Environmental News Network

Gulf Coast Recovering From Humberto
Some residents of Texas and Louisiana fired up generators to cut through the darkness after Hurricane Humberto sneaked up on the Gulf Coast, knocking out power to thousands and flooding streets before fizzling into a tropical depression. >> Read the Full Article
Floods kill 15 in Rwanda, leave 1,000 homeless
Floods killed 15 people and left about 1,000 people homeless after torrential downpours in the hills of northern Rwanda, the government said on Friday. >> Read the Full Article
Curbing Key Chemicals Could Beat Kyoto Climate Goals
OSLO (Reuters) - Curbs on chemicals that damage the ozone layer could have a side-effect of reducing far more greenhouse gases than the main U.N. plan for confronting climate change, the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP) said on Thursday. About 191 governments will meet in Montreal from September 17 to 21 to seek ways to speed up freezing on production and phasing out ozone-depleting HCFC gases, widely used in fridges and air conditioners, that also trap heat in the atmosphere. "If governments accept accelerated action on HCFCs, we can look forward to not only a faster recovery of the ozone layer, but a further important contribution to the climate change challenge," Achim Steiner, head of UNEP, said in a statement. >> Read the Full Article
Experts: Climate change puts sea at risk
Climate change is affecting Europe faster than the rest of the world and rising temperatures could transform the Mediterranean into a salty and stagnant sea, Italian experts said Wednesday. >> Read the Full Article
Governors to push state action on global warming
Governors want to expand state regulation of greenhouse gases in hopes of increasing pressure for federal action on global warming, the chairman of the National Governors Association said Wednesday. >> Read the Full Article
Indonesian Quakes Trigger Tsunami Alerts
Three powerful earthquakes jolted Indonesia in less than 24 hours, triggering tsunami alerts Thursday and sending panicked residents fleeing to high ground. At least nine people were killed in the tremors. >> Read the Full Article
Global warming may cause world crop decline
Global warming could send world agriculture into serious decline by 2080 with productivity collapsing in some developing countries while it improves in a few rich nations, a study reported on Wednesday. India, Pakistan, most of Africa and most of Latin America would be hit hardest, said economist William Cline, the study's author. The United States, most of Europe, Russia and Canada would probably see agricultural gains if climate change continues on its current course, the study found. >> Read the Full Article
Global warming impact like "nuclear war": report
Climate change could have global security implications on a par with nuclear war unless urgent action is taken, a report said on Wednesday. The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) security think-tank said global warming would hit crop yields and water availability everywhere, causing great human suffering and leading to regional strife. >> Read the Full Article
Tsunami warning issued after quake hits Sumatra
A powerful earthquake measuring 8.2 struck Indonesia's Sumatra region on Wednesday, triggering tsunami warnings in the Indian Ocean and sparking panic in coastal areas across southeast Asia. About 2-Â½ hours after the quake hit, Indonesia's meteorological agency lifted its tsunami warning and said via a telephone text message that there had been no tsunami. >> Read the Full Article
Support builds for carbon cash to save forests
The use of carbon offsetting as a way to fund tropical forest protection drew backing from a range of environmental and research groups this week, ahead of international climate change talks in December. Demand for carbon offsets is growing from large Western businesses. Companies want to be seen to be green by paying others to cut emissions of greenhouse gases on their behalf. >> Read the Full Article