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Santa Barbara County panel OKs offshore oil drilling
A divided Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday in support of offshore drilling, after an impassioned daylong hearing in which this year's record gas prices trumped the memory of a disastrous oil spill.
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World Water Week demands halt to food wastage
Scientists and experts from around the world have warned that global food wastage must be halved by 2025 to meet the challenges of feeding the rapidly-growing population and preserving global water supplies.
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Hydrogen-Producing Bacteria Provide Clean Energy
A new "green" technology developed cooperatively by scientists with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and North Carolina State University (NC State) could lead to production of hydrogen from nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
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Drinking Water of 41 Million Americans Contaminated with Pharmaceuticals
An investigation by the Associated Press (AP) has revealed that the drinking water of at least 41 million people in the United States is contaminated with pharmaceutical drugs.
It has long been known that drugs are not wholly absorbed or broken down by the human body. Significant amounts of any medication taken eventually pass out of the body, primarily through the urine.
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Wasted Food Is Also Wasted Water
The world's growing food crisis -- which triggered riots and demonstrations in over 30 developing nations early this year -- is being aggravated primarily by wastage and overconsumption.
"Obesity is a much bigger problem than undernourishment," said Professor Jan Lundqvist of the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI).
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Does Congestion Pricing Reduce Traffic Congestion and Pollution?
Despite increasing green awareness and steadily rising gasoline prices, Americans and other denizens of the developed world—not to mention millions of new Chinese and Indian drivers hitting the road every week—are loath to give up the freedom and privacy of their personal automobiles.
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U.S. says states can lift emission monitoring bar
(Reuters) - A U.S. federal court on Tuesday overturned a rule that prevented state and local authorities from raising emissions monitoring requirements for polluting units such as chemical plants and oil refineries.
Regulatory body Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had added a rule to the existing Clean Air Act in 1990 that prevented authorities from adding to monitoring requirements.
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Lead wheel weights to be phased out in California by end of 2009
Lead wheel weights, widely used to balance vehicle tires but considered a threat to drinking water, will be phased out in California by the end of next year under a court settlement approved Wednesday.
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Japan to offer incentives on clean diesel cars
Japan is looking to introduce incentives for consumers buying clean diesel cars starting next fiscal year in a bid to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, a government official said on Thursday.
Details including the credit amount will be firmed up by the end of the year with an eye to implementing the incentives from next April, an official at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) said.
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Ivory Coast's forgotten acrid waste
A red triangle with a skull and cross bones symbol gives the first indication that this area on the outskirts of Ivory Coast's main city Abidjan is no rural idyll.
Women may use their heads to carry wood back home while men snooze in the shade of the trees, but a slight odour hangs in the air.
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Hawaii Recycles Record 72 Percent of Beverage Containers
Hawaii has announced the results of its beverage container recycling efforts for the fiscal year 2008, and the state increased recycling by four percent to reach 72 percent recovery, an all-time high.
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ClimatePULSE: Exporting China's Emissions
A recent report from Carnegie Mellon University added numbers to our suspicions that a large portion of China's emissions are from producing goods for export. 1.7 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide, or 33% of China's emissions, are the result of activities related to the production of export goods.
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Yellow cabs go green faster in NYC
NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City's yellow taxi fleet now will go green at the rate of 300 new hybrid cars a month, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said, citing an agreement with car-makers to supply the fuel-light cabs.
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Current climate models 'ignoring brown carbon'
Scientists have found that air pollution from East Asia contains an abundance of 'brown carbon' particles and say that atmospheric models need updating to incorporate their effect.
Current climate models take into account two types of aerosol carbon — organic carbon and black carbon — that arise from the burning of fossil fuels or biomass.
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Don’t Paint Yourself Into an Eco-Unfriendly Corner
From just off white to mango orange, most people utilize paint to personalize their home. Based on this, It’s not surprising that paint is the most collected household hazardous waste at events across the country. There’s nothing wrong with jazzing up your living room or giving that old door a fresh coat; just be eco-wise while doing it. The following guide will help you learn the basics of responsible painting:
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Where Does Smog Occur?
Severe smog and ground-level ozone problems exist in many major cities around the world, from Mexico City to Beijing.
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"Toxic" Indian festivals poison waterways
Toxic 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, experts and environmentalists said on Monday.
Hindus across India celebrate various religious festivals in September and October, paying homage to deities like Lord Ganesha, the remover of obstacles, and Goddess Durga, the destroyer of evil.
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Give Beijing Some Breathing Space
Images of the Beijing sky-line, seemingly bathed in a soup of smog and haze have been never far from the world's TV screens over recent days and weeks.
International reporters with hand-held air pollution detectors have been popping up on street corners checking the levels of soot and dust.
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African firms start to take action on climate change
With global warming expected to hit Africa hard, some companies in the "forgotten continent" are taking action themselves to fight climate change.
"The environment is not being taken very seriously in most of the emerging markets, because we haven't started feeling the pressure yet," Adan Mohamed, chief executive of Barclays Bank Kenya, told Reuters.
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Drinking water in Gaza Strip contaminated with high levels of nitrate
Gaza/Leipzig. Palestinian and German scientists have recommended to the authorities in the Gaza Strip that they take immediate measures to combat excessive nitrate levels in the drinking water.
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China raises tax on big cars, impact seen small
China said on Wednesday it would raise taxes on large passenger vehicles and cut the tax on small cars from next month to cut pollution and fuel use.
But the policy may only have a limited impact on boosting fuel efficiency in the world's second-largest oil user, as majority of the cars will be spared the tax hike as Beijing seeks to prevent more damage to an already slowing auto market.
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Creating solutions to a water crisis
The International Herald Tribune, August 11, 2008 Monday - The first thing you see is shelf after shelf of plain glass bottles all containing different colored liquids. Some of the liquids are clear, and others whitish, yellowish, brownish, greenish, or almost black. The colors change daily, as does the consistency, and whatever is growing inside.
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Recycled Plastics Showing Up More In Autos
Recycled plastic is being used for bumpers, splash guards and under the hood. Because recycled plastic is often more brittle or less durable, it is usually mixed with new plastic. For example, many bumpers contain as much as 20 percent recycled plastic.
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China ventures into carbon capture
China and Australia will test a post-combustion capture (PCC) pilot plant in Beijing as part of a plan to cut carbon dioxide emissions from thermal power stations.
The plant, officially announced last week (31 July), is a collaboration between the China HuaNeng Group, the country's largest power producer, and Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).
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NYC among 21 cities to disclose carbon output
More than 20 U.S. cities, including New York, Las Vegas and Denver, have agreed to measure their carbon footprints, with a system some 1,300 companies have been persuaded to use, in an attempt to find ways to curb emissions blamed for warming the planet.
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Recycling & Environmental News