ABOARD THE ALGUITA, 1,000 miles northeast of Hawaii — In this remote patch of the Pacific Ocean, hundreds of miles from any national boundary, the detritus of human life is collecting in a swirling current so large that it defies precise measurement. Light bulbs, bottle caps, toothbrushes, Popsicle sticks and tiny pieces of plastic, each [...]

A forthcoming climate-change summit will not produce a binding deal on emissions EXPECTATIONS for the Copenhagen climate conference, held next month in Denmark, have been steadily dwindling. On Sunday November 15th, as Barack Obama toured Asia, he and the Danish prime minister, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, quietly agreed what many had anticipated—that no binding agreement would [...]

Floods have affected parts of Cumbria and the Yorkshire Dales People living in parts of north-west England face a high risk of their homes being damaged by floods, the Environment Agency has warned. It said Cumbria is at most risk overnight and has already issued 45 flood warnings across the UK. South-west Scotland also faces [...]

Dutch drivers will be first in Europe to start paying according to the kilometres they drive rather than for owning a car, if a legislative proposal submitted to the lower house of the country’s parliament on Friday (14 November) goes through. The kilometre charge would replace road tax and purchase tax in 2012. The idea is to cut CO2 emissions while halving traffic [...]

It’s official: the organisers of the Copenhagen climate conference conceded last weekend that it cannot deliver a final, legally binding deal. Danish prime minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, the conference host, is hoping for a “political deal”, followed by a legal one in 2010. The question now is how specific the political deal will be. Speaking [...]

Retreating ice in Antarctic has allowed tiny aquatic plants to flourish and absorb 3.5 million tonnes of carbon from the ocean and atmosphere annually. Researchers from the British Antarctic Survey say the new “carbon sink” of phytoplankton is equivalent to discovering a forest the size of Wales. However, the authors added, the discovery would only [...]

Foundation comment ‘You love him, hate him, or maybe just feel he writes like an American from an American nationalistic perspective on many issues.’ If you follow the debate around the energy/climate bills working through Congress you will notice that the drill-baby-drill opponents of this legislation are now making two claims. One is that the [...]

By Bruce Lourie and Rick Smith What happens when an adult eats nothing but canned food and drinks from a plastic container for a day? Bruce Lourie and Rick Smith found out – and the results are disturbing Belching smokestacks. Sewer outfalls. Car exhaust. For most people these are the first images that come to [...]