environment – Page 2 – 4VF News

Mexican Drug Cartels Find a Lucrative New Home in California State Parks

The damage they do to society is well-known, but drug traffickers, it turns out, also aren’t the most environmentally-minded campers. Law enforcement officials say that a wildfire now raging in Santa Barbara’s Los Padres National park, burning more than 136 square miles, was sparked by a cooking fire started by the hirelings of a Mexican drug cartel which was growing thousands of marijuana plants in the remote canyons. Far from an isolated incident, the Los Padres fire, according to law enforcement agents, highlights an alarming trend: the invasion of California wilderness and parklands by armed Mexican drug cartels

Mexico City bans stores from distributing plastic bags

Mexico City’s thousands of stores went green Wednesday, as amended ordinances on solid waste now outlaw businesses from giving out thin plastic bags that are not biodegradable. The law affects all stores, production facilities and service providers within the Federal District, which encompasses the city limits. Nearly 9 million people live inside the district and another 10 million reside in surrounding communities that make up greater Mexico City

Environmentalists hope UN talks tough on climate change

You’re probably not thinking about what you would like for Christmas yet.

Less sex, more TV idea aired in India

On World Population Day this year India’s new health and welfare minister came out with an idea on how to tackle the population issue: Bring electricity to every Indian village so that people would watch television until late at night and therefore be too tired to make babies. That statement raised eyebrows across this vast country — but what are the realities and reactions from families who make up the second largest population in the world At 80-plus years old Omar Mohammed has never heard of population control. He lives in India’s most populous state Uttar Pradesh and has certainly done his part in contributing to India’s burgeoning population

Obama to meet with Mexican, Canadian leaders

President Obama will meet with the leaders of Mexico and Canada on Monday, with the three expected to discuss a broad range of issues. Obama arrived in Guadalajara, Mexico’s second-largest city, Sunday evening for the day and a half of talks with Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper

Obama in Mexico for North American summit

President Obama arrived Sunday evening in Guadalajara, Mexico’s second-largest city, for a day and a half of talks with Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. A broad range of issues is expected to be discussed — including the economy, drug violence and the environment — but no major announcements are expected, officials said in the days leading up the North American Leaders’ Summit

Glaciers a canary in the coal mine of global warming

U.S. scientists monitoring shrinking glaciers in Washington State and Alaska reported this week that a major meltdown is under way.

Fat-Bellied Monkeys Suggest Why Stress Sucks

It’s no secret that stress isn’t good for you. But what’s less clear is how social stressors like a high-pressure job or a failing marriage affect your physical well-being. Researchers at Wake Forest University who study stress in monkeys think they may have discovered a clue: fat.

Automakers Give Rave Reviews to ‘Cash for Clunkers’

With its awful name and convoluted rules, the cash-for-clunkers program might well have been a flop, yet it turned into a surprising success, even inspiring many of its critics to call for an additional $2 billion in funding.

Read his lips: Does tax pledge put Obama on shaky ground?

"Read my lips: No new taxes." That famous phrase from George H.W. Bush came as he accepted his party’s presidential nomination at the Republican National Committee convention in 1988. At the time, it was exactly the red meat Republicans were looking for.