Tag: Featured News
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Extreme Weather Hits Hard Worldwide
By Tierney Smith From unprecedented storms and flooding in the UK to severe drought in California and Brazil, 2014 has kicked off with some exceptional and weird weather events. [caption id="attachment_320992" align="alignnone" width="500"] The UK is experiencing its most exceptional period of rainfall in 248 years, with hundreds of flood alert warnings covering much of…
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Fukushima Book Warns Complacency Could Lead to Next Nuclear Disaster
Today is the official publication date for the book Fukushima: The Story of a Nuclear Disaster (New Press, $27.95), the first comprehensive account of the March 2011 Japanese catastrophe, and it has already elicited glowing reviews. Kirkus Reviews called it “a gripping, suspenseful page turner.” Booklist, in a starred review, described the book as “thriller-like” and “a cautionary analysis of the perils of…
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Study Finds Coastal Flooding From Sea Level Rise May Cost $100,000B Annually by 2100
Coastal regions may face massive increases in damages from storm surge flooding over the course of the twenty-first century. According to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, global average storm surge damages could increase from about $10-40 billion USD per year today to up to $100,000 billion USD per…
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Newly Discovered Plant Supports 50 Different Species
Researchers working in the Ecuadorian Andes have discovered a new species of black pepper plant that is a nexus of biodiversity. [caption id="attachment_320897" align="alignnone" width="500"] The newly described species of wild black pepper, Piper kelleyi, in its native habitat (left). The pinkish undersides of the leaves (upper right) gave this species the nickname “pink belly” among members…
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Despite $93 Billion in Profits, Big Oil Demands Continued Tax Breaks
By Daniel J. Weiss and Miranda Peterson The 2013 profit totals are in for the big five oil companies—BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Exxon Mobil and Shell. Their financial reports indicate that they earned a combined total of $93 billion last year, or $177,000 per minute. After years of oil production declines, the big five oil companies actually increased their…