May 20
Here’s a look at what’s happening this week on FORA.tv. In order to lessen the U.S. economy’s reliance on foreign oil, the government and the energy industry have worked in concert to develop new strategies for exploiting energy in North America. The result is diversified mixture of traditional sources such as oil, coal, natural gas …
May 17
First to make an unassisted solo crossing of Antarctica? Check. First successful circumnavigation of the Arctic? Check. Adventure entrepreneur? Check. When it comes to modern polar exploration, Børge Ousland ranks the undisputed king. So devoted to the earth’s coldest regions, he even made it a point to get married at the North Pole in 2012. …
May 15
In the early 1960s, the Soviet government devised a plan to boost its agricultural output by irrigating large parcels of land that lay along two major rivers in Central Asia, the Amu Darya and Syr Darya. Along with growing food crops such as grains and fruits, the Soviets planned to drive their economic engine by …
May 08
Imagine walking into the produce section of your supermarket of choice and seeing no apples, almonds, blackberries, avocados? Such a scenario may someday become a reality if the nation’s honeybee colonies continue to decline. A grim story in WIRED says a report complied by scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, beekeepers and other researchers …
Apr 22
In celebration of Earth Day and Earth Week, we’re launching a new and updated series containing a selection of environmental videos designed to inform, educate, and activate. From clips that highlight the dangers of climate change to urban initiatives designed to promote sustainable living, “Earth Day: Our Fragile Planet” features a number of leading thinkers …
Apr 15
In the annals of what is now called the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, there are three men who are commonly known among adventurer circles as making the greatest impact– Roald Amundsen, the Norwegian explorer who in 1911 became the first to discover the South Pole; Robert Falcon Scott, the Royal Navy officer whose team …
Apr 03
Located just halfway between Peru and New Zealand in the South Pacific, the Pitcairn Islands are one of the most remote geographic places on earth. Made up of four islands clustered within several hundred kilometers of each other, the Pitcairn Islands also contain one of the most remote human settlements made up of descendants from …
Mar 27
A small provision that slipped into last week’s Agricultural Appropriations Bill is raising the ire of food, health, and farming activists who see it frightening victory for Big Agriculture. Dubbed the “Monsanto Protection Act” by opponents, it aims to shield biotech giants from litigation in the face of health risks associated with genetically-modified crops. Critics …
Mar 22
World Water Day is a reminder that water is a scarce and precious resource for a large segment of earth’s population. For billions of people, easy access to clean water is a luxury. Though the majority of the U.S. population enjoys this luxury, there is growing evidence that we are not immune to scarcity and the United …
Mar 22
Consider this startling statistic: by 2025, 1.8 billion of the world’s inhabitants will live in regions with absolute water scarcity. If population growth stays the same, that means over 1 in 5 people will experience problems accessing clean water on a daily basis. Far removed from the ease of turning on a faucet like many of …