California threat to sue US govt over ship, aircraft emissions
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: LOS ANGELES - California said Thursday it planned to sue the US government for failing to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from ships, aircraft, construction and agricultural equipment.
Haze returns to Beijing as China unveils pollution back-up plan
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: BEIJING - China on Thursday unveiled a string of emergency measures it was prepared to use in its battle to tame Beijing's stubborn smog ahead of the Olympics, as the city was again shrouded in haze.
Greens in east Europe urge end to mining pollution
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: BUCHAREST - Environmentalists from four East European countries Wednesday urged their governments to ban polluting effluents after a lake containing heavy metal waste spilt over in Romania following flash floods.
Easily grown algae can be made into fuel to run diesel vehicles
CNN reports here: Algae, thought of as pond scum by many people, is an intriguing biofuel prospect, some researchers and entrepreneurs say.
New turbine to harness wave power
The device will generate electricity from the action of waves, BBC News reports here: A turbine designed to be the forerunner of the UK's first commercial wave power station has been officially switched on in Argyll and Bute.
Ice sheet breaks loose off Canada
AP reports here at CNN: EDMONTON, Alberta - A chunk of ice spreading across 18 square kilometers (seven square miles) has broken off a Canadian ice shelf in the Arctic, scientists said Tuesday.
China claims pollution success as skies clear
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: BEIJING - China claimed success on Tuesday in its pre-Olympic battle against Beijing's infamous pollution, as strong winds helped clear the thick smog that has hung over the Chinese capital this month.
Canadians cynical about "green" marketing: survey
Reuters reports here at Yahoo News: TORONTO - About 80 percent of Canadians say they think of the environment when making purchasing decisions, but most think that companies' "green" claims are just a marketing ploy, a survey released on Monday found.
China warns on new pollution measures
BBC News reports here: China has admitted it could introduce further emergency measures to cut air pollution during the Olympic Games.
Wildlife: A luxury we can live without?
Jean-Christophe Vie writes here at BBC News: Why humanity's interests are served by conserving everything, not just whales and pandas.
2 New Photo Sharing Websites
2 new photo sharing websites that are catering each into a special niche letting users share, research and find images related to special interest groups around the world. We are proud to announce the release of:
YourNaturePhotos.com is a website where you can share and research photos of animals, plants and landscapes from around the world. Users can upload their own nature photos and related stories or descriptions and share their pictures with the world! Over time this website will grow into a huge archive of nature photos, free to use and share information and images for students to research, birdwatchers to share their discoveries and old and young to enjoy! Images of the mighty Harpy Eagle to the Three-toed Sloth, from strange life forms showing the biodiversity in Panama’s rainforest and close-up macros of the Leaf Cutting Ants to rare sightings of the Red Capped Manakin.
Picsfrom.com is a website where you can share and research travel photos from around the world. Prepare for your next holidays and check out where you would like to go on vacation, research for your geography classes or just browse the pictures from many continents from your home. This new website also allows user to upload stories related to the photographs so you can share your experience with other users around the globe. Picsfrom.com also presents the top 5 lists of what are the biggest, the highest, the longest, the largest mountains, lakes, rivers, islands, cities and countries around the world grouped by geographical locations.
Enjoy the great views!
Nissan says electric cars will be quickly profitable
The New York Times reports here at CNET News.com: The capabilities of Nissan's electric cars, to be introduced in 2010, will vary by country but none will have range-extending gasoline engines, the company's chief executive said.
Spill closes Miss. River, shuts off exports
Reuters reports here at Yahoo News: BELLE CHASSE, Louisiana - The largest petroleum spill to hit the Mississippi River since 2005's Hurricane Katrina snarled ship traffic on Thursday from New Orleans to the Gulf of Mexico and brought flows of grain and other key exports to a standstill.
A Green Revolution off Germany's Coast
Spiegel Online reports here: The German government envisions thousands of wind turbines in the waters off the country's northern coast. Construction on the first project begins in August. And many more are in the planning stages. Has Germany's offshore energy revolution finally arrived?
Western governors offer greenhouse emissions plan
AP reports here at Yahoo News: SALEM, Ore. - Seven Western states are joining four Canadian provinces to propose a plan to limit greenhouse gas emissions through use of a "cap and trade" system.
Judge: EPA must regulate ship water discharge
AP reports here at Yahoo News: SAN FRANCISCO - An appeals judge says the Environmental Protection Agency must regulate the water discharged from ships as a way to protect local ecosystems from invasive species.
Beijing Scrambles to Host 'Green Games'
Spiegel Online reports here: Smog, dust particles, algae blooms: the high levels of pollution at Olympic venues has the sporting world worried. The Chinese authorities are working feverishly to address the problem -- closing factories, banning cars from the roads, and renewing promises of "green games." But will it be enough?
Japanese town Kuzumaki blazes trail in clean energy
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: KUZUMAKI, Japan - In the mountains of northern Japan, wind, sun and even cow dung are being turned into electricity as part of efforts to turn a whole town into an experiment in renewable energy use.
Renewing the Push for Geothermal Energy
U.S. News & World Report writes here at Yahoo News: In an energy speech last week in Washington, former Vice President Al Gore might have surprised a few people by identifying geothermal energy, along with wind and solar, as the one of the country's most promising alternative energy sources.
Clean deadline call on coal power
BBC News reports here: The government should set a deadline for coal-fired power stations to adopt "clean" technologies or close, according to a parliamentary committee.
'100 months to save the planet'
The group says the plans will be good for the environment and our pockets , BBC News reports here: A "Green New Deal" is needed to solve current problems of climate change, energy and finance, a report argues.
Green light for massive wind farm
The windfarm will power 320,000 homes and create 200 jobs. BBC News reports here: Plans to build Europe's largest onshore wind farm in South Lanarkshire have been given the go-ahead.
Scientists to discuss climate risk posed by wetlands destruction
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: SAO PAULO - Moves around the world to drain marshes and other wetlands to make space for farming could be hastening climate change, scientists gathering in Brazil from Monday will be hearing.
Beijing cuts cars by half as Olympics near
AP reports here at CNN: BEIJING, China - Beijing started its drastic traffic control plan Sunday in a last-minute push to clear the capital's pollution-choked skies in time for the August Olympics.
Beijing begins massive Olympic shutdown
AP reports here at Yahoo News: BEIJING - Beijing's Olympic shutdown begins Sunday, a drastic plan to lift the Chinese capital's gray shroud of pollution just three weeks ahead of the games.
Rogge upbeat over Beijing Games' green legacy
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: LAUSANNE, Switzerland - Olympic president Jacques Rogge believes pollution-cutting measures for next month's Games will leave a lasting legacy in China's fight against environmental meltdown.
Kenyan political crisis threatens wildlife
CNN reports here: The annual migration of over a million wildebeest between Kenya and Tanzania is one of the wonders of the natural world, as CNN's stunning footage shows. But this year political violence in Kenya has badly hit tourism and wildlife conservation -- with poachers stepping into the breach.
Energy crisis threatens U.S. survival, Gore says
CNN reports here: "WASHINGTON - The United States should be making all of its electricity with renewable and carbon-free energy in 10 years, former Vice President Al Gore said Thursday." You can find Gore's full speech here.
Killing Jobs to Save the Climate
Spiegel Online reports here: The price of European emission permits is rising so rapidly that German companies are threatening to leave the country. Thousands of jobs could be lost. And the environment may, in the end, be no better off.
France to Test Groundwater at All Nuclear Plants
Spiegel Online reports here: In a response to calls by activist groups and the discovery that leaks found last week might have happened years ago, France has agreed to examine the groundwater near all its nuclear plants. Though the anti-nuclear groups see this as a positive step, they say it still doesn't go far enough.
Austro-Canadian team to examine climate change effect on fish
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: VIENNA - Austrian and Canadian researchers will travel to the Arctic to examine links between climate change and high levels of poisonous heavy metals found in local fish, team leader Guenter Koeck said Wednesday.
Severn tidal 'fence' idea floated
BBC News reports here: Plans for an alternative tidal energy project to a £15bn Severn barrage have been put forward by opponents.
Fishing ban brings seas to life
BBC News reports here: Five years without fishing around Lundy Island off the coast of Devon have brought a significant revival in sea life, scientists report.
First U.S. Town Powered Completely By Wind
LiveScience.com reports here at Yahoo News: Rock Port, Mo. has an unusual crop: wind turbines. The four turbines that supply electricity to the small town of 1,300 residents make it the first community in the United States to operate solely on wind power.
Plastic water bottles vs. the environment
Sure, water is good for us, but sometimes the delivery methods aren't so good for the planet. Less than 20% of single-use water bottles are recycled, and reusable plastic bottles such as Nalgene bottles can contain traces of chemicals. For more details please see this report from The Seattle Times.
Global warming may increase kidney stones: researchers
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: WASHINGTON - More Americans are likely to suffer from kidney stones in the coming years as a result of global warming, according to researchers at the University of Texas.
Bush to lift executive ban on offshore oil drilling
CNN reports here President Bush will announce Monday he is lifting an executive order banning offshore oil drilling, the White House said. The move is largely symbolic because there is also a federal law banning offshore drilling.
Forests to fall for food and fuel
BBC News reports here: Demand for land to grow food, fuel crops and wood is set to outstrip supply, leading to the probable destruction of forests, a report warns.
US government delays regulation of greenhouse gases
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: WASHINGTON, - The administration of President George W. Bush has made clear it is postponing any regulatory action on greenhouse gas emissions believed to be responsible for global warning, citing "the complexity and magnitude" of the issue.
'Serious concern' over seabirds
BBC News reports here: The poor breeding of Scotland's seabirds is giving cause for "serious concern", according to RSPB Scotland. "Seabirds are indicators of the health of the marine environment and, like the canary in the coalmine, the decline in their fortunes should be a wake-up call to us all that we must pay attention to."
New way of capturing the energy from the Sun
BBC News reports here: A new way of capturing the energy from the Sun could increase the power generated by solar panels tenfold, a team of American scientists has shown.
Court overturns Bush air pollution rule
AP reports here at Yahoo News: WASHINGTON - A federal appeals court has struck down an environmental rule that the Bush administration championed as crucial in protecting public health.
Coral species are facing extinction
BBC News reports here: A third of the world's reef-building coral species are facing extinction, the first global assessment shows. "The implications of that are absolutely staggering - not only for biodiversity, but also for economics."
As planet swelters, are algae unlikely saviour?
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: OSLO - As the world mulls over the conundrum of how to satisfy a seemingly endless appetite for energy and still slash greenhouse gas emissions, researchers have stumbled upon an unexpected hero: algae. So-called microalgae hold enormous potential when it comes to reining in both climate change, since they naturally absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide, as well as energy production, since they can easily be converted to a range of different fuel types.
Toyota to make Prius, not SUV, at new U.S. plant: report
Reuters reports here at Yahoo News: TOKYO - Toyota Motor Corp will switch gears and produce the Prius hybrid instead of the less fuel-efficient Highlander sport utility vehicle at its planned Mississippi factory, the Nikkei business daily reported on Thursday.
Hydrogen refuel station unveiled
BBC News reports here: A hydrogen refuelling station which could be installed in the home as an alternative to visiting a petrol station has been unveiled.
The American Public Is Ready for Nuclear
David Crane is CEO of NRG Energy, Inc, based in New Jersey. His company is planning to build two new nuclear reactors in Texas, the first such project in almost 30 years in the US. SPIEGEL ONLINE spoke here to him about the worldwide nuclear renaissance.
Despite warming, Mount Shasta's glaciers still grow
AP reports here at CNN: MOUNT SHASTA, California - Global warming is shrinking glaciers all over the world, but the seven tongues of ice creeping down Mount Shasta's flanks are a rare exception: They are the only known glaciers in the continental U.S. that are growing.
World leaders avoid setting greenhouse target
CNN reports here: The G8 endorsed the idea Tuesday of halving greenhouse gas emissions worldwide by 2050. The larger group of economic powers that weighed in Wednesday did not mention targets for reduced emissions.
Cheney wanted cuts in climate change testimony
AP reports here at Yahoo News: WASHINGTON - Seeking to play down the effects of global warming, Vice President Dick Cheney's office pushed to delete from congressional testimony references about the consequences of climate change on public health, a former senior EPA official claimed Tuesday.
Oil billionaire Pickens puts his money on wind power
CNN reports here: Billionaire oilman T. Boone Pickens is putting his clout behind renewable energy sources like wind power.
Beijing 'failing pollution test'
BBC News reports here: Just a month before the start of the Beijing Olympics, the city is still failing to meet international air quality standards, the BBC has found.
Campaigners dismiss G-8 emissions target
CNN reports here: A call from leaders of the leading industrialized nations to halve greenhouse gas emissions worldwide by 2050 is criticized by environmentalists. "At this rate, by 2050 the world will be cooked and the G-8 leaders will be long forgotten," said Oxfam.
Britain to slow adoption of biofuels
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: LONDON - The British government said Monday it would slow the expansion of biofuels following a report which found they could increase greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to food price rises.
Is the EU Turning its Back on Biofuels?
Spiegel Online reports here: The storm of critique against biofuels may finally be having some effect. Even as the European Commission remains true to its goal of increasing the use of biofuels, others aren't so sure. The European Parliament is trying to put on the brakes.
Toyota to add solar panels to some Prius hybrids
Reuters reports here at Yahoo News: TOKYO - Toyota Motor Corp plans to install solar panels on some Prius hybrids in its next remodeling, responding to growing demand for "green" cars amid record-high oil prices, a source briefed on the matter said on Monday.
New Zealand's emissions plan upsets farmers
Agriculture emits about half of New Zealand's greenhouse gases, BBC News reports here: Farmers in New Zealand have criticised a bold plan by the government to make the country carbon neutral by 2040.
Bush promises to be constructive on climate at G8
Reuters reports here at Yahoo News: TOYAKO, Japan - President George W. Bush promised on Sunday to be constructive in talks on global warming but said a deal was impossible unless fast-growing China and India agreed to limit their greenhouse gas emissions.
Study: Orangutan populations declining sharply
AP reports here at Yahoo News: BANGKOK, Thailand - Orangutan numbers have declined sharply on the only two islands where they still live in the wild and they could become the first great ape species to go extinct if urgent action isn't taken, a new study says.
Increased LCD screen production sparks new emissions fear in scientists
The Tech Herald reports here: According to professor Michael Prather, director of the environment institute at the University of California (Irvine), some 4,000 tonnes of nitrogen trifluoride (NF3), a gas considered to be 17,000 times more damaging than carbon dioxide (CO2), has already been produced by flat-screen makers during 2008.
Indigenous people urge G8 action on climate change
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: SAPPORO, Japan - Indigenous people from around the world on Friday called on leaders of the Group of Eight rich nations to think about them by taking action on climate change at their summit next week.
Biofuels behind food price hikes: leaked World Bank report
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: LONDON - Biofuels have caused world food prices to increase by 75 percent, according to the findings of an unpublished World Bank report published in The Guardian newspaper on Friday.
Australia 'needs carbon trading'
BBC News reports here: An Australian government advisor on climate change is calling for a national emissions trading scheme to be set up to combat global warming.
France to build second new-generation nuclear reactor
AP reports here at Yahoo News: LE CREUSOT, France - France will build a second new-generation nuclear reactor, President Nicolas Sarkozy said Thursday, pledging a "new industrial revolution" in an era in which fossil fuels have grown too expensive.
Poor countries should set climate targets: Brazil leader
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: TOKYO - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has urged developing countries, including his own, to join rich nations in setting targets to reduce emissions blamed for global warming.
Climate concerns halt coal plant
Coal produces about 30% of US greenhouse gas emissions, BBC News reports here: The US state of Georgia has blocked construction of a new coal-fired power station because of concerns over its carbon dioxide emissions.
Why the Gulf Is Switching to Coal
Spiegel Online reports here: The Persian Gulf may be sitting atop massive oil reserves. But with prices for crude skyrocketing, it makes more sense to sell it than to burn it. Instead, the Gulf is turning to coal for its energy needs -- to the detriment of the climate.
Report finds golden eagle decline
BBC News reports here: The use of illegal poisons has been identified as one of the main reasons behind a decline in golden eagles.
UN reports big jump in `green energy' investment
AP reports here at Yahoo News: UNITED NATIONS - Global investors plowed $148 billion into new wind, solar and other alternative energy assets last year, in what the United Nations describes as a "green energy gold rush" gaining speed the last several years.
Prince Charles' car runs on wine
CNN reports here: LONDON, England - Britain's Prince Charles has converted his 38-year-old Aston Martin to run on biofuel made from surplus wine, his office revealed Tuesday.
Group sues over crop subsidies on US forest land
AP reports here at Yahoo News: GOLDEN POND, Ky. - The U.S. Forest Service has subsidized corn and soybean farming on its lands for years — and rankled environmentalists are now suing the agency for what they say is an illegal dole.