Tag Archives: ecology

The CEO of British Petroleum would like us all to keep in mind that the Gulf oil spill is tiny, a pittance really, compared to the volume of the ocean. SRSLY. Tony Hayward, the beleaguered chief executive of BP, has claimed its oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is “relatively tiny” compared with the “very big ocean”. In an …

Here’s what it looks like, 5000 feet down on the ocean floor. No end in sight. (No audio on this clip.)

Texas Gov. Rick Perry, seen here on his direct hotline to the Lord, says that maybe that pesky oil spill was just an act of God. “We don’t know what the event that has allowed for this massive oil to be released,” Perry said alongside several other governors on a panel Monday. “And until we know that, I hope we …

The Attorney General of Alabama has ordered British Petroleum to stop distributing settlement agreements to his state’s fishermen. The contracts offer each fisherman up to $5000 up front if they agree not to sue BP over their lost livelihoods due to the oil spill. The attorney general said he is prohibited from giving legal advice to private citizens, but added …

The Gulf oil spill is shaping up to be the worst environmental disaster in American history. Fumes are now overwhelming the residents of New Orleans as the leading edge of the spill reaches the fragile marshes of the Mississippi delta. Compounding the disaster, poor weather has forced the Coast Guard to suspend their containment attempts. National agencies are mobilizing across …

Louisiana-based shrimp fishermen have filed an economics damages suit against British Petroleum, Halliburton, and the owners of the oil rig that has caused one of the greatest environmental disasters in recent memory. The lawsuit was filed late on Wednesday in U.S. District Court in New Orleans as London-based BP and the U.S. Coast Guard fought to contain a massive oil …

Here’s a visual depiction of the city space required to provide transportation to 72 people. (Via – Richard Florida)

Google is using goats rather than lawnmowers to prune the grounds at their Mountain View, California headquarters and PETA wants these new employees to have perks. PETA has no problem with letting goats do what goats want to do (e.g., look cute and eat weeds), but we do have concerns about how the goats may be transported, whether they are …

A few years ago the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster proved conclusively that global warming was being caused by a decrease in the number of pirates. Since pirates are back in strong numbers now, I guess we can all go back to our planet-destroying ways. Bless his Noodley Appendage!

Animal rights activists, PETA, and a NYC city councilman are proposing to replace the city’s horse and buggy trade with electric replicas of vintage Model T cars from the the early 20th century. The proposal – which has been pitched by animal-rights activists for months – has been taken up by Councilman Daniel Garodnick (D-Manhattan), who is hoping to put …

The Times Of India reports on a new study into the increasing problem of the feminization of species caused by “gender-bending” chemicals in the environment: Those identified as gender-benders as they interfere with hormones in males include phthalates, used widely in food wrapping, cosmetics and baby powders among other applications; flame retardants in household furniture and electrical goods; and many …

My mom sent us this photo of the erosion of Fort Lauderdale’s gay beach over the weekend. A combination of high winds and high tides caused by a storm off of North Carolina sent waves crashing over the seawall along A1A and washed away lifeguard towers. Beach erosion in southern Broward County is a continuous problem as the proliferation of …

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted yesterday to ban plastic shopping bags, the first major U.S. city to do so. Mayor Gavin Newsom is expected to approve the legislation, similar to laws already enacted in many foreign cities. The ban is expected to save 450,000 gallons of oil and reduce the annual amount of landfill SF creates by 1400 …