Televisions are a staple of most American homes, contributing to daily routines. It is estimated that upwards of 10 percent of all electricity use in a home is due to television viewing. In addition, televisions are becoming increasingly larger and requiring more energy.

In order to curb the energy use of televisions, the California Energy Commission recently announced new television standards for the state of California. Such a decision will most likely lead to a ripple effect across ...

Coastal cities are greatly concerned with the likelihood of increasing sea levels due to global warming. Many experts are predicting that worldwide sea levels will rise three feet in the next 100 years. However, some of the destruction expected by sea level rises are already being seen in some areas of the world.

In Hawaii, sea levels have not been shown to be rising at a greater rate due to global warming as of yet, however the beaches are experiencing drastic erosion. The erosion is being ...

The estimated percentage of greenhouse gas emissions emitted due to deforestation worldwide varies between 12 and 25 percent. However, in Brazil deforestation of the Amazon amounts to 75 percent of all of Brazil’s greenhouse gas emissions each year. In addition to being a threat due to global warming, deforestation of the Amazon destroys a fragile ecosystem.

Since 1988, the government of Brazil has been keeping track of the rate of deforestation in the country. 2004 proved to ...

It is well known that the worldwide tiger population is extremely low, so low that many do not expect tigers in the wild to survive much longer. An estimated 3200 tigers exist in the wild, all in Asia. The countries in which these creatures still roam wild include: Russia, Thailand, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, China, Myanmar, India and Nepal.

Deforestation, poaching and human encroachment upon their habitat is causing the dwindling tiger population. Tigers ...

The United States’ Environmental Protection Agency recently released a study regarding lakes across the country. The EPA tested 500 lakes and reservoirs across the country for mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls in fish. The study related to samples taken between 2000 and 2003.

The study found that all fish collected had some levels of each contaminant. However, 49 percent of the lakes had fish with levels of mercury which the EPA considers unsafe for consumption. Polychlorinated ...

Across the globe it is important to establish nature preserves to help ensure the survival of endangered species and fragile lands. Each new preserve is seen as a big win by environmentalists, as it is often difficult to navigate the politics involved in the creation. Unfortunately, sometimes even big wins for the environment can end in disappointment.

Such is the current situation in Puerto Rico, once a place where environmentalists had thought they won a small victory. In 2007, ...

Giraffes are the world’s tallest creatures and are well known around the world. A decade ago, there were 140,000 giraffes in Africa, today there are less than 100,000. The reasons are varied but essentially boil down to human interference. Poaching, increasing human populations, numerous wars and even increasing desert areas are pinpointed as devastating to the giraffes.

Of the nine subspecies of giraffes on the continent, one known to the country of Niger was thought to be near extinction at the end of the 20th century. The ...

A new study recently published in the journal Science discussed the effect of nitrogen pollution on alpine lakes. James Elser, who works at Arizona State University, led the study regarding 90 alpine lakes around the world, including Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.

The park is home to an array of species, including elk, deer, mountain lions, bears, bighorn sheep and eagles. Sixty of the ...