Nature & Environment : Science World Report

Mar 23, 2012 08:54 AM EDT

Satellites Map Fine Aerosol Pollution Over China

Many types of aerosol particles circulate in the atmosphere, but one of the most damaging to human health is known as PM2.5, a technical term for microscopic bits of matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter (one thirtieth the width of a human hair). These small pollutants, which come mostly from bur...

Mar 22, 2012 05:36 PM EDT

BP Gets OK to Drill Deepwater Well off Shetland

BP has got a green light to drill a deepwater well off the Shetland Islands, the UK government said on Thursday, a move in line with Britain's plans to encourage more exploration in the North Sea.

Mar 22, 2012 02:25 PM EDT

Damage to World's Oceans 'to Reach $2 Trillion a Year'

The cost of damage to the world's oceans from climate change could reach $2 trillion a year by 2100 if measures to cut greenhouse gas emissions are not stepped up, a study by marine experts said on Wednesday.

Mar 22, 2012 01:53 PM EDT

Britain Mulls Replacing Corporate CO2 Scheme

The UK government will consider replacing a scheme to cut corporate energy use with an alternative environmental tax if it cannot reduce the scheme's administrative costs, finance minister George Osborne said in his budget statement on Wednesday.

Mar 22, 2012 01:44 PM EDT

Stubborn Drought Expected to Tax Mexico for Years

A severe drought in Mexico that has cost farmers more than a billion dollars in crop losses alone and set back the national cattle herd for years, is just a foretaste of the drier future facing Latin America's second largest economy.

Mar 22, 2012 12:58 PM EDT

U.S. Intelligence Sees Global Water Conflict Risks Rising

Fresh water supplies are unlikely to keep up with global demand by 2040, increasing political instability, hobbling economic growth and endangering world food markets, according to a U.S. intelligence assessment released on Thursday.

Mar 21, 2012 04:24 PM EDT

UF Researchers Look for Ways to Make an Emerging Technology Safe for Environment

The percentage of electronic waste occupying our landfills has grown at an alarming rate over the last decade, giving rise to concerns about the toxicity of components used in consumer electronics.

Mar 21, 2012 03:21 PM EDT

Scientists Use Rare Mineral to Correlate Past Climate Events in Europe, Antarctica

The first day of spring brought record high temperatures across the northern part of the United States, while much of the Southwest was digging out from a record-breaking spring snowstorm. The weather, it seems, has gone topsy-turvy. Are the phenomena related? Are climate changes in one part of the ...

Mar 21, 2012 11:25 AM EDT

Energy Requirements Make Antarctic fur Seal Pups Vulnerable to Climate Change

A new study suggests that climate change could pose a risk for Antarctic fur seals in their first few months of life.

Mar 21, 2012 11:17 AM EDT

Chemical Pollution in Europe's Seas: The Monitoring Must Catch up with the Science

According to a recent poll* of more than 10,000 citizens from ten European countries, pollution is the primary concern of the public at large among all issues that threaten the marine environment. A new position paper of the Marine Board-ESF shows that such public concern is not misplaced and is sup...

Mar 20, 2012 05:12 PM EDT

New Paper by Notre Dame Researchers Describes Method for Cleaning Up Nuclear Waste

While the costs associated with storing nuclear waste and the possibility of it leaching into the environment remain legitimate concerns, they may no longer be obstacles on the road to cleaner energy.

Mar 20, 2012 07:23 AM EDT

MIT Research: Study Finds Room to Store CO2 Underground

A new study by researchers at MIT shows that there is enough capacity in deep saline aquifers in the United States to store at least a century's worth of carbon dioxide emissions from the nation's coal-fired powerplants. Though questions remain about the economics of systems to capture and store suc...