Earth Day 2012
Noun
preservation and careful management of resources
The organizers behind Earth Hour urge people to turn off lights in a symbolic show of support for action against climate change and for energy conservation.
Noun
state of being damaged or reduced below ordinary standards
A Nepalese climber known as the "Super Sherpa" has climbed Mt. Everest a record 21 times, hoping that every ascent draws attention to the degradation seen on the peaks.
Adjective
using up the supply of
Two small islands in South Asia's first biosphere reserve have sunk into the sea. Their submergence is primarily due to depleting coral reef mining.
Adjective
made smaller or less
As Walruses abandon diminished ice floes for the shore of northwest Alaska, conservationists wonder how the animal will adapt. What will happen to them as the sea ice continues to melt away?
Noun
The artificial modification of earth systems
Geoengineering could potentially be used to lower the temperature of the planet, but would most likely have unintended consequences, such as altered rainfall patterns.
Adjective
concerned with improving the environment
Copious supplies of "rare earth" mineral deposits have been found on the floor of the Pacific Ocean, which are vital to green-energy technologies.
Noun
type of environment in which an organism or group normally lives
While census numbers indicate a 20% growth in the tiger population of India, wildlife experts are worried that tiger corridors connecting natural habitats are shrinking.
Noun
advance into something, usually with unpleasant or damaging effects
Incursions by loggers are eating into core butterfly roosting regions. Without an intact forest canopy the monarchs are left unpotected from freezing cold and excessive warmth.
Adjective
made unclean or impure
In the 1980s Cubatao was one of the most polluted cities in the world. Hard providences have been taken, costing $1.2 billion so far, to improve damages caused by its many oil refining, steel and fertilizer industries.
Noun
small ornament, usually of little value
In the early 19th century the beaches of Fort Bragg served as a local dump. Pounding waves have since weathered the discarded glass into a 38 acre stretch of smooth, colored trinkets.
Noun
the state of being everywhere (or seeming to be everywhere)
Flimsy, translucent, and so cheap to produce they seem almost free, plastic shopping bags are everywhere. But a backlash is growing, due to the ubiquity of bag waste.
Adjective
without equal or anything to compare
Barack Obama called the Gulf of Mexico oil slick “potentially unprecedented” due to the environmental and economic damage it may inflict on the region.