Free Republic

When former Vice President Al Gore gave a long list of doom-and- gloom statistics Saturday about global warming -- warning people that rising sea levels could drown out parts of Florida, Louisiana and Manhattan -- there were no loud gasps or headshakes of disbelief from a roomful of Bay Area environmentalists. At the World Environment Day conference in San Francisco -- a five-day U. N. gathering dedicated to adopting sound environmental practices for urban centers -- he was preaching to the choir. "To an audience like this, Al Gore needs little introduction," Randy Hayes, founder of Rainforest Action Network, told...

Unprecedented effort needed to save world's biodiversity: study Sat May 21, 2:59 AM ET MONTREAL (AFP) - An unprecedented effort is required between now and 2010 to stop further deterioration of the planet's fragile biodiversity, according to a UN report that compiled the work of 1,300 researchers. In fact, 2010 may be too late, say the authors of the report, pleading with governments, NGOs, international organizations and companies to immediately put in place longterm conservation plans. According to the report published this week in Montreal, "The world in 2100 could have substantial remaining biodiversity or it could be relatively homogenized...