| Lemur poaching on the rise due to unrest in Madagascar Endangered lemurs have become luxury items on the menus of some Madagascar restaurants, reports Conservation International (CI) and its local partner, the environmental nonprofit Fanamby . [More] rss.sciam.com |
Countdown to Copenhagen: Despite doubts about a treaty, 2009 shapes up as pivotal year for renewable energy Beginning with the Obama administration's $70-billion commitment to ramping up the U.S.'s reliance of wind, water and solar power (not to mention hybrid vehicles) in February through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and ending with December's international climate conference in Copenhagen , this year promises to be pivotal in the worldwide development and adoption of renewable energy sources. Pivotal in the sense that 2009 could go down as the moment the green revolution gained substantial footing thanks to a swelling of political and financial support or as a colossal missed opportunity due to power grabbing and misguided policy. [More] rss.sciam.com |
What Would Failure to Combat Climate Change Quickly Mean? BOULDER, Colo. – Turns out climate policy has some tipping points. [More] rss.sciam.com |
U.S. Bid to Combat Climate Change Starts with Cars and Trucks The nation's first mandatory attempt to cut back on greenhouse gas emissions is now a fact--and it will show up in a driveway near you in 2012. [More] rss.sciam.com |
A Year of Living Dangerously: Reflections on Hot-Button Science Last September I wrote my first column for Scientific American , and this September marks my last one. In writing on science issues relevant to our culture and society, there is an inevitable tension between sticking just to science issues and commenting on potentially hot-button social issues. I have tried during the past 12 months to strike some balance, but without fail those issues that stir the greatest outrage also stir the greatest interest.Nothing seems to stir more discussion than pieces about science and religion, an observation that reminds me of the comment that Henry Kissinger reputedly made about academic disputes: they are so vicious because the stakes are so small. After all, science will continue irrespective of religious opinions, and I expect organized religion will continue to be a part of the cultural landscape, too, largely unaffected by the ongoing march of human knowledge, as it has been for centuries. [More] Religion - Science in Society - Science and Religion - Educational Resources - Christianity rss.sciam.com |