• Add hot water and soap to those greasy pots and pans. Let these soak separately from your other dishes, because you don’t want to wash your almost clean dishes in oily, grimy water.
• Stack your dirty dishes outside of the sink, because the goal is to use as little water as possible.
• Place your cutlery in the sink and add hot water and soap. Clean all of them first and then rinse them off at one time. Then place them in a dish drainer to dry. Drying them with towels can actually be less sanitary.
• Put your stack of dirty dishes into the sink next. Wash all of these with a soapy dish rag and rinse them all off and place them in the dish drainer as well.
• Now you can wash your glasses and put these out to dry.
• Last but not least are the pots and pans. These should be easy to clean by now since they have been soaking.
• If you have pots and pans that have food crusted or burned onto them, add water and baking soda to the problem then boil the water. You can also do this with glass baking dishes, except you will want to put them in the oven to boil the water.

Such is the current situation in Puerto Rico, once a place where environmentalists had thought they won a small victory. In 2007, a preserve was ordered to be created in northeastern Puerto Rico. The preserve would have been approximately 3,240 acres, called the Northeast Ecological Corridor.

The land was set aside due to the importance of the beaches on the coastline, which are lined with a tropical forest. Leatherback sea turtles, which are endangered, use these beaches as a nesting area. The government had been attempting to buy private land in order to secure the preserve, which was only partially on public land.

However, this past Friday, the governor of Puerto Rico announced that the preserve would no longer be created. The reason behind the cancellation was said to be due to political pressure and creation of jobs. Environmentalists are concerned that hotel resorts will now be built in the area.

It must be noted that the governor of Puerto Rico has called for the environmental authorities to determine what of the 3,240 acres is the most sensitive. The areas determined to be the most endangered will most likely still be preserved. However, many fear the increased tourism in the area and human involvement due to development may harm the land that is preserved.

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 only giraffes left in West Africa, Giraffa camelopardalis peralta is a species known for their white legs and orange-brown spots. In 1996, these giraffes only had a total of 50 still in existence.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Niger giraffes had a vast area they called home. Their population inhabited from the Atlantic coast in Senegal to mid-continent in Chad. However, now the giraffes are only found in 150 miles of land.

However, things are not looking as bleak for the giraffes in Niger today as they did in 1996. Today the giraffes are numbering around 200 animals. Their population has grown, on average, 12 percent each year. This is a striking growth rate considering other giraffes in Africa average 4 percent.

Many reasons are cited for the comeback of the giraffes in Niger, including fines and jail time for poachers.  If a person kills a giraffe, they will face five years in jail and fines which equate to more than a lifetime’s worth of annual income for the average person in the area.

Increasing tourism incentives are also thought to be contributing to the increased giraffe population. An additional benefit for the giraffe, though unfortunate for the ecosystem as a whole, is that their natural predators were also eliminated by poaching. Years ago the lions and leopards, which once preyed on the giraffes in the area, were wiped out by poaching. Such a decrease in natural predators has aided in the giraffe population growth.

Between 1994 and 2006, emissions intensity actually decreased worldwide each year except for two. Individual countries did not necessarily match the reduction, as shown by such countries as China and the United States.

Between 2001 and 2006, China’s emissions increased drastically in relation to their gross domestic product. During the same years, Italy also had increased emissions. The United States did see a growth in emissions compared to gross domestic product, however it was a reduction compared to earlier years. The World Bank points to emission reductions due to various legislation.

Both Denmark and Germany saw reductions in emissions during these years. Both countries reduced their emissions intensity alongside their overall emissions reductions. The World Bank did not consider individual countries’ legislation policies to determine why the emissions intensity occurred in each country.

Those in charge of the study are hoping the information they attained will be helpful in Copenhagen in December. If a country can gain economic growth while reducing emissions, it would minimize many fears countries have over combating global warming.

The park is home to an array of species, including elk, deer, mountain lions, bears, bighorn sheep and eagles. Sixty of the mountains in the park are above 12,000 feet and it has countless alpine lakes. Alpine lakes were once thought to be too isolated from other areas to have their pristine waters impacted. However, studies have proven that even global pollution can impact the lakes and surrounding areas.

The recent study by Elser indicated that nitrogen pollution is causing algae in the lakes, a main food source, to essentially become fish versions of junk food. Elser stated: “It’s like eating marshmallows all day and expecting to grow. You can’t do it.” The increase in nitrogen is causing algae to be low in phosphorous and therefore less nutritious.

Not only does increased nitrogen directly impact the species consuming it, it can also cause biodiversity to drop. The lack of nutritious food will kill off many species relying on the algae and therefore leave fewer species in the lakes, drastically impacting ecosystems. Elser plans on further studying the impacts the algae are having on entire ecosystems in the future.

The problem is not occurring just in Rocky Mountain National Park, 16 parks in the United States have reported an increase in nitrogen levels just this year. Elser also found the “junk food” algae effect occurring in Norway and Sweden during his study.

The sources of the nitrogen-rich pollution include vehicle exhaust and fertilizers being used on farms. Livestock feed lots and power plants are also to blame. In the Rocky Mountain National Park area, agricultural lands not far from the park along with pollution from Denver are being blamed for the increase in nitrogen.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council decided that it would prevent commercial fishing in areas that are becoming available to fish in due to decreased ice. The areas where it will be prohibited to fish will be off-limits beginning this December 3rd.

The council, along with environmental groups, agree that scientists should first study the area to learn more about it. Glenn Sheehan, an executive director at the Barrow Arctic Science Consortium, stated: “You can’t manage an environment if you don’t understand it.”

The fishing agreement involves commercial fishing regarding finfish and shellfish which are in federal waters. However, Pacific salmon and Pacific halibut are not included because they are controlled under other laws. Subsistence fishing will not be controlled under this plan, either will salmon, shellfish and whitefish fishing off Alaska near the Arctic shore.

Fishing, however, will be illegal in approximately 200,000 square miles of U.S. controlled waters. These waters are in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas. The plan has received support of various fishing organizations in the area, making the plan easier to enact.