As Egypt celebrates the 50th anniversary of the start of the construction of the Aswan High Dam, some scientists say that this wonder of engineering is contributing to an environmental catastrophe that could force millions of its citizens to abandon the lush, fertile delta. The worst of these is coastal erosion and subsidence, the compacting of the delta soil.
At a conference in France's noisy capital, European acoustical scientists admitted that they and most policymakers are not close to meeting an 18 July deadline to develop action plans to shush the European Union's (E.U's) largest cities. The action plan deadline stems from a 2002 E.U. antinoise directive.
Global warming is not a uniform process. Mongolia, particularly at the high altitudes around Lake Hovsgol, has been warming more than twice as fast as the global average. Unique ecosystems are feeling the heat. Here at the transition between the steppe grassland and taiga, plants and animals are confronted with a changing environment-and the outlook is not good for the herders who are crowding up from the south.
