World Environment News
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Latest News (288 stories)
Great Barrier Reef Survival "Requires 25 Percent CO2 Cut
Date: 20-Nov-09
Country: AUSTRALIA
Author: Amy Pyett
SYDNEY - Australia's Great Barrier Reef has only a 50 percent chance of survival if global CO2 emissions are not reduced at least 25 percent by 2020, a coalition of Australia's top reef and climate scientists said on Tuesday.
Australian Heatwave In Carbon Trade Battle
Date: 20-Nov-09
Country: AUSTRALIA
Author: Rob Taylor
CANBERRA - Australia's government demanded on Thursday that conservative rivals stop opposing carbon trade laws, citing a heatwave searing the country's biggest cities as evidence of Australia's vulnerability to climate change.
FACTBOX: Russian Offer Deepens Rich Nations' CO2 Cuts
Date: 20-Nov-09
Country: NORWAY
Author: Reuters
OSLO - A Russian plan to toughen curbs on greenhouse gas emissions deepens combined cuts offered by industrialized nations to at most 17 percent below 1990 levels by 2020, Reuters calculations show.
India's Cabinet Approves Solar Power Programme
Date: 20-Nov-09
Country: INDIA
Author: Rajesh Kumar Singh
NEW DELHI - India's cabinet on Thursday approved its first solar power plan, pledging to boost output from near zero to 20 gigawatts (GW) by 2020 as part of its plan to fight global warming.
Big Oil To Congress: Expand Offshore Drilling
Date: 20-Nov-09
Country: US
Author: Tom Doggett
WASHINGTON - Executives from two major oil companies told Congress on Thursday that the U.S. government should open more offshore areas to oil and natural gas drilling so America can rely less on foreign suppliers.
Germany's Merkel Repeats Call For Climate Cut Rules
Photo: Sebastien Pirlet
Date: 20-Nov-09
Country: BELGIUM
Author: John O'Donnell
BRUSSELS - German Chancellor Angela Merkel called once again for binding rules to cut carbon pollution at climate talks in Copenhagen next month, a target endorsed on Thursday by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
California Bans Sale of Energy-Guzzling Plasma TVs
Date: 20-Nov-09
Country: US
Author: Timothy B. Hurst
In a 5-0 vote, The California Energy Commission today approved the country's first efficiency regulations for TVs of up to 58 inches. The new Appliance Efficiency Regulations will require new televisions sold in California to consume 33 percent less electricity by 2011 and 49 percent less electricity by 2013.
Newcastle Named Britain's "Greenest" City
Photo: Nigel Roddis
Date: 20-Nov-09
Country: UK
Author: Peter Griffiths
LONDON - For decades, Newcastle upon Tyne was blackened by coal dust and known around the world for its clanking shipyards and smoke-belching factories.
UK Small Wind Blows Strong Despite Recession
Photo: Jeff J Mitchell
Date: 20-Nov-09
Country: UK
Author: Nao Nakanishi - Analysis
LONDON - Britain's small wind sector is booming despite the recession as many rural homes, farms or small businesses are putting up turbines in the yard to counter higher energy prices and blackouts.
Investment In Ecosystems Will Reap Rewards: UNEP
Date: 20-Nov-09
Country: UK
Author: Nina Chestney
LONDON - Nations that take into account natural resources in their investment strategies will have higher rates of return and stronger economies, a report backed by the United Nations' Environment Programme said on Friday.
U.S. Pledges $275 Mln For Tropical Forests In 2010
Photo: Hardi Baktiantoro
Date: 20-Nov-09
Country: US
Author: Olesya Dmitracova and Gerard Wynn
LONDON - The United States pledged $275 million to rainforest protection on Thursday, at an event hosted by Britain's heir to the throne, Prince Charles, in London.
U.S. Group Sees Worsening Coastal Flooding Threat
Photo: Carlos Barria
Date: 20-Nov-09
Country: US
Author: Richard Cowan
WASHINGTON - Fast-melting ice from Greenland and Antarctica will lead to a much sharper rise in sea levels than previously estimated, touching off flooding that will radically alter U.S. East Coast cities from Miami to Baltimore, according to a new study.
Melting Sea Ice Dilutes Water, Endangers Sea Life
Photo: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio/Handout
Date: 20-Nov-09
Country: HONG KONG
Author: Tan Ee Lyn
HONG KONG - Melting of the Arctic sea ice due to global warming is diluting surface waters and this is endangering some species of shellfish which need minerals in the water to form their shells and skeletons, scientists have found.
New Fossils Reveal A World Full Of Crocodiles
Photo: Mike Hettwer, courtesy National Geographic/Handout
Date: 20-Nov-09
Country: US
Author: Reuters
WASHINGTON - New fossils unearthed in what is now the Sahara desert reveal a once-swampy world
Global Warming, 9/11, Obama Top Words Of The Decade
Photo: Reuters
Date: 20-Nov-09
Country: US
Author: Belinda Goldsmith
LOS ANGELES - Concerns over the environment and terrorism have not only affected how people lived in the past decade but also their language, with "global warming" and "9/11" topping a list of the most used words of the 2000s.
Roger Moore Wins Award For Anti-Foie Gras Campaign
Photo: Eric Gaillard
Date: 19-Nov-09
Country: UK
Author: Mike Collett-White
LONDON - Former James Bond actor Roger Moore has been named 2009 Person of the Year by the UK branch of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) pressure group for his campaign against foie gras.
Dalai Lama Appeals To China On drying Tibet Rivers
Date: 19-Nov-09
Country: CHINA
Author: Gavin Jones
ROME - The Dalai Lama on Wednesday appealed to China to take action to stop Tibet's glaciers melting, saying the environmental crisis was more urgent than a political solution over Tibet's future.
Russia Makes Emissions Pledge, Confusion On WTO
Date: 19-Nov-09
Country: SWEDEN
Author: Oleg Shchedrov and Timothy Heritage
STOCKHOLM - Russia set a new target for reducing its greenhouse gas emissions at a summit with the European Union on Wednesday but failed to clear up confusion over its plans to join the World Trade Organization.
Dutch To Pursue Carbon Storage Project
Date: 19-Nov-09
Country: NETHERLANDS
Author: Catherine Hornby
AMSTERDAM - A project to capture and store carbon dioxide underground near the Dutch town of Barendrecht will go ahead in phases, the Dutch Economy and Environment ministers said on Wednesday, despite local opposition to the plan. Initially a small storage test site will be constructed, and will be followed by a larger site as long as no complications emerge in the test phase, the ministers said in a statement.
Food Seed Banks Need $250 Million, Experts Warn
Photo: Robert Galbraith
Date: 19-Nov-09
Country: UK
Author: Gerard Wynn
LONDON - Seed banks need a further $250 million to preserve all varieties of food crops including those which may best survive future climate changes, the Global Crop Diversity Trust said Wednesday.
Climate Change Deal Must Aim To Help Women: U.N.
Date: 19-Nov-09
Country: UK
Author: Kate Kelland
LONDON - Women bear the brunt of drought, rising seas, melting glaciers and other effects of climate change but are mostly ignored in the debate over how to halt it, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) said on Wednesday.
U.S. Residents Fight For The Right To Hang Laundry
Photo: Tim Shaffer
Date: 19-Nov-09
Country: US
Author: Jon Hurdle
PERKASIE - Carin Froehlich pegs her laundry to three clotheslines strung between trees outside her 18th-century farmhouse, knowing that her actions annoy local officials who have asked her to stop.
Odds Stacked Against New German Power Stations
Date: 19-Nov-09
Country: GERMANY
Author: Vera Eckert - Analysis
FRANKFURT - Germany faces higher electricity prices and power supply shortfalls if the economic downturn prevents enough new power plants being built.
Sea Rises Threaten Australian Homes: Govt Report
Date: 19-Nov-09
Country: AUSTRALIA
Author: Ron Popeski
SYDNEY - Nearly a quarter of a million homes along Australia's coastline could be submerged by 2100 unless action is taken to stop sea levels rising, a government report said on Saturday.
Fiscal/Political Risk In Australia ETS Debate: Report
Date: 19-Nov-09
Country: AUSTRALIA
Author: Michael Perry
SYDNEY - The Australian government's carbon trading plan would reduce more CO2, create more jobs and produce a budget surplus, compared to opposition plans which carry billions of dollars in fiscal and political risk, according to an independent report issued Thursday.
FACTBOX: Climate Negotiating Positions Of Top Emitters
Date: 19-Nov-09
Country: US
Author: Reuters
Russia toughened on Wednesday its goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions, saying it would target a 25 percent reduction from 1990 levels by 2020 compared with a 10-15 percent pledge previously.
Copenhagen Still "Golden Opportunity" For CO2 Market
Date: 19-Nov-09
Country: UK
Author: Michael Szabo - Analysis
LONDON - A U.N. summit in Copenhagen next month is unlikely to agree on a new global climate treaty, but carbon market players are urging delegates to seize the opportunity to agree reforms to the $33 billion trade in carbon offsets.
Israel Water Tech Thrives In Weakened Economy
Photo: Gil Cohen Magen
Date: 19-Nov-09
Country: ISRAEL
Author: Ari Rabinovitch
TEL AVIV - Israel's water technology sector has prospered despite the global financial crisis, largely due to global stimulus packages and penetration in developing countries, officials said on Wednesday.
Wind Farms 20 Pct Of Australia New Power Projects
Date: 19-Nov-09
Country: AUSTRALIA
Author: Bruce Hextall
SYDNEY - Wind farms account for about a quarter of Australian electricity generating developments now under construction or planned as the country moves to increase its reliance on renewable energy, a government report said on Wednesday.
Vestas Sees Big Wind Turbine Orders In Asia
Photo: Bret Hartman
Date: 19-Nov-09
Country: SINGAPORE
Author: Leonora Walet, Asia Green Investment Correspondent
SINGAPORE - Vestas Wind Systems said Wednesday it plans to announce significant orders for its wind turbines in the next five months, citing a pick-up in demand for wind power in Asia as more funding for projects becomes available.