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How The Sandstorm Affects Your Life

March 22, 2012 by ·

A breakdown of how the recent sandstorm affects you: From you car engine’s performance to a range of health and other practical issues

In the air

All flights operating from Dubai International Airport and Abu Dhabi were unaffected by yesterday’s sandy conditions. An Etihad spokesman said all its flights were operating normally from Abu Dhabi. In Dubai, a spokesman for Emirates told Gulf News yesterday that its flights were operating according to schedule and were unaffected by the climatic conditions. And a spokesman for Virgin Atlantic said its flights were operating normally. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Climate Change, Environment, Nature, Weather ·

Philippines Puerto Princesa River Is One Of New7Wonders Of Nature

January 30, 2012 by ·

The Puerto Princesa Underground River (PPUR) is now officially one of the New7Wonders of Nature, the founder of global campaign announced on Saturday.

Bernard Weber, founder-president of New7Wonders, congratulated the Filipinos as the 8.2-kilometer Palawan river joined the Amazon rainforest, Vietnam’s Halong Bay and Argentina’s Iguazu Falls as among the world’s new seven wonders of nature.

“When your very own President Aquino came out in support of the PPUR campaign, I knew that this country was taking the New7Wonders of Nature seriously,” said Weber. “Fans of PPUR all over the world responded to his call for action by voting in record numbers and today’s confirmation is the well-earned reward for this extraordinary display of enthusiasm.” [Read more...]

Filed Under: Environment, Nature, Tourism, Travel ·

Mutineers’ Barren Refuge Turns Tourist Paradise

January 23, 2012 by ·

It’s bare of white sandy beaches and about as far away as you can get from anywhere – but that hasn’t stopped super-remote Pitcairn Island from marketing itself as a holiday paradise in a newly embraced tourism push.

Today, about 50 residents on the lonely island in the South Pacific are celebrating Bounty Day – or the 222nd anniversary of the burning of HMS Bounty – along with a handful of visitors who were drawn in for the festivities.

Islanders hope the official holiday, marked with boat races and the annual burning of a miniature replica of the Bounty, will become an annual tourist-puller as they look to holidaymakers as a way to bolster a flagging economy. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Environment, Nature, Tourism ·

Greenpeace Urges Government To Halt ‘Reckless’ Arctic Oil Rush

January 19, 2012 by ·

At a special House of Commons hearing, ministers will be asked to reconsider support for Cairn Energy drilling in the far north

The government will be urged on Wednesday to help build a more sustainable world by putting a brake on the oil industry’s “reckless” race to the Arctic.

At a special House of Commons hearing, Greenpeace will tell ministers to reconsider their support for Cairn Energy and other companies drilling in the far north unless they attach the most stringent operating conditions. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Environment, Nature ·

Year’s Last Total Lunar Eclipse Charms Enthusiasts

December 15, 2011 by ·

Year`s last total lunar eclipse charms enthusiasts New Delhi: The moon’s bright white glow turned into coppery, luminescent orange as the lunar surface was completely covered by the earth’s shadow during the last total lunar eclipse of this year.

The 51 minute-long spectacle of the moon being eclipsed and then turning cerise was visible all over the country, including the national capital.

The earth passed between the sun and the moon, casting a ruddy orange glow across the shiny, meteorite-battered lunar surface. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Nature, Solar System ·

Italy Scientists On Trial Over L’Aquila Earthquake

September 22, 2011 by ·

The trial of six Italian scientists and a former government official for manslaughter over the 2009 earthquake in L’Aquila has opened in the city.
The 6.3 magnitude quake devastated the city and killed 309 people.
Prosecutors allege the defendants gave a falsely reassuring statement before the quake after studying hundreds of tremors that had shaken the city.
The defence argues that there is no way to predict major earthquakes even in a seismically active area. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Climate Change, Environment, Global Warming, Nature ·

Coral Reefs ‘Will Be Gone By End Of The Century’

September 12, 2011 by ·

They will be the first entire ecosystem to be destroyed by human activity, says top UN scientist

Coral reefs are on course to become the first ecosystem that human activity will eliminate entirely from the Earth, a leading United Nations scientist claims. He says this event will occur before the end of the present century, which means that there are children already born who will live to see a world without coral.

The claim is made in a book published tomorrow, which says coral reef ecosystems are very likely to disappear this century in what would be “a new first for mankind – the ‘extinction’ of an entire ecosystem”. Its author, Professor Peter Sale, studied the Great Barrier Reef for 20 years at the University of Sydney. He currently leads a team at the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Climate Change, Coral Reefs, Environment, Nature ·