Massive Oil Expansion Slated For Amazon: Could the Amazonian Chernobyl Get Even Worse?

Earlier this week, I was stunned to learn about the "Amazonian Chernobyl." Now, it seems like Ecuador might be just the tip of the iceberg.

According to the Guardian, huge amounts of land in the Amazon are about to be opened up for gas exploration, including in some biodiversity hotspots. The land earmarked by oil companies for exploration spans the size of Texas. Texas!!!

Matt Finer of Save America's Forests, a US-based environmental group, said, "When you look at where the oil and gas blocks are, they overlap perfectly on top of the peak biodiversity spots, almost as if by design, and this is in one of the most, if not the most, biodiverse place on Earth."

The good (well, not good, but not as bad) news is that right now most of that land is in the exploration phase- which is problematic because it means companies are going to be cutting into the forest for their tests, but its not as devastating as full on oil drilling. Once the exploration turns to development is when there are going to be real problems. Not only ecologically, but also in terms of the indigenous people who live on these lands. "The way that oil development is being pursued in the western Amazon is a gross violation of the rights of the indigenous peoples of the region," explains Brain Keane of Land is Life.

Read more from The Guardian if you are interested to learn more.

North Pole Could Be Free of Ice In Just 5 Years

For anyone who doesn't believe that climate change is happening now, read this immediately.

After a record summer of arctic melting, leading scientists are now saying that the North Pole could be free of ice by 2013. I can't say it better than the Guardian, so I'm not going to try:

This startling loss of Arctic sea ice has major meteorological, environmental and ecological implications. The region acts like a giant refrigerator that has a strong effect on the northern hemisphere's meteorology. Without its cooling influence, weather patterns will be badly disrupted, including storms set to sweep over Britain.

At the same time, creatures such as polar bears and seals - which use sea ice for hunting and resting - face major threats. Similarly, coastlines will no longer be insulated by ice from wave damage and will suffer erosion, as is already happening in Alaska.

Other environmental changes are likely to follow. Without sea ice to bolster them, land ice - including glaciers - could topple into the ocean and raise global sea levels, threatening many low-lying areas, including Bangladesh and scores of Pacific islands. In addition, the disappearance of reflective ice over the Arctic means that solar radiation would no longer be bounced back into space, thus heating the planet even further.

Shout out to Gina Johnson for sharing this scary, scary story with us.

More things that make you say "duh"

"Hunting ban leads to whale recovery."

Wait, banning whale hunting is good for the whales? Really?

Still need that witty title

[Seriously though- I'm still waiting for those suggestions to pour in about what to call this section.]
This week, I'm going to feature a company that seems to be actually doing a lot of good. Ecover makes "ecological cleaners." So far I've used only their laundry detergent and dish soap, but according to their website they also have a ton of other products, like surface cleaners, hand soap, floor cleaner, etc etc.

Ecover is petro-chemical free, does not test on animals, and has been referred to as one of the "greenest carbon neutral products sold today." Ecover also does cool things like partner with the international charity Water Aid to provide sustainable access to safe water for communities in rural Ethiopia. Treehugger did an in-depth interview with Ecover not long ago and Peter Malaise, Ecover concept manager and handlebar mustache owner extraordinaire stated, "You never reach sustainability, you are always on the road." Well said, Mr. Mustache, well said.

More on the Amazonian Chernobyl

Great animated video about Chevron's toxic legacy in Ecuador:

Why haven't I heard about the Amazonian Chernobyl until now?

File this under things we should have heard about a long time ago. Apparently, U.S. oil giant Chevron has dumped over 17 million tons of oil waste in Ecuador, in an area with multiple indigenous tribes and thousands of rare species of plants and animals. The contamination is so bad that it is being referred to as the "Amazonian Chernobyl."

The toxic pollution has devastated the wildlife, poisoned the land and water, and sickened the people of Ecuador. 30,000 Ecuadorians have sued Chevron, and in typical form, they are denying responsibility.

Read all about it in the London Daily Telegraph and on Amazon Watch's excellent website, Chevron Toxico.

Have other people heard of this before now? Anyone else feel compelled to boycott Chevron?

Good News To Start The Weekend: Monsanto is a little less evil then they were last week

After this morning's bummer of a post, I decided we could all use some good news. Earlier this week, Monsanto, the evil agricultural mega-corporation, announced that it is selling off its dairy hormone business.

Recombinant bovine growth hormone, also known as rBGH, is an artificial growth hormone developed by Monsanto to increase dairy cows’ milk output. rBGH causes health problems in cows and increases antibiotic use on dairy farms. While the effect on humans consuming rBGH milk is not clear, studies suggest that rBGH increases another chemical that is linked to increased cancer risk. Basically, this stuff is pretty yucky, and environmental groups have become more and more outspoken about the problems associated with it, consumers have stopped buying milk produced with it, and businesses like Starbucks are staying away from it.

I can only assume that Monsanto made this decision based on the excellent letter to the editor I wrote last week.

Source: Food and Water Watch