Reuters: Environment

Wind, solar groups push U.S. renewable energy standard

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:12:43 -0500

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. industry executives from the wind, solar, hydropower, geothermal and biomass sectors pushed on Tuesday for a federal renewable energy standard, which they said would foster growth and create jobs.

Price ultimate driver of greener energy use: GE

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:19:00 -0500

LONDON (Reuters) - Pricing systems that encourage households to use energy more efficiently are the best way to help consumers to protect the environment, a senior General Electric Co executive said on Tuesday.

Europe faces challenges to electric car industry

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:15:38 -0500

SAN SEBASTIAN (Reuters) - The European Union faces challenges of safety, cost, competitiveness and technological harmonization in its plan to successfully develop its electric car industry, EU presidency holder Spain said on Tuesday.

U.S. climate envoy says China tepid on climate deal

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:32:25 -0500

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A senior U.S. official on Tuesday criticized China and other leading developing countries for trying to weaken the Copenhagen Accord to fight global warming and raised the prospect that a fuller international pact may be not be struck by year's end.

Baltic Sea states seek clean-up; Russia expands oil

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:14:56 -0500

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Political and business leaders meet in Helsinki on Wednesday to spur efforts to clean up the Baltic sea, which has suffered from decades of pollution and is a focus of Russia's oil and gas expansion plans.

New climate service aims to help business adapt

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:41:19 -0500

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A proposed new U.S. NOAA Climate Service is meant to help businesses adapt to the impact of climate change, and to spur development of new technologies to cope with it, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke on Monday.

China says water pollution double official figure

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:36:29 -0500

BEIJING (Reuters) - A new Chinese government survey of the country's environmental problems has shown water pollution levels in 2007 were more than twice the government's official estimate, largely because agricultural waste was ignored.

Britain launches labeling for green power tariffs

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:30:37 -0500

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain has launched a scheme to certify and label electricity produced by green means so as to help consumers and small businesses choose tariffs to support suppliers doing more to cut carbon emissions than obliged.

India delays GM vegetable start for further tests

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:14:19 -0500

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India has postponed the launch of its first genetically modified (GM) vegetable, saying it would adopt a cautious approach and wait for more scientific studies on the impact of the new variety of eggplant.

Fewer than 50 wild tigers left in China: expert

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 03:57:03 -0500

BEIJING (Reuters) - China has an estimated 50 or fewer tigers left living in the wild, but efforts to stabilize one population in the bleak northeast are starting to pay off, a conservationist said on Monday.