Stephanie Lucas

January 28, 2011

Malaysian Government Releases Genetically Modified Mosquitoes

Earlier this week, a government-run institute in Malaysia announced that in December of 2010 six thousand genetically modified mosquitoes had been released into an uninhabited area of forest. This experiment, an effort to combat the dengue fever, was the first of its kind in Asia. However, similar experiments with insects have occurred in the Cayman Islands and in the United States.

Source:

Krista Mahr, Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Released in Malaysian Forest, Time Ecocentric Blog (Jan. 28, 2011 6:50AM),http://ecocentric.blogs.time.com/2011/01/28/genetically-modified-mosquitoes-released-in-malaysian-forest/.

Clean Electricity Target: 2035

During his State of the Union address, U.S. President Barack Obama set a target of 80% clean energy by 2035. In order to meet this goal, President Obama recognized that the use of nuclear power, clean coal, and natural gas would be necessary.

Source:

Timothy Gardener, Obama Sets 2035 Clean Electricity Target, Reuters (Jan. 25, 2011 10:51PM), http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/01/26/us-obama-speech-energy-idUSTRE70O50V20110126.

Questions Linger Over Use of Dispersants in Gulf Oil Spill

Questions remain over precisely what happened to the 800,000 gallons of chemical dispersant used to clean up the Gulf oil spill. The Environmental Science & Technology journal will soon publish a study that has found the reduction in concentration of dispersants is due to dilution rather than biodegradation.

Source:

Bryan Walsh, Oil Spill: Months Later, Questions Remain Over Chemical Dispersants, Time Ecocentric Blog (Jan. 28, 2011 6:50 AM),http://ecocentric.blogs.time.com/2011/01/27/oil-spill-months-later-questions-remain-over-chemical-dispersants/.

With the World's Greenest Electricity, Iceland Looks to Attract New Industries

Hydroelectric and geothermal sources, both renewable, account for 100% of Iceland's energy production. In an effort to stimulate recovery from its 2008 financial collapse, Iceland is using its cheap and clean energy to encourage foreign companies to locate in the country.

Source:

Mark Halper, Iceland has the World's Cleanest Electricity, Time Ecocentric Blog (Jan. 23, 2011), http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2042236-1,00.html.

Mercury "Fingerprinting" Used to Discover Main Sources of Contamination in San Francisco Bay

Mercury contamination in California's San Francisco Bay has threatened wildlife and led to fish consumption advisories. A recent study used mercury "fingerprinting" to trace the main source of mercury to bay floor sediment. It is likely that mercury in the sediment has come from historic gold and mercury mines in the area.

Source:

Mercury in Bay Area Fish a Legacy of California Mining, ScienceDaily (Jan. 26, 2011), http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110125123239.htm.