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The World Environment News is a daily environmental update bringing you all the latest environmental stories, pictures and video from across the globe, courtesy of the Reuters news service. if it’s happening in the world of environment, it’s happening in the World Environment News.
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Latest News (183 stories)
Blizzards Push SE Europe Energy Grids To Limits
Photo: Lisi Niesne
Date: 09-Feb-12
Country: LONDON/SARAJEVO
Author: Oleg Vukmanovic
Blizzards and ice-laden power lines in southeastern Europe pushed gas and electricity networks near to breaking point Wednesday as consumption soared, while some western countries scrambled to prevent similar breakdowns.
Grand Canyon To Ban Bottled Water Sales
Photo: Joshua Lott
Date: 09-Feb-12
Country: USA
Author: David Schwartz
The Grand Canyon will soon ban the sale of bottled water, responding to concerns that empty plastic bottles scattered around the park are spoiling views of the natural wonder.
Scientists Melt Mystery Over Icecaps And Sea Levels
Photo: Denis Callesen/Handout
Date: 09-Feb-12
Country: SINGAPORE
Author: David Fogarty
U.S. scientists using satellite data have established a more accurate figure of the amount of annual sea level rise from melting glaciers and ice caps which should aid studies on how quickly coastal areas may flood as global warming gathers pace.
Japan Atomic Watchdog Postpones 1st Stress Test Approval
Date: 09-Feb-12
Country: JAPAN
Author: Risa Maeda
Japan's nuclear watchdog on Wednesday postponed the completion of its review on stress tests on the first pair of dozens of idled reactors, an initial step in rebuilding public trust in atomic energy after the worst nuclear accident in 25 years.
Norway To Expand Arctic Seabed Surveying
Date: 09-Feb-12
Country: NORWAY
Author: Victoria Klesty
Norway intends to expand surveys of a previously disputed area in the Arctic offshore region bordering Russian waters ahead of potential oil exploration, Norway's prime minister said on Wednesday.
Swiss Nuke Plant Briefly Shut After Maintenance
Date: 09-Feb-12
Country: SWITZERLAND
Author: Catherine Bosley
Switzerland's Muehleberg nuclear power plant was shut down safely on Wednesday after maintenance work caused the feedwater system to stop, the operator said.
New Solar Cell Could Boost Efficiency By 25 Percent
Date: 09-Feb-12
Country: UK
Author: Nina Chestney
A new type of solar cell which could boost the efficiency of solar panels by over 25 percent compared to silicon-based cells has been developed by British scientists, but they need another two or three years to assess whether it is commercially viable.
Airlines Seek Swift End To Row Over EU CO2 Scheme
Date: 09-Feb-12
Country: UK
Author: Jeff Coelho
British Airways, Qantas and other airlines are calling on governments to find a swift resolution to a political dispute over the European Union's carbon scheme, because the deadlock may create competitive distortions.
Iran Says To Go Green As Oil Sanctions Tighten
Date: 09-Feb-12
Country: DUBA
Author: Daniel Fineren
Iran should invest in renewable energy to preserve its hydrocarbon reserves, Iranian energy minister Rostam Qasemi said Wednesday, as tightening sanctions make it increasingly difficult for Tehran to sell oil.
Cold Weather Drives UK Emissions Up 3.1 Percent In 2010
Photo: Reuters/David Moir
Date: 08-Feb-12
Country: BRITAIN
Author: Ben Garside
The UK's greenhouse gas output climbed 3.1 percent in 2010 as people used more gas to heat their homes amid colder weather and more nuclear plants were closed for maintenance, according to final government estimates published Tuesday.
Germany's Centrotherm Signs Saudi Solar Deal
Date: 08-Feb-12
Country: SAUDI ARABIA/GERMANY
Author: Reem Shamseddine and Christoph Steitz
Saudi-based IDEA Polysilicon Co. has signed an agreement for Germany's Centrotherm Photovoltaics, the world's No.2 maker of solar equipment, to help it build a polysilicon plant in Saudi Arabia.
Australia Floods Fail To Dampen Big Cotton Crop
Photo: Reuters/Queensland Police Service/Handout
Date: 08-Feb-12
Country: AUSTRALIA
Author: James Regan
Australia's projections for a bumper cotton crop remain on track despite a week-long deluge in major growing regions that forced thousands of residents from their homes and left rivers dangerously swollen.
Nepal's Vulture "Restaurants" For Endangered Birds
Photo: Reuters/Navesh Chitrakar
Date: 08-Feb-12
Country: NEPAL
Author: Gopal Sharma
In the village of Pithauli, surrounded by ripening mustard fields, a woman hauls a cow carcass on a trolley, drops it in an open field, then runs and hides in a nearby hut as dozens of vultures swoop down.
Snow Cuts Off Hundreds Of Villages In Eastern Europe
Date: 08-Feb-12
Country: BULGARIA
Author: Irina Ivanova
Heavy snowfall across eastern Europe cut off hundreds of villages on Tuesday and rescue teams struggled to evacuate people in southern Bulgaria where rain and melting snow had caused a dam wall to break, flooding an entire village.
ABB Revs-Up Electric Car Charging Network
Date: 08-Feb-12
Country: SWITZERLAND
Author: Caroline Copley
Chargers for electric cars may become a "billion dollar business" by 2017, said an executive at Swiss engineering firm ABB, which is teaming up with governments and companies such as RWE to roll out a network.
Plantings Of Biotech Crops Grow Globally In 2011: Report
Date: 08-Feb-12
Country: USA
Author: Carey Gillam
The United States remained the primary backer of biotech crop technology in 2011, but adoption spread internationally as the total global planted area of genetically modified seeds grew 8 percent from a year ago, according to a report issued Tuesday.
Green Auction Expected To Raise Millions For Environment
Photo: Reuters/Lucas Jackson
Date: 08-Feb-12
Country: USA
Author: Chris Michaud
Bidders will be able to buy fine art, a vacation in the Maldives, or an internship with designer Donna Karan and help the planet at the same time in Christie's annual Green Auction, which is expected reap millions for environmental causes.
House Panel Advances Keystone Pipeline Plan
Date: 08-Feb-12
Country: USA
Author: Roberta Rampton
A plan to fast-track the stalled Keystone XL oil pipeline was passed by a key committee in the U.S. House of Representatives, as Republicans made yet another attempt to spur approval of the project that has become a major issue in the 2012 elections.
BP Squares Up For Oil Spill Lawsuits
Photo: Reuters/Ann Driver
Date: 08-Feb-12
Country: BRITAIN
Author: Tom Bergin
BP ratcheted up the rhetoric around multi-billion dollar claims from the Gulf oil spill by warning it would "vigorously" contest lawsuits over one of the world's worst environmental disasters.
Australian Floods Force Thousands From Their Homes
Date: 07-Feb-12
Country: AUSTRALIA
Author: Rebekah Kebede
Thousands of Australians were forced from their homes on Monday because of floods that have risen to record levels in some areas and killed one person, and authorities issued warnings for more than a dozen rivers in Queensland and New South Wales states.
E.ON And Hydrocop To Jointly Bid For French Hydropower
Date: 07-Feb-12
Country: FRANCE/GERMANY
Author: Muriel Boselli and Christoph Steitz
German utility E.ON and Hydrocop Concessions, a group of eight energy distributors in France, announced a partnership on Monday to bid for lucrative hydropower contracts if the French government opens the business up to competition.
Peru's Giant Jungle Fish Hooks Conscientious Gourmets
Date: 07-Feb-12
Country: PERU
Author: Caroline Stauffer
Move over Chilean sea bass, Peruvians are raising a giant Amazon fish and sending it abroad to answer growing cries for sustainable seafood in haute cuisine.
Opponents Of EU Airline CO2 Scheme To Meet In Moscow
Date: 07-Feb-12
Author: Barbara Lewis & Krittivas Mukherjee
A group of 26 countries vehemently opposed to the EU's aviation emissions trading scheme will meet in Moscow on February 21 to discuss a plan of action, EU and Indian sources told Reuters on Monday.
Eyeing Greener Acres, New Farmers Reap Growing U.S. Aid
Photo: Reuters/Jason Reed
Date: 07-Feb-12
Country: USA
Author: Carey Gillam
Dan Pugh wishes he had a bigger tractor and his wife Laura worries about their chickens in the winter weather. But as new farmers putting down roots in rural Missouri, the Pughs are counting on more rewards than regrets in trading their city lives for the country.
Cold Kills 33 More In Europe, Dam Breaks In Bulgaria
Photo: Reuters/Radu Sigheti
Date: 07-Feb-12
Country: EUROPE
Author: Irina Ivanova
Europe's bitterly cold weather killed another 33 people on Monday and melting snow caused a dam wall to break and flood an entire village in Bulgaria.
China Bans Airlines From Joining EU Emissions Scheme
Date: 06-Feb-12
Country: CHINA
Author: Chris Buckley
The Chinese government said on Monday it will ban the country's airlines from participating in a European Union scheme to charge for carbon emissions from flights into and out of Europe and ban airlines from charging customers extra because of the EU plan.
USDA Awards $40 Million Grants To Boost Local Food Supplies
Date: 06-Feb-12
Country: USA
Author: Christine Stebbins
The U.S. Agriculture Department on Friday awarded $40.2 million in grants to farmers, ranchers and farmer-controlled rural business ventures aimed at spurring locally produced food supplies and renewable energy ventures.
House GOP seeks To Tie Keystone To Highway Bill
Date: 06-Feb-12
Country: USA
Author: Ayesha Rascoe
Republican lawmakers hope to move one step closer next week to linking a measure approving the controversial Canada-to-Texas Keystone XL oil pipeline to a highway funding bill.
U.S. To Require Disclosure Of Fracking Fluids On Public Land
Date: 06-Feb-12
Country: USA
Author: Timothy Gardner and Ayesha Rascoe
The U.S. government will require natural gas drillers to disclose which chemicals they use in hydraulic fracturing on public lands, according to draft rules crafted by the Interior Department.
Grounded U.S. Whooping Cranes Taking To The Road
Date: 06-Feb-12
Country: USA
Author: Andrew Stern
A flock of young whooping cranes stuck in Alabama have lost interest in following an ultra-light plane leading them to a Florida winter habitat, so the rare birds' human coaches prepared on Friday to drive them to a nearby marsh.