endangered species

Enviros are exploiting bee’s colony collapse to ban pesticides. The evidence points elsewhere.

Bats are struck by blades traveling 100 to 200 mph at their tips or felled by “barotrauma,” sudden air pressure changes that explode their lungs, as explained in a 2008 Scientific American article “On a wing and low air: The surprising way wind turbines kill bats.”

What has benefited nature more, ecology and environmentalism or economics and the free market? Believe it or not, Matt Ridley from PERC, says economics.

Are species going extinct at an alarmingly fast and increasing rate? While many have been led to believe this is true, a recent study in the journal Science indicates that extinction rates have been grossly exaggerated.

Not only has the wind industry never solved its environmental problem, it has been hiding at least 90% of this slaughter for decades. In fact, the universal problem of hiding bird (and bat) mortality goes from bad to intolerable beyond the Altamont Pass boundaries, because studies in other areas across North America are far less rigorous, or even nonexistent, and many new turbines are sited in prime bird and bat habitats.

While many people believe that polar bears are in danger because of global warming, it might surprise them to learn that polar bear numbers have actually quadrupled in recent decades…

Many consider wind power to be among the most environmentally friendly forms of generating electricity. So it might surprise them to learn that growing numbers of wind farm projects are being opposed precisely because of their detrimental environmental impact – particularly on our feathered friends.

Are humans a plague on the Earth? Most people probably don’t think so. But at least one leading environmentalist, Sir David Attenborough of England, believes we are.

To protect endangered species, laws are sometimes needed to change or restrict human activity. But when it comes to endangered tigers in the Himalaya’s, it appears nature isn’t waiting for humans to get it together.

What can be done to save the King of the Jungle? Well lion populations have declined by 75% over 50 years, and now number only about 30,000. But expert Terry Anderson of the group PERC says protecting lions privately rather than through ineffective endangered species policies is a far better way to go.

Wildlife populations in the U.S. have experienced an astounding resurgence. But according to a recent feature in the Wall Street Journal, this encouraging eco-news has also meant a tremendous increase in the number and cost of human and animal encounters. . .

I was delighted to actually see a herd of nearly extinct bison – right in the middle of the oil sands mining project in northern Alberta, which I visited a few weeks ago. Much of this oil is destined for the USA, to reduce imports from dictatorships, and more will come in the Keystone XL Pipeline, if President Obama ever approves it.

The use of reflectors to keep bicyclists and joggers safe is nothing new, but how about birds? Well, it appears some utilities, ranchers and other property owners are about to find out, as they are now using reflectors on wire fencing for just such a purpose.

When you hear about a “bat cave,” you probably think of a hideaway for a caped crusader living somewhere near Gotham City. But believe it or not, there is another type of bat cave currently being constructed deep in the Tennessee woods designed to save bats which are dying by the millions from a fungus.

Recently the London Daily Telegraph ran a story claiming there are only 100 cod fish left in the North Sea. And while this story was echoed widely by newspapers and environmental groups, an investigation by BBC reporters found this cod report to be, well, just a little bit fishy.

About 50 years ago, the book Silent Spring, by Rachel Carson was published, and triggered an environmental debate that has been going on since then. Lot’s of articles are written about this these days, and, Cato Institute, among others, has published an essay collection. Carson passed away in 1964, and I do not for a [...]

When one thinks of bird killers, predators like cats probably come to mind. But it appears there’s another scourge to our feathery friends and it comes in the form of wind turbines.

Can strengthening private property rights help protect our streams, rivers and endangered species? Well if the Upper Colorado River Basin is any example, the answer is “yes.”

When you think of a mythological creature coming back from the dead, probably a zombie or mummy come to mind. But believe it or not, scientists have recently discovered a real life creature that has done a similar thing, and it comes in the form of a fly.

By Craig Rucker and Paul Driessen This article originally appeared in the National Journal. In 2009, the federal government fined ExxonMobil $600,000 for the unintentional deaths of 85 birds in five states during a five-year period. Meanwhile, well over 500,000 birds and countless bats are killed annually by wind turbines, according to the US Fish [...]