Green Options

A new road is needed in the Kenyan Osupuku Conservancy. And strong stone is needed for the road. A Chinese corporation, Sinohydro, owns a rock quarry, which offers the best stones to build a strong road; a road which wouldn’t need repairs for a long time. However, the rock quarry poses a threat to the aboriginal wildlife of the region.

Approximately 15,000 species of plants used in traditional medicine are at risk of dying out because of pollution, habitat depletion and over-harvesting. Millions of people may lose their medicine for a host of dangerous and even deadly diseases.

Plants like these are the primary source of health care for the majority of the world, being used to treat everything from fevers to symptoms of AIDS. Their depletion is leading to a loss in traditional knowledge as well as the essential plants themselves. Some doctors believe that traditional medicine may the key to helping us find breakthroughs in fighting diseases such as cancer.

Conservationists in Australia are claiming that the postponement of the proposed Traveston Crossing Dam is actually a sign that the dam will never be constructed. The dam, set to be built on the Mary River in Queensland, Australia, faces fierce criticism from local activists, residents, and councils.

A major hurdle for the dam’s construction has been the slew of environmental precautions and protections that Queensland Water Infrastructure Pty Ltd. has had to take care of. In order to perform the required community projects, such as local trail enhancement and habitat restoration, QWI is indefinitely postponing the construction.

Poachers killed an indigenous man on the remote Indian Andaman Islands after him and other members of his tribe, the Jarawa, requested that the poachers share their fish bounty with the tribe. The Andamans and their surrounding waters are protected but an increasing number of poachers have been fishing in the area.

Just kidding. We aren’t running out of coffee. But Colombia now says worldwide demand will exceed production next year.

Will this mean more habitat destruction as farmers rush to clear land to help meet the demands of coffee drinkers?

Colombia is the world’s third largest producer of coffee and according to Bloomberg News, a growers group in the country now says that there will be less coffee produced than is desired next year. Oddly, while there will be a probable international surplus of 6-7 million bags this year, the extra supply will soon be made irrelevant by a 10 million bag deficit next year. We aren’t talking about the bags of coffee you buy in stores: we are talking about 132 lb. bags.

If you drink coffee, then you soon might be drinking less than usual.