Drilling Boom Revives Hopes For Natural Gas

The New York Times reports that American natural gas production is rising - and its cost sinking - at a clip not seen in half a century, as companies employ advanced technology to release gas trapped in huge shale beds long considered out of reach. (Image: New York Times)

Portland Gym Generates Electricity

The Los Angeles Times reports that Green Microgym, a gym in Portland, Oregon, will use exercise equipment to generate renewable energy beginning Friday. (Photo: Los Angeles Times)

12 States Sue EPA Over Refinery Carbon Emissions

Reuters reports that, led by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, New York and 11 other states are suing the Environmental Protection Agency over greenhouse gas emissions from oil refineries. (Photo: Reuters)

Global Warming Time Bomb Trapped In Arctic Soil

Agence France-Presse reports that climate change could release unexpectedly huge stores of carbon dioxide from Arctic soils, which would in turn fuel a vicious circle of global warming, a new study warned Sunday. (Photo: Agence France-Presse)

First Mass Crossing for Hydrogen Cars Completed

Reuters reports that hydrogen fuel cell cars from nine automakers completed a 13-day cross-country trip this weekend, in the first such mass U.S. crossing for vehicles powered by a zero-emission technology still in its infancy. (Photo: Reuters)

Three Pandas Born As Olympics Come To An End

Agence France-Press reports that three giant pandas have been born in southwest China, bringing the total number of new arrivals of the endangered species this year to at least 19. (Photo: Angence France-Presse)

Deforestation A Key Concern At UN Climate Talks

The Associated Press reports that deforestation will be one of the major issues of debate at the current UN climate talks, as scientists estimate that deforestation accounts for up to 20 percent of the carbon added by man to the atmosphere.

Denmark Approves 400 MW Offshore Windmill Park

Reuters reports that Denmark's parliament has approved the construction of a 400 megawatt (MW) offshore wind turbine park in the Kattegat arm of the North Sea between Jutland and the island of Anholt in 2012.

S Korea Announces Discount Scheme To Fight Global Warming

Agence France-Presse reports that South Korea has announced plans for a discount scheme that would encourage citizens to buy more energy-efficient products by issuing carbon points to consumers, which they can use to pay utilities, transport and other bills or to buy other appliances. (Photo: Agence France-Presse)

Christians See Climate Change as Moral Issue

Reuters reports that a group of Christian activists have argued that morality should be a spur for stronger action to fight climate change, which threatens food and water supplies for the poorest in Africa. (Photo: Reuters)

Norway Eyes Eco Investment Role For Wealth Fund

Reuters reports that Oil-rich Norway is pushing ahead with plans to use part of its $400 billion sovereign wealth fund to invest in renewable energy development, a deputy finance minister said on Monday.

Climate Change Linked to Longer Pollen Seasons

HealthDay reports that a recent study has linked climate change to longer pollen seasons.

UN Climate Talks Split Over Carbon Trading

Agence France-Presse reports that a split between delegates arose at climate change talks in Ghana over trading carbon emission rights between developed and developing nations.

Brazil Says US should exploit offshore oil resources

The Associated Press reports that Sergio Gabrielli, the president of Brazil's state-run oil company, has said the United States must exploit offshore resources while limiting environmental impact, claiming that America quite simply can't leave such resources untapped. (Photo: Washington Post)

Fractures in arctic ice worry scientists

The Los Angeles Times reports that, according to scientists, Greenland's Petermann glacier could be disintegrating, as new satellite images show a growing giant crack and an 11-square-mile chunk of ice hemorrhaging off the major glacier - and in a part of the Arctic that had thus far seemed immune from global warming.

Are Smokestacks The Fuel of The Future?

CNET News reports that a growing number of scientists and clean-tech companies are trying to coax usable energy from smokestacks and other emissions, raising the possibility that, rather than install solar panels on your roof to create electricity, the lost heat from one's furnace could power his home.

China Besting US On Green Tech

The Triangle Business Journal reports that Jim Rogers, the chief executive of Duke Energy Corp., has a message about China — the Asian giant is ready to pass the United States as a leader in energy technology.

West Africa's Coastline Redrawn By Climate Change

Agence France-Presse reports that rising sea levels caused by climate change will brutally redraw a 4,000-kilometre (2500-mile) stretch of west African coastline from Senegal to Cameroon by century's end. (Photo: Agence France-Presse)

Climate Conference Makes Progress On Key Dispute

The Associated Press reports that delegates at the U.N. climate conference in Ghana have made headway on a plan to encourage developing countries to regulate carbon emissions by focusing on their largest industries. (Photo: Associated Press)

Flat Screen TV Gasses May Be Added To Climate Fight

Reuters reports that, according to delegates at the U.N. climate talks in Ghana, new greenhouse gases emitted in making flat-screen televisions or some refrigerants might be capped under a planned U.N. treaty to combat global warming. (Photo: Reuters)

Queen Elizabeth's Balmoral Estate Goes Green

The New York Sun reports that Queen Elizabeth's Scottish estate, Balmoral, will become the first in the Royal household to be self-sufficient in energy after the queen set up an energy-saving committee at Buckingham Palace to look at how to reduce consumption and installed a small hydroelectric plant at the estate that produces enough electricity to sell some to the national grid.

Bloomberg Wants NYC To Become Clean Power Generator

The Guardian reports that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has calling for the city to become a major generator of renewable energy and expressed a desire that New York wean itself from dependency on the conventional power grid by massive investment in wind, solar and wave energy - even mentioning the possibility that wind turbines could be placed on bridges and skyscrapers.

Hydrogen Could Soon Make Existing Cars Cleaner

The Guardian reports that Hrein Energy, a Japanese start-up company, is proposing to supply technology within three years that would retrofit existing cars with tiny hydrogen generators that work off the car exhaust and supplement existing combustion, resulting in a clean burn. (Photo: Getty/Guardian)

Could Bicycle Lanes Cause More Pollution?

The Wall Street Journal reports that plans to expand San Francisco's bicycle infrastructure have been put on hold thanks to local man who successfully sued for an environmental review, arguing the plan would cause more pollution.

Bubble Wrap Could Be The Green Future

LiveScience reports on the environmentally friendly material that surrounds the National Aquatics Center in Beijing - a light-weight polymer foil called ETFE that significantly reduces the energy that goes into construction, can hold in light and heat, and is both easily repaired and incredibly strong. (Photo: Agence France-Presse)

Study Says Birds Can't Keep Up With Climate Change

Agence France-Presse reports that, according to a new study, the habitats of wild bird species are shifting in response to global warming, but not fast enough to keep pace with rising temperatures. (Photo: Agence France-Presse)

California Says Hybrid Cars Are Bad For The Blind

The Associated Press reports that the California legislature has acknowledged that, even though hybrid vehicles may be better for the environment, they're dangerous to the blind. (Photo: Associated Press)

Support For Climate Change Proposals May Be Rising Among US Investors

The Associated Press reports that, according to statistics gathered by a coalition of public interest groups, environmental organizations and pension funds, shareholder resolutions related to climate change more than doubled over the past five years, indicating that support for climate change proposals may be growing among investors in large US companies. 

Environmentalists Claim Global Warming Threatens Small Mammal

The Guardian reports that US environmentalists have filed a lawsuit to protect the American pika under the US Endangered Species Act, claiming that global warming distinctly threatens the small mammal.

Dozens of Companies Bid For Gulf Shore Oil Leases

The Associated Press reports that the US Interior Department has received 423 bids from 47 companies to explore nearly two million acres of the western Gulf of Mexico for oil and natural gas, though no offers were made for 90 percent of the acreage on the auction block.

EPA To Cite Five Midwest States For Pollution

The Associated Press reports that the US Environmental Protection Agency has accused counties in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin of violating a new pollution standard for tiny soot particles that can cause respiratory distress in children and the elderly.

Court Says EPA Air Pollution Rule Is Illegal

The Associated Press reports that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit threw out a two-year-old Bush administration rule barring states and local governments from requiring more air pollution monitoring, declaring the rule illegal.

Arsenic In Drinking Water Linked To Diabetes

The Associated Press reports that, according to researchers, a new analysis of government data has for the first time linked low-level arsenic exposure, likely from drinking water, with Type 2 diabetes, possibly necessitating stronger drinking water safety standards. 

One Third Of American Schools Within Pollution Danger Zone

LiveScience reports that, according to a new study, about one third of American schools are within an "air pollution danger zone" near major highways and the pollutants that stream from cars and trucks, exposure to which has been associated with a greater risk of developing asthma and other respiratory problems later in life. (Photo: Agence France-Presse)

McCain Strengthens Call For More Offshore Drilling

The Associated Press reports that Republican presidential candidate John McCain visited an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday to call for increased offshore drilling that he claims would lower the cost of food and heating homes.

Floods Raise Disease Risks In West Africa

Reuters reports that the World Health Organization has said that flooding in West Africa, which has so far uprooted more than 200,000 people, is increasing the risk of deadly diseases including cholera which has already struck.

Warming Climate Threatens Alaska's Forests

Reuters reports that climate change will effect Alaska more than any other US state and that - since the state is one-third forest - the effects will take the form of droughts, forest fires, and infestations of tree-killing insects - though further north near the arctic circle, receding sea ice will have major implications for polar bears, seals and dozens of other species, not to mention native humans who depend on the land and animals to sustain them. (Photo: Reuters)

Pollution From Ships Causing Thousands of Deaths

The Guardian reports that sulphur particles from ships may be responsible for as many as 60,000 deaths a year, say US scientists, contributing far more of the sulphate in the atmosphere than was previously realized. (Photo: Agence France-Presse)

Australian PM Urges US To Take More Climate Change Action

The Associated Press reports that Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has urged the United States to take more action on climate change and become more involved in the global debate on the issue. (Photo: Associated Press)

Japan Will Label Goods' Carbon Footprint

Agence France-Presse reports that Japan is planning to label consumer goods to show their carbon footprints in a bid to raise public awareness about global warming. (Photo: Agence France-Presse)

African Sun Helps Light Up The Evening Hours

Reuters reports that the launch of the Lighting Africa program by the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation has made it possible for many Africans to extend hours of study, reading or leisure by swapping kerosene lamps for a solar-powered LED lanterns that consume almost no power.

Google Invests $10 Million In Geothermal Technology

Reuters reports that Google Inc. plans to invest more than $10 million in a breakthrough geothermal energy technology, which circulates water through hot rocks in the ground, producing steam to power a turbine. (Photo: Reuters)

Toxic Indian Festival Idols Poison Waterways

Reuters reports that experts and environmentalists have expressed concern that chemicals from thousands of idols of Hindu gods immersed in rivers and lakes across India are causing pollution which is killing fish and contaminating food crops. (Photo: Reuters) 

Spanish Government Vows Strong Action On Leak

Reuters reports that Spain's government has said it will take firm action against a nuclear plant after the watchdog pressed for charges over its handling of a radioactive leak for which 2,600 people had to be screened.

Beijing Enjoys Cleanest Air In A Decade

Reuters reports that a top environmental official has claimed that Olympic host Beijing enjoyed its cleanest air in 10 years this month and will adopt strict new measures to ensure its notorious smog does not return. (Photo: Reuters)

Wildfire Races Across Eastern Washington State

The Associated Press reports that firefighters in eastern Washington are battling a wildfire that has raced across about 35 square miles of grass, sagebrush and some scattered trees in a sparsely populated region.

Anti-Regulation Aide In Line For Top DOE Job

The Washington Post reports that F. Chase Hutto, a senior aide to Vice President Cheney, is the leading contender to become a top official at the Energy Department, a promotion that would put one of the administration's most ardent opponents of environmental regulation in charge of American energy policy. (Photo: Associated Press)

Yale Student Builds Herself An Environmentally Friendly Lodging

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With $11,000, an incoming graduate student at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies is building an environmentally friendly 8 by 18 foot "Tiny House" to live in while at school - all completely solar-powered and made almost completely from green, recyclable, used, and leftover parts.

Colorado Pressages National Debate Over Renewable Power

Despite a continuing boom, oil and gas companies in Colorado are on the defensive, spending heavily as they try to prevent the repeal of as much as $300 million in annual tax breaks and fighting against new regulations designed to protect wildlife and public health.

Solar Stocks No Longer Too Expensive

Solar stocks, which rocketed last year, have taken a dramatic beating in 2008 on fears that pullbacks in critical government subsidies in Spain and the United States and a weak global economy will hamper demand in the fast-growing sector. (Photo: Reuters)

GM Will Finalize Electric Car Design By Year's End

General Motors Corp has said it will finalize the design of the all-electric Chevy Volt by mid-September and aims to have 50 prototypes with production-ready parts by the end of 2008. (Photo Reuters)

Mitsubishi Will Support Brunei Solar Project

Mitsubishi Corp has announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Bruenei's Energy Ministry to build and operate a test solar power plant in the western part of the sultanate in a three-year project starting in 2010. (Photo: Associated Press)

Psychologists Determine What It Means To 'Think Green'

Armed with new research into what makes some people environmentally conscious and others less so, the 148,000-member American Psychological Association is stepping up efforts to foster a broader sense of eco-sensitivity that the group believes will translate into more public action to protect the planet.

Going Green Registers With Colleges

In addition to reading, writing and arithmetic, students are learning a new "3 Rs": reduce, reuse, recycle as college campuses all over America are embracing environmentalism in its diverse forms. (Photo: USA Today)

Slower Economy Saps Climate Action

Experts have said that an economic slowdown is sapping enthusiasm for a costly drive to fight climate change but persistently high oil prices are a lifeline for a "green revolution" of renewable energy technology.

African Companies Begin To Fight Climate Change

With global warming expected to hit Africa hard, some companies in the "forgotten continent" are taking action themselves to fight climate change. (Photo: Reuters)

Man Makes Environmental Statement By Refusing to Throw Away Garbage

Los Angeles resident Dave Chameides has been carefully preserving every bit of his garbage as a testament to the volume of trash produced by daily living.

High Prices Drive More Extraction of Fossil Fuels

With oil, gas and coal near record prices, there is an obvious market incentive to invest in renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power. But those same high prices have also incited fossil-fuel companies to ramp up their drilling and mining. (Photo: Reuters)

Rising Acidity Might Kill Sea Species

Rising acidification of the ocean could reduce fertilization of marine invertebrates and might eventually wipe out colonies of sea urchins, lobsters, mussels and oysters, according to a study. (Photo: Reuters)

'Dead Zones' Quickly Spreading Over Globe

Scientists have pointed out that 'Dead zones' in coastal waters - regions of ocean floor so deprived of oxygen that most marine life cannot survive - are spreading worldwide at an alarming pace. (Photo: Reuters)

NY Needs $50 Billion To Protect Waters Supply

New York Gov. David Paterson has revealed that his state will have to spend more than $50 billion over the next 20 years to protect its water supply to fulfill requirements the federal government is imposing without funding. (Photo: Reuters)

Dispute Raises Doubts Over Amazon Dams

Environmentalists were dismayed this week when Brazil approved construction of one of two dams planned in the Amazon, but possible legal challenges and a dispute between construction groups threaten to delay both projects. (Photo: Reuters)

France's Reunion Island Aims for Zero CO2

Hit by rising fuel costs and worried about the impact of global warming, particularly on its delicate flora and fauna, France's reunion island nation has set itself the ambitious goal of cutting its greenhouse gas emissions to zero, using renewable energy sources to produce 100 percent of its electricity by 2025 and power all of its transport by 2050. (Photo: Reuters)

US, Canada Will Map Arctic Seabed

The US State Department has announced a joint US/Canada expedition to map the Arctic seabed in order to make ownership claims in an area recently under dispute by Arctic-rim countries ever since geologists claimed it might hold up to fifth of the world's undiscovered, recoverable oil and natural-gas resources. (Map: Financial Times)

Bush Seeks To Limit Endangered Species Law

The Bush administration has proposed a regulatory overhaul of the Endangered Species Act to allow federal agencies to decide whether protected species would be imperiled by agency projects, eliminating the independent scientific reviews that have been required for more than three decades. (Photo: Wall Street Journal)

Cattails Planted To Save Sinking Delta Islands

Scientists hope crops of cattails will enable farmers to rebuild sinking islands in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, combat global warming and make a profit at the same time. (Photo: Associated Press)

Geothermal Popularity Rises As Oil Prices Remain High

From large power plants in the West that produce electricity to a hospital in the Chicago suburb of Elgin to homeowners looking to save money on their utility bills, geothermal power is experiencing steady but largely unnoticed growth in America.

Giant Retailers Look To Sun For Energy Savings

Retail chains are seizing a chance to bolster their environmental credentials — and gain a tax advantage as well — by installing solar panels on their roofs. (Photo: New York Times)

Sweden Rolls Out New High-Speed Green Train on Old Tracks

Sweden is test-driving a new Bombardier 'Green Train' that travels at speeds approaching 200 mph, promises to cut energy use by as much as 30 percent and can use the same tracks as existing trains.

Yao Ming Becomes UN Environment Campaigner

Chinese superstar Yao Ming has become the UN Environment Program's (UNEP) first ever Environmental Champion, tasked with raising awareness of climate change and energy efficiency.

U.S. Ship Heads for Arctic to Define Territory

A U.S. Coast Guard cutter will embark on an Arctic voyage this week to determine the extent of the continental shelf north of Alaska and map the ocean floor, data that could be used for oil and natural gas exploration. (Photo: Reuters)