Green gadgets aim to woo eco-aware shoppers
Reuters reports here at Yahoo News: LONDON - Gadget makers showed off their green credentials at a technology show in London on Friday to try to tempt consumers worried about soaring fuel bills, climate change and the financial crisis.
Polar warming 'caused by humans'
BBC News reports here: The rise in temperatures at Earth's poles has for the first time been attributed directly to human activities, a study says.
Europe and Germany Move to Boost Economy
Spiegel Online reports here: With an economic downturn looming, the EU moved to shore up its automobile industry on Wednesday, provoking the ire of environmental groups. Germany too has cobbled together a package, eyeing incentives to encourage investments in green technologies.
Climate damage science studied
BBC News reports here: The UK's Royal Society is to investigate whether ambitious engineering schemes could reduce the impact of global warming.
China warns on emissions control
Economic growth is sure to remain China's top priority, BBC news reports here: China has admitted that controlling greenhouse emissions is a "difficult task" and warned that there is little prospect of an early improvement.
The Iberian Giants of US Wind Energy
Spanish and Portuguse firms are positioning themselves to dominate the US wind energy market. Spiegel Online reports here: Backed by their parents' capital, Iberdrola Renovables, from Spain, and EDP Renovaveis, from Portugal, are poised to exploit the downturn and snap up smaller rivals.
Earth on course for eco 'crunch'
BBC News reports here: The planet is headed for an ecological "credit crunch", according to a report issued by conservation groups.
Quiet wind-turbine comes to U.S. homes
CNET News.com reports here: Cascade Engineering said Monday the Swift wind turbine, for homes and other buildings, is available in the U.S. and Canada. The Swift tries to set itself apart from existing small wind turbines with a design that reduces noise. Also, the turbine can be attached to a home, rather than to a free-standing pole or tower.
Arctic ice thickness 'plummets'
BBC News reports here: The thickness of Arctic sea ice "plummeted" last winter, thinning by as much as 49 centimetres (1.6ft) in some regions, satellite data has revealed.
Top economist talks up risks of climate inaction
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: HONG KONG - Nicholas Stern, one of the world's leading environmental economists, said Monday that the global economy will face a more severe downturn than the current crisis if it fails to halt climate change.
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Seaweed suggested as a sustainable biofuel source
Seaweed has already been suggested as a sustainable biofuel source. BBC News reports here: Pilot seaweed and algae farms are needed to assess Scotland's marine biomass potential, experts have urged.
Researchers: 7 orcas missing from Puget Sound
AP reports here at Yahoo News: SEATTLE - Seven Puget Sound killer whales are missing and presumed dead in what could be the biggest decline among the sound's orcas in nearly a decade, say scientists who carefully track the endangered animals.
Potent greenhouse gas more common than estimated: study
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: WASHINGTON - A potent greenhouse gas many thousands of times more effective at warming the world's atmosphere than carbon dioxide (CO2) is four times more prevalent than previously thought, according to a study released Thursday.
'Drastic' reforms on energy urged
The report recommends expanding household micro-generation grants, BBC news reports here: "Urgent and drastic" policy and system changes are needed if the UK is to meet EU targets on renewable energy, a House of Lords committee has said.
The Clash of Two Worldviews
Spiegel Online reports here: Porsche has long been a symbol of wealth, power and freedom. For Europe, the top priority has become that of limiting greenhouse gas emissions. A visit to the two worlds shows they have little in common.
Soil health 'threatens farming'
BBC News reports here: Some areas of England may not be fit for productive agriculture in future because of deteriorating soil quality, a new report warns.
Hybrid Solar Lighting
A discovery channel segment on Sunlight Direct's fiber optic sunlight transport system.
Seoul turns to bicycles to combat global warming
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: SEOUL - The Seoul city government has announced plans to build 207 kilometres (129 miles) of cycle paths over the next four years extending to all corners of the South Korean capital, according to officials.
EU Climate Stalemate Could Threaten Global Deal
Spiegel Online reports here at Yahoo News: Time is running out. If the European Union is unable to resolve internal differences over its ambitious emissions reduction plan, then global climate talks could suffer, say experts. The world needs European leadership.
Hawaii outlines renewable energy goals
AP reports here at Yahoo News: HONOLULU - Hawaii's largest utility has signed on to a plan to move the state away from dependence on fossil fuels for electricity and ground transportation.
GreenFuel Tech opens algae-growing greenhouse
CNET reports here at News.com: The Cambridge, Mass.-based company detailed a multi-year deal worth $92 million to build greenhouses that grow algae, which can be harvested for vegetable oil to make biodiesel or to make animal feed.
Biofuel Makers Push to Boost the Amount of Ethanol Allowed in Gasoline to 20 Percent
U.S. News & World Report writes here at Yahoo News: As presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain continue to push their plans to boost alternative energy, there is a growing but controversial effort by some biofuel advocates to increase the amount of ethanol that can be blended into a gallon of gasoline.
Sparse plug-ins for electric cars spark creativity
AP reports here at Yahoo News: SEATTLE - Owning an electric vehicle requires more than global-cooling ambitions. It takes guile, planning, sharp vision, a silver tongue — and a 50-foot extension cord.
Fuel Economy Leaders: 2009 Model Year
This week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released its annual Fuel Economy Guide, detailing the car industry’s gas sippers and guzzlers.
- Fuel Economy Leaders: 2009 Model Year
- Rank Manufacturer/Model MPG: city/highway
- 1 Toyota Prius (hybrid) 48/45
- 2 Honda Civic Hybrid 40/45
- 3 Nissan Altima Hybrid 35/33
- 4 Ford Escape Hybrid FWD
Mazda Tribute Hybrid 2WD
Mercury Mariner Hybrid FWD 34/31 - 5 Smart Fortwo Convertible
Smart Fortwo Coupe 33/41 - 6 Toyota Camry Hybrid 33/34
- 7 Volkswagon Jetta (manual, diesel)
Volkswagon Jetta Sportwagon (manual, diesel) 30/41 - 8 Volkswagon Jetta (automatic, diesel)
Volkswagon Jetta Sportwagon (automatic, diesel) 29/40 - 9 Toyota Yaris (manual) 29/36
- 10 Toyota Yaris (automatic) 29/35
Billions of fish, fish eggs die in power plants
AP reports here at Yahoo News: BUCHANAN, N.Y. - For a newly hatched striped bass in the Hudson River, a clutch of trout eggs in Lake Michigan or a baby salmon in San Francisco Bay, drifting a little too close to a power plant can mean a quick and turbulent death.
Honda's hydrogen car is smooth but has hindrances
AP reports here at Yahoo News: WASHINGTON - For years, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have been the far-off technological bets of the auto industry — the car that holds the promise of gasoline-free driving.
Britain to cut carbon emissions by 80 percent: minister
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: LONDON - Britain will introduce a legally-binding pledge to cut carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050, the minister for the newly-created Department for Energy and Climate Change said Thursday.
EU green goals stay despite economic gloom
AP reports here at CNN: European Union leaders agree to stick to ambitious plan to cut greenhouse gases despite concern about the impact on industries struggling with the global market crisis.
Report says Arctic temperatures at record highs
AP reports here at Yahoo News: Autumn temperatures in the Arctic are at record levels, the Arctic Ocean is getting warmer and less salty as sea ice melts, and reindeer herds appear to be declining, researchers reported Thursday.
US court puts gray wolves back on endangered list
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: LOS ANGELES - Gray wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains of the United States returned to the endangered species list Tuesday, thanks to a court victory by environmental groups over the US government.
Global warming threatens tropics
CNN reports here: While the most significant harm from climate change so far has been in the polar regions, tropical plants and animals may face an even greater threat, say scientists who studied conditions in Costa Rica.Species may try to find cooler climates, but some will have no where to go.
Beijing's new traffic rules fail to curb gridlock, pollution
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: BEIJING - Beijing rolled out new traffic control measures Monday, but they had little effect as the capital's roads remained clogged and a grey smog shrouded the city.
Efforts on global warming chilled by economic woes
AP reports here at Yahoo News: WASHINGTON - The economic free fall gripping the nation may bring down one of the main environmental objectives: capping the greenhouse gases that are blamed for global warming.
Greenpeace Fumes at German Carmakers
Spiegel Online reports here: Greenpeace is pointing its finger at auto giants like Audi, Porsche and Volkswagen, saying their new cars emit more carbon dioxide than earlier models. The new findings blacken the environmental report cards of the German firms -- and undermine an industry trend of flaunting green credentials.
Flexible OLEDs could be part of lighting's future
AP reports here at Yahoo News: NISKAYUNA, N.Y. - On a bank of the Mohawk River, a windowless industrial building of corrugated steel hides something that could make floor lamps, bedside lamps, wall sconces and nearly every other household lamp obsolete.
Nature loss 'dwarfs bank crisis'
BBC News reports here: The global economy loses more money from deforestation than the current banking crisis, says an EU-commissioned report.
First Salmon Caught in Basel in 50 Years
Spiegel Online reports here: A Swiss fisher reeled in a surprise on Sunday. The Swiss environment ministry confirmed Wednesday that the hobby fisher had caught the first salmon seen in Basel for half a century.
Wayward penguins returned home on airplane
CNN reports here: Hundreds of confused and hungry Magellanic penguins showed up recently on a northern Brazil beach, far from their usual feeding grounds. So animal-welfare activists rehabilitated the birds, loaded them onto a cargo plane and flew them 1,550 miles south, where the penguins marched back into the sea.
Supreme Court hears whales case
CNN reports here: The Supreme Court appeared conflicted Wednesday as it juggled national security and environmental concerns in a case over whether the U.S. Navy is doing enough to protect whales from underwater sonar tests it conducts.
Canal plan to power 45,000 homes
Local communities will be consulted on possible turbine and generator sites, BBC News reports here: Plans have been unveiled to power 45,000 homes with wind and hydro-electric turbines along Britain's historic canals and rivers.
NJ: We'll become a world leader in wind power
AP reports here at Yahoo News: ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. - New Jersey is powering up an ambitious plan to become a world leader in the use of wind-generated energy.
Mammals facing extinction threat
BBC News reports here: About 25% of the world's mammal species are at risk of extinction, according to a global assessment.
WWF bemoans attempts to water down EU's green targets
AFP reports here at Yahoo News: BRUSSELS - Europe's plan of action to tackle climate change is being undermined by pressure from industry and may no longer achieve its original green goals, the environmental group WWF said Friday.
States sue EPA over water releases from ships
AP reports here at Yahoo News: ALBANY, N.Y. - Nine states sued the Bush administration Thursday over federal rules on water dumped from ships, claiming there is an illegal loophole that could hurt fisheries and contaminate drinking water.
Turbines 'no risk to farm birds'
BBC News reports here: Wind turbines pose less of a risk to farmland birds than previously thought, a study has concluded.