Russian Ministries Start Agreeing to Kyoto Approval

At least one Russian ministry has signed letters agreeing to Moscow's approval of the Kyoto Protocol, a spokesman said, in what could be a final step in the lengthy tussle to bring the global pact into force. >> Read the Full Article

Indonesian Police Detain American Mine Employee Over Pollution

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesian police arrested an American executive of a U.S.-based mining company and three local staff over the alleged contamination of a bay in eastern Indonesia, a company spokesman said. >> Read the Full Article

Study Estimates Two-Thirds of Caribbean Coral Reefs Threatened

About two-thirds of coral reefs in the Caribbean are threatened by pressures ranging from pollution to overfishing and urgently need better protection, a U.S.-based environmental research group says in a new study. >> Read the Full Article

Southern Africa Faces Food, Water Crises - Study

Southern Africa faces major challenges to feed its swelling populations and to keep its wells from running dry, a new study shows. >> Read the Full Article

California Panel Weighs Greenhouse Gas Plan for Cars

A plan to require automakers to cut greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks by about 30 percent is expected to be approved on Thursday by the California Air Resources Board, backers and opponents said. >> Read the Full Article

Biotech Grass 'Gene Flow' Underscores Growing Concern

California rice farmers are worried Japanese customers will boycott their products if genetically engineered rice is allowed into the state. >> Read the Full Article

New UN Talks Bid to Save Fish, Plants and Timber

Long a forum for protecting endangered species like whales or tigers, a U.N. meeting in Bangkok next month will seek a wider role in regulating the billion-dollar trade in timber, fish and medicinal plants. >> Read the Full Article

Chevron Touts Social Responsibility

ChevronTexaco Corp., in "a brief update" for 2003, on Tuesday added new information to the corporate social responsibility report that it issued nearly a year ago, mixing disclosures of recent events and data with anecdotes about projects that showed the huge oil producer in a positive light. >> Read the Full Article

China Puzzles Over Mountain of Waste Appliances

China is figuring out what do do with a mountain of electronic waste as more and more computers and other appliances find their way on to the garbage heap, the Xinhua news agency says. >> Read the Full Article

Pollination fears prompt FDA to launch intensive study of bioengineered grass

Alarmed by new research showing that pollen from genetically modified grass can spread for miles, federal regulators are questioning the environmental safety of moving biotechnology into golf courses and suburban lawns. >> Read the Full Article