Is Desert Solar Power the Solution to Europe's Energy Crisis?
Spiegel Online asks here: A tiny fraction of the sun's energy that shines upon the deserts of North Africa and the Middle East could meet all of Europe's electricity demands. The technology to harness the energy already exists. So why is hardly anyone investing in it?
Food scientists say stop biofuels to fight world hunger
AP reports here at Yahoo News: WASHINGTON - Some top international food scientists Tuesday recommended halting the use of food-based biofuels, such as ethanol, saying it would cut corn prices by 20 percent during a world food crisis.
'Decade to save Asian vultures'
BBC News reports here: "Asian vultures could be extinct in the wild within 10 years unless a livestock drug blamed for their rapid demise is eliminated, scientists warn." The decline in vultures has led to hygiene problems in India as carcasses of dead animals now tend to rot, or be eaten by rats or wild dogs, rather than be tidied up by vultures. Rabies among these scavengers is a major health threat. India has the world's highest rate of rabies.
New way to save energy: Vanishing ink
CNET News.com reports here in their Green Tech Blog: Xerox has paper you can use again and again, thereby cutting down the energy and cost of recycling.
Warming 'affecting poor children'
Diseases such as malaria may spread under climate change, Unicef warns, BBC News reports here: Climate change is already affecting the prospects for children in the world's poorer countries, according to Unicef.
US secretary concedes biofuels may spur food price rises
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: WASHINGTON - Setting aside farmland to produce biofuels like ethanol may be partly to blame for driving up world food prices, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Monday.
Dolphin dies after collision during Sea World trick
CNN reports here: A 30-year-old dolphin at Sea World has died after colliding with another dolphin while performing aerial tricks, the Orlando, Florida, amusement park said Monday.
Here comes next wave of solar financiers
CNET News.com reports here: Newcomers are using software and financing to try to crack open the big residential market for solar power.
Human warming hobbles ancient climate cycle
Reuters reports here at Yahoo News: WASHINGTON - Before humans began burning fossil fuels, there was an eons-long balance between carbon dioxide emissions and Earth's ability to absorb them, but now the planet can't keep up, scientists said on Sunday.
U.S. Air Pollution Standards Don't Protect Asthmatic Kids
HealthDay reports here at Yahoo News: - Even when air pollution levels are within current air quality standards, inner-city children with asthma suffer, a new study finds.
Goodbye SUV, hello small cars
CNN Money reports here: Surge in gas prices leads to scaling down of the vehicles Americans drive. Sales of large SUVs plummeted 28% in the first quarter this year, while subcompact sales rose 32%, according to Autodata Corp.
Narwhals more at risk to Arctic warming than polar bears
AP reports here at Yahoo News: WASHINGTON - The polar bear has become an icon of global warming vulnerability, but a new study found an Arctic mammal that may be even more at risk to climate change: the narwhal.
Natural-gas vehicles hot in Utah, where the fuel is cheap
AP reports here at Yahoo News: SALT LAKE CITY - Troy Anderson was at the gas pump and couldn't have been happier, filling up at a rate of $5 per tank.
Desalting seawater to meet water needs may hold promise
AP reports here at Yahoo News: WASHINGTON - There's probably a place for desalted seawater in meeting the nation's future water needs, but research is needed to reduce the costs and impact on the environment, the National Research Council says.
Greenhouse gas levels rose in 2007: US agency
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: WASHINGTON - Global greenhouse gas emissions including main offender carbon dioxide rose in 2007 despite efforts to curb them, a US government agency said.
Species loss 'bad for our health'
The physiology of bears could lead to a better understanding of some diseases, BBC News reports here: A new generation of medical treatments could be lost forever unless the current rate of biodiversity loss is reversed, conservationists have warned.
Wild bee decline 'catastrophic'
BBC News reports here: Wild bee populations around the UK are experiencing "catastrophic declines", the Bumblebee Conservation Trust has warned. Dr Darvill said the insects' demise has serious implications for food supply and the price of goods.
Top 15 Green Websites
To mark Earth Day, Time.com picks the 15 best environmental sites, covering everything from Hollywood to the Hill. See those green websites listed here at the Time.com website.
Government to release proposed fuel economy rules
AP reports here at Yahoo News: WASHINGTON - The next generation of new cars and trucks will need to meet a fleet average of 31.6 miles per gallon by 2015, the Bush administration proposed Tuesday, seeking more fuel-efficient vehicles in the face of high gasoline prices and concerns over global warming.
Happy Earth Day!
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia writes here: Earth Day is one of two different observances, both held annually during spring in the northern hemisphere, and autumn in the southern hemisphere. These are intended to inspire awareness of and appreciation for the Earth's environment. The United Nations celebrates an Earth Day each year on the March equinox, a tradition which was founded by peace activist John McConnell in 1969. A second Earth Day, which was founded by U.S. politician Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in in the late 1960s, is celebrated in many countries each year on April 22. And Reuters reports here: Earth Day goes political and corporate.
The Candidates and their Climate Change Policies
Spiegel Online reports here: The remaining Presidential hopefuls talk of transforming the economy to save the environment. But who would actually get the job done?
Airbus, Boeing sign accord to cut air traffic impact on environment
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: GENEVA - Rival aircraft manufacturers Airbus and Boeing signed an agreement on Tuesday to work together to cut the impact of air traffic on the environment.
Biofuels under fire at International Energy Forum
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: ROME - Biofuels, once seen as a key factor in curbing greenhouse gas emissions, are behind the current global food crisis, major oil producers and consumers charged at an energy forum here on Monday.
More people buying hybrid cars
Hybrids growing steadily even as overall sales declined 3 percent, CNN reports here: California remained the top state for hybrid sales in 2007. Twenty-six percent of all hybrid registrations were in California, up 35 percent from 2006. Florida, New York, Texas and Washington followed.
Massive wind energy plan refused
Mixed emotions over wind decision, BBC News reports here: Plans to construct one of Europe's largest onshore wind farms has been refused by the Scottish Government.
Thousands march in Spain over climate change
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: MADRID - Thousands marched through Madrid on Sunday to demand that the Spanish government adopt concrete measures to fight climate change, organisers said.
New study advances method to make energy from farm waste
AP reports here at Yahoo News: ST. LOUIS - Washington University engineers using imaging technology have found that vigorous mixing helps microorganisms turn farm waste into alternative energy.
18 states commit to take action on climate change
AP reports here at Yahoo News: NEW HAVEN, Conn. - California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger predicted Friday that an international deadlock over how to deal with global warming will end once President Bush leaves office, while a leading expert warned of dire consequences if urgent action is not taken.
Spain suffers worst drought
CNN reports here: MADRID, Spain - Spain is reeling from its most severe drought in 70 years with the nation's reservoirs on average just half full, the Environment Ministry reports.
Bush Has 'Understood Nothing, Learned Nothing'
Spiegel Online reports here: Bush's plan for global warming? Wait until 2025. Only then, he said in a Wednesday speech, should the US cap greenhouse gas emissions. Germany is not impressed.
French President Sarkozy wants bigger 'green' economy
AP reports here at Yahoo News: PARIS - French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Friday the fight against climate change needs massive new amounts of private investment and globally regulated "green" markets to succeed.
A Storehouse of Greenhouse Gases Is Opening in Sibera
Spiegel Online reports here: Researchers have found alarming evidence that the frozen Arctic floor has started to thaw and release long-stored methane gas. The results could be a catastrophic warming of the earth, since methane is a far more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. But can the methane also be used as fuel?
Bush climate plan criticized for lacking urgency
Reuters reports here at Yahoo News: PARIS - The world needs tougher action to combat global warming than a plan by President George W. Bush to halt a rise in U.S. greenhouse gas emissions only by 2025, delegates at a climate conference in Paris said on Thursday.
Stern review author paints bleaker picture on climate change
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: LONDON - Nicholas Stern, the author of a key climate change report, said in an interview published Thursday that he and his team "underestimated" the risks of global warming.
Bush outlines goals to fight climate change
CNN reports here: WASHINGTON - President Bush on Wednesday called for halting the growth of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 and said Congress -- not judges or regulators -- should take the lead role in grappling with global warming.
Pressure Grows on EU to Abandon Biofuels
Spiegel Online reports here: With food prices skyrocketing and faith in biofuels plummeting, many are demanding that the European Union back away from its commitment to eco-fuel. Even the EU's own scientists are skeptical.
Bush revises strategy on curbing greenhouse gases
AP reports here at Yahoo News: WASHINGTON - Revising his stance on global warming, President Bush will propose a new target for stopping the growth of the nation's greenhouse gas emissions by 2025.
Forecast for big sea level rise
BBC News reports here: Sea levels could rise by up to one-and-a-half metres by the end of this century, according to a new scientific analysis.
New Technology Foresees Trees, not Grain, in the Tank
Spiegel Online reports here: Conventional biofuels like rapeseed oil and ethanol are ecologically problematic and threaten food supplies. Now a Germany company says it has the solution: an advanced fuel made from wood and other non-food biomass.
Pneumonia 'linked' to pollution
BBC News reports here: Pollution may have contributed to thousands of pneumonia deaths in recent years, a study suggests.
China 'now top carbon polluter'
BBC News reports here: China has already overtaken the US as the world's "biggest polluter", a report to be published next month says. The research suggests the country's greenhouse gas emissions have been underestimated, and probably passed those of the US in 2006-2007.
Cleaner Air Means a Warmer Europe
Spiegel Online writes here: Europe is heating up much faster than climate researchers expected, and now they think they know why: air made dramatically cleaner by anti-pollution programs. With less particle pollution clouding the air, more sunlight is coming through and the continent is getting warmer.
China's Olympic anti-pollution plan to start in July
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: BEIJING - China is to implement a plan to improve air quality in Beijing for this summer's Olympic Games which will see factories shut down and construction halted, the Beijing environmental bureau said on Monday.
Recycling plastics
CNN News writes here: Few issues in the environmental movement get people as riled as plastics. Despite widespread outrage at the harmful environmental impacts of plastic bottles and bags, recycling falls far behind production rates. Why?
Unusual earthquakes measured off Oregon
AP reports here at Yahoo News: GRANTS PASS, Ore. - Scientists listening to underwater microphones have detected an unusual swarm of earthquakes off central Oregon, something that often happens before a volcanic eruption — except there are no volcanoes in the area.
Melting causes lake in Chile to empty
AP reports here at Yahoo News: SANTIAGO, Chile - Melting ice in southern Chile caused a glacial lake to swell and then empty suddenly, sending a "tsunami" rolling through a river, a scientist said Thursday. No one was injured in the remote region.
Costa Rica aims to be 'carbon neutral' by 2021
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: SAN JOSE - Costa Rica plans to balance out carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to become "carbon neutral" by 2021, through a joint government-private enterprise effort, without foresaking economic growth, the environment minister said Thursday.
US wind power advocates see change in the air as oil prices soar
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: WASHINGTON - The US economy is still predominantly oil-based, but wind power advocates voiced optimism Tuesday that change is in the air as big states like California seek to boost renewable energy.
White House hopefuls woo Gore, focus on climate
Reuters reports here at Yahoo News: WASHINGTON - Democratic White House hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama speak often about green jobs, emissions cuts and renewable energy. But they have more than global warming on their minds when they talk of environmental policy.
Indonesia failing to stop forest destruction: Greenpeace
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: JAKARTA (- Indonesia is failing to halt the destruction of its peatland forests despite promising to do so during last year's climate change conference in Bali, pressure group Greenpeace said Monday.
Earth in crisis, warns NASA's top climate scientist
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: WILMINGTON, Delaware - Global warming has plunged the planet into a crisis and the fossil fuel industries are trying to hide the extent of the problem from the public, NASA's top climate scientist says.
WHO: Climate change threatens millions
AP reports here at Yahoo News: MANILA, Philippines - Millions of people could face poverty, disease and hunger as a result of rising temperatures and changing rainfall expected to hit poor countries the hardest, the World Health Organization warned Monday.
Aussie medics warn on health impact of climate change
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: SYDNEY - Climate change is likely to lead to higher rates of some infectious and respiratory diseases as well as more injuries from storms and bushfires, a report by Australian doctors warned Sunday.
Hydrogen-powered plane takes off
BBC News reports here: The first manned, hydrogen-powered plane has been successfully tested in the skies above Spain, its makers say.
Global warming 'dips this year'
La Nina caused some of the coldest temperatures in memory in China, BBC News reports here: Global temperatures will drop slightly this year as a result of the cooling effect of the La Nina current in the Pacific, UN meteorologists have said.
Tourism must not destroy Mediterranean environment: ministers
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: FES, Morocco - Tourism ministers agreed here Thursday on the need to curb the burgeoning spread of tourist hotels and other facilities that might one day damage the environment of the Mediterranean coast.
Paris airport to go green with geothermal energy
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: ORLY, France - Orly Airport, one of the two big airports serving Paris, is to extract geothermal energy from deep underground to slash its heating bills, the facility's owners said.
'No Sun link' to climate change
Cloud cover affects temperature - but what determines cloud cover?, BBC News reports here: Scientists have produced further compelling evidence showing that modern-day climate change is not caused by changes in the Sun's activity.
Concern over 'zero carbon' homes
MPs are calling on the government to also cut emissions in existing homes, BBC News reports here: UK home-owners are not prepared to make the changes needed to live in "zero carbon" homes, according to a report.