Dr. Paul Epstein, Expert in Public Health, Is Dead at 67: Dr. Paul Epstein, a public health expert who was among the first to warn of a link between the spread of infectious disease and extreme weather events, adding a new dimension to research into the potential impact of global climate change, died on Sunday at his home in Boston. He was 67.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/15/health/dr-paul-epstein-public-health-expert-dies-at-67.html

He wrote about ocean warming-spiked algae blooms, and how they might be the source of recent cholera outbreaks, how milder winters and hotter summers favored mosquito breeding in areas where there had been outbreaks of encephalitis, how the same conditions accelerated the growth of ragweed, and how some particulate matter from coal-burning plants was particularly good at carrying pollen and other allergens deep into the lungs, possibly explaining a worldwide asthma epidemic since 1980.

The perils of plastic - developed to make our lives easier and safer but at what cost. The unintended consequences?

Rolf Halden, associate professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering at Arizona State University and assistant director of Environmental Biotechnology at the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University, has undertaken a survey of existing scientific literature concerning the hazards of plastics to human health and the ecosystems we depend on.

GAP Inc. recently published their environmental responsibiltiy report. Since this is a store that many of us shop at, I think it’s important to hold them - and ourselves - accountable for doing business profitably while caring for the environment. As they say in the video, they’re not perfect, but the fact that they reach out to communicate what they are accomplishing to achieve environmental sustainability is important to me.

I hope the Walmart’s of the world begin similar efforts since they are among the biggest companies in the world.

Why Are We Killing Coral Reefs? Coral reefs are likely to become the first ecosystem completely destroyed by humans, predicts Dr. Peter Sale, a leading United Nations ecologist. His new book, Our Dying Planet, explains:

http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/dnewman/within_the_next_century_coral.html

“It is not pollution, or overfishing, or mass bleaching, or climate change, or any of the other factors I have mentioned that is killing our coral reefs. It is all of these factors together. Or, to put it more plainly, the cause of the destruction of coral reefs is us.”

The only possible silver lining is that we still have the power to reverse course and save at least some of these magical living communities. But, change must come quickly.

Peter Sale, discusses evidence of the wholesale destruction of coral reefs in the interview below:

Eric Chivian’s insightful opinion on the need for physicians to be involved in protecting the environment — how human health and global health are intertwined. Chivian is the founder and director of the Harvard Center for Health and Global Environment and assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

Regions must brace for weather extremes - UN climate panel: the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has published a study that says in essence that global warming will create weather on steroids.

In the worst scenario, human settlement in some areas could be wiped out, the report warns. “If disasters occur more frequently and/or with greater magnitude, some local areas will become increasingly marginal as places to live or in which to maintain livelihoods,” it says. “In such cases migration becomes permanent and could introduce new pressures in areas of relocation.”

http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/world/brace-for-weather-extremes-un-panel/story-e6frfkui-1226193832537

Mysterious radiation levels detected across Europe, says UN nuclear agency. IAEA say Fukushima blast not to blame and downplay seriousness of new levels.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2060469/Mysterious-radiation-le…

Unusual levels of radioactive iodine-131 have been detected throughout Europe - primarily in Czech Republic and Germany - but the particles are not believed to pose a public health risk, the U.N.nuclear agency said on Friday. NASA have released images of 2,400 stars, known as the Tarantula Nebula, that are producing intense radiation and powerful winds, believed to be the cause for the detection in the atmosphere. Here’s a related video

Are you ready for the new normal on planet Earth?

Dr. Paul R. Epstein, associate director of the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School, recently published an article in The Atlantic on “Health and Climate Change: 7 Ways You Are Being Harmed.”

Here’s the list of enviro-health effects:

1-Heatwaves
2-Asthma and Allergies
3-Spread of Infectious Diseases
4-Pests and Diseases Affecting Forests, Crops, Marine Life
5-Winter Weather Anomalies
6-Drought
7-Food Insecurity

When you read the article, what’s striking is that climate change is not just a health issue, it also has a clear impact on our economies. To say that we can’t afford to take measures that slow climate change down is not only shortsighted, it’s potentially fatal for the FINANCIAL health of the world as we know it.

http://www.theatlantic.com/life/archive/2011/09/health-and-climate-change-7-ways-you-are-being-harmed/245607/

The Baobab trees in Madagascar are the only trees to survive deforestation. They are considered sacred and are not chopped down. Only one-fifth of Madagascar’s forest remains. They’re clearing everything out, cutting around the Baobab trees. Look at these beautiful, ancient looking, trees.

The vast, shocking hole in BBC Panorama’s analysis of rising energy bills
In the last year wholesale prices put about £170 on gas bills alone, while support for renewables added £20 to combined bills. So which did the TV show focus on?