U.N. Food Expert Seeks Moratorium on Biofuels

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to food called on Friday for a five-year moratorium on biofuels, saying it was a "crime against humanity" to convert food crops to fuel.

Toyota Eyes the Plug-in Prius

Toyota Motor Corp on Friday detailed plans to study U.S. consumer demand for a version of its hot-selling Prius hybrid that could be recharged at a standard outlet and run on electric power only.

Hidden Costs of Climate Change: Major, Nationwide, Uncounted

The total economic cost of climate change in the United States will be major and nationwide in scope, but remains uncounted, unplanned for and largely hidden in public debate, says a new study from the University of Maryland.

Waste Water Plus Bacteria Make Hydrogen Fuel: Study

Bacteria that feed on vinegar and waste water zapped with a shot of electricity could produce a clean hydrogen fuel to power vehicles that now run on petroleum, researchers reported on Monday.

Better Than Corn? Algae Set to Beat Out Other Biofuel Feedstocks

Forget corn, sugar cane, and even switchgrass. Some experts believe that algae is set to eclipse all other biofuel feedstocks as the cheapest, easiest, and most environmentally friendly way to produce liquid fuel, reports Kiplinger’s Biofuels Market Alert. “It is easy to get excited about algae,” says Worldwatch Institute biofuels expert Raya Widenoja.

Melting Ice Pack Displaces Alaska Walrus

Thousands of walrus have appeared on Alaska's northwest coast in what conservationists are calling a dramatic consequence of global warming melting the Arctic sea ice.

Largest Ever Wind Turbine Deal Signed

Greater Gabbard Offshore Winds has signed a preliminary agreement to buy wind turbines from Siemens for an undisclosed sum for its wind farm off the British coast, the German group said on Thursday.

Solar-To-Hydrogen Technology Sold for $400 Million Euro

GENEVA, Switzerland - The maker of a solar powered 'water cracker' - a technology that releases hydrogen from a water molecule, has pre-sold the technology to a large European energy consortium in Spain. The company, Clean Hydrogen Producers (CHP) today signed an agreement with Grupo Ibereolica, outlining the planning, permitting and appraisal of CHP's Solar Water Cracker technology in Spain and Mexico.

Climate Bill Seen as Sign of Political Shift

A milestone, a landmark and "the political center of gravity is finally shifting on global warming." Those accolades greeted a Senate subcommittee's approval on Thursday of a bill to cap greenhouse gas emissions, mostly because it is the first of a dozen such measures that might have a chance of becoming law.

Video : IBM Reclaims Wafers

Commentary

Click a mouse, feed a mouth in U.N. campaign

LONDON (Reuters) - A food-linked word game put on the Internet a month ago has proved a runaway success and has already generated enough rice to feed 50,000 people, the United Nations World Food Programme said on Friday.

Interview

Interview with Dr. Dan Kammen

Managing CO₂ Emissions on a global level could be no more complicated than an enacting a law and policy that creates a system for trading carbon.

Book Review

The Two-Mile Time Machine:Ice Cores, Abrupt Climate Change, and Our Future

"A fascinating journey into the geologic past and the history of the Earth's climate . . . Alley ends his entertaining book by polishing his crystal ball, envisioning what the future climate will be, and what we might do about it."--J.A. Rial, American Scientist