Desert shrubs may reduce global CO2 levels 5/8/2013

As the world continues to wrestle with threats posed by global climate change, a team of German scientists has developed a novel solution: plant millions of acres of the carbon-sucking shrub jatropha in hot, arid regions. ...more

Lebanon’s Vanina girls make trash glitter 2/8/2013

The Daily Star- Whereas most people would scarcely give a pile of old keys a second glance, the Vanina girls from Lebanon see in these disused materials new life as glittering jewelry. ...more

Is carbon-free shipping possible? 2/8/2013

This week a new sailing barge was launched on Lake Champlain, in North America. The 39-foot Ceres is an update on the type of cargo vessels that once plied the inland waterways throughout the northeastern U.S. Like them, the Ceres will sail without any sort of motorized assistance. ...more

Energy Department announces new investment to reduce fuel cell costs 2/8/2013

In support of the Obama Administration's all-of-the-above strategy to develop clean, domestic energy sources, the Energy Department announced a $4.5 million investment in two projects to lower the cost, improve the durability, and increase the efficiency of next-generation fuel cell systems. ...more

Elephant killer gets five years in prison in the Republic of Congo 2/8/2013

The Congolese Supreme Court has ordered Ghislain Ngondjo (known as Pepito) to five years in prison for slaughtering dozens of elephants for their ivory tusks ...more

Dolphin deaths higher than normal along U.S. East Coast beaches 2/8/2013

Carcasses of bottlenose dolphins are washing up on U.S. East Coast beaches from New Jersey to Virginia at a higher than normal pace, with more than 120 dead animals discovered since June, local and federal officials said on Thursday. ...more

Garden of Eden to become Iraqi national park 1/8/2013

The "Garden of Eden" has been saved, even as chaos grows all around. Last week, amid a wave of bombings on the streets of Baghdad, Iraq's Council of Ministers found time to approve the creation of the country's first national park – the centerpiece of a remarkable restoration of the Mesopotamian marshes in the south of the country. ...more

FAO urges developing nations to cut hazardous pesticides 1/8/2013

Developing countries should speed up the withdrawal of highly hazardous pesticides from their markets following the death of 23 children from contaminated food in India, the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization said on Tuesday. ...more

Frost damages nearly fifth of Brazil sugar cane crop 1/8/2013

Last week's frosts in southern Brazil damaged nearly a fifth of the unharvested cane crop in the principal growing region, an event likely to cut sugar exports from the world's largest producer, agriculture research company Datagro said Wednesday. ...more

Royal Bengal tiger numbers in Nepal leap to 198 1/8/2013

The number of wild royal Bengal tigers in Nepal has increased to 198, a 63.6 per cent rise in five years, a survey of the big cats shows. ...more