Australia's koalas at risk from inbreeding, warn experts
The two largest populations of koalas in Australia are so heavily
inbred that they could be wiped out "in an instant" by a single disease, scientists
have warned.
Genetically
modified crops get the Vatican's blessing
The
Vatican seldom approves of scientists meddling with God's creation. So the decision
of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences to back oft-demonised genetically modified
crops as an answer to world hunger and poverty may come as a surprise.
According
to a new publication by Wetlands International, more than half the populations
of waders in Europe, West Asia and Africa are declining at an accelerating rate.
Birdlife have
announced that in an ALE court hearing yesterday, two poachers (illegal hunters)
were found guilty of the killing of a Lesser-spotted Eagle (1), a rare protected
bird of prey, in Buskett Bird Sanctuary last September.
Heat capture technology could save UK 10m tonnes of carbon a
year, says study
The UK could save
10m tonnes of carbon dioxide every year if the waste heat from some of the country's
biggest power stations was diverted to warm homes and offices, according to a
study by engineers.
U.S. House puts climate bill on quick pace for passage
Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives have put major
environmental legislation on a fast-track, boosting chances a climate change bill
will pass this month or next, leading lawmakers said on Wednesday.
The Obama administration's
chief climate negotatior says the United States is not likely to enter into a
new international treaty to reduce the emissions blamed for global warming without
China and other major greenhouse-gas emitters on board.
Shipping and airlines could be tapped for money to help poor
nations tackle and adapt to climate change, according to draft proposals to be
presented to European finance ministers on Tuesday.
160 Syrian villages deserted due to climate
change: study
Some 160 villages in
northern Syria were deserted of their residents in 2007 and 2008 because of climate
change, according to a study released on Tuesday.
