Rare Conservation Links

It's said that information is power but could information mean less power, when it comes to electricity use? Environmentalists and makers of so-called smart meters are convinced that's the case. They say if consumers could see in real time how much power they're using, they'd conserve more. But some behavioral economists say no way. They say electricity is so cheap that real-time information might lead people to run their lights and gadgets even more.

"Analysis of damage done leaves Obama no choice but to ban the highly destructive practice, say the authors of a new study."

"Satellite flyovers of newly cleared land in the Amazon have uncovered a vanished civilization that could rival the Incans or Aztecs in sophistication. Researchers found mysterious geometric trenches and other earthworks carved into the landscape as early as a decade ago, but satellites have paved the way for the discovery of over 200 giant structures."

Indonesia will rehabilitate degraded forests and plant millions of hectares of new forests to meet its target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 26 percent from projected levels by 2020, reports Reuters.

"Take a stroll in the sun because 1 hour out in that heat will power 3 hours of iPod playtime or 1.5 hours of cell phone talk time. Take it out as you head to the pool this summer and charge up your electronics. So, not only is this backpack cool and amazing but is also efficient with your energy usage and time."

Here are some quick and easy tips to save money off your energy bills by consuming less power with your TV.

"The sleepiest ocean on the planet is mixing more and supporting more summer life with the rapid loss of ice cover."

Great slideshow of some of the most threatened species in the world.

"Eleven year-old Austin Foreman has already had a very lucky 2010. He was in his back yard on Saturday evening gathering firewood when his golden retriever, Angel, came in between him and a charging cougar."

"The agency's actions are being undertaken under its authority of the existing Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), recognizing EPA's "strong belief" that the 1976 law is both outdated and in need of reform.

"There are only about 3,200 tigers left on the planet. Habitat loss and illegal pouching are largely to blame. In the last 100 years, world tiger populations have been decimated by 95% due to the demand for tiger bones, skins & other body parts."

1. Tiger 2. Polar Bear 3. Pacific Walrus 4. Magellanic Penguin 5. Leatherback Turtle 6. Bluefin Tuna 7. Mountain Gorilla 8. Monarch Butterfly 9. Javan Rhinoceros 10. Giant Panda

"Global warming has caused a seven-fold increase in cases of malaria on the slopes of Mount Kenya, a British-funded research team has found. A 2C increase in average temperatures around the mountain in the past 20 years has allowed the disease to creep into higher altitude areas, where the local population of four million has little or no immunity."

">In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), the problems associated with climate change are regarded with great apprehension. The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), in a report released during the conference, warned that the region could bear one of the heaviest costs of climate change. The organization said that up to 40 percent of the biodiversity of some Latin American nations could be wiped out by 2100 if steps are not taken immediately to control carbon emissions."

"Most of the chemical absorption of sound occurs at relatively low frequencies, from about 1,000 to 5,000 hertz. Propeller noise ... fall in the same range, as does some military and research sonar. So this "background" noise, especially prevalent near shipping lanes, will be louder. That may be bad news for marine mammals, which use sounds in the same range for communication and echolocation while foraging. "We're not saying that during the next 100 years all dolphins will be deafened," Dr. Zeebe said. "But the background noise could essentially override or mask the sounds that they're depending on."

"Humans may be reluctant to floss their teeth, but this Japanese macaque doesn't seem to mind."

Daily green business and sustainable b"More than 100 groups have issued a letter supporting a legal petition filed earlier this month by the Center for Biological Diversity and 350.org that would require EPA to scientifically establish national safe limits for carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas pollution under the Clean Air Act. The petition seeks to have greenhouse gases designated as "criteria" air pollutants and atmospheric CO2 capped at 350 parts per million (ppm), the level scientists say is needed to stop catastrophic warming. "usiness news

"he Kasigau Corridor REDD Project aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 3.5 million tons over its 20-year lifetime, generating carbon credits that may receive a premium relative to other credits due to the CCB certification."