http://www.enn.com/ ENN RSS News http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/40685 As the climate gets warmer, arid soils lose nitrogen as gas, reports a new Cornell study. This could lead to deserts with even less plant life than they sustain today, say the researchers. Available nitrogen is second only to water as the biggest constraint to biological activity in arid ecosystems, but before now, ecologists struggled to understand how the inputs and outputs of nitrogen in deserts balance. http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/40678 Hurricane Ida continues to move north towards the US Gulf Coast this morning. At 3am it was in the central part of the Gulf of Mexico, moving north-northeastward at 16 mph. http://www.enn.com/pollution/article/40677 The U.S. Chamber of Commerce may actually have a better idea than a cap-and-trade bill for cutting emissions. And, contrary to popular opinion, they do recognize climate change and the need for clean tech development. http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/40676 Hurricane Ida strengthened off the Mexican resort city of Cancun on the Yucatan Peninsula on Sunday as the storm's heavy rains killed at least 42 people in El Salvador. El Salvador's interior minister said more victims were expected to be found as rescue workers moved into areas cut off by mudslides in the Central American nation. http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/40675 U.S. Midwest weather is seen mostly dry through the next week, ideal for the corn and soybean harvest, a forecaster said on Friday. "This is outstanding weather. Considering the time of the year, this is about as good as you're going to get," said Mike Palmerino with DTN Meteorlogix. http://www.enn.com/pollution/article/40674 Some 40 heads of state plan to attend a U.N. meeting in December in Copenhagen meant to agree a global warming deal, the U.N. climate chief said on Friday. http://www.enn.com/climate/article/40673 A U.N. climate treaty may need an extra year beyond a December deadline to agree details, delegates at U.N. talks said on Thursday even as a U.S. Senate committee approved a carbon-capping bill. The Nov. 2-6 meeting of 175 nations in Spain, turned gloomy about salvaging a strong deal after two years of negotiations. http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/40672 Dr. Ken Caldeira, of the Carnegie Institution of Washington provided a balanced look at the potential benefits and also the costs and possible harm that geoengineering techniques could offer in our quest to find a “Magic Bullet”� to counter global warming. Can global warming be mitigated by a technological fix such as injecting light-blocking particles into the atmosphere or chemically “scrubbing”� excess greenhouse gases from the atmosphere? Department of Global Ecology scientist Ken Caldeira addressed this question in his testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science and Technology in a hearing titled “Geoengineering: Assessing the Implications of Large-Scale Climate Intervention”� on November 5, 2009. http://www.enn.com/pollution/article/40668 As the last round of "intersessional" climate talks before Copenhagen opened today in Barcelona, all eyes were looking in the same direction they were when we left Bangkok three weeks earlier: at the United States. Without American numbers on mitigation (or emissions reductions) and finance (for developing nations to build their own clean energy economies, and also to adapt to the impacts of climate change), any real forward progress in the talks is just about impossible. http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/40665 The latest global assessment of biodiversity ruled yesterday that an additional 11 species are either fully extinct or extinct outside of captivity. As climate change, invasive species, and habitat destruction place greater pressure on wildlife, more species are disappearing at rates faster than conservationists can react to ensure the species' survival. http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/40664 Negotiators meeting this week in Barcelona for the last round of UN climate talks before a big conference in Copenhagen next month are working on negotiating texts that have no reference to water and its management as tools for climate change adaptation. http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/40663 A new study reported by the Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia and the University of Rochester sheds light on how the continents move, and oceans are created. In 2005, a gigantic, 35-mile-long rift broke open the desert ground in Ethiopia. At the time, some geologists believed the rift was the beginning of a new ocean as two parts of the African continent pulled apart, but the claim was controversial. Now, scientists from several countries have confirmed that the volcanic processes at work beneath the Ethiopian rift are nearly identical to those at the bottom of the world's oceans, and the rift is indeed likely the beginning of a new sea. http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/40662 President Lyndon Johnson and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher made stark warnings about global warming decades ago, but convincing evidence for action only amassed in recent years, experts say. A 190-nation U.N. conference in Copenhagen in December is due to agree a new U.N. pact to curb greenhouse gas emissions to slow a rise in temperatures to prevent floods, droughts, wildfires or rising sea levels. http://www.enn.com/climate/article/40659 BARCELONA, Spain - African nations boycotted U.N. climate talks on Tuesday in a protest to urge rich countries to set deeper 2020 cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. "Africa believes that the other groups are not taking talks seriously enough, not urgently enough," said Kabeya Tshikuku, of the Democratic Republic of Congo delegation. http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/40657 Ice cores are important tools to identify Earth’s past climate. They enable us to peer back in time to identify species of insects trapped in ice as well as isotopes oxygen and dust particles that were deposited at various time in the past. The ratio of oxygen isotopes in the ice allows researchers to determine whether temperatures were warmer or cooler when the snow that eventually turned to ice was deposited on the glacier. The dust content gives scientists clues about the rate of precipitation at the site. The thicker the core (longer cores) the longer into the past we can see. http://www.enn.com/pollution/article/40655 Oil giants BP and General Electric Co. announced plans recently to collaborate on a 250-megawatt coal-fired power plant that would employ integrated gasification technology and carbon dioxide capture in Southern California. http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/40654 Hundreds of birds are washing up on the shores of the U.S. Pacific Northwest coated with a foamy sea slime, scientists say. Research suggests that recently, the blooms are larger, lasting longer, and happening with greater frequency. http://www.enn.com/business/article/40650 A $400 billon plan to provide Europe with solar power from the Sahara desert moved a step closer to reality with the formation of a consortium to carry out the work. Known as the Desertec Industrial Initiative (DDI), the German-led consortium believes it can deliver solar power to Europe as early as 2015. http://www.enn.com/pollution/article/40644 A Vermont dairy farm is producing something other than milk. Earlier this month, state officials were on hand to visit Vermont’s newest methane facility. Westminster Farms Inc., along with Green Mountain Power (GMP), have been working together in an on-site plant that converts methane gas released from cow manure into electricity. http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/40643 The multiyear ice covering the Arctic Ocean has effectively vanished, a startling development that will make it easier to open up polar shipping routes, an Arctic expert said on Thursday. http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/40642 Just when you think all human activities are making the environment worse, news comes that our efforts to improve efficiency and reduce environmental impacts (0ur environmental footprint) are doing some good. According to a new U.S. Geological Survey report, the U S is using less water now than during the peak years of 1975 and 1980, despite a 30 percent population increase during the same time period. http://www.enn.com/pollution/article/40638 Leaders at companies that develop low-carbon energy told a Senate panel that climate legislation would create millions of new jobs, but lawmakers from fossil-fuel dependent states said the bill would hit employment in the traditional energy economy. http://www.enn.com/pollution/article/40637 The world carbon market will be worth $122 billion in 2009, just $3 billion higher than last year. The forecast, from UK research group New Energy Finance, marks a severe drop in growth amid the global economic downturn. http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/40634 President Barack Obama will announce the largest investment of economic stimulus funds in clean energy during a visit to Florida, an Obama administration official said on Monday. The announcement will involve the smart grid, which will help bring energy from clean domestic sources to consumers in 49 states and help build a strong and more reliable electricity grid http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/40633 Aflatoxin, found in mold on nuts and grains can cause liver cancer if consumed in large quantities. University California, Irvine researchers for the first time have discovered what triggers the toxin to form, which could lead to methods of limiting its production. Sheryl Tsai, lead author of a study appearing Oct. 22, in the journal Nature that reports the finding. Dr. Tsai is an associate professor of molecular biology & biochemistry, chemistry, and pharmaceutical sciences. "It's shocking how profoundly these molds can affect public health," said Dr. Tsai