Islands’ plea to the world

At this week’s Pacific Forum, a group of small Pacific Island countries off the coast of Australia issued a statement to the global community yesterday, which stated they are worried about the “serious and growing threat posted by climate change to the economic, social, cultural and environmental well-being and security of their nations.

The seven countries behind the statement are concerned about rising sea levels, and many of their countries are perched only a few yards above see level.

'Cash for Clunkers' may stall out

President Obama pushed the Senate yesterday, asking them to approve a measure that would pour another $2 billion into the Cash-for-Clunkers program.

The program gives drivers up to $4,500 in credit for trading in their old cars for new more fuel-efficient ones, and it has already blown through the $1 billion in government funding. Cash-for-Clunkers has led to the sale of around 250,000 new cars since it began on July 24th.

Eco-what?!

You’ve ditched your plastic water bottle for a sleek environmentally friendly one. You’ve changed your light bulbs. You’re biking to school and unplug your laptop before you doze off. But are you ready to become a true eco-warrior?

How green is your toilet paper? And, are you prepared to ditch it all together? Soft toilet paper is extremely popular in America but isn’t made of any recycled materials. Often, it is also made from old-growth forests. Rose George, a waste expert, said soft toilet paper is “a lot worse than driving a Hummer” for the environment.

Whiteout in the Caribbean

Things are getting ‘hot hot hot’ in the Caribbean this summer, but according to a new Coral Reef Watch report, this might not be a good thing.

The National Climatic Data Center said that in June, the world’s ocean surface temperature was the warmest on record.

Coral bleaching is the whitening of coral because of a loss of algae. Under stress, corals may expel their alga which leads to their lighter color, or bleaching. Unhealthy coral can mean unhealthy fish and be dangerous to other sea-life that depends on coral as their habitat and food source.