Sun-dimming volcanoes partly explain global warming hiatus-study 24/2/2014

Eruptions of at least 17 volcanoes since 2000, including Nabro in Eritrea, Kasatochi in Alaska and Merapi in Indonesia, ejected sulfur whose sun-blocking effect had been largely ignored until now by climate scientists, a study said. ...more

El Nino threatens to return, hit global food production 24/2/2014

El Nino is a warming of sea-surface temperatures in the Pacific that occurs every four to 12 years. The worst on record in the late 1990s killed more than 2,000 people and caused billions of dollars in damage. ...more

WSU researcher creates cooking-oil-based 'bioasphalt' 24/2/2014

A Washington State University researcher has developed a way to use restaurant cooking oil in a type of asphalt that looks and handles just like its petroleum-based counterpart. ...more

Dubai leg of Waste Free Environment campaign 21/2/2014

The Dubai leg of the GCC-wide Waste Free Environment campaign took place on Thursday. ...more

New highly radioactive leak at Japan's Fukushima plant 21/2/2014

The operator of Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant said on Thursday that 100 metric tons of highly contaminated water had leaked out of a tank, the worst incident since last August, when a series of radioactive water leaks sparked international alarm. ...more

Brussels sues Britain over dirty-air breach 21/2/2014

The European Commission is taking legal action accusing Britain of exceeding limits on air pollution from traffic, forcing the UK to introduce tougher curbs or face fines over what is known to cause tens of thousands of premature deaths each year. ...more

Earth's green canopy gets an online protector 21/2/2014

A new online monitoring system will make it possible to quickly check the condition of tropical forests around the globe that were previously under no surveillance, potentially increasing pressure on governments to stop deforestation. ...more

Big Antarctic glacier to keep raising seas, even without warming 21/2/2014

A thawing Antarctic glacier that is the biggest contributor to rising sea levels is likely to continue shrinking for decades, even without an extra spur from global warming, a study showed on Thursday. ...more

Environment week to focus on disasters 20/2/2014

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) launched its seventh annual environment week on Monday to highlight concerns about increasing natural and made-made disasters in the region. ...more

Slovenia puts freak ice storm damage on woods at 194 million euro 20/2/2014

Damage wrought on Slovenia's forests during a heavy ice storm earlier this month is estimated at 194 million euros ($266.77 million) and will take months to repair, officials said on Wednesday. ...more