Earthweek: A Diary of the Planet (June 21, 2013)

Global Growth
The world's population is likely to increase from 7.2 billion people to 8.1 billion by 2025, and to 9.6 billion by 2050, according to the United Nations.  The new projections are a little higher than the U.N.'s last population estimate from 2011.  While the statistician who authored the report says more needs to be done to address imbalances in populationgrowth between poorer and wealthier countries, the new upward estimatesshould not be cause for panic.  John Wilmoth says the world was able to more than double its food production as the population doubled between 1960 and 2000.  But others say that supplies of energy and other natural resources may not be able to keep up with the demands of a growing global population.
Asian Haze
Agricultural burning in Sumatra has sent the worst clouds of smoke in 16 years blowing into nearby Singapore and Mataysia.  Skyscrapers were shrouded in haze as Singapore pedestrians were forced to endure the acrid smell of burning vegetation from hundreds of miles away.  Health officials urged residents to remain indoors as air quality levels reached unprecedented levels on June 20.  Singapore's National Environment Agency said it had alerted Indonesian authorities to do something about the fires that were polluting the region's air.  But the Indonesian foresty ministry said firefighters were already tackling the blazes and water-dropping aircraft would be deployed onlyif local governors asked for it.  So far, they have failed to do so.  Massive burning occurs each year at this time as farmers clear land or plantation owners fell forests for illicit expansion.  Regulations prohibiting burning are seldom enforced.
Unintended Fatalities
New research has found that the widespread use of common pesticides can kill up to 42 percent of invertebrates in a region, which make up about 95 percent of all animal species.  A team of German and Australian researchers studied the impact of the chemicals on the biodiversity in flowing waters in Germany, France and the Australian state of Victoria.  The study examined the effects of insecticides and fungicides that have been deemed "safe" for widespread use.  Writing in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the scientists warn that some of the insects being killed, like mayflies, caddisflies and dragonflies, are important food sources for other animals.  This means their losses affect animals up the food chain to birds and fish.  Companies that manufacture the pesticides are required to prove that they break down quickly and have only limited effects on the ecosystem.  But researchers point out that those tests are mostly conducted in laboratory conditions that don't always accurately reflect what happens in the wild.
Earthquakes
More than 500 homes were damaged by the strongest quake to strike Russia's Kemerovo region in 100 years.  Geologists said he quake was triggered by coal-mining activity.
*    Earth movements were also felt in Crete, the northern Philippines, central Peru, western Guatemala, central Mexico and near Oklahoma City.
Tropical Cyclone
Tropical Storm Leepi became the second such storm in a week's time to drench Japan.
*   Tropical Storm Barry came ashore along Mexico's Gulf Coast.
Alaskan Trio
A third Alaskan volcano has shown signs of unrest, causing scientists to raise the alert level southwest of Anchorage.  The Alaska Earthquake Observatory said it had detected an increase in surface temperatures and tremors around Veniaminof volcano, on the Alaska Peninsula.  The volcano has erupted about a dozentimes over the past 200 years, with the most significant activity occurring between 1993 and 1995.   In 2008, it spit out several minor bursts of ash.  The latest activity comes just over a month after nearby Pavlof volcano awakened, joining Mount Cleveland volcano in spewing ash.
Exit Experts
Crowds of people rushing from an emergency situation can often look like ants scattering during a crisis.  And those insects are helping researchers from Australia's Monash University design buildings that can be evacuated quickly.   Therre is little available data on the best places to put exits and obstructions, like support columns, when designing office buildings, transport hubs or sports arenas.  And researchers say t would be impractical and even unethical to fake an emergency to test how people would react in a forced evacuation.  So Monash researchers Majid Sarvi and colleagues used a citronella insect repellant to make Argentine ants flee from structures that had different exits and obstructions.  They found ants were able to evacuate most effectively from exits located in corners of buildings rather in the middle of hallways.  That's where they tended to jam up and become confused.