Long-lost pollution: Climate skeptics sometimes like to argue that the Earth is just too big for puny humans to create massive changes in the atmosphere. Wrongo. Even ancient civilizations were capable of producing measurable amounts of greenhouse gases. Ice core samples show an increase in atmospheric methane at just around the time that the Roman Empire and Han Dynasty were winding down -- and burning notable amounts of charcoal for fuel. If those guys could create worldwide atmopsheric changes, is there any doubt our modern civilization is capable? (Answer: no, no there isn't). Los Angeles Times
For every action…: Speaking of altering the atmosphere, white roofs might help mitigate climate change and beat back the urban heat island effect. But they may also decrease rainfall. There's just no winning sometimes. Scientific American
Save the spider: An ecologist in the United Kingdom is going to great lengths to save a species of spiderthat grows about 3 inches long. Yes, every species deserves a chance, but … eek! BBC
Testing, testing: Hong Kong, one of the most densely populated cities on the planet, is getting into rooftop farming. With almost no agriculture, more than 90 percent of the city's food is imported, much of it from mainland China, and residents are increasingly worried about its quality and safety. So they're going organic by planting their own plots on any rooftop or park space available. New York Times
Action, reaction: Keystone XL protestors willing to risk bodily harm are making life hard for TransCanada: they keep getting in the way! TransCanada is "trying to work around them" as it clears trees for the pipeline in Texas, according to a spokesman. But the protestors have found ways to disrupt even the work-arounds. FuelFix
New drones: With honeybees being wiped out by colony collapse disorder and much of our agricultural food production at risk, researchers are working on a backup plan. British scientists are programming tiny, flying robots with bee senses that, theoretically, will let them find and pollinate flowers. The robots aren't being released until 2015, so there are still a few years before these tiny, Matrix-looking gadgets start taking over. Maybe we could work on saving the real thing in the meantime? Slate
Cheese wheels: Biofuel is being made from just about anything these days -- including the remnants left over from making cheese. Wonder how that smells in your gas tank? FastCoExist
Tips: @OnEarthMag (tag it #greenreads)
Photo: Mokeneco/Flickr
