News of the North

A report due from the United Nations this Friday is expected to say that global warming is inevitable, it's happening right now, and it's going to get a lot worse for a long time before it gets any better. Some scientists are saying this paints too pretty a picture.

A poll shows Americans are the "least worried" about climate change - perhaps it's because the Bush administration has been censoring and downplaying research on the subject so it doesn't look so bad? Perhaps they should check out these ten myths about climate change.

Australians care, however, because their beautiful Great Barrier Reef may be extinct within decades.

If you're in the States, you can visit this site to see what the effects of climate change could be on your region. And no matter where you are, you can stay posted on news and initiatives at Stop Global Warming.

As we noted last June, Japan, Iceland and Norway have recruited the support of small, poor countries to join the International Whaling Commission and overturn a ban on commercial whaling. Now the UK is fighting back, publishing a brochure aimed at these nations, promoting conservation and protection for whales instead.

Learn more about whaling, read about whale protection and even remix some whalesong at IFAW.

Now that the Democrat-heavy government makes drilling in ANWR less likely, Bush, determined as ever to plunder Alaska, has lifted a ban on oil and gas drilling in Bristol Bay. The bay is home to the endangered stellar sea lion, humpback and fine whales and also the world's most endangered whale species, the northern right whale. It is also reknowned for its high-quality salmon, king crab, cod and halibut.

And in exchange for fuel for Chrysler's flagrantly anti-environmental gas guzzlers, what do we get for sacrificing one of the most valuable commercial fisheries in the United States? According to Republicans for Environmental Protection, 10 days worth of oil and three months worth of gas.

An environmental review will take place before leases are made available in 2010 and 2012.