TOP STORIES

Home Pesticides Linked to Childhood Cancer

"A new study of children in the Washington, D.C., area and published in the journal Therapeutic Drug Monitoring links one form of childhood cancer to exposure to common organophosphate pesticides used around the home to kill bugs. Children with lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and their mothers were more likely to have higher levels of organophosphates and their metabolites in their urine than healthy pairs, and mothers who reported household use of chemicals were more likely to have children with ALL. There is no evidence that the cancer is caused directly by pesticide exposure -- but it does present the first evidence of a linkage in a non-agricultural setting." [The Daily Green]

Climate Change Lobby Letter Forged

"As U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello was considering how to vote on an important piece of climate change legislation in June, the freshman congressman’s office received at least six letters from two Charlottesville-based minority organizations voicing opposition to the measure.  The letters, as it turns out, were forgeries."[Charlottesville Daily Progress]

Related:

• Lobby Shop Says Ex-Staffer Forged Letter to Lawmaker [Washington Post]

AUDIO

Eco-Islam

"Green is the color of the conservation movement, and the traditional color of Islam. At a recent conference in Istanbul, Islamic scholars from all over the Muslim world gathered under an especially green banner to talk about climate change. Mahmoud Akef (MAHMOOD AKEEF) organized the conference, and talks with Jeff Young about the seven year Muslim Action Plan on global warming, which sets out to green the Hajj, boost awareness, and create an eco-Islamic label for products." [Living On Earth - NPR]

RECOMMENDED READING

Sahara Desert Greening Due to Climate Change?

"Scientists are now seeing signals that the Sahara desert and surrounding regions are greening due to increasing rainfall. If sustained, these rains could revitalize drought-ravaged regions, reclaiming them for farming communities. This desert-shrinking trend is supported by climate models, which predict a return to conditions that turned the Sahara into a lush savanna some 12,000 years ago." [National Geographic]

Big Trees Decline in Yosemite

"Trees are getting smaller in Yosemite National Park, and climate change may be the cause, according to the United States Geological Survey...Among the species suffering the biggest losses was the ponderosa pine, a signature Sierra species; the concentration of large ponderosas fell by 55 percent over the 60 years. The ponderosa was especially hard-hit in areas that had not burned." [Green, Inc. - New York Times]

OPINION

"Falling Behind on Green Tech" by John Doerr and Jeff Immelt [Washington Post]