Aspen Times: Daniel Nocera is an unabashed proponent of ramped-up development of solar energy. A professor of energy and chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he says that solar alone, among the various renewable sources, can do the heavy lifting needed to meet future demand. And what a demand he foresees: Barely more than half of today’s 6.2 billion people on the planet lead energy-intensive lives. Should they get what you, me, and most everybody in the developed countries take …

Edmonton Journal: Nine polar bears found swimming 20 to 100 kilometres off the northwest coast of Alaska last week represent another sign that the rapid retreat of ice in the Arctic is forcing bears to make dangerous, long-distance swims to get to land or ice, scientists and environmentalists say. The bears were spotted in the Chukchi Sea by scientists surveying the area in advance of plans for offshore oil development. The scientists were on contract with Minerals Management Service, a division of the …

Asian News International: International-security experts have suggested that climate-change-related damage to global ecosystems and the resulting competition for natural resources may increasingly serve as triggers for wars and other conflicts in the future. According to Jurgen Scheffran, a research scientist in the Program in Arms Control, Disarmament and International Security and the Center for Advanced BioEnergy Research at the University of Illinois, ‘The impact of climate change on human and global …

Reuters: Most Californians won’t support the state’s ambitious efforts to fight global warming if they lead to sharply higher energy costs, according to a survey commissioned by a pro-business group released on Thursday. Sixty-three percent of 1,000 registered California voters surveyed this month said they supported the goal of cutting greenhouse gases, but that support fell to 47 percent when the question included the likelihood of higher energy costs. "This is an example of when you …

Daily Mail: She has urged her fans to join her in the fight against global warming. But Madonna’s green credentials were looking decidedly shaky last night as details of her extravagant tour were announced. The 45 concerts are expected to generate more than 1,635 tons of carbon pollution in travel alone. The emissions generated by the singer’s tour are equivalent to that created by 160 Britons in an entire year and equal to the emissions generated by leaving a standard 100 watt …

Associated Press: Malaysian wildlife officials rescued a critically endangered rhinoceros found wandering injured in an oil palm plantation on the edge of Borneo’s rain forest, authorities said Saturday. The rescue operation in Malaysia’s eastern Sabah state took two weeks because rangers had to "make sure that the rhino was not stressed by having humans so close to it," the Sabah Wildlife Department said in a statement. "It was a delicate operation," said the department’s chief field …

IRIN: Wandee Niamhom has been living by the Bang Khunthian seashore all of his life. When the 57-year-old shrimp farmer heard recent warnings that a large storm surge could hit Bangkok and affect his own area between September and December, he became a bit scared and started making preparations. He stockpiled water, instant noodles, torches and other supplies in case of an emergency. "We’re not panicked, just being cautious and ready for any storm surge should it come," he told IRIN. …

Innovations Report: A yeast geneticist on the campus of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) is close to developing mutant yeast for ethanol production that would reduce or eliminate the need to use corn to make the alternative fuel. The production of biofuels from basic plant material, rather than corn and other crops, would address concerns that making corn-based ethanol is pushing up food costs, said Mark Goebl, a professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in the IU School of …

Canberra Times: DEMAND for rooftop solar systems is growing so quickly that people are being forced to wait for up to nine months before they can be installed. Figures from the Department of the Environment show that applications for the Federal Government’s $8000 rebates continue to pour in at the rate of up to 700 a week, even though a new income test of $100,000 was introduced in the budget. The figures also show that lower income households are prepared to pay more for power that comes …

Inter Press Service: A spectre is haunting the cities and villages of most developing nations, warns a senior official of a World Bank-affiliated organisation. "It’s the spectre of a food, fuel and water crisis," says Lars Thunell, executive vice president of the Washington-based International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank group. "I believe we are at a tipping point," he said, because the scarcity of water poses a threat to the food supply just when the agricultural sector …