Articles 4/8/08

"Artificial colourings could be removed from hundreds of food products after researchers found that they may be almost as harmful to children's development as leaded petrol." Source

"In Haiti, four people were killed in protests last week over a 50 percent rise in the cost of food staples in the past year. From Egypt to Vietnam, price rises of 40 percent or more for rice, wheat, and corn are stirring unrest and forcing governments to take drastic steps, such as blocking grain exports and arresting farmers who hoard surpluses ... The World Bank says 33 countries face unrest from higher prices in both food and energy." Source

"While geologists have known that Greenland had crude reserves since oil was discovered seeping out of rocks along the coast in the 1990s, the ice surrounding much of the world's largest island made getting to it unfeasible ... If the ice in west Greenland continues to melt as dramatically as it has been doing in the past few years, then the cost of producing a barrel of oil will be closer to $20 than $50" Source

"Black carbon, the stuff that gives soot its dirty color, could be the second most important contributor to climate change ... Black carbon can mix with other aerosols to form what are called atmospheric brown clouds, which have been observed in regional hotspots over China, India, Southeast Asia, Africa and parts of Central and South America. These brown clouds absorb incoming solar radiation and prevent it from reaching the surface, warming the atmosphere in the process." Source

"About 700 sheep have now been employed by Turin officials to keep the grass verges and lawns in city parks neatly trimmed. Environment officials in Turin said they were paying 30,000 euros in gardeners’ fees to cut the grass in just one of the bigger parks." Source

"Airborne formaldehyde in the travel trailer was seven times the amount considered acceptable by scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency ... Travel trailers and RVs are not regulated by anyone." Source