We've known for a long time that smaller bodies of water like ponds and lakes absorb carbon. What we didn't know until recently was that they do the feat in dramatically faster ways than oceans and trees do. This discovery can have some good applications when you consider the kind of problems that the global community is facing today. Learn more about it in the full article up next.

 You may think seawater and brackish groundwater is too salty to be of much use, and in its raw form you'd be right, but scientists at Clarkson University say we need to study this type of water more than ever. With water shortages looming across the world, making water desalination cheaper and friendlier to nature could be a great way to start facing the future's challenges. See the full article for all the details.

Apparently, researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, found out that there's a fifty percent probability that Lake Mead could fully dry up in the year 2021 due to climate change and water usage by humans. Details in the full article.

The World Wide Fund for Nature has warned of the imminent threat facing the Amazon Rainforest, one of the major natural resources available in the fight against global warning. Thanks to the effects of climate change and uncontrolled deforestation, the Amazon Rainforest could face severe damage or even destruction by the year 2030 if nothing is done about it.

Why is the Amazon Rainforest important? Find out after the jump!

Environmentalists have encountered another obstacle in their efforts to combat global warming: the developing world's so-called addiction to coal. With the rising costs of oil and natural gases, countries have turned to this abundant and inexpensive fuel source to power their economies. In response to this, the United Nations has proposed a course of action, much to the dislike of coal-using countries.

Find out what it is after the jump!

  

The latest Global Environment Outlook report from the United Nations, to be quite frank, is looking grim for the human race. While it is true that economy and trade is increasing and the living standards for many people are getting better, the UN maintains that there are a lot of problems we need to face sooner rather than later.

Some of these problems include climate change, pollution, access to clean water, and the threat of mass extinctions. The part of UN that came up with the report even remarked that these problems are being met with a "remarkable lack of urgency". Here are other points raised by UN:

• Over the last 20 years, the human population has increased by a third, global trade has tripled, and per capita income has gone up by 40%. Annual emissions of the main greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, have also increased by one third.
• As the human population grows, it has reached the point where the amount of resources needed to sustain it exceeds what is available.
• Sixteen thousand species are threatened with extinction. Habitat loss is a major factor as many forests are cleared for agriculture. The UN estimates the global annual loss of primary forest is 50,000 km2.
• The availability of fresh water will decline. By 2025 1.8bn people will be affected by water scarcity.
  
• Sanitation is also a major issue, as contaminated water is the greatest single cause of human disease and death.
  
• Many fish stocks are over-exploited, while the demand for fish is expected to rise alongside growing populations.
• By the end of 2007 it is estimated that more people will live in cities than rural areas for the first time in history. his rapid growth can put pressure on water resources and infrastructure.

  

Environmentalists such as Al Gore have brought such issues as global warming, and consequently, rising ocean water levels to the attention of the public. However, water managers like Pat Mulroy, head of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, and Roger Pulwarty, climatologist at the National Oceanographic Atmospheric Administration, believe that there is another problem out there which deserves equal attention: the diminishing supply of fresh water available.

Because of the environmental changes brought about by global warming, regions may experience two seasons of drought: one caused by the climate changes themselves, and the other brought about by global warming. These dry spells will inevitably snowball into other effects: the possible collapse of water-based industries, court battles over water distribution, and the like. Needless to say, Mulroy, Pulwarty and their colleagues are already having a challenging time managing the distribution of this basic resource.

As bleak as the situation may seem, it's not hopeless, either. Roger Pulwarty, in particular, doesn't subscribe to the notion of environmental determinism. According to Mr. Pulwarty, it all starts with redoubling efforts to prevent further climate change. Another is to get people to agree on cooperative arrangements for coping with long-term droughts. Pat Mulroy, for her part, cited the need for "re-engineering the culture and conventions of the West"-in other words, changing the way we use our water so that everyone's needs may be sufficiently met.

With people like Pat Mulroy and Roger Pulwarty leading the way in addressing the drought problem, the good news is that something can be done about it before it's too late.

 

Only yesterday we reported that salt water has been discovered to be a type of fuel source that could solve the energy crisis. Today, well, let's just say if they used it to solve the energy crisis, we would have an energy apocalypse. Ecogeek reports that the new source of clean fuel takes up more energy than it releases.

The basic principle of salt water as a fuel is that the liquid is bombarded with a certain type of radio wave which loosens its flammable hydrogen bonds, making it an effective source of fuel for fire. The potential uses of such a clean type of energy was limitless except for one flaw: the radio waves needed to bombard the salt water takes up more energy than the 3000 degree Fahrenheit flame the hydrogen gas feeds.

This effectively knocks out any viable option for salt water to become an efficient type of fuel (unless our goal is to actually waste energy.) The article says that if the salt water gave off more energy than the radio waves needed to bombard it, this would break the laws of physics: "[the] energy required to break the bonds of a molecule of water has always been greater than the energy produced by burning hydrogen and oxygen to create water."

We might not be making a quick trip to the beach to fuel our cars anytime soon, but all scientists have to do is break the laws of physics and voila.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has pointed out in a recent report that biofuels might cause more harm than good. The organization claimed that the use of biofuels is unsustainable and could possibly disrupt markets without the expected environmental benefits.
 
Biofuels came into vogue some time ago as a means of reducing energy reliance, boosting farm revenues, and to help fight global warming. Unlike conventional fuels, this product is made from grains, oilseeds, and sugar, products considered renewable. However, the OECD stated that it is hurting the environment more and is even pushing up food prices.

The group cited the use of fertilizer, acidification, as well as biodiversity loss and agricultural pesticides as far more damaging overall than the negative effects created by petrol and diesel. They didn't propose this without a potential solution to the problems biofuel was supposed to fix though, they pointed out that:

A liter of gasoline or diesel conserved because a person walks, rides a bicycles, carpools or tunes up his or her vehicle's engine more often is a full liter of gasoline or diesel saved at a much lower cost to the economy than subsidizing inefficient new sources of supply.

This may be the case, but until further action is taken to investigate the full impact of biofuels, it will remain as one of the stronger alternatives to normal fuels.

The diamond enthusiast community was rocked by the discovery of the world's biggest diamond in the northwest province of South Africa.  Prior to this, the title of being the world's largest diamond is being held by the Cullinan Diamond found by Frederick Wells back in 1905.

The mining company that found the said diamond wasn't named, but one of its representatives, Brett Joli, provided some insight as to what will happen to the prize find. According to the spokesperson, the diamond, which is twice the size of the Cullinan, is being kept in a a bank vault in Johannesburg while a security company was hired to guard it.

According to well-known diamond connoisseur Fred Cuellar, this really is a great discovery but there are still a lot of factors that have to be considered. He explained:

There are all these other factors we still don't know and what matters now is how wide, how clear, and how well cut it will be. Will this diamond rank above the best quality diamonds in the world? I can tell you right now, no. But in as far as the list of the largest diamonds ever found in the world goes, would it make that list? Yes it would.

Reports added that once everything has settled, "a lot of mad bidding" will ensue, with the newly-found diamond's estimated starting value of 15 million GBP or roughly around US$ 30 million.