Arctic melt faster than forecast
BBC News reports here: Arctic ice is melting faster than computer models of climate calculate, according to a group of US researchers.
U.S. and China criticize climate report
AP reports here at Yahoo News: BANGKOK, Thailand - The United States and China want to water down a proposed plan for fighting climate change, arguing that action to reduce greenhouse gases will be more costly and time-consuming than scientists claim.
Europe Looks Beyond Ethanol
Spiegel Online reports here: Continental carmakers are testing a variety of biofuel alternatives as well as engine technologies that reduce carbon-dioxide emissions.
Pacific whale decline 'a mystery'
BBC News reports here: Grey whales along the Pacific coast of North America appear to be in distress, with not enough food available.
Costs expected to take center stage at climate talks
APreports here at CNN: The costs of cutting greenhouse gases and who will pay for doing it are likely to be the key issues at a major U.N.-backed climate change meeting of scientists and diplomats in the Thai capital this week, participants said Sunday.
Italian Farmers Fret as Rivers Dry Up
Spiegel Online reports here: Italy is considering imposing a state of emergency due to an unseasonable drought which is threatening agricultural production. But while the arid conditions might be a result of climate change, poor infrastructure is also to blame.
Ontario gets solar power plant
Reuters reports here at Yahoo News: TORONTO Work on North America's biggest solar power plant will start next year in Ontario, the Canadian province's energy minister said on Thursday.
Algae killing birds, sealife in California
AP reports here at Yahoo News: LOS ANGELES - A bloom of ocean algae that produces a toxic acid has sickened and killed hundreds of birds, sea lions and dolphins in California, environmentalists said. The algae population increases or "blooms" every year as the ocean waters warm but this year's bloom seems early, extensive and "very, very thick. Humans can't be harmed by swimming in algae blooms but consuming fish and shellfish tainted with the acid can cause nausea, seizures and even death.
Solar Powered Swimsuit
Can I Plug My iPod into Your Bikini? Spiegel Online reports here: It's just what the world needed. Now, there's a solar-powered swimsuit, making it a snap to recharge your iPod right on the beach and reduce your carbon footprint while you sunbathe.
UK April weather set to break record
BBC News reports here: The UK Met Office has released figures showing that this month is set to be the warmest April since records began in England more than 300 years ago. The data has been compiled from observations that go into the Central England Temperature record. This series, which dates back to 1659, is the world's longest running temperature series. The provisional mean figure for April 2007 is 11.1C - that is 3.2C above the long-term average.
China must end its dependency on coal
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: Industrialised countries must support China's efforts to end its dependency on coal, which is highly pollutant, environmental group Greenpeace told an Asia Europe meeting (ASEM) in Copenhagen on Wednesday.
Nasa's Earth observation capacity is under threat
BBC News reports here: At a time when climate change impacts are accelerating, our ability to observe those impacts from space is deteriorating. Cuts in US government funding for Nasa programmes will dramatically weaken scientists' capacity to monitor and understand the planet's climate; at least, so says a major study from the National Research Council (NRC), published earlier this year. If present trends continue, they conclude, by 2015 the number of US Earth-observing satellite missions will be reduced by half, putting the scientific systems they support "at risk of collapse."
U.N. panel to lay out steps on warming
AP reports here at Yahoo News: BANGKOK, Thailand - After two reports predicting a warmer Earth where life is fundamentally changed, a U.N.-sponsored scientific panel next month will issue a third study describing how a united world can avert the worst, by embracing technologies ranging from nuclear power to manure controls.
EU Commute Leaves Hefty Carbon Footprint
Spiegel Online reports here: A new report has found that the monthly commute by the European Parliament from Belgium to France not only costs taxpayers millions of euros, it also generates over 20,000 tons of CO2 a year damaging the environment and the EU's credibility.
Spain mulls offshore wind farms
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: MADRID Spain is looking at building several offshore wind parks along its vast coastline as a way to boost its use of renewable energy sources, an industry ministry spokesman said Tuesday.
Singapore Wants Dutch Dikes
Spiegel Online reports here: Singapore has decided not to wait for sea levels to rise, preferring to plan ahead. Elder statesman Lee Kuan Yew said the city-state has contacted experts from the Netherlands for help with dike construction as it prepares for the effects of climate change.
Green homes going mainstream
CNET News.com reports here: Built in a factory with energy conservation in mind, these sunlit homes challenge the notion that living green means dwelling in a hut.
U.N. panel lists climate-change cures
AP reports here at Yahoo News: The draft report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's working group on mitigation, a report whose final version will be issued May 4 in Bangkok, lists dozens of available technologies that could significantly reduce global-warming gases.
China sees climate impacts ahead
BBC News reports here: The National Climate Change Assessment Report sees higher temperatures causing droughts, spreading deserts and reducing water supplies. But the report says China should not risk slowing its economic growth by curbing greenhouse gas production. It recommends taking measures to protect water supplies and safeguard agricultural output.
Japan, US eye emission-free coal plant
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: Japan and the United States will lead a five-nation project to develop a coal-fired power plant which discharges no carbon dioxide into the air, a press report said Sunday.
NYC pledges 1 million new trees by 2017
AP reports here at Yahoo News: NEW YORK - One million new trees will join the urban landscape of New York City by the year 2017 to reduce air pollution, cool temperatures and help improve the city's long term sustainability, officials said Saturday.
New York City’s Mayor Proposes a Fee for Driving Into Manhattan
The New York Times reports here: The charge is part of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s plan to improve New York City’s environment and cope with a surge in population.
Earth Day, April 22nd, 2007
Earth Day was created in 1970 to spark a revolution against environmental abuse and the organizers, including EDN Board Chairman Denis Hayes, would not take no for an answer. Neither should we. Global warming is real and we're part of the problem. Now, we need to become part of the solution. Fotr more info on Earth Day see this page here from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Salmon campaigner lands top award
BBC News reports here: An Icelandic businessman's fight to save Atlantic wild salmon from being wiped out by overfishing has been awarded a top environmental prize. Orri Vigfusson, 64, won a Goldman Environmental Prize for his efforts, which have led to a resurgence in salmon numbers in the North Atlantic.
Powerful policy group toughens U.S. emissions plan
Reuters reports here at Yahoo News: An influential U.S. panel of energy experts has toughened its recommendations on global warming emissions, aiming for a 15 percent cut in greenhouse gases by 2030, a spokesman for the group said on Friday.
Heat Triggers Sex Change in Lizards by "Turning Off" Key Gene
National Geographic News reports here: Too much sun may mean sexual inequality for an Australian desert lizard, with higher temperatures changing males into females while still in the egg.
Saving Chimps, Supporting Farmers, One Sip at a Time
OneWorld.net reports here at Yahoo News: Renowned primatologist Jane Goodall joined corporate executives this week to launch a new line of "chimp-friendly" coffee, designed to open consumers' eyes to environmental degradation in western Tanzania and the steep toll it's taking on chimpanzees and humans alike.
U.S. urges India to use more clean energy
Reuters reports here at Yahoo News: The United States urged India on Thursday to bank more on renewable energy sources to meet its soaring demand as that would help curb rising global fossil fuel prices.
Pig fat to be turned into diesel
BBC News reports here: American oil company ConocoPhillips and Tyson Foods, the world's biggest meat producer, have announced that they will produce diesel from pork fat.
Australians warned of water cuts
BBC News reports here: Australian PM John Howard has warned that irrigation of much of the nation's farmland will be banned unless there is heavy rainfall in the next month. Australia is suffering from its worst drought on record, and the lack of rainfall has already severely reduced the production of major irrigated crops in the Murray-Darling river basin.
Europe's Nuclear Waste Conundrum
Spiegel Online reports here: A new study has found that large swaths of Germany could be suitable to store highly radioactive nuclear waste. But that doesn't mean the problem is any closer to being solved.
Indonesia minister proposes new-car ban
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: JAKARTA Indonesia's environment minister has proposed a ban on the sale of new cars in a radical bid to slash pollution levels in the nation's rapidly growing urban areas, a report said Thursday.
World needs to axe greenhouse gases by 80pct: report
Reuters reports here at Yahoo News: The world will have to axe greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050, more deeply than planned, to have an even chance of curbing global warming in line with European Union goals, researchers said on Thursday.
Ethanol cars may not be healthier
BBC News reports here: Ethanol vehicles may have worse effects on human health than conventional petrol, US scientists have warned.
Réunion Eruption Reveals New Fish Species
Spiegel Online reports here: Fish dying en masse due to a volcanic eruption may sound like bad news. But scientists have discovered new species of fish after a Réunion lava flow spilled into the Indian Ocean.
Global warming may spur wind shear, sap hurricanes
Reuters reports here at Yahoo News: Global warming could increase a climate phenomenon known as wind shear that inhibits Atlantic hurricanes, a potentially positive result of climate change, according to new research released on Tuesday.
'Fewer leaves' behind frog demise
BBC News reports here: A decline in the amount of leaves on the ground could be behind the rapid demise of frog species, a study of a rainforest in Costa Rica has suggested.
Warming Predicted to Take Severe Toll on U.S.
Washington Post reports here: Climate change will exact a major cost on North America's timber industry and could drive as much as 40 percent of its plant and animal species to extinction in a matter of decades, according to a new report from an international panel.
Planet Earth - The Complete BBC Series
Planet Earth - The Complete BBC Series With an unprecedented production budget of $25 million, and from the makers of Blue Planet: Seas of Life, comes the epic story of life on Earth. Five years in production, over 2,000 days in the field, using 40 cameramen filming across 200 locations As of its release in early 2007, Planet Earth is quite simply the greatest nature/wildlife series ever produced. Following the similarly monumental achievement of The Blue Planet: Seas of Life, this astonishing 11-part BBC series is brilliantly narrated by Sir David Attenborough and sensibly organized so that each 50-minute episode covers a specific geographical region and/or wildlife habitat (mountains, caves, deserts, shallow seas, seasonal forests, etc.) until the entire planet has been magnificently represented by the most astonishing sights and sounds you'll ever experience from the comforts of home. The premiere episode, "From Pole to Pole," serves as a primer for things to come, placing the entire series in proper context and giving a general overview of what to expect from each individual episode. Without being overtly political, the series maintains a consistent and subtle emphasis on the urgent need for ongoing conservation, best illustrated by the plight of polar bears whose very behavior is changing (to accommodate life-threatening changes in their fast-melting habitat) in the wake of global warming--a phenomenon that this series appropriately presents as scientific fact. With this harsh reality as subtext, the series proceeds to accentuate the positive, delivering a seemingly endless variety of natural wonders, from the spectacular mating displays of New Guinea's various birds of paradise to a rare encounter with Siberia's nearly-extinct Amur Leopards, of which only 30 remain in the wild. That's just a hint of the marvels on display. For more on Planet Earth - The Complete BBC Series see this page here.
Kilimanjaro's ice set to linger
BBC News reports here: A fresh assessment suggests the iconic ice fields on Africa's tallest mountain will be around for decades yet.
The Bumblebee Conservation
A national drive to help boost the number of bumblebees in Britain has been launched. For more info see Beewatch 2007.
Gold to go in diesel engines
CNET News.com reports here: Nanostellar, which specializes in molecules and materials for making diesel engines run more efficiently, has devised a new coating for the inside of catalytic converters--devices that reduce emissions before they leave a car's tailpipe--that will both cost less than traditional coatings and cut down further on pollution.
Scientists Enlist Nature's Divers to Sample Icy Sea
The Washington reports here: For years, scientists have been trying to get a sense of the ocean north of Greenland but have been deterred by the harsh weather there. Now they have finally found deep-diving oceanographers willing to do their work for them: narwhals.
Yangtze pollution 'irreversible'
Billions of tons of waste end up in China's waterways each year, BBC News reports here: Large parts of China's longest river, the Yangtze, have been irreversibly polluted, state media quotes a report as saying.
Russia Tries to Save Polar Bears With Legal Hunt
Spiegel Online reports here: Scientists, environmentalists and native villagers express hope that a legal hunt could rein in rampant poaching.
Week in review: The gold in being green
Who knew that being green in an environmental sense could put some greenbacks in your pocket, CNET News.com writes here: It's easier being green when environmentally friendly technologies and practices yield financial rewards.
Global warming a security risk
AP reports here at Yahoo News: WASHINGTON - Global warming poses a "serious threat to America's national security" with terrorism worsening and the U.S. will likely be dragged into fights over water and other shortages, top retired military leaders warn in a new report.
Do Consumers Really Want Fuel- Efficient Cars?
Spiegel Online asks here: In Germany, sales of SUVs have risen by more than 45 percent in the past three years. People proselytize for hybrids and fuel efficiency, but they buy fat, gas-guzzling autos. Why do drivers, businessmen and politicians have such a hard time saving gas to protect the environment?
Hummers and muscle cars go green
CNET News.com reports here: Jonathan Goodwin has built a car that can run on ethanol, hydrogen, biodiesel or natural gas--all fairly clean fuels. It gets the equivalent of 40 miles a gallon. And it's a Hummer.
Biotech seeks to ease reliance on corn
AP reports here at Yahoo News: The ethanol craze is putting the squeeze on corn supplies and causing food prices to rise. Mexicans took to the streets last year to protest increased tortilla prices. The cost of chicken and beef in the United States ticked up because feed is more expensive. That's where biotechnology comes in.
Transport seen surging, damaging climate: U.N. draft
Reuters reports here at Yahoo News: OSLO - Surging use of cars and planes will push up greenhouse gas emissions in coming decades, making the transport sector a black spot in a fight against global warming, according to a draft U.N. report.
Fairy Magic Saves Queen's Swans
Spiegel Online reports here: Swans are supposed to be white. So when the British Queen's flock of swans began turning pink, scientists were concerned -- especially when the birds began dying. Now boffins from across the Pond have come up with a solution: dishwashing liquid.
Monster warning to protect oceans
BBC News writes here: The landing of a colossal squid by New Zealand fishermen earlier this year offered a rare glimpse into the mysterious world deep beneath the waves. Scientist Mark Norman uses this week's Green Room to argue that it also shows how marine life is being destroyed before it is understood.
Global warming turns up political heat in Australia
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: SYDNEY - Global warming is turning up the political heat in Australia, the only country in the world to have joined the United States in refusing to ratify the Kyoto Protocol on climate change.
Disputes between the United States and Canada over water reserves
Reuters reports here at Yahoo News: Climate change could diminish North American water supplies and trigger disputes between the United States and Canada over water reserves already stressed by industry and agriculture, U.N. experts said on Wednesday.
Why Conservation Is the World's Best Energy Source
Spiegel Online reports here: Warnings of a coming climate catastrophe caused by greenhouse gas emissions are growing louder. But the pressure for economic growth around the globe is pushing gas and oil prices higher. The solution seems deceptively simple: conserve energy by using it more efficiently. So why aren't more people doing exactly that?
Galapagos Islands 'facing crisis'
BBC News reports here: Ecuador's president says the unique environment of the Galapagos Islands is at risk and declares it a priority.
'We Need to Take Action Soon'
James Hansen, director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, spoke to DER SPIEGEL, read the interview here, about the causes and consequences of global warming -- and why there are only ten years left to steer the world away from climate catastrophe.
Madonna heads UK Live Earth bill
BBC News reports here: Madonna, Genesis, James Blunt and the Red Hot Chili Peppers will be among the headliners at the London show of the global series of Live Earth concerts.
Meet the Solar-Powered Trash Can
Businessweek.com reports here: Seahorse Power's BigBelly holds four to five times as much garbage as conventional receptacles. And it's cleaning up with local governments.
U.S. Eyes Green Europe
The Washington Post reports here: As U.S. lawmakers work on the details of their greenhouse-gas legislation, they are looking carefully at Europe's experience. Five Senate proposals all use the same basic approach, known as "cap and trade," that Europe has used for the past two years. But what the snappy name "cap and trade" means is that the market will put a price on something that's always been free: the right of a factory to emit carbon gases. That could affect the cost of everything from windowpanes to airline tickets to electricity.
Zero carbon is the goal for Woodstock
AP reports here at Yahoo News: WOODSTOCK, N.Y. - Michael Esposito rides his bike all the time — from cold nights when leaving his old job at a natural food store to warm days while passing shops selling yoga clothes and soy drinks.
Kazakhs get loan to save Aral Sea
The United Nations has said the disappearance of the Aral is the worst man-made environmental disaster, BBC News reports here: The Kazakh government secures a multi-million dollar World Bank loan to help save the Aral Sea.
Future looks bleak for Cape of Good Hope
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: CAPE POINT, South Africa - The lush vineyards, rare plant species and breathtaking scenery that have turned the Cape peninsula into a tourist magnet are in danger of withering away within decades if the doomsday predictions of a growing number of scientists come true.
EU 'put Portugal wildlife under threat'
BBC News reports here: More than half Portugal's wildlife has come under threat of extinction since the country joined the European Union 20 years ago - and massive redevelopment made possible by EU cash is at least partly to blame, environmental groups have told the BBC.
Getting the price right for solar
CNET News.com reports here: Solar gear suppliers are cranking up manufacturing, betting that higher scale translates to lower costs.
The Age of the Climate Refugees?
Spiegel Online writes here: The picture painted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is one of blighted nations and millions of desperate immigrants fleeing climate disaster. But experts disagree about whether the bleak vision will ever come true.
U.N.: Warming ruining society, nature
CNN News reports here: "Top climate experts issue the bleakest U.N. assessment yet on global warming, warning it will cause faster and wider damage than previously forecast, ranging from hunger in Africa and Asia to extinctions and rising ocean levels." And BBC News here: "Billions of people face shortages of food, water and increased risk of flooding from climate change, experts warn."
Report Confirms Climate Change Is a Fact
Spiegel Online reports here: The United Nations on Friday issued its most dramatic warning yet about the potentially catastrophic effects of climate change on the planet. European political leaders say we must cut greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to a climate change process that is already underway.
Global warming threatens natural wonders
AP reports here at Yahoo News: BRUSSELS, Belgium - An environmental group said Thursday some of the world's greatest natural treasures are threatened with destruction because of global warming — from the Great Barrier Reef to the Amazon rain forests and the unique ecosystem of the Mexican desert.
U.N. Security Council to study climate
AP reports here at Yahoo News: UNITED NATIONS - The U.N. Security Council put climate change on its agenda for the first time and will hold a high-level meeting this month to discuss potential threats to international security from global warming.
Discovery channel to go green
The New York Times reports here at news.com: Next year, company will rebrand its Discovery Home Channel when it becomes the centerpiece of an initiative called PlanetGreen.
Scientists weigh downside of palm oil
The Associated Press reports here at Yahoo News: AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - Only a few years ago, oil from palm trees was viewed as an ideal biofuel: a cheap, renewable alternative to petroleum that would fight global warming. Energy companies began converting generators and production soared.
Global warming hits Mars too: study
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: Global warming could be heating Mars four times faster than Earth due to a mutually reinforcing interplay of wind-swept dust and changes in reflected heat from the Sun, according to a study released Wednesday.
Is France's Energy- Guzzling TGV Prototype the Right Answer?
Spiegel Online reports here: As Tuesday's record-breaking TGV run in France illustrates, trains are traveling faster than ever before. But at what point will ever-increasing speeds make high-speed rail unsafe and environmentally unfriendly?
Silicon Valley's "best brains" work on energy
Reuters reports here at Yahoo News: MENLO PARK, Calif - Venture capitalists in Silicon Valley have been searching for the next big thing in high-tech for years, but now many have switched to greener pursuits finding technology to help cut global warming.
Lenovo tops eco-friendly ranking
BBC News reports here: Chinese PC maker Lenovo comes top of a Greenpeace study on which electronics firms are most eco-friendly. The Top 14 the in Greenpeace ranking are: 1) Lenovo: 8 2) Nokia: 7.3 3=) Sony/Ericsson: 7 3=) Dell: 7 5=) Samsung: 6.3 5=) Motorola: 6.3 7) Fujitsu/Siemens: 6 8) Hewlett-Packard: 5.6 9) Acer: 5.3 10) Toshiba: 4.3 11) Sony: 4 12=) LG Electronics: 3.6 12=) Panasonic: 3.6 14) Apple: 2.7
A Rusting Timebomb in the Baltic
Spiegel Online reports here: World War II bombs, poisonous chemicals, sudden explosions of rusting ordnance pose a major threat to the Baltic Sea in the years to come, say experts. But governments are slow to tackle the problem.
Farewell to a melting glacier
BBC News reports here: "Latin America analyst James Painter returns to the Chacaltaya glacier in Bolivia for the first time in 15 years to find it is melting fast." Been up there myself when there still was some snow around back in 1978, beautiful mountains and spectacular views with intense colors in the thin air, here is a photo from my visit:
Very active Atlantic hurricane season looms: experts
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: MIAMI - Forecasters warned Tuesday the Atlantic hurricane season would be a very active one, predicting 17 named storms would form of which nine could become hurricanes, highly likely to strike Caribbean and US coasts.
High Court Faults EPA Inaction on Emissions
The Washington Post reports here: In rebuke to Bush administration policy on global warming, justices grant agency the authority to control greenhouse gases from automobiles.
Humans fiddle while the planet heats up
Author of upcoming report on global warming, Stanford scientist Terry Root pulls no punches about what she says is happening before our eyes, read the article here at CNET News.com.
51 Ways to Go Green
Can one person save the environment? Actually, yes. Here at times.com are 51 ways you can help build a greener planet!
Ways to Avoid a Climate Catastrophe
Spiegel Online reports here: The rapid change in the world's climate and shrinking oil and natural gas reserves are forcing a radical shift in the way we think about energy. Declining prosperity seems unavoidable unless the global community chooses a more sustainable approach to producing and consuming energy.
Supreme court rules against Bush in global warming case
Reuters reports here at Yahoo News: In a defeat for the Bush administration, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday that a U.S. government agency has the power under the clean air law to regulate greenhouse gas emissions that spur global warming.
Magnolias face extinction
BBC News reports here: A report finds that over half the species in the magnolia family of plants are facing extinction.