Associated Press: Eleven hundred more ducks died after landing on a toxic waste pond in northern Alberta last year than was originally estimated, a Canadian oil sands official acknowledged Tuesday. The carcasses of 1,606 ducks were collected from the oily waters, compared to the 500 originally counted, Syncrude Canada chief executive Tom Katinas said. The deaths of the mallards last April drew widespread attention and prompted Prime Minister Stephen Harper to lament that Canada’s international …

Agence France-Presse: Deforestation, one of the main drivers of global warming, has barged its way to the heart of UN climate talks, which resumed in Bonn this week. But which makes the better incentive for saving the carbon-absorbing tropical woodlands: market mechanisms or public funding? This question has split nations, divided green groups and tossed in yet another factor to bedevil efforts to agree a pact by year’s end for tackling climate change. Reducing emissions from deforestation …

Guardian: Greenpeace has accused three of the world’s biggest PC manufacturers of failing to live up to their promises to make more environmentally friendly computers. Hewlett-Packard, Dell and Lenovo have all been singled out in a report from the environmental campaign group, which claims they have failed to deliver new machines that do not depend so heavily on toxic chemicals. "HP, Lenovo and Dell had promised to eliminate vinyl plastic (PVC) and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) from …

Agence France-Presse: A US plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions is "very encouraging", EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said Wednesday, while admitting it falls far short of Europe’s plans. "This is really very encouraging," Dimas told reporters in Brussels as he unveiled a report on how Europe should adapt to climate change. "I am even more optimistic in getting an agreement in Copenhagen" in December at key global talks on battling climate change, he added. The US House of …

Agence France-Presse: The German government cleared the way on Wednesday for pilot projects to test the viability of siphoning off carbon dioxide churned out by coal power stations and storing it deep underground. The technology, known as Carbon Storage and Sequestration (CCS), aims to store the CO2 in geological chambers such as disused oilfields, rather than letting it escape into the atmosphere where it contributes to global warming. Supporters say that with the large majority of the world’s …

Reuters: China, India and other developing nations joined forces on Wednesday to urge rich countries to make far deeper cuts in greenhouse gas emissions than planned by 2020 to slow global warming. Many developing states at 175-country talks in Bonn, working on a new U.N. climate pact, urged the rich to cut emissions by "at least 40 percent" below 1990 levels by 2020 to confront what they said were worsening signs of climate change. The calls, part of negotiations on a new U.N. climate …

Agence France-Presse: Australia’s climate negotiator is urging nations to show their cards at ongoing Bonn talks, warning the fight against global warming will falter unless governments commit to clear — but realistic — goals. Climate Minister Penny Wong visited Washington, where she welcomed US President Barack Obama’s push on global warming along with new legislation introduced in Congress on curbing carbon emissions. In an interview with AFP late Tuesday, Wong said the talks in Bonn — part of …

Agence France-Presse: Environmental group Greenpeace called on Indonesia Wednesday to drop plans to tackle global climate change with credits for preserving forests, saying the measure could destroy carbon markets. The Southeast Asian nation, a key backer of "avoided deforestation" measures that would award tradeable carbon credits for conservation, should abandon the plan in favour of funds to preserve forests, campaigner Bustar Maitar said. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono should use meetings on …

Australian Broadcasting Corporation: Australia’s food productivity is declining along with agricultural r&d, undermining the country’s ability to help feed the world, says one expert. In the current issue of Australasian Science, agricultural economist Dr John Mullen, says the pattern is reflected in other developed countries such as the US and UK. "I’m pretty concerned about what’s happening," says Mullen, an adjunct professor at Charles Sturt University. "We’ve got to feed another 3 billion people in …

New Scientist: THE acres upon acres of lush tropical forest in the Amazon and tropical Africa are often referred to as the planet’s lungs. But what if they are also its heart? This is exactly what a couple of meteorologists claim in a controversial new theory that questions our fundamental understanding of what drives the weather. They believe vast forests generate winds that help pump water around the planet. If correct, the theory would explain how the deep interiors of forested continents get as …