Environmental News Network

Scientists Uncover New Bird Flu Strain
Scientists have discovered a new strain of bird flu that appears to sidestep current vaccines. It's infecting people as well as poultry in Asia, and some researchers fear its evolution may have been steered by the vaccination programs designed to protect poultry from earlier types of the H5N1 flu. >> Read the Full Article
New Zealand Smoking in Cars Study Shows It Should Be Banned to Protect Children
New Zealand medical researchers said Friday that laws are needed to ban smoking in vehicles where children are passengers, findign evidence that second-hand smoke causes respiratory illnesses in children. >> Read the Full Article
Indian UN Vet Treats Animal Victims of Lebanon War
Amal al-Nimr flips a goat on its back in her muddy farmyard in south Lebanon to show the Indian vet how the shrapnel wound in its leg is healing. >> Read the Full Article
Drought in Southern China Leaves 520,000 Short of Water
A severe drought in a region of southern China has left 520,000 people short of drinking water and damaged crops, a news report said Thursday. >> Read the Full Article
Mexico Rejects Biotech Corn Planting
Mexico this week barred Monsanto Co. and other biotechnology companies from planting genetically engineered corn, rekindling fierce debate in that country over the technology. >> Read the Full Article
Refugees, Disease Big Risk from Global Warming, U.N. Says
The world is not doing enough to combat global warming which, left unchecked, could trigger a mass movement of people and have serious consequences for security, the United Nation's environment chief said on Thursday. >> Read the Full Article
Grammar May Help Fight Bacteria
Biologists reached back to elementary school to discover a promising new way to fight nasty bacteria: Apply the rules of grammar. >> Read the Full Article
Pollution Shortens Life Expectancy Worldwide
More than 10 million people are at risk for lung infection, cancer and shortened life expectancy because they live in the 10 worst-polluted cities in the world, according to a report issued Wednesday. >> Read the Full Article
Eat More Fish, U.S. Study Urges, Despite Toxin Risk
Most people should eat more fish because of its health benefits, the U.S. Institute of Medicine reported Tuesday, but added that consumers must also consider the risks of chemically contaminated seafood. >> Read the Full Article
Ivory Coast Tragedy Highlights Hazardous Waste Trade on Rise
Not long after hundreds of tons of toxic waste was jettisoned around Ivory Coast's main city under cover of darkness, Jean-Jacques Kakou awoke like thousands of others here to an overpowering stench that burned his eyes and made it hard to breathe. >> Read the Full Article