In The News

20 Years Left: Mammals Plunge Into Extinction

Ben Cubby September 9, 2010
Animals like the bettong, small marsupials known as rat kangaroos, survived ice ages and hunters for million years. But increasing fires, predation and invasive species are now threatening extinction for bettongs and other species, reports Ben Cubby for the Sydney Morning Herald. Wildlife surveys across the region, commissioned by the Nature Conservancy, show an average 75 percent drop in mammal...

Germany Leads With Its Goal of 100 Percent Renewable Energy

Daniel Boese September 7, 2010
Germany is demonstrating steady progress in unshackling itself from fossil fuel dependence by converting to renewable energy sources. Polls show that more than 80 percent of the nation favors development of homegrown wind, sun and geothermal energy alternatives and escape from importing the bulk of oil, gas or uranium from foreign sources. In economic terms, Germany is an early adopter. The large...

The Burden of Thirst

Tina Rosenberg August 25, 2010
Information flows to every corner of the world much like movements of the water cycle, connecting people more than ever before. But nothing separates us more than the inequality that exists in access to water. Nearly 900 million people lack access to clean water, and more than 3.3 million – most children under age five – die each year as a result. In many developing countries, the brunt of the...

Anti-Global Warming Push Also Best for the Economy

Takamitsu Sawa August 17, 2010
Convincing individuals or businesses to join an orderly, gradual transition to new technologies requires incentives, explains Takamitsu Sawa for the Japan Times. Traditional automobile or appliance industries offer little promise of economic growth for developed nations like Japan and the US; consumers in developed nations already own such products, often replacing only as needed or quickly...

In Crackdown on Energy Use, China to Shut 2,000 Factories

Keith Bradsher August 12, 2010
Analysts predict that the countries that pursue energy efficiency and green technology – ending their dependence on fossil fuels – will emerge economic winners in the years ahead. Intent on not wasting energy, China applies strict targets on aging factories by ending bank loans, export credits, licenses, land acquisition, even shutting off electricity, reports Keith Bradsher for the New York...

China Overtakes US as World's Biggest Energy Consumer

Jonathan Watts August 12, 2010
China has surpassed the US in energy usage, making it the world’s biggest energy consumer. The International Energy Agency, based in France, reported that the nation’s use of coal, oil, wind and other sources of energy reached the equivalent of 2.26 billion tons of oil in 2009, nearly double its usage a decade ago. This surge has implications for the global market, including stress on the...

The Gulf's Invisible Villain: Natural Gas

Kate Sheppard August 9, 2010
Methane accompanies oil and gas deposits; potentially explosive with machinery, bright light, sparks or pressure, the gas poses a danger to drillers and miners. The odorless and colorless gas can also displace oxygen and catch living creatures unaware. After the oil-rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, government and media attention focused on highly visible oil rather than invisible methane. Oil...