Reuters: Environment

Northeast Japan jolted by magnitude 5.9 quake, no tsunami warning

Sat, 18 May 2013 06:42:29 GMT

TOKYO (Reuters) - An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.9 jolted northeastern Japan on Saturday, but no tsunami warning was issued, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

All missing residents accounted for after Texas tornadoes

Fri, 17 May 2013 23:15:56 GMT

GRANBURY, Texas (Reuters) - All seven people listed as missing after a monster Texas tornado that tore homes from their foundations and uprooted trees on Wednesday have now been accounted for, leaving the death toll at six, authorities said on Friday.

Belgian regulator to recommend reopening nuclear reactors -paper

Fri, 17 May 2013 07:25:51 GMT

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgium's nuclear safety regulator will recommend reopening two GDF Suez nuclear reactors closed last year over safety concerns, newspaper Le Soir reported on Friday, citing a person familiar with the regulator's report.

China gives environmental approval to country's biggest hydro dam

Fri, 17 May 2013 05:14:03 GMT

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's environment ministry has given the go-ahead for the construction of what will become the country's tallest hydroelectric dam despite acknowledging it will have an impact on plants and rare fish.

New fracking rules attempt to placate opposing camps

Thu, 16 May 2013 21:56:51 GMT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration on Thursday unveiled a new proposal for regulating hydraulic fracturing on federal lands, rolling back some measures from its original, abandoned draft as it sought to ease concerns the rules would be too burdensome for producers.

Monster Texas tornado kills six, seven people missing

Thu, 16 May 2013 18:33:22 GMT

GRANBURY, Texas (Reuters) - Six people were dead and seven missing after a powerful tornado ripped through a neighborhood that included housing for the poor in the north Texas town of Granbury, marking the deadliest severe storm outbreak in the United States so far this year.

Norwegian firm to seek ways to trap cement factory CO2

Thu, 16 May 2013 15:57:53 GMT

OSLO (Reuters) - Norway's Aker Solutions has won a contract to make the world's first tests for capturing emissions of carbon dioxide from cement factories as part of efforts to slow climate change, the company said on Thursday.

Cyclone Mahasen buffets Bangladesh coast, six dead

Thu, 16 May 2013 14:57:25 GMT

CHITTAGONG, Bangladesh (Reuters) - Cyclone Mahasen buffeted Bangladesh's low-lying coast on Thursday, killing six people after forcing many thousands into emergency shelters, but authorities downgraded warnings later in the day as the storm lost strength.

New protest in Chinese city over planned chemical plant

Thu, 16 May 2013 09:06:06 GMT

BEIJING (Reuters) - Hundreds of people took to the streets of the southwestern Chinese city of Kunming on Thursday to protest against the planned production of a chemical at a refinery, the second demonstration this month against the project.

China says EU solar duties to "seriously harm" trade ties

Thu, 16 May 2013 09:00:11 GMT

BEIJING (Reuters) - China warned the European Union on Thursday that imposing duties on Chinese solar panels would "seriously harm" bilateral trade ties, upping the tone of its criticism a week after the EU said it would move ahead with hefty penalties in June.

BP to ask UK government to intervene on Gulf spill payments: BBC

Thu, 16 May 2013 07:54:44 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - British oil company BP wants Prime Minister David Cameron to intervene with the U.S. government over the escalating cost of compensating U.S. companies for the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster in 2010, the BBC reported Thursday.

Analysis: Obama climate agenda faces Supreme Court reckoning

Thu, 16 May 2013 05:25:50 GMT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With a barrage of legal briefs, a coalition of business groups and Republican-leaning states are taking their fight against Obama administration climate change regulations to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Second Alaska volcano belching ash and steam

Thu, 16 May 2013 03:19:18 GMT

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - One of Alaska's most active volcanoes has erupted with clouds of ash and steam, and lava is flowing down its snow-covered flank, scientists said on Wednesday.

Scientists say united on global warming, at odds with public view

Thu, 16 May 2013 00:02:05 GMT

OSLO (Reuters) - Ninety-seven percent of scientists say global warming is mainly man-made but a wide public belief that experts are divided is making it harder to gain support for policies to curb climate change, an international study showed on Thursday.

Monsanto tests planting platform, eyes new microbial business

Wed, 15 May 2013 22:29:49 GMT

ST. LOUIS (Reuters) - Monsanto Co, the world's largest seed company, is developing two new platforms that diverge from its core business and are seen as potential key long-term growth drivers, according to top Monsanto executives.

Many countries badly mismanage oil, mining resources: study

Wed, 15 May 2013 19:04:07 GMT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than 80 percent of the world's major oil and gas-producing and mining countries fail to meet "satisfactory standards" for managing their natural resources, according to a report tracking global resource mismanagement and corruption.

China granted observer seat on Arctic governing council

Wed, 15 May 2013 18:57:11 GMT

KIRUNA, Sweden (Reuters) - The Arctic Council agreed on Wednesday to admit emerging powers China and India as observers, reflecting growing global interest in the trade and energy potential of the planet's Far North.

Japan takes first step to a permanent reactor shutdown after Fukushima

Wed, 15 May 2013 11:26:06 GMT

TOKYO (Reuters) - Experts judged on Wednesday that a reactor on Japan's west coast is located on ground at high risk of an earthquake, setting in motion a process that will likely lead to the first permanent shutdown of a nuclear plant since the 2011 Fukushima crisis.

China gives environmental approval to country's biggest hydro dam

Wed, 15 May 2013 09:47:32 GMT

BYD's electric taxis hit Hong Kong roads with big ambitions

Wed, 15 May 2013 09:27:54 GMT

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Warren Buffett-backed Chinese carmaker BYD Co Ltd rolled out Hong Kong's first electric taxi fleet on Wednesday, marking a milestone for its all-electric battery car that highlights its promise and its limitations.

Ice melt, sea level rise, to be less severe than feared: study

Tue, 14 May 2013 18:01:03 GMT

OSLO (Reuters) - A melt of ice on Greenland and Antarctica is likely to be less severe than expected this century, limiting sea level rise to a maximum of 69 cm (27 inches), an international study said on Tuesday.

DiCaprio's wildlife charity auction brings in $38.8 million

Tue, 14 May 2013 15:41:07 GMT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Actor Leonardo DiCaprio and Christie's auction house raised $38.8 million through a charity art auction and donations, Christie's said on Tuesday, with proceeds to benefit environmental and conservation causes.

U.S. tax dollars promote Monsanto's GMO crops overseas: report

Tue, 14 May 2013 13:05:31 GMT

(Reuters) - U.S. taxpayers are footing the bill for overseas lobbying that promotes controversial biotech crops developed by U.S.-based Monsanto Co and other seed makers, a report issued on Tuesday said.

Neck-cams capture Alaska's bears foraging through city

Tue, 14 May 2013 01:48:38 GMT

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - The lives of urban-dwelling bears are chronicled in neck-cam video clips showing their trash-trawling, birdseed-raiding and bear-bonding antics as several of the burly creatures caroused through Alaska's biggest city.

UN faces uphill battle to reduce global airline emissions

Mon, 13 May 2013 23:21:03 GMT

MONTREAL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Little progress has been made in a United Nations' effort to craft an agreement to lower greenhouse gas emissions from international air travel, raising doubts that its civil aviation body can deliver a final resolution by a September target date, several government officials said on Monday.