Witchy Woman

Unsurprisingly, the consumer is prevented from knowing what chemicals are in the products they use by federal law. Why? To protect government's favourite customers: major corporations. Although "a number" of the 17,000 secret chemicals "may be harmless" (emphasis mine, as usual) but many "pose a substantial risk" to both public health and the environment. These businesses don't even have to disclose the ingredients if you are in intensive care as a result of exposure to their products. Simply because it contains "inert" components does not mean that they are safe.

The cutest crab has been recently discovered off of Taiwan. (I refuse to say "new" because it isn't. We just haven't seen one before. It's like referring to Christopher Columbus "discovering" the Americas. No, he didn't. The Native Americans did). Unfortunately, the crabs died soon afterward "possibly because the water in the area was polluted by a cargo ship that ran aground." So, we find a species that we have never encountered before and then manage to go and kill it. Brilliant, just brilliant.
Also being killed off by humans, false killer whales are being considered for the endangered species list. Not to mention another rare white rhino was killed by poachers in Kenya, where hunting has been strictly outlawed since the 1970's. Luckily, they caught most of the killers and the buyers. They are primarily hunted for their horns, which they can actually live without and even grow back because it's the same material as fingernails and hair.
Then the largest freshwater fish in North America, the white sturgeon, has been dwindling because Libby Dam prevents sufficient water flow to allow the prehistoric fish to swim upriver to spawn. Unfortunately, they are only one symptom of the many problems caused by the dam.
Even the North American honeybee has been declining, which puts not only the environment at risk but our agriculture. Although one theory is, is that they are suffering from Colony Collapse Disorder because of climate change.
Not just animals are rapidly disappearing, quiver trees in Namibia are dying out due to drought. But, as we all know, there is no such thing as human-caused climate change.

I brag that the only New Year's resolution that I've kept is to never make another one again. This year, I'm breaking it. My resolutions? To be greener by doing the following:
1. Go organic.
2. Eat local.
3. Compost more.
4. Switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs.
I already recycle, compost some, try to keep the heat down, and avoid chemical cleaners, but I obviously can do more.

"Reconnecting flood-plains to rivers will help reduce the risk of future flooding, suggest US scientists."

Excuse me, but did they evidently miss the importance of flood-plains in the first place? Amazingly, allowing nature to do what it already does will have less of an impact on the ecosystem, thus saving money on infrastructure to try to control high waters. And we all know how well those work.

Although China is much more subdued about Earth Hour because they want to celebrate the exile of the Dalai Lama and their repression of Tibet in the ironically named "Serf Liberation Day."