Coverage of ice in Antarctica is the largest of the last 40 years

Since 1970 the ice of Antarctica not covered an expanse as large, according to NASA. And although many use this information to deny global warming, the truth is that NASA says that this phenomenon exists â€" exactly â€" due to the planet's climate imbalance.

According to researchers, this gain of ice at the South Pole may have a direct relationship with the temperature increase on Earth, which would have caused the movement of colder air to the region. "Without any geographic barrier to the North, ice can expand freely if show favorable conditions," said Walt Meier, a scientist at NASA.

Another possible cause for the growth of glacial coverage is the low-pressure system from the sea Amundsen, in the Antarctic Ocean, which has been showing changes, leading more wind to the Mainland.

The sustainable planet advances several hypotheses are being raised to explain this new record. What is known so far though is that while the melting in the Arctic keeps growing â€" are lost on average 20 thousand square metres of ice per year, Antarctica gets more coverage.

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The Lisbon stock exchange is the world's sixth most sustainable (with LIST)

Only 129 of 4,069 global listed companies are to publish their most basic information about sustainability, according to the Corporate Knights Canadian Capital consultant. In fact, only 3% of these large corporations put on your website or send to basic data stakeholders on sustainability indicators, linked to the number of employees, energy, greenhouse gas emissions, accident rate, equal wages, waste or water.

The study-open PDF-admits that the number of companies to publish this data grows from year to year but, still, it's "incredibly low". According to the study, more than 60% of large global enterprises â€" and listed-no dilvulga data on the emission of greenhouse gases; three-quarters are not transparent in relation to its water consumption and 88% does not reveal whether you have more or less employees over the previous year.

This lack of data disclosure is so rampant that the number of companies to announce the amount of energy it uses grew 88% from 2008 to 2012 â€" still, from 2011 to 2012 growth was only 5%.

According to the Corporate Knights, the disclosure of these figures is important because there is a correlation between transparency and what companies are doing on the ground. "We know how the reports influence the behavior, so business reforms should encourage behavior that focuses on creating long-term value, in order to achieve financial stability and sustainability," explained to the Guardian Paul Druckman, Chief International Integrated Reporting Council.

In relation to handbags, Helsinki (Finland) leads the ranking of which more information reveals, followed by Amsterdam (Holland) and Johannesburg (South Africa). The Euronext Lisbon, interestingly, is well positioned in the rankings â€" rose from 16th place in 2012 to 14th, in 2013, and is now in 6th place.

On the opposite side of the ranking are the scholarships from Qatar, in 44th place, Kuwait, on 45, and de Lima (station wagon), in 46th and last post.

See the complete rankings, in English.





Foto: Andreas Poike / Creative Commons

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The effect of medicines on biodiversity?

Powerful medicines discharged to the environment through the sewers humans and animals can be a hidden cause of global biodiversity crisis, according to a new study published in the Special Edition of the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society b.

According to the report, the use of medications designed to be biologically active at low concentrations is increasing rapidly, but little is known about its effect on the natural world.

Studies on pharmacological contamination on wildlife are rare, but the new study, published today, reveals that antidepressants reduce feeding of starlings and decimate the population of anti-contraceptivos fish in the Lakes.

"There are thousands of medicines to be used globally and they have the potential of powerful effects wildlife ecosystems. Having regard to the great benefits of these medicines, there is a need for that science considers more faithful the risks that they have on the environment, "explained Kathryn Arnold, University of York.

"Given that the populations of many species that live in environments altered by man are decreasing for reasons we can't explain it completely, we believe that it is time to explore the emerging challenges," continued. And one of those challenges is related to the pollution of medicines.

In recent years were discovered a few examples of wildlife contaminated by drugs, and the Outlook is not rosy: some male fish with female organs due to synthetic hormones used in birth control pills, and vultures, in India, to be decimated by anti-inflammatory medications given to cattle whose carcasses they feed.

On the other hand, intersex frogs have been discovered in Lakes contaminated urban oor wastewater. The most dangerous drugs have been identified in a study of Annette Kuster and Nicole Adler, of the Federal German Environment Agency. "For medicinal products for humans [are] hormones, antibiotics, painkillers, anti-depressants and medicines against cancer", explained. Veterinary products, on the other hand, hormones, antibiotics and antiparasitic.

Foto: LouisvilleUSACE / Creative Commons

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Deforestation in West Africa helped spread Ebola

The Ebola epidemic in West Africa could have been avoided if countries such as Liberia, Sierra Leone or Guinea-Conakry had managed their forests better. In fact, the risk of the disease's growth was expected in a decade, according to The Guardian, which explains why.

In the last decade, tropical forests of this region, the natural habitat of fruit bats, have been devastated: Guinea-Conakry lost 80% of its forests, while Liberia sold the rights of deforestation for half of its forests. On the other hand, Sierra Leone will be completely deforested in the coming years.

It is known that the fruit bat houses the Ebola virus and, when their home â€" the forest â€" is decimated, he focuses on what's left of this habitat. At the same time, the business of mining companies became one of the major employers in the region â€" are mainly people who travel regularly within the territory of the bats to enter the mines. Is made the explosive cocktail for the growth of the disease.

Fruit bats carrying the Ebola virus, but usually don't die from it. That is, the virus can easily have migrated from West Africa to the central part of the continent of same outside the birds spread West Nile virus in North America: through migration.

And although bats have long been in the West African communities, there are other routes of transmission beyond the power of indigenous peoples. According to The Guardian, it is possible that the two-year-old boy infected in Guinea-Conakry, believed to have been the first case of Ebola virus, may have eaten contaminated by fruit bats. This form of transmission justifies the fact that the disease has reached the populations of gorillas.

"There is no public health without environmental health," says the Guardian. "Deforestation did not cause the epidemic of Ebola, but ' built '," concluded the newspaper.

Foto: shellac / Creative Commons

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Artist creates intricate works of art at fallen Cook products

Omid Asadi upped the autumnal tradition of catching leaves of various colors to another level. The artist decided to use fallen leaves to create a clipping intricate art. Using only a box cutter, Asadi uses the leaves that are drooping to the ground as your middle, transforming them into figurative scenes of animals, humans and architectural, giving them a new life.

Asadi likes to see their art as a way of looking at the world differently, repairing the natural beauty that surrounds us in an alternative way. Initially, the artist began collecting leaves when he noticed that everyone walking and pontapeava without noticing its color or beauty, referred to Inhabitots. Their favorite leaves to work are the wild oak, both the beauty and the abundance in your area.

Inspired by the paper cut artists, Asadi decided to put his blade in sheets durable and resistant to collapsing. Although the figures that cut the leaves come all of its imaginary, Asadi also leaves the shape of leaves that is inspire. Here are some of the works of this artist.

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Munich wants 100% of clean energy by 2025

Within 11 years, the third German city Munich, wants to stop relying on fossil fuels. The challenge is almost impossible â€" the Stadtwerke München, municipal electricity company, will produce 7.5 billion kilowwats hour of green energy, for a population of more than one million people â€" but the Bavarian town believe there can reach.

Among the various projects already underway to reach the goal highlighted by the installation of a central hidreléctrica installed on the river Isar. The centrla secured energy supply from clean source 4,000 houses in the town. And in Munich Zoo, elephant dung is converted into biofuel.

According to the sustainable planet the Stadtwerke München also has invested in renewable projects in other European countries, as a solar plant in Andalusia, in Spain, and in wind farms in the North Sea, between England and Scandinavia. The electricity produced in these places feed integrated network of Europe. Many companies and local merchants are also doing their part, by opting for clean energy along their electricity companies.

It is true that Germany is one of the most advanced countries in the world when it comes to sustainability initiatives and green technologies, but even this leadership will lead Munich for sustainable energy self-sufficiency by 2025.

Foto: Mihai Dragan / Creative Commons

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The world's scariest steps

If you have dizziness, do not read this article. Some of the main wonders of the Planet are hundreds of meters high, and are likely to be visited from sloping staircases and, sometimes, with few safety conditions.

The Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia, has an inclination of 70% â€" do not seem, admittedly â€" even the most adventurous traveller of the world must have some care to climb the Yosemite National Park in California, United States, with its 400 metres of ascent complicated.

Finally, in Machu Picchu, the tourists have to climb 182 metres of granitic rocks; While to get to top of Florli, in Lysefjord, Norway takes over next steps â€" 4,444, the Monumental Stairs, in Coimbra, are child's play.

1. Devil's Cascade, Ecuador

2.Machu Picchu, Peru

3. Janssen Observatory, France

4. great wall of China, China

5. Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain

6.Escadas Flørli, Norway

7. Time hindu, Malaysia

8. Duomo, Milan, Italy

9. Yosemite National Park, California, United States

10. statue of liberty, New York, United States

11. in Oahu, Hawaii

12. Angkor Wat, Cambodia

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