution to greenhouse gas emissinos by next week. [Washington Post]
- There is concensus that humans are messing up the salmon populations, especially in California. The issue is complex but basically Northern California is exporting water, from rivers, where salmon reproduce. Then lots of the young die, and the salmon populations are drastically reduced (the salmon season was cancelled this spring due to such low numbers). There was a recent legal victory for the salmon (and their human lawyers), but no real changes will result immediately due to the decision. [LA Times]
- High oil prices mean consumers are turning to coal. Crap. That is also polluting. But cheap! But polluting. Also, most cars don’t run on coal. [LA Times]
- I hate baseball. Hold a little home-town love for the Mariners, but that is about it. But I have to give kudos to the efforts of MLB and all others involved for taking the lead on helping sports go green. [Washington Post]
- Police budgets are not rising as rapidly as gas prices, so more police officers are having to get out of their cars. This actually is probably a good thing, for the most part, because if you watched The Wire you totally know that cops on the street have a much better feel for the community. As long as they can still use the car for emergencies. [NY Times]
- Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu castigates the rich white-collar workers who fly around the world for business trips that could easily be accomplished by phone or video-conference. Practices like these accelerate global warming and that affects the poor more than the rich. BTW, phone calls and video-conferences also save money, so stock-holders might want to point that out at the next meeting. [Reuters]
Enjoy the rest of your weekend. Go outside for a while.
