http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/science_society/resource_shortage/ Scientific research on projected food shortages, freshwater shortages, methods of resource allocation and related topics. en-us Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:05:01 EST Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/science_society/resource_shortage/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091125081622.htm Six new international studies show that cutting greenhouse gases, in particular ozone and black carbon, can quickly save millions of lives worldwide in addition to slowing climate change. Thu, 26 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091125081622.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091123152224.htm Using historical data on the relationship between temperature and conflict in Africa, researchers have estimated the effect of rising temperatures due to global warming. They concluded that the incidence of African civil war could increase 55 percent by 2030, resulting in an additional 390,000 battle deaths if future wars are as deadly as recent ones. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091123152224.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091124152803.htm Popular thinking about how to improve food systems often misses the point, according to the results of a three-year global study of salmon production systems. Rather than pushing for organic or land-based production, or worrying about simple metrics such as "food miles," the study finds that the world can achieve greater environmental benefits by focusing on improvements production and distribution. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091124152803.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091123212549.htm In this week's PLoS Medicine, the journal's editors call for concerted international action to address the crisis of malaria drug shortages across Africa. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091123212549.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091123132637.htm Richer nations with competitive crop production and few trade barriers would fare the best if climate change, weather events or other factors cause yields of grain and oilseed crops to become more volatile, a new study has found. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091123132637.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111114910.htm Fossil carbon dioxide emissions increased by 40 percent from 1990 to 2008, according to new findings. Coal has bypassed oil as the largest source of CO2 emissions. Sun, 22 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111114910.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116085045.htm A new report warns basic life-saving solutions such as hygiene, adequate nutrition, bed nets and skilled birth attendants "not a priority" for too many leaders. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116085045.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091113130008.htm With the countdown to the climate change summit in Copenhagen underway, a new article says that rich countries need to pay the full incremental cost of low carbon technology for developing countries to avoid dangerous climate change. Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091113130008.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111083055.htm Because land use changes are responsible for 50 percent of warming in the US, policymakers need to address the influence of global deforestation and urbanization on climate change, in addition to greenhouse gas emissions, experts urge. Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111083055.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102171415.htm Nearly half of all American children will reside in a household receiving food stamps at some point between the ages of 1 and 20, according to a new report. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102171415.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029211534.htm North American car manufacturers have come bottom of the league in the largest ever international study of the global automobile sector's sustainability performance. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029211534.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111121547.htm Fair Trade labeling can work on a small scale, as a niche market. On the other hand, Fair Trade labels are not the right way to change the situation for the great majority of poor farmers. This is shown in the report What Does Fair Trade Labeling Achieve? from AgriFood Economics Centre, Lund University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU). Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111121547.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102204438.htm As African leaders prepare to present an ambitious proposal to industrialized countries for coping with climate change in the part of the world that is most vulnerable to its impacts, a new study points to where and how some of this money should be spent. The study projects that climate change will have highly variable impacts on East Africa's vital maize and bean harvests over the next two to four decades. Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102204438.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091030125058.htm Although declining streamflows and half-full reservoirs have gotten most of the attention in water conflicts around the United States, some of the worst battles of the next century may be over groundwater, experts say -- a critical resource often taken for granted until it begins to run out. But lessons learned as oil was running out may offer some solutions. Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091030125058.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027132418.htm Those in poverty in rural Oregon often know what kinds of foods they should be eating, but face tough choices between eating well and spending less money for meals. Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027132418.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022141128.htm While carbon dioxide is the main greenhouse gas and the focus of climate treaties, other pollutants that stay in the atmosphere for only days or months also contribute to global warming. Researchers argue that policymakers should plan a summit now to look at these pollutants, which range from soot to ozone and methane, because they will be more complicated to regulate than is the case with carbon dioxide. Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022141128.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013105631.htm Could sustainable architecture address pollution, climate change and resource depletion by helping us build self-sufficient, off-grid, housing from "waste," including vehicle tires and metal drinks containers? That's the question researchers in Australia are trying to answer. Fri, 16 Oct 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013105631.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091016112637.htm Watching television has no significant impact on viewers' knowledge about the issue of climate change, a new study suggests. However, reading newspapers and using the Web seem to contribute to people's knowledge about this issue. Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091016112637.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091007223743.htm A new report argues that conventional oil production is likely to peak before 2030, with a significant risk of a peak before 2020. The report concludes that the UK Government is not alone in being unprepared for such an event -- despite oil supplying a third of the world's energy. Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091007223743.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091007124729.htm A team of Spanish scientists from a variety of fields has analyzed the effects of human activity on the peridunal lagoons in the Doñana National Park. Results show that the lagoons are in the process of regressing, largely due to the extraction of underground water for the Matalascañas tourist resort (Huelva). Moreover, the natural effects of the ecosystem itself are further aggravating the situation. Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091007124729.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006155858.htm Water scarcity as a result of climate change will create far-reaching global security concerns, says Dr. Rajendra K. Pachauri, chair of the intergovernmental panel on climate change, at the 2009 Nobel Conference at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn., on Oct. 6, 2009. Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006155858.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091001095603.htm Both household food insecurity and childhood overweight are significant problems in the United States. Paradoxically, being food-insecure may be an underlying contributor to being overweight. A study of almost 8,500 low-income children ages 1 month to 5 years suggests an association between household food insecurity and overweight prevalence in this low-income population. However, sex and age appear to modify both the magnitude and direction of the association. Fri, 02 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091001095603.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090930180955.htm Community health centers have become the centerpiece of the nation's efforts to provide access to primary care for all and therefore experience a greater need for primary care providers, who already are in short supply. According to researchers at Boston Medical Center and Boston University School of Medicine, medical education must become a core part of the community health center mission to address this need. Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090930180955.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090920204459.htm A new study indicates most of the world's low-lying river deltas are sinking from human activity, making them increasingly vulnerable to flooding from rivers and ocean storms and putting tens of millions of people at risk. Mon, 21 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090920204459.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090921134704.htm Financial crises place significant strain on banks, causing them to behave more opportunistically than clients are accustomed to. Business clients should count on this, according to one business economist, who has studied the topic of contractual relationships between banks and corporate clients during the 1990s financial crisis in Sweden. Mon, 21 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090921134704.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090921091833.htm A new report by leading food and sustainability scientists calls for Europe to take a new approach on food security, prioritizing health and sustainability in research and using a holistic view when making policy. Mon, 21 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090921091833.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090911095358.htm The world faces a compounding series of crises driven by human activity, which existing governments and institutions are increasingly powerless to cope with, a group of eminent environmental scientists and economists has warned. Pointing to global action on ozone depletion (the Montreal Protocol), high seas fisheries and antibiotic drug resistance as examples, they call for a new order of cooperative international institutions capable of dealing with issues like climate change -- and enforcing compliance where necessary. Thu, 17 Sep 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090911095358.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090915192232.htm Health experts warn that failure to agree radical cuts in carbon dioxide emissions at the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen this December spells a global health catastrophe. Wed, 16 Sep 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090915192232.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090910211904.htm The link between deprivation and premature death is as strong today as it was in the early 1900s, according to new research. Wed, 16 Sep 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090910211904.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090916153149.htm Older Americans have weathered the financial crisis relatively well, although many now expect to work longer than they did just a year ago, according to a new study. Wed, 16 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090916153149.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090911191721.htm Scientists have warned that UN negotiations aimed at tackling climate change are based on substantial underestimates of what it will cost to adapt to its impacts. The real costs of adaptation to climate change are likely to be two-to-three times greater than estimates made by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the researchers say. Tue, 15 Sep 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090911191721.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090908193528.htm The Society of Nuclear Medicine recently conducted a survey of nuclear pharmacies -- pharmacies that supply the critical radioisotope Technetium-99m, which is used in more than 16 million nuclear medicine tests each year in the United States -- to assess, anecdotally, the impact of the worldwide medical isotope shortage. Wed, 09 Sep 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090908193528.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090902122448.htm A monkey that has acquired the sole power to hand out apples is generously rewarded with grooming sessions by the other monkeys in its group. But as soon as another monkey can hand out apples as well, the market value of the first monkey is halved. The monkeys therefore unerringly obey the law of supply and demand. Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090902122448.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090907142345.htm There is more to life satisfaction than money, and public policy programs aiming to tackle poverty need to move beyond simply raising people’s income to also improving their quality of life in other areas, according to a new study. Tue, 08 Sep 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090907142345.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090908125122.htm Among likely voters surveyed across the nation, about nine in 10 support the federal government adopting additional food safety measures, and 64 percent believe that imported foods are often or sometimes unsafe, according to a new poll. Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090908125122.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090901104846.htm Hot on the heels of the Royal Society's Geoengineering the Climate report, September's Physics World contains feature comment from UK experts stressing the need to start taking geoengineering -- deliberate interventions in the climate system to counteract man-made global warming -- more seriously. Wed, 02 Sep 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090901104846.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090902112119.htm Investing in restoration and maintenance of the Earth's multi-trillion-dollar ecosystems -- from forests and mangroves to wetlands and river basins -- can have a key role in countering climate change and climate-proofing vulnerable economies. Wed, 02 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090902112119.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090827073250.htm Fast growing transgenic fish can revolutionize commercial fish farming and relieve the pressure on overexploited fish stocks. But what happens in the natural environment if transgenic fish escape? Researchers in Sweden have studied transgenic fish on behalf of the European Union and are urging caution. Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090827073250.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090825151011.htm The Tobacco Atlas, 3rd Edition, published by the American Cancer Society and World Lung Foundation, estimates that tobacco use kills some six million people each year -- more than a third of whom will die from cancer -- and drains $500 billion annually from global economies. Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090825151011.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090820082101.htm Urban workers could suffer most from climate change as the cost of food drives them into poverty, according to a new study that quantifies the effects of climate on the world's poor populations. Researchers examined the potential economic influence of adverse climate events, such as heat waves, drought and heavy rains, on those in 16 developing countries. Urban workers in Bangladesh, Mexico and Zambia were found to be the most at risk. Fri, 21 Aug 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090820082101.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090812143938.htm Using satellite data, hydrologists have found that groundwater beneath northern India has been receding by as much as 1 foot per year over the past decade -- and they believe human consumption is almost entirely to blame. Wed, 19 Aug 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090812143938.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090818182018.htm The nation's home foreclosure epidemic may be taking its toll on Americans' health as well as their wallets. Nearly half of people studied while undergoing foreclosure reported depressive symptoms, and 37 percent met screening criteria for major depression, according to new research. Many also reported an inability to afford prescription drugs, and skipping meals. Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090818182018.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090811143540.htm Researchers have developed imaging technology to be used in an intelligent harvesting machine that could minimize wastage and solve an impending labor shortage for UK farmers. Wed, 19 Aug 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090811143540.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090819125510.htm The growth in world population along with the urbanization of developing countries is placing undue demands on global food supplies. Key challenges include production, transportation and also maintaining food safety and security. Tue, 18 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090819125510.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090810122139.htm The U.S. Food Stamp Program may help contribute to obesity among its users, according to a new nationwide study that followed participants for 14 years. Researchers found that the average user of food stamps had a body mass index 1.15 points higher than non-users.  Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090810122139.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090806141741.htm Hiring the workers needed to eliminate the staggering shortage of health care professionals in sub-Saharan Africa by 2015 will cost $2.6 billion a year, or 2.5 times the annual funds currently allocated for health worker wages in the region, according to a new study. Thu, 06 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090806141741.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090730073917.htm A UK hospital that combined its bereavement and donation services saw a forty-fold increase in tissue donations, such as corneas, in just five years. Between 2002 and 2007 the number of tissue donors rose from six to 246, while solid organ donation rates remained stable. The introduction of an automatic trigger to the regional transplant donor co-ordinators in 2007 resulted in 31 referrals and 11 multi-organ donors. Tue, 04 Aug 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090730073917.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090727191737.htm Within the next 15 years, the United States faces a severe shortage of cardiothoracic surgeons -- possibly resulting in diminished quality of care and delayed care for heart and lung surgery patients. Health and population trends could result in a 46 percent increased demand for cardiothoracic surgeons by 2025, while the supply of these surgeons is projected to shrink by at least 21 percent during the same time. Mon, 27 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090727191737.htm