Environment news

It took Beijing 48 years for the number of vehicles to increase from 2,300 in 1949 to the first 1 mln in 1997

Beijing vehicles exceed four million: state media

Space & Earth / Environment

created Dec 19, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

The number of registered vehicles in Beijing topped four million this week, state media reported, meaning a quarter of the 16 million permanent residents in China's capital have a car.


Soil Microorganisms? Role Cited as a Missing Factor in Climate Change Equation

Space & Earth / Environment

created Dec 17, 2009 | popularity 3.4 / 5 (7) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Those seeking to understand and predict climate change can now use an additional tool to calculate carbon dioxide exchanges on land, according to a scientific journal article co-authored by a University of ...


The volume of garbage dumped in landfills every year in Japan has shrunk to roughly one third of 1990 levels

Japan mines toxic e-waste for precious materials

Space & Earth / Environment

created Dec 17, 2009 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (7) | comments 0

Seeking to turn an environmental problem into an economic opportunity, high-tech companies in resource-poor Japan are mining mountains of toxic e-waste for precious materials.


Diplomatic frenzy at final day of UN climate talks (AP)

Diplomatic frenzy at final day of UN climate talks

Space & Earth / Environment

created Dec 18, 2009 | popularity 4 / 5 (4) | comments 1

(AP) -- A diplomatic frenzy enveloped the final day of the U.N. climate conference Friday, with President Barack Obama twice meeting privately with China's premier as world leaders pressed to salvage a global ...


Study on Great Lakes erosion dredges up controversy

Space & Earth / Environment

created Dec 17, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

The Great Lakes aren't as great as they once were. A U.S.-Canadian study released Tuesday reveals that unexpected erosion in the St. Clair River following a 1962 dredging project has permanently lowered Lakes Michigan and ...


NASA, Google offer more precise emissions tracking (AP)

NASA, Google offer more precise emissions tracking

Space & Earth / Environment

created Dec 17, 2009 | popularity 1 / 5 (1) | comments 0

(AP) -- The question is a potential deal-killer: If nations ever agree to slash greenhouse gas emissions, how will the world know if they live up to their pledges?


Not easy being green

Not easy being green

Space & Earth / Environment

created Dec 18, 2009 | popularity 3.7 / 5 (3) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- It was a battle to save a cherished piece of nature from the forces of economic growth. Preservationists formed groups to present their case, and public figures across the country spoke up ...


Sick of swine flu? Toxic algae could be the next big threat

Space & Earth / Environment

created Dec 15, 2009 | popularity 3 / 5 (2) | comments 1

With a new theory surfacing that toxic algae rather than asteroids killed the dinosaurs, scientists are still trying to unravel the mystery of what caused a massive algae bloom off the Northwest Coast that left thousands ...


New research may help to clean drainage from abandoned mines

New research may help to clean drainage from abandoned mines

Space & Earth / Environment

created Dec 16, 2009 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (4) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- In a quiet green glen near Ashville, Pa., lies a rust-colored pond. A deep, rectangular hole in the ground, it somewhat resembles an Olympic-sized pool. Few people, however, would make the ...


NASA tech zooms in on water and land

NASA tech zooms in on water and land

Space & Earth / Environment

created Dec 15, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

In a pilot project that could help better manage the planet's strained natural resources, space-age technologies are helping a Washington state community monitor its water availability. NASA satellites and ...


New pictures reveal rich Antarctic marine life in area of rapid climate change

New pictures reveal rich Antarctic marine life in area of rapid climate change

Space & Earth / Environment

created Dec 17, 2009 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (9) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- New photographs of ice fish, octopus, sea pigs, giant sea spiders, rare rays and beautiful basket stars that live in Antarctica’s continental shelf seas are revealed this week by the British ...


Forests take center stage at Copenhagen

Forests take center stage at Copenhagen

Space & Earth / Environment

created Dec 17, 2009 | popularity 3 / 5 (2) | comments 0

As the UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen approaches its conclusion, negotiations are focusing on the role of forests in mitigating climate change. The new 'Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest ...


'Environmental Atlas of Europe' unveiled at COP15

'Environmental Atlas of Europe' unveiled at COP15

Space & Earth / Environment

created Dec 14, 2009 | popularity 3 / 5 (2) | comments 1

In support of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change taking place in Copenhagen, the European Environment Agency hosted the 'Bend the Trend' event on Sunday evening to provide a global climate ...


World's mayors tackle climate change on their own (AP)

World's mayors tackle climate change on their own

Space & Earth / Environment

created Dec 14, 2009 | popularity 1 / 5 (2) | comments 0

(AP) -- It isn't easy getting Italy's city dwellers out of their Fiats, off their Vespa scooters and onto bicycles to ride to work, "like here in Copenhagen," says an Italian environmental official.


US-China showdown still looms over climate talks (AP)

US-China showdown still looms over climate talks

Space & Earth / Environment

created Dec 15, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

(AP) -- In a showdown between the world's two largest polluters, China accused the United States and other rich nations Tuesday of backsliding on fighting global warming and the top U.S. envoy said Chinese ...