marchers
Air/Climate

Crunch Time at UN Climate Talks; 20,000 March for Justice

LIMA, Peru, December 11, 2014 (ENS) – Urging “Climate Justice Now!” an estimated 20,000 people took over the streets of Lima Wednesday for the People’s Climate March. Their goal – to inject a sense of urgency into slow-moving government negotiations on a new universal, legally-binding climate change agreement to take effect in 2020. […]

Scott Base
Latest News

Sunscreens, Cosmetics Found in Antarctic Waters

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand, December 10, 2014 (ENS) – Polluting chemicals found in personal care products such as cosmetics, soaps and sunscreens has been discovered in waters off Antarctica at the same levels as many urban areas, according to new research from New Zealand. […]

Shanghai
Air/Climate

World’s Mayors Adopt New Tool to Calculate Climate Emissions

LIMA, Peru, December 9, 2014 (ENS) – The first global standard to measure greenhouse gas emissions from cities was launched Monday in tandem with the ongoing UN climate summit in Lima. Now cities can develop an emissions baseline, set mitigation goals, create more targeted climate action plans and track their progress over time. […]

typhoon
At Risk

Manila Braces for Super Typhoon, One Million Evacuate

MANILA, Philippines, December 7, 2014 (ENS) – Super Typhoon Hagupit, known locally as Ruby, is expected to hit Metro Manila starting Monday evening.
Packing sustained winds of more than 200 kilometers per hour (124 mph), equal to a Category 3 hurricane, Rudy is forecast to peak in the nation’s capital at around 8 to 10 pm, according to PAGASA, the Philippine national weather agency. […]

crop
Food

EU Countries Granted the Right to Ban GMO Crops

BRUSSELS, Belgium, December 4, 2014 (ENS) – A political agreement on new legislation to allow EU member states to restrict, or ban, the cultivation of crops containing genetically modified organisms, GMOs, on their own territory, even if it is allowed at EU level, was reached by Parliament and Council delegations last night. […]

storm
Air/Climate

2014 Likely ‘Hottest’ Year on Record, Ocean Temps Spike

LIMA, Peru, December 3, 2014 (ENS) – The year 2014 is likely to go down in the record books as one of the hottest years in modern history, according to estimates released today by the World Meteorological Organization. This is due to record high global sea surface temperatures, which the WMO expects to remain above normal until the end of the year. […]

coating process
Latest News

Daimler Cylinder Coating Saves Fuel, Cuts CO2 Emissions

LYON, France, December 3, 2014 (ENS) – Daimler’s new twin wire arc spraying process that reduces fuel consumption and CO2 emissions from combustion engines, has captured another award. On Monday night, the German automaker won the top spot for process innovation in the 2014-15 European Business Awards for the Environment. […]

sawdust
Latest News

Belgian Scientists Turn Sawdust Into ‘Green Hydrocarbons’

LEUVEN, Belgium, December 1, 2014 (ENS) – Belgian researchers have found a way to convert ordinary sawdust into building blocks for gasoline. Using a new chemical process, scientists led by a team at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven’s Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis were able to convert the cellulose in sawdust into hydrocarbon chains. […]

Malawi women
Latest News

Uranium Mine Sludge Discharge Permit Threatens Lake Malawi

KARONGA, Malawi, November 25, 2014 (ENS) – Paladin Africa Ltd, which mines uranium ore in Malawi’s northern district of Karonga has come under fire from a coalition of Malawian civil society groups and chiefs over its proposal to discharge mining sludge into the Sere and North Rukuru rivers. […]

Fiji
At Risk

Pacific Island Countries Face El Niño Extreme Weather

BANGKOK, Thailand, November 24, 2014 (ENS) – An abnormal warming of surface ocean waters, known as the El Niño effect forecast for the coming six months is threatening extreme weather conditions for Pacific island states’ industry and infrastructure, the United Nations warned Friday. […]

Whitehouse
AmeriScan

AmeriScan: November 19, 2014

Senate Democrats Put a Price on Carbon Pollution … Chevrolet Buys First Prairie Grassland Carbon Offsets … Alaskan Polar Bear Population Down by 40 Percent … Fracking Allowed in Largest Eastern National Forest […]

Obama
Energy

Senate Defeats Keystone XL Pipeline Bill By One Vote

WASHINGTON, DC, November 18, 2014 (ENS) – A measure to force approval of the Keystone tar sands pipeline was defeated in the U.S. Senate today by a vote of 59-41. Sixty votes were needed for passage of the bill. All the Republican Senators and 11 Democrats voted for the bill. A similar measure sailed through the Republican-controlled House of Representatives last week. […]

Adenan
Land Use/Forests

Sarawak’s New Chief Minister Takes on ‘Corrupt’ Timber Tycoons

KUCHING, Sarawak, Malaysia, November 17, 2014 (ENS) – For the first time in the 50-year history of the Malaysian state of Sarawak, a chief minister has taken the timber industry to task. Chief Minister Adenan Satem Monday gathered the tycoons of the state’s big six logging firms for a meeting, during which he publicly accused them of “corrupt” practices. […]