Anyone who's ever seen a cow pasture would likely recognize some of the most immediate environmental impacts of large-scale livestock farming--trampled ground, eroded stream banks, lots of manure. However, a less visible but equally worrisome effect appears thousands of miles from the Midwest's muddy cow pastures, in the tropical waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Amidst increasing concern for the growing 'dead zone' where the Mississippi River flows into the Gulf, livestock farming practices are increasingly coming under scrutiny. In fact, the FAO says, the livestock sector is the major driver of increasing water pollution in most geographical areas.

The process of nutrient cycling is critical to all ecosystem services. However, when the flux of nutrients into the environment exceeds the ability of natural systems to absorb them, aquatic ecosystems feel the greatest impact. An oversupply of nutrients in aquatic systems can cause excessive growth of algae, reduce species diversity, damage coral reefs, and, in extreme cases, create oxygen-depleted "dead zones."

Following three consecutive years of record-setting growth, the global wind energy market is projected to continue expanding in 2008. China and the United States, which together account for roughly half of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, will record some of the fastest growth from this carbon-free energy source. In total, the world's current installed capacity of 94 GW will save about 122 million tons of CO2 emissions every year, a significant yet still insufficient figure in light of increasing climate change concerns.

The oil sands of Alberta, Canada contain the second largest known reserve of oil in the world. With global demand for oil expected to increase nearly 40 percent over the next quarter century and production becoming increasingly dominated by Middle Eastern countries, Canada's oil sands are an important global resource. However, mining this oil is extremely environmentally costly--producing one barrel of oil from the oil sands generates three times more greenhouse gas emissions than a barrel of conventional oil. Several environmental organizations are now calling for a halt on further oil sands project approvals until effective emissions reduction strategies are employed.

Some of the world's largest financial institutions have begun responding to the challenges of climate change, acknowledging that efforts to mitigate and adapt to rising temperatures are a growing driver of global business. A recent report ranked 40 of the world's largest banks based on their actions to address climate change. On a 100-point scale, the top-performing bank achieved only 70 points and the median score was 42, indicating that significant opportunities for progress remain.

In the swarm of ideas for new energy technologies, one that sounds like science fiction is getting a more serious look from the U.S. Defense Department. Space solar power, or SSP, has been studied for over 40 years but has recently resurfaced in the climate change discussion, and was the subject of a 75-page study released by the Pentagon in October. The technology would generate electricity from solar panels attached to an orbiting satellite and convert it into microwaves for transmission to Earth, where it would then be transformed into direct-current electricity.

Brazilian authorities this month announced a drop in the rate of Amazon deforestation for the third year in a row. Approximately 11,224 square kilometers of forest were lost between August 2006 and July 2007, down from 14,039 square kilometers during the previous 12-month period. However, threats against the Amazon are numerous and increasing in intensity, leading major environmental organizations to believe that this recent upward trend may be short-lived. According to the WWF, a global conservation organization, logging, livestock expansion and worsening drought could result in the disappearance of 55 percent of the Amazon rainforest by 2030.

China's water problems, which include chronic drought and ubiquitous pollution, could reach crisis proportions in coming decades. Experts have predicted that in 2030, when the Chinese population grows to 1.6 billion people, domestic water consumption will reach 100 percent of water availability. Although a large population and breakneck economic growth are at the root of China's water troubles, global warming is expected to exacerbate the problem.

Today the United Nations General Assembly widely approved a resolution calling for a global moratorium on executions toward the goal of abolishment of the death penalty worldwide. Though not legally binding, the resolution symbolically signifies the majority opinion of the international community in opposition to executions.

Marginalized groups often suffer disproportionately in the aftermath of a natural disaster, reports the world's largest humanitarian agency. Minority groups, women, the disabled, and the elderly are most vulnerable, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies says, because embedded discrimination makes these groups largely invisible to aid agencies and governments in times of crisis. As a consequence, they often face greater impoverishment, disability, and fatality after a disaster.