Good News
- Obama's EPA and Interior Department face high expectations in reversing Bush's war on the environment.
- US government backs away from oil and gas drilling near Utah's national parks.
- The EU is drafting the ground rules to minimize the impact of biofuels on forests, specifying which biofuels, production areas, raw materials and production methods can be used to meet upcoming EU renewable energy goals.
- 11 pilot whales were saved after a mass stranding in Australia. Unfortunately the other 53 were not as lucky.
- A Spanish graveyard joins the fight against global warming by placing hundreds of solar panels on top of its mausoleums.
Bad News
- Ocean acidity is rising 10 times faster than previously thought, mainly due to unprecedented CO2 levels in the atmosphere, and is adversely affecting marine life.
- Aquatic osteoporosis: declining levels of calcium in freshwater lakes pose a new threat to the health of freshwater ecosystems.
- The WWF is not amused with EU's fishing quotas for Atlantic bluefin tuna. Critics say the newly set quotas will push the species closer to collapse.
- A new study shows climate change would have a devastating effect on forests and the millions of people that depend on them, unless urgent action is taken.
- And, according to the UN, the financial crisis will 'throw a shadow over the climate change negotiations', making it harder to reach an agreement on a new climate change treaty.
