Seals quickly respond to gain and loss of habitat under climate change

October 10th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a new survey, scientists have found that leopards can be particularly fussy about where they live, actively avoiding certain areas. The survey was carried out by scientists from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute (TAWIRI).

October 2nd, 2009 Mesa, Ariz., is 1,000th signer for climate changeSEATTLE — Mesa, Ariz., is the 1,000th city to sign the U.S. Conference of Mayors' climate change agreement.

September 15th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study by biologists at the University of California, Berkeley, has determined that if the climate is not quite right, birds will move rather than stick around and sweat it out. The findings reveal that 48 out of 53 bird species studied in California's Sierra Nevada mountains have adjusted to climate change over the last century by moving to sites with the temperature and precipitation conditions they favored.

September 11th, 2009 LONDON - A new research has warned that polar bears face extinction in less than 70 years because of global warming. "Recent projections suggest polar bears could be extinct within 70 years," Eric Post, associate professor of biology at Penn State University, who led the latest study, told the Telegraph.

September 4th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study has determined that species living in restricted environments such as the tropics may lack adequate variation in their genes and be unable to adapt to climate change. Adaptation is a physiological or behavioural change that makes an organism better suited to its environment, and more likely to survive and reproduce.

August 4th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a new study, scientists have found that elephant seals traveled surprisingly far when ice retreated from part of the Antarctic mainland about 7500 years ago, indicating that the animals may be able to take advantage of emerging habitat resulting from climate change. According to a report in ABC Science, researchers found that despite their rapid relocation, the enormous animals multiplied remarkably quickly, and when the ice returned a few thousand years later, they returned to their original habitat 2500 kilometers away.

June 26th, 2009 Obama: US lags behind Europe on climate changeWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says European nations have moved faster than the United States on global warming and that he'd like to see America play a greater leadership role. Obama told reporters at the White House Friday that he has been "very frank and blunt" with Chancellor Angela Merkel in explaining the obstacles that have gotten in the way of climate change efforts at home.

June 13th, 2009 Hawaiian Islands eyed for endangered seal habitatHONOLULU — The federal government said Friday it will revise the critical habitat for endangered Hawaiian monk seals for the first time in 21 years, which is likely to significantly expand the protection area to include beaches and waters of the main Hawaiian Islands. Environmentalists say the added habitat is needed to reverse the plight of the monk seals, which are among the most endangered marine mammals in the world, with fewer than 1,200 remaining.

June 13th, 2009 WASHINGTON - An American study has found a link between alterations in bird songs and the rapid change in the surrounding habitat. Elizabeth Derryberry, a behavioural ecologist and post-doctoral researcher at the LSU Museum of Natural Science, says that she has studied this phenomenon since her time as a graduate student at Duke University, where she discovered tapes from ornithologist Luis Baptista.

June 12th, 2009 Hawaiian Islands named habitat for endangered sealHONOLULU — The federal government on Friday will significantly expand the critical habitat for endangered Hawaiian monk seals to include beaches and waters of the main Hawaiian Islands, officials said. Environmentalists say the added habitat is needed to reverse the plight of the monk seals, which are among the most endangered marine mammals in the world with fewer than 1,200 remaining.

June 4th, 2009 Environmentalists plan suit to protect ice sealsANCHORAGE, Alaska — An environmental group plans to sue the federal government to force a decision on additional protections for Arctic seals. The Center for Biological Diversity said in a notice of intent to sue sent this week to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that it missed a deadline required by law for an endangered species listing decision on ringed, bearded and spotted seals.

May 4th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a new study, researchers in Canada are reporting for the first time that high mercury levels in certain Arctic seals appear to be linked to vanishing sea ice caused by global warming. The study, by scientist Gary Stern and his colleagues, provides a new insight into the impact of climate change on Arctic marine life.

April 29th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Legendary singer Sir Paul McCartney has written an open letter to actress Pamela Anderson urging her to promote vegetarianism. The ex-Beatle, who himself is a strong animal rights advocator, has appealed to the Baywatch star to help, after both became involved in a campaign to help the plight of seals.

April 29th, 2009 WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama wants India and the United States to build a renewable energy partnership as they work together to find solutions to climate change issues. Obama conveyed this to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's special envoy on climate change issues, Shyam Saran, during a meeting Monday with leaders of delegations to a meeting of the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate here.

April 15th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study has found that biofuels can hasten climate change, and it will take more than 75 years for the carbon emissions saved through the use of biofuels to compensate for the carbon lost when biofuel plantations are established on forestlands. If the original habitat was peatland, carbon balance would take more than 600 years.