While electrical and electronic equipment have never been more efficient, economical or in demand, consumers' desire to own the best and the latest is contributing to an environmental issue of increasing seriousness and concern, according to a new report.
"E-waste is one of the fastest growing waste streams in developing, emerging and developed regions and it covers all electrical and electronic equipment and parts discarded by consumers," says Dr Sunil Herat, Associate Editor of the journal Waste Management & Research and a Senior Lecturer in the School of Engineering at Griffith University in Queensland, Australia.
articles
New Model Predicts Avian Fatalities at Wind Facilities
The U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, has released a study that will enable ecologists, managers, policy makers, and industry to predict the bird fatalities at a wind facility prior to it being constructed. The study examined golden eagles as a case study because they are susceptible to collisions with wind turbines in part because of their soaring and hunting behavior.
Why some Badgers age faster than others
Male badgers that spend their youth fighting tend to age more quickly than their passive counterparts according to new research from the University of Exeter.
The 35-year study revealed that male badgers living alongside a high density of other males grow old more quickly than those living with lower densities of males.
How reusable bags change shopping decisions
Taking reusable bags to the supermarket can help identify the environmentally friendly shopper but a new study has now discovered the products they are more likely to buy. New research in the Journal of Marketing reveals unsurprisingly that shoppers who take their own bags are more likely to purchase organic food – and more surprisingly, junk food as well.
Study: Temperature influences bird diversity loss in Mexico
A wide-ranging study of gains and losses of populations of bird species across Mexico in the 20th century shows shifts in temperature due to global climate change are the primary environmental influence on the distributions of bird species. “Of all drivers examined … only temperature change had significant impacts on avifaunal turnover; neither precipitation change nor human impacts on landscapes had significant effects,” wrote the authors of the study, which appeared recently in the peer-reviewed journal Science Advances. Using analytical techniques from the field of biodiversity informatics, researchers compared current distributions with distributions in the middle 20th century for 115 bird species that are found only in Mexico. They then compared those bird community changes to patterns of change in climate and land use.
La temperatura influye en la pérdida de la diversidad de aves en México
Un estudio de amplio alcance de las pérdidas y ganancias de las poblaciones de especies de aves en todo México en el siglo XX, muestra que los cambios en la temperatura debido al cambio climático global son la influencia primaria ambiental en la distribución de las especies de aves.
"De todos los factores examinados... sólo el cambio de temperatura tuvo un impacto significativo en los cambios de la diversidad de aves; ni el cambio en la precipitación, ni los impactos humanos sobre los paisajes tuvieron efectos significativos", escribieron los autores del estudio, debidamente validado, que apareció recientemente en la revista Science Advances.