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Top Ten Environmental Losses Of 2009

December 16th, 2009 |

A recent article in National Geographic News has made a list of the top ten environmental losses of the year 2009.

1. At number one is the finding that the environmental challenge of global warming has worsened.
2009 saw vast patches of the planet protected and world leaders pledge to fight global warming, but the climate continued to change dramatically, putting it in the “loss” column for the environment this year.

2. At number two is the finding that oceans have begun to lose appetite for absorbing carbon dioxide (CO2).
As the world’s greenhouse gas emissions continued to rise this year and further disrupt the global climate, the oceans appeared to lose some of their ppetite to absorb CO2, a key gas implicated in the planet’s warming.

3. At number three is the finding that drought-stricken Kenya has lost out on rain again this year. The so-called long rains, which usually bring relief to the region of Kenya in March and April, never arrived this year, extending the drought into its third year for parts of the East African country. As a result, tens of elephants and hundreds of other animals have perished so far amid the worst drought to hit Kenya in more than a decade.

4. At number four is the report that as a result of wildlife managers in Idaho and Montana in the US approving the first wolf hunts in decades, hunters began legally pursuing wolves, resulting in a dramatic loss of the animals.

5. At number five is the finding that the Caribbean has lost a large number of sharks and barracuda species, as fishers have wiped the reefs clean of the big predators, thus sending the coral reef community into flux.

6. At number six is the report of the further loss of the Arctic Ice Sheet, which puts at risk iconic figures like the polar bear, the walrus, and it also puts at risk the people that live sustainably with that wildlife in their regions.

7. At number seven is the loss of a carbon monitoring satellite that crashed into the ocean near Antarctica.

8. At number eight is the report of lemurs being added on the menus of restaurants on the African island nation of Madagascar, which means they are being hunted as bush meat.

9. At number nine is the report by a NASA satellite about the loss of groundwater in India, which will eventually impact the nation’s food supply.

10. At number ten is the report that environmental issues were put on the backburner in the US as the administration had to focus on a faltering economy and health care issues.