Not the fireflies also!

As someone who grew up on the east coast spending hours as a kid chasing around fireflies, its always been weird when I find someone who has never seen them before. It seems like that might become more and more common, however, as experts are reporting that firefly populations are dropping significantly. In fact, populations are down as much as 70%.

Possible causes include urban sprawl, industrial pollution, and artificial lights. It doesn't say it in the article, but I'm going to guess that global climate change isn't helping these little guys.

Fireflies seem to be just the most recent in a long list of species that are in declines, from honeybees to bats to amphibian populations, it seems like more and more species are in serious trouble.

This Just In: Climate Change Will F*** Things Up

Global warming could make extreme rains even stronger and more frequent, causing bigger floods, greater crop damage, and wider spread of diseases than previous thought, according to a new study by researchers in the U.K. In fact, extreme rainstorms are expected to rise 10 percent by 2050. These changes are already being seen, as evidenced by recent increases in massive downpours and flooding.

In related news:

• Samoan communities, faced with rising tides, are struggling to survive
  
• Polar bears are trapped on land because the sea ice retreated earlier this year
• Global warming and oil and gas development is threatening the Pacific Walrus, and if the Bush Administration doesn't act to protect them, pretty soon putting two sticks/cheetos/etc in your mouth will just be sad, no longer funny
• More than 4000 species of fish and other sea critters face extinction as coral reefs become ever more threatened

Man, what a bummer. I'll try to find some happier news to post before the workday is out, so I'm not such a Debbie Downer.