TOP 100 CAMPING SITES
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| It’s Hiking Country Within a Mile or So of Home A new book “Walkable Westchester,” by Walt and Jane Daniels, documents more that 600 miles of trails in 160 parks and preserves. nytimes.com |
Act Now on Global Warming--Energy after the Kyoto Protocol Expires This December 7 the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change will convene a 12-day meeting in Copen­hagen to confront one question: How do we respond to global warming when the five-year period for reducing carbon emis­sions under the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012? The U.S. was not a party to Kyoto, but if this country balks once more, Copen­hagen may fail to get productive commitments from other nations as well. That’s a recipe for climate catastrophe. To show the world leaders soon to gather in Copenhagen that this country is serious about cutting its own carbon emissions, U.S. lawmakers must raise the price on the use of fossil fuels.Yet how to do so without hurting the little guy? For many economists, a tax imposed on end users of fossil fuels is the most direct approach. A tax high enough to be useful, however, would be dead on arrival in Congress. In his campaign last fall, President Barack Obama called for a “cap and trade” plan that would auction off carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions allowances to big carbon polluters. [More] rss.sciam.com |
Celiac Disease Insights: Clues to Solving Autoimmunity My vote for the most important scientific revolution of all time would trace back 10,000 years ago to the Middle East, when people first noticed that new plants arise from seeds falling to the ground from other plants--a realization that led to the birth of agriculture. Before that observation, the human race had based its diet on fruits, nuts, tubers and occasional meats. People had to move to where their food happened to be, putting them at the mercy of events and making long-term settlements impossible.Once humans uncovered the secret of seeds, they quickly learned to domesticate crops, ultimately crossbreeding different grass plants to create such staple grains as wheat, rye and barley, which were nutritious, versatile, storable, and valuable for trade. For the first time, people were able to abandon the nomadic life and build cities. It is no coincidence that the first agricultural areas also became "cradles of civilization." [More] rss.sciam.com |
MIND Reviews: The Philosophical Baby: What Children's Minds Tell The Philosophical Baby: What Children’s Minds Tell Us about Truth, Love, and the Meaning of Life by Alison Gopnik. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2009 [More] rss.sciam.com |
Climate Treaty Delayed Past Copenhagen Meeting COPENHAGEN -- Denmark's prime minister, the host of next month's U.N. climate change conference, has proposed pushing back the deadline for binding greenhouse gas emission targets until next year in hopes of salvaging a political agreement at the upcoming talks.Speaking in Singapore at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit yesterday, Lars Løkke Rasmussen proposed that next month's talks result in a political declaration on emission cuts and financing while leaving a legally binding treaty for later . [More] rss.sciam.com |