By Andrew Williams •
July 21, 2009
Two seperate scientific studies have revealed that global warming is leading to significant reductions in the size of sheep and fish species, more evidence that climate change is forcing a huge range of species to adapt to a hotter world.
The first study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, investigated fish populations in French rivers and the Baltic Sea and discovered that fish are shrinking as their habitats heat up.
Results show that average fish size in many French rivers have declined over the last thirty years, while the geographical range of tiddlers in the Baltic expanded as species such as herring and sprat also shrunk.
By Andrew Williams •
April 20, 2009
A French bus driver working in Germany has been suspended from work after she stopped her double-decker bus to save a frog from being flattened under the wheels.
Passengers, already hopping mad because of a 20-minute delay, were incensed when Christina Pommerel, 46, jumped from her seat, rescued the frog, put it in a box and set it free on the side of the road.
Ms Pommerel, who has been driving buses for 13 years in the southern German city of Regensburg, told German daily Die Welt, “I couldn’t just squash it. I did my job and saved a life.”
By Alex Felsinger •
February 2, 2009
Environmentalists are organizing a protest against the arrival of a ship in Hartlepool, England from France next week because the ship is loaded with 700 tons of toxic asbestos.
A Hartlepool company has been contracted to dismantle the ship, but environmental groups worry that they do not have the proper equipment or expertise to properly dismantle the ship. Asbestos can cause severe respiratory problems and has been banned in many countries.
By Alex Felsinger •
November 8, 2008
A growing group of environmental activists are taking advantage of emergency power shut-off switches found on the exteriors of businesses throughout France; toting broomsticks, they wander the streets at night to find businesses with neon lights still blazing in the window despite being closed, and simply reach or climb up to switch the power off.
They call themselves Le Clan du Néon and believe they are doing the planet a favor. Thousands of shops across Europe leave their lights on overnight, just as they do in America, unnecessarily eating up tens of gigawatt hours of power every year.
By Andrew Williams •
October 9, 2008
The French government announced today that it has earmarked a massive €400 million ($549 million) in state support for the development of electric and hybrid cars.
