Crab species in urgent need of protection.
In a first of its kind global study of freshwater invertebrates, research conducted for the International Union for Conservation of Nature found that a sixth of the world’s freshwater crab species are threatened with extinction. Crabs, which recycle plant waste and other matter, play a crucial role in maintaining healthy ecosystems.

They are also highly sensitive to changes in their habitat. Scientists say that deforestation especially in tropical regions such as the Amazon is a major factor in their decline. Study lead Dr. Ben Collen of the Zoological Society of London is urging the freshwater crabs’ protection, saying that their loss could endanger
water quality and even climate regulation.

Dr. Collen, colleagues and International Union for Conservation of Nature, our gratitude for your scientific insights into the imperiled freshwater crab and its contribution to our fragile ecological balance.

Let us act quickly in adopting sustainable ways that support our planetary co-inhabitants. Supreme Master Ching Hai, who works tirelessly to ensure the welfare of all beings, emphasized the need to halt deforestation in a June 2009 video message in Veracruz, Mexico.

Reference
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/5911636/Freshwater-crabs-under-threat.html

California to cap emissions.
Legislators have passed a bill that implements the nation’s first economy-wide emission limits, with plans to reduce emissions 25% by the year 2020. With Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger already having stated that he will sign the bill, it is set to go into effect by 2012, with the California Air Resources Board appointed to monitor greenhouse gas emissions and ensure that acceptable levels are maintained.

The bill was created based on scientific evidence gathered by California’s Climate Change Center and the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) that revealed a bleak future for the state if heat-trapping emissions are not reduced.

Another recent study by the University of California at Berkeley showed that environmental action can actually improve the economy with greater income and some 90,000 new jobs.

A big bravo, Governor Schwarzenegger and California, for taking the lead in sustainable living! We look forward to hearing of your next green successes that will surely inspire many other governments toward the same.
Reference
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/09/ucs_california.php  

Extra News
To prevent further destruction in the Amazon, the Brazilian Vegetable Oils Industry Association has agreed on another year’s extension of boycotting the purchase of soy from newly deforested land, first established in 2006.  
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/djf500
/200907281439DOWJONESDJONLINE000581_FORTUNE5.htm
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/soya-moratorium-extende280709

A study conducted by the Energy Saving Trust and the UK’s Environment Agency finds that installation of such devices such as low-flow taps and water meters could save Britons 30% of the carbon emissions associated with water heating, as well as conserving both water and money.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jul/22/uk-household-water-efficiency

Named in honor of the late musical great Michael Jackson, the green “Heal the World” event was organized for the first time in Austria at a formerly designated nuclear plant now being converted to a solar power station, with awards presented in such categories as eliminating poverty and improving education and climate.
http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Lifestyle/Story/STIStory_407832.html