Environment News

MADRID (AFP) - Greenpeace activists boarded a cargo ship carrying Colombian coal at a port in northern Spain on Monday in protest at Spain's reliance on the highly polluting energy source.

BARCELONA (AFP) - A new tool for measuring biodiversity suggests that a quarter of all animal and plant species may be at risk of extinction, a top scientist said Monday.

If a Toyota Prius just looks too friendly for your tastes, you're not alone. People readily see faces and traits in cars, and a new study suggests that they prefer cars to appear dominant, masculine and angry.

As utility costs mount ever higher, Americans now have real options to take home energy matters into their own hands with "green" systems that can pay for themselves in as little as a few years.

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Shanghai, China's most populous city and an aspiring global financial center, is also among the world's most vulnerable urban areas to a rise in sea levels as global warming melts polar ice.

WASHINGTON - Hurricane Ike's winds and massive waves destroyed oil platforms, tossed storage tanks and punctured pipelines. The environmental damage only now is becoming apparent: At least a half million gallons of crude oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico and the marshes, bayous and bays of Louisiana and Texas, according to an analysis of federal data by The Associated Press.

BARCELONA (AFP) - The world must act quickly if it is to brake an unprecedented die off of the Earth's animal and plant life that could have dire consequences for humans as well, top conservationists warned on Sunday.

PARIS (AFP) - Wall Street's sickness and its contagiousness for the world economy are bad news for the already faltering effort to craft a new pact to tackle climate change.

WASHINGTON - Millions of taxpayers, thousands of businesses and groups as diverse as solar power developers and natural disaster victims will see tax relief with the House vote Friday to approve and send to the president a $700 billion financial rescue plan.

CHEYENNE, Wyo. - The U.S. Forest Service systematically harasses people who attend Rainbow Family gatherings on public lands, the Wyoming chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union contends in a report.

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Tens of millions of people will die from respiratory illness and lung cancer over the next 25 years in China if nothing is done to reduce smoking and fuel burning indoors, scientists warned.

Amid all the uncertainty on Wall Street because of the burgeoning financial crisis, there have been growing concerns about the potential fallout for emerging industries like renewable energy.

KAMPALA (AFP) - A new family of mountain gorillas, one of the world's most endangered species, is ready for interaction with tourists, the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) told AFP Friday.

BRUSSELS (AFP) - 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.

RENO, Nev. - An eclectic group of artists, architects, scientists and writers have gathered at the Nevada Museum of Art to explore how nature and culture intersect in their chosen fields at a conference on art and environment.

S??o Paulo, Brazil - Brazil's environment minister announced yet another series of measures to halt deforestation of the Amazon this week, but their impact was weakened not only by the fact that destruction had increased sharply once again but that the government itself was among the worst culprits.

HOUSTON - Houston has joined Los Angeles to become the second place in the nation classified as having a severe smog problem, the Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday.

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.

OTTAWA (AFP) - Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper came under fire for his record on fighting global warming in a political debate televised Wednesday ahead of elections on October 14.

Over three years in the making, the U.S. Senate passes a deal with India that opens up the nuclear power for business

ORLANDO, Fla. - Climate change threatens to kill off up to a third of the planet's species by the end of the century if urgent action isn't taken to restore fragile ecosystems, protect endangered animals and manage growth, scientists warned Wednesday as a wildlife summit opened.

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 1 (OneWorld) - A leading environmental group launched an Internet ad campaign this week comparing proposed loan guarantees for the nuclear power industry to the widely unpopular $700 billion Wall Street bailout plan.

WASHINGTON - A major shift to renewable energy and efficiency is expected to produce 4.2 million new environmentally friendly "green" jobs over the next three decades, according to a study commissioned by the nation's mayors.

Editor's Note: Each Wednesday LiveScience examines the viability of emerging energy technologies - the power of the future. 

LONDON (Reuters) - Some colorful cichlid fish in Africa's Lake Victoria formed a new species by adapting their vision, showing that geographical isolation is not essential for divergence, researchers said Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin said Tuesday that global warming is "real," but stressed that it "kind of doesn't matter" whether or not humans are to blame for climate change.

Polls divided on Conservative majority

OTTAWA (Reuters) - The Conservatives could turn their parliamentary minority into a majority in the October 14 election, according to one poll released on Wednesday, while other surveys suggest they could fall just short. A Strategic Council survey for the Globe and Mail put the Conservatives at 39 percent support, with the official opposition Liberals well behind at 24 percent. The left-leaning New Democrats were at 19 percent.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Australian scientists set sail later this week on a voyage that could lead to better data from the Southern Ocean, which plays a major role in acting as a brake on climate change.

SYDNEY (AFP) - An offbeat suggestion that Australians should eat kangaroos instead of cattle and sheep has been given a scientific stamp of approval by the government's top climate change adviser.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation Tuesday that attempts to ease greenhouse gas emissions by giving priority to transportation projects that limit commutes and curb urban sprawl.