Morning Ecology 11 August 2008

• Giant Retailers Tapping Into Immense Flat Roofs With Solar Panels (The New York Times)
• Rubbish Is Fast Becoming the New Gold as Cost of Raw Materials Rises
• Scientists Stumble Upon 'Carbon-Capture' Farming (The Times of London)
• N.Y. Among 21 US Cities to Disclose Carbon Output (Reuters)
• Brit Enviros Promise Consumer Boycotts of Banks That Invest in Coal Projects (The Guardian)
• World Bank Criticized for Helping Build Fossil Fuel Plants (Bloomberg News via International Herald Tribune)

Image: "Monsoon Rains Flood Pakistan" -- "Unusually intense monsoon rains pounded Pakistan in late July and early August 2008. This image compares rainfall as observed by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite between July 5 and August 5, 2008, to average rainfall normally seen during Pakistan's July monsoon.

"Areas that are blue or green received more rain than average, while areas that are yellow or brown received less rainfall. Pakistan stands out from the surrounding countries in that it alone received significantly more rain than average in July 2008.

"The intense rains triggered deadly floods that forced at least 82,000 from their homes, caused 27 deaths, and destroyed thousands of homes and many agricultural fields, reported CNN.

"The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) is a joint mission between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA.

"References: Associated Press. (2008, August 5). Pakistan floods displace 82,000, kill dozens. Published by CNN. Accessed August 8, 2008.

"NASA image by Hal Pierce. Caption by Holli Riebeek."