On December 22, a billion gallons of poisonous sludge – largely coal ash, a byproduct of coal burning – broke through an earthen dike at the Kingston Fossil Plant in Tennessee. This industrial accident destroyed area homes, killed wildlife, and brought to the forefront long-running health concerns over heavy metals in the ash. Wildlife may […]
The week-long siege of Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports by the anti-government group People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) paralyzed Thailand’s tourism industry and stranded 300,000 travelers during the country’s peak tourist season. Thailand’s National Economic and Social Development Board estimated that the overall loss would be about 1 million jobs and more then 137 […]
The Guinness Book of World Records recently named Indonesia as the country with the highest rate of deforestation on the planet. In an effort to combat this environmental destruction and the resulting greenhouse gas emissions, Balikpapan city is now requiring residents who want to apply for a marriage or birth license to plant a tree. […]
Mexico City, home to 20 million residents and 4 million cars, is not typically associated with the words “clean” and “green.” One of the most populous and polluted cities in the world, its notoriety stems primarily from smog, traffic congestion, and crime. However, thanks to the Green Plan, an environmental initiative introduced by Mayor Marcelo […]
People who have not visited Japan often imagine the country to be what Hollywood sells: tall buildings, fast trains, and lots of people. Many Japanese, even, live much of their lives within the urban sprawl, quickly forgetting that, quite simply, the countryside is Japan. And, due to actions taken in the last few decades, even […]
Activists are calling for a tourism boycott of Utah after the Mormon Church exerted tremendous influence in the passing of California’s Proposition 8 to overturn gay marriage. The church, which counts 62 percent of Utah’s population among its members, pursued an aggressive grassroots strategy in the Yes on 8 campaign, drawing on manpower and donating […]
In 2008, the traditionally reclusive nation of Bhutan opened its doors a bit wider to the world, but vowed to protect its traditional values by exercising caution regarding the negative influences of globalization. Bhutan held its first democratic elections in March for a new parliament and prime minister—over a year after King Jigme Singye Wangchuk […]
Conservation, like the global economy these days, is typically marred by dismal reports of melting glaciers, vanishing ecosystems and mounting pollution. Occasionally, however, there are glimmers of hope. In 1996, Pan Wenshi, China’s premier panda biologist, began a study of the highly endangered langurs of Chongzuo, Guangxi province. At the time, the langur’s population had […]
Forty years ago, the world’s last species of truly wild horse – the Takh, commonly known as Przewalski’s horse – could no longer be found in the wild. Now, thanks to worldwide conservation initiatives, Takhi once again roam the steppes of their native Mongolia in Hustai National Park. Takhi disappeared from the wild due to […]
