TOP STORY

Pesticides in Well Water Linked to Parkinson's

"Now pesticides in private well water have been linked to Parkinson's disease, adding to the list of long-term health risks for people in agricultural areas. Rural residents who drink from private wells are up to twice as likely to develop Parkinson's from certain pesticides, including methomyl, chlorpyrifos and propargite, a UCLA study has found." [Los Angeles Times]

Related:

• Parkinson's: The Pesticide Link: An OnEarth feature article from Summer 2009

RECOMMENDED READING

""Psychological barriers like uncertainty, mistrust and denial keep most Americans from acting to fight climate change, a task force of the American Psychological Association said on Wednesday...While most Americans -- 75 percent to 80 percent in a Pew Research Center poll -- said climate change is an important issue, it still ranked last in a list of 20 compelling issues such as the economy or terrorism, the task force said. Despite warnings from scientists that humans need to make changes now if they want to avoid the worst effects of climate change, 'people don't feel a sense of urgency,' the association said in a statement." [Reuters]

Arctic Ocean May Be Polluted Soup by 2070

"Within 60 years the Arctic Ocean could be a stagnant, polluted soup. Without drastic cuts in greenhouse-gas emissions, the Transpolar Drift, one of the Arctic's most powerful currents and a key disperser of pollutants, is likely to disappear because of global warming." [New Scientist]

First Comes Global Warming, Then An Evolutionary Explosion

In a matter of years or decades, researchers believe, animals and plants already are adapting to life in a warmer world. Some species will be unable to change quickly enough and will go extinct, but others will evolve, as natural selection enables them to carry on in an altered environment." [Yale Environment 360]

MUST SEE PHOTOS

BEFORE-AND-AFTER PHOTOS: Vast Aral Sea Vanishing

From 2006 through 2009, Central Asia's vast Aral Sea dramatically retreated, with its eastern section losing about 80 percent of its water in just four years (above, newly released NASA satellite images are animated to show the regression). [National Geographic