Environment

All Environment

Gulf oil spill study's surprising find: Bacteria ate methane in three months

The study's leaders say rates of methane decomposition after the Gulf oil spill 'were faster than had ever been recorded in any other place on the planet.' Other scientists are cautious about the results.
Gulf oil spill commission report: Good news for BP?

The president's commission on the Gulf oil spill has roundly criticized BP's role in the disaster. But it's appearing less likely that the British oil giant will be charged with gross negligence.
Mystery bird deaths: Blame it on harsh winter, fireworks, or 'avicide'?

It's not unheard of that birds fall from the sky or fish die off en masse – but all at once around the world? Hard cold snaps are emerging as a likely cause of some of the bird deaths and fish die-offs.
For town made famous by 'Erin Brockovich,' a toxic sequel?

Hinkley, Calif., battled pollution of its ground water by chromium 6 in the 1990s – a case that inspired 'Erin Brockovich.' Now the substance has escaped its containment barrier.
Blackbird mystery deepens: more birds fall from sky in Louisiana

Just days after more than 1,000 birds fall from the sky over Beebe, Ark., another batch of blackbirds has dropped in Pointe Coupee Parish, La. What's going on?
Green energy first: New York firm seeks tidal power plant in East River

Verdant Power seeks license to build a plant with 30 underwater turbines in New York's East River. It would be the first of its kind in the US, expanding the nation's green energy resources.
Search for clues is on after birds fall from sky in Arkansas

Dead red-winged blackbirds, starlings, and grackles rained down on Beebe, Ark., on New Year's Eve, freaking out local residents. After 3,000 birds fall from sky, state biologists look for answers.
Politics
EPA presents plan on greenhouse gases. Can next Congress stop it?

The EPA set out a timetable Thursday for curbing the emissions of greenhouse gases from power plants and refineries. But Republicans have signaled their steady opposition, and a battle looms.
Hexavalent chromium: Chemical found in drinking water of 31 US cities

Hexavalent chromium is the pollutant at the heart of 'Erin Brockovich.' The movie recounts the legal battle waged by residents of Hinkley, Calif., who blamed exposure to the chemical for high rates of diseases.
Gulf oil spill: Deep water cleanup still needed?

The debate over how much oil remains in the Gulf and where it is continues as research groups, environmental organizations, and government scientists conduct separate missions.
Where polar bears might go if climate change doesn't slow

If climate change leads to ice collecting in one general area in the Arctic Ocean, it might be enough to provide a last 'refuge' for many Arctic inhabitants, including polar bears.
Polar bear 'doomed'? Only if greenhouse-gas emissions aren't cut.

Greenhouse-gas emissions worldwide must be cut to avoid a disappearance of summer sea ice in the Arctic, which is crucial to the polar bear.
Climate change negotiators in Cancun look to bridge gaps

There's an expanding rift between developed and developing countries over whether to extend the 1997 Kyoto Protocol goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions beyond the 2012 limits.
Global weather: 2010 in running to be warmest year on record

If November and December temperatures stay relatively warm, 2010 could capture the record for warmest year, an early analysis shows. This year has also been marked by extreme weather events.
Climate change talks in Cancun: What can be accomplished?

The two-week negotiations begin on Monday and carry far lower expectations than did last December's climate change talks in Copenhagen.
Copenhagen one year after: Did global warming talks accomplish anything?

A new report finds that the much maligned Copenhagen Accord could give negotiators at global warming talks in Cancun, Mexico, next week something to build upon.
Gulf oil spill: Offshore drilling firms threaten to go abroad

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar met with the offshore drilling industry Monday in Houma, La. The event highlighted building tensions in the wake of the Gulf oil spill.
Global warming: carbon dioxide emissions worldwide fell in 2009

That's the good news heading into Cancun global warming talks Nov. 29. The bad news is that the carbon dioxide emissions aren't likely to stay down for long.
A combustible mix for White House: Gulf oil spill and politics

In the wake of the Gulf oil spill, Obama said science would guide energy policy, but some claim that the White House made a political 'edit' in a drilling report. House hearings could explore the issue.
As regulation of greenhouse gases nears, EPA releases guidelines

The guidelines are intended to help states and industry evaluate the cost and kind of technologies that would best reduce greenhouse gases.