Moscow still smog-covered

Komsomolskaya Pravda issued a map of the wildfires sweeping through western and southern Russia. Smog still persists in Moscow and reaches as far St Petersburg and Ekaterinburg, 1,500km west of Moscow.

Nuclear Waste in Germany

Nuclear waste is hard to dispose of. Often far-away countries or the oceans serve as dumping grounds, but this time a deserted salt mine in Lower Saxony/Germany tells the story. Having been a deceptively safe 'storage' of Germany's nuclear waste for almost 50 years, the mine has grown instable, is filling with water and on the verge of collapsing. Now, a new solution must be found quickly before more radioactive water leaks into the environment. (National Geographic)

This is how it looks above the hazardous source:

Beyond Boundaries

Scientists have identified 9 areas that are crucial for the assessment of life on planet Earth as we know it. Exceeding their boundaries means a serious threat to the natural world and resources. They are:

-Fresh water use
-Change in land use
-Rate of Biodiversity loss
-Climate change
-Nitrogen cycle
-Phosporus cycle
-Stratospheric ozone depletion
-Atmospheric Aerosol loading
-Chemical polution
-Ocean acidification
Now, the graph shows that humans have overstepped 3 of the 9 planetary boundaries and are close to transgressing others. The ultimate impact: unknown. The way of limitation: unknown. Wow, what a prospect. (from New Scientist 2010)