Pollution causes 40% of deaths?: About 40% of deaths worldwide are caused by water, air and soil pollution, according to a Cornell researcher. Environmental degradation, coupled with the growth in world population, are major causes behind the rapid increase in human diseases and both factors contribute to the malnourishment and disease susceptibility of 3.7 billion people — Science Daily

Protestors camp out for climate change: On August 12 dozens of people began erecting tents in a field next to Heathrow airport, not to admire the scenery: this was the Camp for Climate Action, and they had come to protest against aviation and its contribution to global warming. And now their numbers have spread to other airports in the UK. — The Economist

Blogger gets hot and bothered: An amateur meteorologist in Canada has embarrassed NASA scientists into admitting that some of the data they used to show significant recent increases in global warming is flawed. — The Guardian

Studying the rabbit proof fence: The rabbit-proof fence in Western Australia was completed in 1907 and stretches about 2,000 miles. It acts as a boundary separating native vegetation from farmland. Within the fence area, scientists have observed a strange phenomenon: above the native vegetation, the sky is rich in rain-producing clouds. But the sky on the farmland side is clear. — The New York Times

Qld dam could be damned: Serious environmental hurdles identified in a Senate report pose the greatest threat to the State Government’s proposed Traveston Dam. Federal Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull yesterday said the future of the controversial project would be dictated by the dam’s impact on threatened species and protected areas such as Fraser Island. — The Courier Mail