The world's glaciers are frozen reservoirs of water that sustain nearly 2 billion people worldwide. As glaciers melt away, so do the domestic and agricultural water supplies--the very lifeblood-- of those people. Of course, glacial runoff sustains a host of aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity, which are likewise important to humanity's quality of life. A sweeping new study published in the journal Science (and summarized here), predicts the future of Earth's glaciers und

A bit of good news in the New Year. The most recent gathering of the United Nations Biodiversity Conference in Montreal produced a landmark agreement among the 188 participating countries' representatives. The goal to protect 30% of the planet's land and water area for nature by 2030 seeks to stem the loss of Earth's biodiversity, which has been slipping away in what many consider to be the planet's 6th mass extinction event, this one largely a consequence of human activity.